When performers share the same expressive intention, are their brains and behavior more synchronized?
Continuing from the emotion primer study, two pianists will be given a duet piece to learn. We then have them listen to either congruent (same emotion) or incongruent (opposite emotion) primers, and ask them to create a successful interpretation.
We predict that in congruent blocks, the shared primer will induce a higher level of expressivity, faster consolidation of an interpretation, and stronger neural synchrony measured using EEG hyperscanning techniques.
During live performance, musicians must dynamically communicate in non-verbal ways, including eye contact, body gestures, and the music itself. Do these subtle changes in understanding reflect in the brains of performers?