The Rhythm Reproduction Task for children: A psychometric examination

Rhythmic ability includes various subskills, such as rhythm production and perception of beat, meter, and pattern. Among these, reproducing rhythmic patterns is a key measure of productive rhythmic skills. This study examined the psychometric properties of the Rhythm Reproduction Task for children (Jungbluth & Hafen, 2005) and an extended version including permuted item variants. A total of 151 children aged 5 to 8 completed the task across five response modalities (drumming after the experimenter, clapping, tapping, drumming after a loudspeaker, and vocal reproduction). Analyses showed appropriate item difficulty and variance, good internal consistency (α = .86, ω = .77), and strong correlations between original and permuted items (r = .84-.89). Structural equation modeling indicated partial metric invariance across item versions and response modalities. Results support the Rhythm Reproduction Task as a reliable measure of rhythmic pattern reproduction in children, with permuted items expanding its applicability.