How do we use the sounds we create as we sing a song, tap a rhythm on the table, or speak? This line of research explores the relationships between the produced actions in music performance (e.g., key presses on a piano) and the auditory pattern that results from these actions (auditory feedback). The general paradigm involves altering various characteristics of auditory feedback during performances, including the production of melodies or sentences.
One result that has been replicated in many studies and across different populations, is a dissociation between the use of temporal (onset based) and sequential (pitch/syllabic based).
Whereas alterations to the synchronization of feedback disrupts the production of timing, alterations to the sequential organization of feedback disrupts correct sequencing (see plot, from the book Sound and Action, Pfordresher, 2019)
Theoretical goals of this research include a better understanding of the way people use auditory feedback when communicating meaningful sequences, the degree to which perception and production use a common representation, and the degree to which perceptual feedback guides movement.
Applied goals include a better understanding of perception/production related disorders (e.g. stuttering), the kinds of acoustic environments that can prove disruptive to performance and how to counteract such situations, sources of difficulty in ensemble performance, and the design of new electronic instruments that foster compatible human/machine interactions.
Read our publications about the role of perceptual feedback.