Overview
- The Science paper (Nov. 27) reports that two extensively trained macaques tapped predictively to the pulse of real songs rather than merely reacting to cues.
- Researchers used excerpts spanning Barry White, Backstreet Boys, Bob Dylan, and Aphex Twin to test whether the animals could extract a musical beat across genres.
- When tempos were shifted, the monkeys adjusted their tapping phases in step with the music, indicating alignment to musical structure.
- Authors and outside commentators emphasize that the behavior emerged through extrinsic rewards and artificial training, not intrinsic musical enjoyment.
- Experts note the extremely small sample and highly constrained protocols, urging restraint in challenging the vocal-learning hypothesis and calling for broader, less artificial tests.