Sensorimotor interactions in predictive timing: The benefits of moving to the beat

Abstract

The interplay between movement and sound shapes numerous behaviours, such as foot tapping to the beat of a song or playing a musical instrument. Sensorimotor integration is critical for these tasks, allowing us to make predictions about upcoming events in time and synchronize movements in time with those predicted events. The processing of predictable timing information is tightly linked with movement where listening to rhythmic information alone is sufficient to activate regions of the brain important for the planning and execution of movement. My Ph.D. research has focused on motor timing and temporal prediction, particularly how audiomotor interactions are involved in listening to rhythmic information. My research demonstrates how movement interacts with the perceived timing of external auditory events and improves objective timing abilities. I have also documented ways in which sensory feedback, musical expertise and types of motor synchronization mediate this interaction. Overall, my findings are the first to document that synchronizing movements with predictable auditory information can serve to improve the internal representation of timing, illustrating movement’s role in temporal prediction and suggesting one reason we may move to the beat in musical settings.