March 2016 MIMM Journal Club
Mar 11, 2016
12:30PM to 1:30PM
1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, Canada
Date/Time
Date(s) - 11/03/2016
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm
Location
McMaster University, Psychology Building, Room 204
The next meeting will be held on Friday, March 11th, 2016 at 12:30pm in Room 204 of the Psychology Building at McMaster University!
Dr. Steven Brown’s graduate student, Léa Chauvigne, will lead a discussion on the article by Merchant and Honing, 2014 entitled “Are non-human primates capable of rhythmic entrainment?
Abstract listed below.
Merchant, H., & Honing, H. (2014). Are non-human primates capable of rhythmic entrainment? Evidence for the gradual audiomotor evolution hypothesis. Frontiers in Neuroscience, 7.
Abstract:
We propose a decomposition of the neurocognitive mechanisms that might underlie interval-based timing and rhythmic entrainment. Next to reviewing the concepts central to the definition of rhythmic entrainment, we discuss recent studies that suggest rhythmic entrainment to be specific to humans and a selected group of bird species, but, surprisingly, is not obvious in non-human primates. On the basis of these studies we propose the gradual audiomotor evolution hypothesis that suggests that humans fully share interval-based timing with other primates, but only partially share the ability of rhythmic entrainment (or beat-based timing). This hypothesis accommodates the fact that non-human primates (i.e., macaques) performance is comparable to humans in single interval tasks (such as interval reproduction, categorization, and interception), but show differences in multiple interval tasks (such as rhythmic entrainment, synchronization, and continuation). Furthermore, it is in line with the observation that macaques can, apparently, synchronize in the visual domain, but show less sensitivity in the auditory domain. And finally, while macaques are sensitive to interval-based timing and rhythmic grouping, the absence of a strong coupling between the auditory and motor system of non-human primates might be the reason why macaques cannot rhythmically entrain in the way humans do.
Hamilton, Ontario, L8S 4L8