Timing of Behavior

Book excerpt: This volume presents cutting-edge research on the production, perception, and memory of timed events. Athletes and musicians demonstrate the levels to which humans can ascend in the timing of behavior. But even common actions, such as opening a door or bringing a cup to one's lips, reveal how we organize our behavior temporally. When there is damage to the nervous system and the ability to time behavior breaks down, we become aware of how many things must go right for timing not to go terribly wrong. In recent years, there has been a considerable growth of interest among cognitive and brain scientists in the timing aspects of human behavior. This volume presents cutting-edge research on the production, perception, and memory of timed events. Empirical chapters discuss a variety of tasks ranging from locomotion to finger-tapping. Theoretical chapters provide quantitative models for topics as diverse as eyeblink conditioning and posture during walking. Other chapters discuss the neuroanatomical bases of timing behavior. Contributors: Lorraine G. Allan, Eric L. Amazeen, Polemnia G. Amazeen, Heather Jane Barnes, Steven Boker, Darlene H. Brunzell, June-Seek Choi, Russell M. Church, Charles E. Collyer, Christopher Connolly, Frederick J. Diedrich, John Gibbon, Roderic Grupen, Kathleen Y. Haaland, Deborah L. Harrington, Kjeldy Haugsjaa, Kenneth G. Holt, John J. Jeka, Bruce A. Kay, Michael Kubovy, Tiffany Mattson, Warren Meck, John W. Moore, Trevor Penney, Bruno H. Repp, David A. Rosenbaum, Kamal Souccar, Michael T. Turvey, Jonathan Vaughan, William H. Warren, Jr.