How Rhythm and Timing Structure Experience: Auditory Perception,
Music and Social Interaction
Dr. Laurel J Trainor, McMaster University
Date and time: March 21st at 12:00
Place: Aula Magna
Abstract: Rhythmic stimuli are powerful because their regularity enables
us to predict when important events will happen and, as a result, to
attend to those points in time in order to process these important
events optimally. Rhythms are ubiquitous in biological systems, from
motor movements for locomotion to communication signals such as speech
and music. I will present evidence that the human auditory system uses
the motor system to accomplish rhythmic timing, and that auditory-motor
interactions for timing are present very early in development. Further,
I will present evidence that fluctuations in the power of brain
oscillations measured with EEG in the beta frequency (~20 Hz) entrain to
external auditory rhythms and are a neural signature of the prediction
of upcoming sounds. Finally, I will discuss the social implications of
coordinated movements in human interactions from musical ensembles to
pro-social behaviour in infants.