Academic Journal
Visual processing and sensorimotor integration in flute music reading: Eye movements, anticipation, and breathing patterns during practice.
| Title: | Visual processing and sensorimotor integration in flute music reading: Eye movements, anticipation, and breathing patterns during practice. |
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| Authors: | Cara MA; Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Instituto de Música, Avenida el Bosque 1290, Viña del Mar, Chile. Electronic address: michel.cara@pucv.cl., Mitrovic D; Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Instituto de Música, Avenida el Bosque 1290, Viña del Mar, Chile., Rojas C; Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Instituto de Música, Avenida el Bosque 1290, Viña del Mar, Chile. |
| Source: | Experimental eye research [Exp Eye Res] 2026 Aug; Vol. 269, pp. 111044. Date of Electronic Publication: 2026 May 08. |
| Publication Type: | Journal Article |
| Language: | English |
| Journal Info: | Publisher: Academic Press Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 0370707 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1096-0007 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 00144835 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Exp Eye Res Subsets: MEDLINE |
| Imprint Name(s): | Publication: London : Academic Press Original Publication: London. |
| MeSH Terms: | Eye Movements*/physiology , Visual Perception*/physiology , Anticipation, Psychological*/physiology , Psychomotor Performance*/physiology , Music* , Reading* , Respiration* , Practice, Psychological*, Attention/physiology ; Learning/physiology ; Blinking/physiology ; Humans ; Female ; Male ; Young Adult ; Adult |
| Abstract: | This study examines eye movements, breathing patterns, and performance measures in relation to learning strategies during musical practice. A group of 27 flautists with varying levels of expertise read and practiced an excerpt of Giulio Briccialdi's Duo Concertante for Two Flutes, No. 2, Op. 100. Participants were evaluated across three trials: a first sight-reading performance, a second performance after 10 min of self-guided practice with a metronome, and a final performance without a metronome, during which their learning strategies and the measures studied were analyzed. A multivariate analysis revealed two main components underlying single-session learning: the first was linked to attentional and anticipatory processes, as reflected in eye-hand span, visual information intake (number of fixations), and information processing (fixation duration), while the second reflected physiological regulation, including breathing patterns (thoracic-to-abdominal balance) and blink dynamics. Musicians employing a wider variety of learning strategies (combining mental practice, music structural, and technical approaches) demonstrated improved anticipation, increased blinking activity, shorter fixation duration, and more balanced thoracic and abdominal breathing patterns. Musical structure influenced significantly all studied variables, with similar response patterns observed across trials. These findings underscore the importance of employing a diverse range of learning strategies, and suggest that the integration of anticipatory, embodied, and self-regulatory processes is essential for optimizing performance in short practice sessions. (Copyright © 2026. Published by Elsevier Ltd.) |
| Competing Interests: | Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests:Michel Cara reports financial support was provided by National Agency for Research and Development. If there are other authors, they declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper. |
| Contributed Indexing: | Keywords: Breathing patterns; Embodiment; Eye blinks; Eye movements; Eye-hand span; Learning strategies; Music reading |
| Entry Date(s): | Date Created: 20260510 Date Completed: 20260612 Latest Revision: 20260612 |
| Update Code: | 20260612 |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.exer.2026.111044 |
| PMID: | 42107854 |
| Database: | MEDLINE |
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