Musical Rhythm Study

Participate in a study on musical rhythm!

At the Laboratory of Integrative Neuroscience and Cognition

Georgetown University Medical Center

Our research team is conducting a study to understand enhanced musical abilities in blindness.

This fun study, led by Jessica Phillips-Silver, Ph.D., is about how we perceive musical rhythm—and feel the beat!

Qualifying participants must:

**be at least 18 years of age;

**have been blind since 0-2 years of age.

What will you do in this study?

You will be asked to listen to musical rhythms, such as the sounds of drum beats, and to briefly move along with the experimenter by bending your knees gently to the beat. Next you will comfortably enter the brain scanner, which is safe and allows us to measure your brain activity, for just under an hour. In the scanner, you will listen to the rhythms, tap along for a few, minutes, and then make choices with a button press about the rhythms you recognize and the various instrument sounds you hear. The study is enjoyable and you will receive pictures of your own brain!

How long is this study and what is the compensation?

The entire study lasts approximately 2 hours. As compensation for your time, you will be given $50 for the scanner time, and $25 for the preparation time, for a total of $75. You will also be reimbursed for your transportation when you provide receipts.

For more information and to discuss the details of your experience with us here at Georgetown, please contact us:

Jessica Phillips-Silver, Ph.D. (lead researcher)
Telephone: 202-687-8842
E-mail: jsp102@georgetown.edu  

Or

Sebastian Pena (lab manager)
Telephone: 202-687-8842
E-mail: sebastian.pena@georgetown.edu

We look forward to speaking with you and welcoming you onto our research team!