Random anecdotal support: Richard Feynmann was an accomplished drummer, capable of exotic polyrhythms. He didn't seem to think his skill at drumming had much relevance to his skill at science, however:
In light of this article, he may well have been wrong. :)
"anectodal support" is an oxymoron. You need many data points to show a correlation. Adding one more doesn't mean anything at all, whether it's an outlier or not.
I entirely agree. I wasn't trying to prove anything -- much the opposite: I used an intentionally silly expression to indicate that while the fact agreed with the conclusions drawn in the article, it had no real statistical relevance. I nonetheless found it interesting.
A good follow up project would be to investigate whether or not there is a correlation between meditation, rhythmic accuracy, and changes in mental ability/capacity.
I also wonder if they take into account the "muscle memory" effect in which musicians (and anyone who does complex tasks with their hands regularly) tends to store some information in the nerves and pathways of the hands themselves, rather than the brain.
In other words, could a stupid drummer game the system?
I knew I was smarter for picking up drums instead of guitar.
does this mean intelligence is linked to physical ability? or body coordination? (I have about 15 friends who prove otherwise)