Mechanisms of Timing and Temporal Processing

在几百毫秒到几秒的时间尺度上评估事件的时间特征的神经机制是人类感知和表现的基础。在这个时间尺度上，研究至少支持两种不同的机制：一种是基于间隔的(“秒表”)机制，用于记录、存储和比较持续时间；另一种是基于节拍(“夹带”)的机制，用于评估事件相对于内部产生的周期的相对时间。一个相对较少受到研究关注的话题是个体差异的问题。这个项目考虑了个体参与基于节拍和基于音程的计时的可能性，但这样做的程度不同。该项目的总体目标是确定和表征调解基于节拍和基于音程的计时机制的参与的因素。三条研究路线将结合一种新的序列计时范式，它展示了稳健的个体差异，以及一个数学模型，该模型索引了表现反映基于节拍的判断的程度。序列计时范式的关键是刺激序列，这些序列根据个体是进行基于节拍的计时还是基于间隔的计时，分别产生对序列速率的相反感知(加速和减速)。第一行考察了调节节拍计时的刺激特征。第二行评估时间安排模式的灵活性，重点关注注意力和任务因素。第三行涉及发展和培训因素。拟议的建模工作的一个关键贡献是，它将两种截然不同的计时理论整合在一个框架内。使用这个框架来澄清个体参与基于节拍的计时的程度将改善目前对个体计时行为差异的有限理解，并将有助于更好地表征与神经疾病有关的时间加工缺陷。该项目还将通过为本科生和研究生提供跨学科培训和协作研究活动的独特机会，促进和加强保龄格林州立大学JP Scott神经科学、思维和行为中心的研究和教育环境。

Neural mechanisms for assessing the temporal characteristics of events on a hundreds-of-milliseconds to seconds time scale are fundamental to human perception and performance. On this time scale, research supports at least two distinct mechanisms: an interval-based ('stopwatch') mechanism that records, stores and compares durations and a beat-based ('entrainment') mechanism that assesses the relative timing of events with respect to an internally-generated periodicity. One topic that has received relatively little research attention is the issue of individual differences. This project considers the possibility that individuals engage in beat-based and interval-based timing, but do so to different degrees. The general project aim is to identify and characterize factors mediating engagement of beat-based and interval-based timing mechanisms. Three lines of research will combine a novel sequence-timing paradigm that demonstrates robust individual differences, with a mathematical model that indexes the degree to which performance reflects beat-based judgments. Critical to the sequence-timing paradigm are stimulus sequences that yield opposite perceptions about sequence rate ('speeding up' versus 'slowing down') depending on whether individuals engage in beat-based or interval-based timing, respectively. The first line examines stimulus characteristics mediating beat-based timing. The second line assesses flexibility in timing mode, focusing on attention and task factors. The third line addresses developmental and training factors. A key contribution of the proposed modeling work is that it integrates two contrasting theories of timing within a single framework. Using this framework to clarify the degree to which individuals engage in beat-based timing will improve current limited understanding of individual differences in timing behavior and will help better characterize temporal processing deficits linked to neurological disorders. This project also will contribute to and strengthen the research and educational environment at the JP Scott Center for Neuroscience, Mind and Behavior at Bowling Green State University by providing unique opportunities for interdisciplinary training and collaborative research activities for undergraduate and graduate students.