Humans readily move in time with a regular beat. This skill, known technically as sensorimotor synchronization, underlies activities such as dancing, marching, and music performance, all of which require precise temporal coordination of actions with rhythmic sequences of sounds. The standard laboratory task to investigate synchronization is finger tapping in time with a rhythmic sequence of stimuli. Although a good deal is known about the basic principles underlying the process of synchronization, there is still much to be learned. In most previous studies, both perceived and produced rhythms have been quite simple, often just a regular beat. How does synchronization work when perceived and/or produced rhythms approach the complexity of real music? Do the same principles apply, and with the same effectiveness? Inevitably, these questions about rhythmic coordination are intertwined with theoretical issues concerning rhythm perception and rhythm production.
The nature of error correction by trained musicians attempting to synchronize to complex rhythms will be examined in several situations. Small timing deviations will be introduced into the rhythms, the complexity of the rhythms will be varied, and pitch changes will be introduced. Finally, the effect of purely mental subdivision of a beat on the precision of synchronization will be investigated. The research will increase our understanding of the special skills involved in music performance, provide paradigms for a cognitive neuroscience of rhythmic behavior, and point to possible mechanisms for specific impairments of temporal coordination.
