Work

Long-term sport participation is associated with a selective auditory-musical performance profile

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Long-term sport participation has been associated with selective differences in temporal and perceptual-cognitive processing, but it remains unclear whether such differences extend to auditory-musical perception. We examined overall and component-level performance on the Montreal Battery of Evaluation of Amusia (MBEA) in 83 participants: 31 sport-trained participants and 52 psychology-student controls. Between-group differences were tested using ordinary least-squares regression with HC3 robust standard errors, adjusting for age and years of formal musical education; Holm correction was applied across the six MBEA subtests. Sport-trained participants obtained higher Total MBEA scores than controls ( B = 15.34, p = 0.002). At the component level, they scored higher on the a priori temporal outcomes Rhythm ( B = 2.87, Holm-adjusted p = 0.030) and Meter ( B = 3.72, Holm-adjusted p = 0.012). An exploratory difference was also observed for Memory ( B = 4.20, Holm-adjusted p = 0.002), whereas Contour did not remain significant after correction and no significant differences were found for Scale or Interval . Supplementary d ′ models and their leave-one-out sensitivity analyses converged on the same pattern for Rhythm , Meter , and Memory . Within the sport-trained group, years of sport participation were not positively associated with Total MBEA performance after adjustment for age ( B = −0.78, p = 0.108). These findings suggest that long-term sport participation is associated with a selective rather than generalized profile of auditory-musical differences, with the clearest group differences in temporal processing and an exploratory difference in recognition memory. The cross-sectional design does not permit causal attribution to sport training, and the observed profile may reflect training-related adaptations, pre-existing individual differences, or both.

Source: Frontiers in Psychology

DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1758520

Authors: Bartłomiej Jacek Swebodziński, Kuba Korta, Jacek Łantowski

Institution: Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski University in Warsaw

Language: English

Topic: Neuroscience and Music Perception

Subfield: Cognitive Neuroscience

Field: Neuroscience

Domain: Life Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,801