Name: Bouncing Ball with a Uniformly Varying Velocity in a Metronome Synchronization Task (Video) | JoVE Journal
Uploaded: 2017-09-21T13:00:00.000+00:00
Duration: 5 min 4 s
Description: Learn sensory motor synchronization using a bouncing ball with uniformly varying velocity in a metronome task. This method compares visual and auditory timing to explore modality-specific processing in neuroscience.

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5 minutes

This work was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (31371129).

This protocol was approved by the Institutional Review Board of Psychology Department of Sun Yat-Sen University.
NOTE: A custom program &#34;BouncingBall&#34;9 is provided for accomplishing this protocol. Extracting the file &#34;BouncingBall.zip&#34; generates a directory &#34;BouncingBall&#34;, which contains auditory and visual stimuli files (see Section 1 below), a script &#34;BouncingBall_run.m&#34; for programming of stimulus presentation and response recording (see Section 2 below) and presenting stimuli and recording responses (see Section 3 below), and a script &#34;BouncingBall_analyze.m&#34; for programming of data analyses (see Section 4 below) and performing data analyses (see Section 5 below).
1. Preparation of Auditory and Visual Stimuli
NOTE: The &#34;BouncingBall&#34; directory contains generated stimuli. Readers can use or modify the stimuli as required.
<ol>
	<li>Use software in which auditory tones can be generated, to create a pure tone of 600 Hz and 50 ms duration.</li>
	<li>Use software in which visual images can be generated, to create an image of an orange ball with a transparent background.</li>
	<li>Use a smartphone with a camera to take a picture of an orange basketball, and use software in which visual images can be generated, to create an image of the basketball with a black background.</li>
</ol>
2. Programming of Stimulus Presentation and Response Recording
NOTE: The programming of stimulus presentation and response recording is already implemented in the script &#34;BouncingBall_run.m&#34; in the directory &#34;BouncingBall&#34;, which can be opened and edited using a text edit software. Readers can set up or modify the settings as required, following the comments in the script.
<ol>
	<li>Set up the background color as black.</li>
	<li>Set up each sequence to have 55 events (54 IOIs). For practice (see below), set up the event number as 20.</li>
	<li>Set up each sequence to be repeated 6 times. For practice, set up the repetition number as 2.</li>
	<li>Setup the IOI to be 600 ms or 900 ms.</li>
	<li>Construct the AT sequence.
	<ol>
		<li>Present the pure tone every IOI.</li>
		<li>Permanently display an orange ball of 1.74 cm in diameter (subtended a visual angle of 1.66&#176;) and a white bar of 3.54 cm x 4.06 cm. Present the ball at the center of the computer screen and display the bar 0.92 cm below the bottom edge of the ball. 
		NOTE: The orange ball and the bar are presented to keep visual settings as consistent as possible between the AT sequence and the visual sequences, and to keep the subject fixating on the ball and maintaining attention on the auditory task.</li>
	</ol>
	</li>
	<li>Construct the VF sequence.
	<ol>
		<li>Have the orange ball flash every IOI, i.e., it lasts for 50 ms and disappears for the remaining IOI time.</li>
	</ol>
	</li>
	<li>Construct the VB sequence.
	<ol>
		<li>Replace the orange ball with the realistic orange basketball.</li>
		<li>Let the ball continually move 0.92 cm (movement distance) down and touch the white bar, and then move up to the initial position. 
		NOTE: The velocity of the ball is uniformly varied with a constant acceleration. The acceleration is 0.20 m/s2 for the 600-ms IOI or 0.09 m/s2 for the 900-ms IOI. The ball reaches its peak velocity when touching the bar. Use different accelerations for different IOIs.</li>
	</ol>
	</li>
	<li>Record and save the time when the subject presses the responding key on a computer keyboard.</li>
</ol>
3. Experimental Procedure
NOTE: Presenting stimuli and recording responses are accomplished by typing &#34;BouncingBall_run(SequenceType, IOI, ScreenX, ScreenY, isFormal)&#34; in the command window of the software. &#34;ScreenX&#34; and &#34;ScreenY&#34; refer to the width and height of the computer screen in cm, respectively. The tapping data are automatically recorded in the file &#34;SequenceType_IOI_ScreenX_ScreenY.mat&#34; by the program. IsFormal refers to whether the experiment is the formal experiment or the practice.
<ol>
	<li>Ask the subject to sit in front of a computer screen with a 60-cm viewing distance and wear a headset.</li>
	<li>Give the subject the written informed consent form to sign.</li>
	<li>Give the subject the written experiment instructions.
	<ol>
		<li>In the instructions, explain the metronome synchronization task to the subject: tap (on a keyboard key using their index finger of their preferred hand) in synchrony with the tones in the AT sequence, the flashing balls in the VF sequence, and the moments when the bouncing ball moves to the lowest position (i.e., touches the bar) in the VB sequence.</li>
	</ol>
	</li>
	<li>Open the software. 
	NOTE: The software continuously runs and its command window stays open. Typing the Bouncingball_run command in the command window will run the stimulus presentation and return to the command window when the stimulus presentation is finished.</li>
	<li>Ask the subject to practice with the 600 ms IOI AT, VF, and VB sequences twice to become familiar with the stimuli and task. 
	NOTE: The practice was the same as the below formal experiment except: (1) The order of the three sequence types is not changed across the subjects; (2) Each sequence is repeated 2 times; and (3) Each sequence has 20 events.
	<ol>
		<li>Type &#34;Bouncingball_run(&#39;AT&#39;, 600, 53.1, 29.8, 0)&#34; in the command window and then press the &#39;Enter&#39; key, to perform the practice of the AT sequence. 
		NOTE: The screen size was 53.1 cm x 29.8 cm in Gan et al.4, but the readers should assign the size according to the screen that they use. When the experiment program is running, the subject is performing the task described in the experiment instructions. In addition, the sequence presentation is self-paced, i.e., the subject presses the space bar to start a sequence.</li>
		<li>Type &#34;Bouncingball_run(&#39;VF&#39;, 600, 53.1, 29.8, 0)&#34; in the command window and then press the &#39;Enter&#39; key, to perform the practice of the VF sequence.</li>
		<li>Type &#34;Bouncingball_run(&#39;VB&#39;, 600, 53.1, 29.8, 0)&#34; in the command window and then press the &#39;Enter&#39; key, to perform the practice of the VB sequence.</li>
	</ol>
	</li>
	<li>Ask the subject to conduct the experiment. Counterbalance the orders of IOI types and sequence types among subjects. 
	NOTE: Below is the procedure for one subject.
	<ol>
		<li>Type &#34;Bouncingball_run(&#39;AT&#39;, 600, 53.1, 29.8, 1)&#34; in the command window and then press the &#39;Enter&#39; key, to perform the 600-ms IOI AT sequence.
		<ol>
			<li>Note that the subject will tap on a keyboard key using the index finger in synchrony with the tones in the AT sequence.</li>
		</ol>
		</li>
		<li>Type &#34;Bouncingball_run(&#39;VF&#39;, 600, 53.1, 29.8, 1)&#34; in the command window and then press the &#39;Enter&#39; key, to perform the 600-ms IOI VF sequence.
		<ol>
			<li>Note that the subject will tap on a keyboard key using the index finger in synchrony with the flashing balls.</li>
		</ol>
		</li>
		<li>Type &#34;Bouncingball_run(&#39;VB&#39;, 600, 53.1, 29.8, 1)&#34; in the command window and then press the &#39;Enter&#39; key, to perform the 600-ms IOI VB sequence.
		<ol>
			<li>Note that the subject will tap on a keyboard key using the index finger in synchrony with the moments when the bouncing ball moves to the lowest position (i.e., touches the bar).</li>
		</ol>
		</li>
		<li>Type &#34;Bouncingball_run(&#39;AT&#39;, 900, 53.1, 29.8, 1)&#34; in the command window and then press the &#39;Enter&#39; key, to perform the 900-ms IOI AT sequence.
		<ol>
			<li>Note that the subject will tap on a keyboard key using the index finger in synchrony with the tones in the AT sequence.</li>
		</ol>
		</li>
		<li>Type &#34;Bouncingball_run(&#39;VF&#39;, 900, 53.1, 29.8, 1)&#34; in the command window and then press the &#39;Enter&#39; key, to perform the 900-ms IOI VF sequence.
		<ol>
			<li>Note that the subject will tap on a keyboard key using the index finger in synchrony with the flashing balls.</li>
		</ol>
		</li>
		<li>Type &#34;Bouncingball_run(&#39;VB&#39;, 900, 53.1, 29.8, 1)&#34; in the command window and then press the &#39;Enter&#39; key, to perform the 900-ms IOI VB sequence.
		<ol>
			<li>Note that the subject will tap on a keyboard key using the index finger in synchrony with the moments when the bouncing ball moves to the lowest position (i.e., touches the bar).</li>
		</ol>
		</li>
	</ol>
	</li>
</ol>
4. Programming of Data Analyses
NOTE: The programming of data analyses is already implemented in the script &#34;BouncingBall_analyze.m&#34; in the directory &#34;BouncingBall&#34;, which can be opened and edited using a text edit software. Readers can set up or modify the settings as required, following the comments in the script. The raw synchronization data are a sequence of tap times. Use a circular method to analyze the variable periodic synchronization data, which has been detailed in4,5,10. Here, the present protocol describes a procedure to analyze the stability (R) of synchronization, using the circular statistics toolbox (e.g., CircStat toolbox11 ), as described in Gan et al.4
<ol>
	<li>Omit the taps to the first five events in the tap sequence because synchronization typically requires a few taps to stabilize.</li>
	<li>Compute asynchrony.
	<ol>
		<li>For each tap sequence, calculate asynchrony as the difference between the time of a tap and the time of the corresponding event onset, resulting in a sequence of asynchronies. 
		NOTE: It is better to exclude invalid taps for each sequence. Invalid taps include missing tap (i.e., there is no tap during the -1/2 to +1/2 IOI interval around an event) and multiple taps (i.e., when there is more than one tap during the -1/2 to +1/2 IOI interval).</li>
		<li>Convert the times (ms) of asynchronies into angles (degree) by asynchrony*(360/IOI). Then use function circ_ang2rad11 to convert degrees into radians, which results in the relative phase (RP) on a unit circle.</li>
	</ol>
	</li>
	<li>Compute synchronization stability (R).
	<ol>
		<li>For each asynchrony sequence, use function circ_var11 to calculate the variance (S) of the RPs.</li>
		<li>Compute R using R = 1 - S. 
		NOTE: R is the length of the resultant (i.e., average of vectors) of the RPs, ranging from 0 (unstable tapping with uniformly distributed RPs) to 1 (perfectly stable tapping with a unimodal distribution of RPs).</li>
		<li>For each sequence type, calculate the mean value of the RPs of the 6 trials, as the R of that sequence type of that subject.</li>
	</ol>
	</li>
</ol>
5. Performing Data Analyses
NOTE: Below is the analysis of data from one subject collected as introduced above. Performing data analyses is accomplished by typing &#34;Bouncingball_analyze(RecordedFile)&#34; in the command window of the software, which returns the mean and standard deviation (SD) of the stability.
<ol>
	<li>For the 600-ms IOI AT sequence, type &#34;Bouncingball_analyze(&#39;AT_600_53.1, 29.8.mat&#39;)&#34; in the command window and then press the &#39;Enter&#39; key.</li>
	<li>For the 600-ms IOI VF sequence, type &#34;Bouncingball_analyze(&#39;VF_600_53.1, 29.8.mat&#39;)&#34; in the command window and then press the &#39;Enter&#39; key.</li>
	<li>For the 600-ms IOI VB sequence, type &#34;Bouncingball_analyze(&#39;VB_600_53.1, 29.8.mat&#39;)&#34; in the command window and then press the &#39;Enter&#39; key.</li>
	<li>For the 900-ms IOI AT sequence, type &#34;Bouncingball_analyze(&#39;AT_900_53.1, 29.8.mat&#39;)&#34; in the command window and then press the &#39;Enter&#39; key.</li>
	<li>For the 900-ms IOI VF sequence, type &#34;Bouncingball_analyze(&#39;VF_900_53.1, 29.8.mat&#39;)&#34; in the command window and then press the &#39;Enter&#39; key.</li>
	<li>For the 900-ms IOI VB sequence, type &#34;Bouncingball_analyze(&#39;VB_900_53.1, 29.8.mat&#39;)&#34; in the command window and then press the &#39;Enter&#39; key.</li>
</ol>

<ol><li>Repp, B., Su, Y. H. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=((Sensorimotor+synchronization%3A+A+review+of+recent+research+%282006-2012%29%5BTitle%5D)+AND+%22Psychon.+Bull.+Rev%22%5BJournal%5D)">Sensorimotor synchronization: A review of recent research (2006-2012).</a> Psychon. Bull. Rev. 20, 403-452 (2013).</li>
<li>Patel, A. D. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=((The+Evolutionary+Biology+of+Musical+Rhythm%3A+Was+Darwin+Wrong%3F%5BTitle%5D)+AND+%22+PLoS+Biol%22%5BJournal%5D)">The Evolutionary Biology of Musical Rhythm: Was Darwin Wrong?</a> PLoS Biol. 12, e1001821(2014).</li>
<li>Hove, M. J., Spivey, M. J., Krumhansl, C. L. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=((Compatibility+of+motion+facilitates+visuomotor+synchronization%5BTitle%5D)+AND+%22J.+Exp.+Psychol.+Hum.+Percept.+Perform%22%5BJournal%5D)">Compatibility of motion facilitates visuomotor synchronization.</a> J. Exp. Psychol. Hum. Percept. Perform. 36, 1525-1534 (2010).</li>
<li>Gan, L., Huang, Y., Zhou, L., Qian, C., Wu, X. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=((Synchronization+to+a+bouncing+ball+with+a+realistic+motion+trajectory%5BTitle%5D)+AND+%22Sci.+Rep%22%5BJournal%5D)">Synchronization to a bouncing ball with a realistic motion trajectory.</a> Sci. Rep. 5, 11974(2015).</li>
<li>Iversen, J. R., Patel, A. D., Nicodemus, B., Emmorey, K. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=((Synchronization+to+auditory+and+visual+rhythms+in+hearing+and+deaf+individuals%5BTitle%5D)+AND+%22Cognition%22%5BJournal%5D)">Synchronization to auditory and visual rhythms in hearing and deaf individuals.</a> Cognition. 134, 232-244 (2015).</li>
<li>Hove, M. J., Fairhurst, M. T., Kotz, S. A., Keller, P. E. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=((Synchronizing+with+auditory+and+visual+rhythms%3A+An+fMRI+assessment+of+modality+differences+and+modality+appropriateness%5BTitle%5D)+AND+%22NeuroImage%22%5BJournal%5D)">Synchronizing with auditory and visual rhythms: An fMRI assessment of modality differences and modality appropriateness.</a> NeuroImage. 67, 313-321 (2013).</li>
<li>Iversen, J. R., Balasubramaniam, R. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S235215461630050X">Synchronization and temporal processing.</a> Curr. Opin. Behav. Sci. 8, 175-180 (2016).</li>
<li>Repp, B. <a target="_blank" href="http://web.haskins.yale.edu/Reprints/HL1438.pdf">Rate Limits of Sensorimotor Synchronization.</a> Adv. Cogn. Psychol. 2, 163-181 (2006).</li>
<li>BouncingBall. , 
 
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<li>Fisher, N. I. <a target="_blank" href="http://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&safe=off&q=author%3aFisher%2C+NI+%22Statistical+Analysis+of+Circular+Data%22">Statistical Analysis of Circular Data</a>. , Cambridge University Press. (1993).</li>
<li>Berens, P. <a target="_blank" href="https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/25711159.pdf">A MATLAB Toolbox for Circular Statistics.</a> J. Stat. Softw. 31, (2009).</li>
<li>Patel, A. D., Iversen, J. R., Chen, Y., Repp, B. H. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=((The+influence+of+metricality+and+modality+on+synchronization+with+a+beat%5BTitle%5D)+AND+%22Exp.+Brain+Res%22%5BJournal%5D)">The influence of metricality and modality on synchronization with a beat.</a> Exp. Brain Res. 163, 226-238 (2005).</li>
<li>Dalla Bella, S., Sowiński, J. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=((Uncovering+Beat+Deafness%3A+Detecting+Rhythm+Disorders+with+Synchronized+Finger+Tapping+and+Perceptual+Timing+Tasks%5BTitle%5D)+AND+%22J.+Vis.+Exp%22%5BJournal%5D)">Uncovering Beat Deafness: Detecting Rhythm Disorders with Synchronized Finger Tapping and Perceptual Timing Tasks.</a> J. Vis. Exp. , (2015).</li>
<li>Wu, X., Ashe, J., Bushara, K. O. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=((Role+of+olivocerebellar+system+in+timing+without+awareness%5BTitle%5D)+AND+%22Proc+Natl+Acad+Sci+U+S+A%22%5BJournal%5D)">Role of olivocerebellar system in timing without awareness.</a> Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 108, 13818-13822 (2011).</li>
<li>Arias, P., Cudeiro, J. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=((Effects+of+rhythmic+sensory+stimulation+%28auditory%2C+visual%29+on+gait+in+Parkinson%27s+disease+patients%5BTitle%5D)+AND+%22Exp+Brain+Res%22%5BJournal%5D)">Effects of rhythmic sensory stimulation (auditory, visual) on gait in Parkinson's disease patients.</a> Exp Brain Res. 186, 589-601 (2008).</li>
<li>Hove, M. J., Suzuki, K., Uchitomi, H., Orimo, S., Miyake, Y. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=((Interactive+Rhythmic+Auditory+Stimulation+Reinstates+Natural+1%2Ff+Timing+in+Gait+of+Parkinson%27s+Patients%5BTitle%5D)+AND+%22PLoS+ONE%22%5BJournal%5D)">Interactive Rhythmic Auditory Stimulation Reinstates Natural 1/f Timing in Gait of Parkinson's Patients.</a> PLoS ONE. 7, e32600(2012).</li>
</ol>

The authors have nothing to disclose.

This protocol illustrates how to examine a bouncing ball with a uniformly varying velocity in a metronome synchronization task. Given its comparable synchronization performance to that of auditory tones, the bouncing ball is of particular importance for addressing the current research topic of whether SMS is modality specific. 
The critical step in the current protocol is to introduce the uniformly varying velocity of the bouncing ball, and step-by-step instructions are provided to carry out t...

Sensorimotor synchronization (SMS) refers to the coordination of movements (e.g., finger taps) with an external rhythm, and is canonically studied using a simple metronome synchronization task in which the subject is required to tap a finger along with an isochronous sequence1,2. The superiority of the auditory over visual modality in metronome synchronization has been established for over a century: synchronization is much more stable to an auditory sequence consisting of auditory tones (Figure 1A) than to a visual sequence consisting of visual flashes (Figure 1B)1. This auditory advantage of metronome synchronization, however, has recently been challenged by studies employing periodically moving visual stimuli3,4,5,6 (note that periodically moving visual stimuli refer to continuous movements). Hove et al. used a visual sequence composed of an up-down bar moving with a constant velocity, and found that synchronization of the up-down bar was more stable than synchronization of visual flashes, but was still less stable than synchronization of auditory tones3,6. Iversen et al. employed a bouncing ball that had a velocity varied according to a rectified sinusoid, and showed that synchronization of the bouncing ball was close to synchronization of auditory tones5. More recently, Gan et al. used a bouncing ball that had a uniformly varying velocity (i.e., simulating the effect of gravity) (Figure 1C), and found that synchronization of the bouncing ball was not less stable than synchronization of auditory tones4.
The purpose of the current protocol is to introduce a procedure to apply a bouncing ball with a uniformly varying velocity in a metronome synchronization task, as described in Gan et al.4 The metronome synchronization task includes an auditory sequence composed of auditory tones (AT sequence, Figure 1A) and a visual sequence composed of visual flashes (VF sequence, Figure 1B), which are widely adopted in SMS studies1. The third type of sequence in the task is a visual sequence consisting of the bouncing ball (VB sequence, Figure 1C). Whereas modality-specific mechanisms have long been thought to underlay SMS, such as tighter connections between the auditory and motor cortices than between the visual and motor cortices2, whether SMS is modality specific has recently drawn much research attention1,7. The bouncing ball as introduced in the present protocol is particularly useful for addressing the modality issue because of comparable synchronization performances of the bouncing ball and auditory tones. Moreover, metronome synchronization can be flexibly performed over a limited range of IOI (100-1,800 ms)8. To illustrate the application of the bouncing ball for different IOIs, the current protocol includes a 600-ms IOI (which is approximately the most preferred IOI), and a 900-ms IOI.
<img alt="Oscillation diagram, showing motion synchronization with auditory and visual cues over time." class="xfigimg" src="/files/ftp_upload/56205/56205fig1.jpg" data-altupdatedat="1788250015000" data-alt="Figure 1"> 
Figure 1: Illustration of the stimuli. The subject taps along with an isochronous sequence, which is composed of auditory tones (A: the AT sequence), visual flashing balls (B: the VF sequence), or a visual bouncing ball (C: the VB sequence). In C, the velocity and trajectory of the bouncing ball are plotted as functions of time and are indicated by blue and green lines, respectively. The movement distance of the bouncing ball is 9.2 mm and the peak velocity at the bouncing point (i.e., at the lowest ball position) is 0.061 mm/ms. Eight events in a 600-ms IOI sequence are shown. <a href="//cloudflare.jove.com/files/ftp_upload/56205/56205fig1large.jpg" target="_blank">Please click here to view a larger version of this figure.</a>

<table><tbody><tr><td>Psychtoolbox</td><td>http://psychtoolbox.org</td><td>3.0.12</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>MATLAB</td><td>MathWorks</td><td>7.11.0 (R2010b)</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Adobe Photoshop</td><td>Adobe&amp;nbsp;Systems</td><td>Adobe Photoshop CS6</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>computer monitor</td><td>AOC</td><td>G2460PQU/BR LCD</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>headphone</td><td>PHILIPS</td><td>SHM6500</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>computer keyboard</td><td>Dell</td><td>kb113t</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>smart phone</td><td>Apple</td><td>iphone6s</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>IBM SPSS Statistics</td><td>IBM</td><td>IBM SPSS Statistics 21</td><td></td></tr></tbody></table>

bouncing ball with a uniformly varying velocity in a metronome synchronization task

Bouncing Ball with a Uniformly Varying Velocity in a Metronome Synchronization Task

Sensorimotor synchronization (SMS), a fundamental human ability to coordinate movements with external rhythms, has long been thought to be modality specific. In the canonical metronome synchronization task that requires tapping a finger along with an isochronous sequence, a well-established finding is that synchronization is much more stable to an auditory sequence consisting of auditory tones than to a visual sequence consisting of visual flashes. However, recent studies have shown that periodically moving visual stimuli can substantially improve synchronization compared with visual flashes. In particular, synchronization of a visual bouncing ball that has a uniformly varying velocity was found to be not less stable than synchronization of auditory tones. Here, the current protocol describes the application of the bouncing ball with a uniformly varying velocity in a metronome synchronization task. The usage of the bouncing ball in sequences with different inter-onset intervals (IOI) is included. The representative results illustrate synchronization performance of the bouncing ball, as compared with the performances of auditory tones and visual flashes. Given its comparable synchronization performance to that of auditory tones, the bouncing ball is of particular importance for addressing the current research topic of whether modality-specific mechanisms underlay SMS.

One of the best-known results in SMS studies is that metronome synchronization is much more stable to an auditory sequence consisting of auditory tones than to a visual sequence consisting of visual flashes1, suggesting modality-specific mechanisms of SMS2. However, recent studies have shown that periodically moving visual stimuli can substantially improve synchronization compared to visual flashes3,<sup cl...

The purpose of this protocol is to introduce the application of a bouncing ball with a uniformly varying velocity in a metronome synchronization task.

Sensorimotor synchronization (SMS), a fundamental human ability to coordinate movements with external rhythms, has long been thought to be modality ...

The overall goal of this protocol is to introduce the application of a bouncing ball with uniformly varying velocity in a metronome synchronization task. This method can help answer key questions in the field of sensory motor synchronization and timing processing, such as whether sensory motor synchronization is modality specific. The main advantage of this technique is that synchronization of the introduced visual bouncing ball is comparable to synchronization of auditory tones.Demonstrating the procedure will be Liying Zhan, a grad student from our laboratory. Begin by asking the subject to sit in front of a computer screen with a 60 centimeter viewing distance and have them put on a headset. Provide the subject with a written informed consent form to sign, followed by the experimental instructions explaining the metronome synchronization task.Next, open the experimental software on the computer. Start a practice session to allow the subject to become familiar with the 600 millisecond inter-onset interval or IOI sequences. After the subject has completed the practice trials, instruct them that the experimental session will begin next.Next, type Bouncingball_run with the AT parameters in the Command window and then press the Enter key to begin the 600 millisecond IOI AT sequence. Watch the subject tap on a keyboard key using the index finger in synchrony with the tones in the AT sequence. Next, type Bouncingball_run with the VF parameters in the Command window and then press the Enter key to begin the 600 millisecond IOI VF sequence.Watch the subject tap on a keyboard key using the index finger in synchrony with the flashing balls. Lastly, type Bouncingball_run with the VB parameters in the Command window and then press the Enter key to begin the 600 millisecond IOI VB sequence. Watch the subject tap on a keyboard key using the index finger in synchrony with the moments when the bouncing ball moves to the lowest position.Finally, repeat each of the AT VF and VB sequences with a 900 millisecond IOI. After the subject has completed the experiment, thank them for their time and escort them out of the testing room. The results from this experiment indicated that for both 600 millisecond and 900 millisecond IOI's, the synchronization of the bouncing ball was much more stable then synchronization of visual flashes.Further, the stability of the bouncing ball was not less stable than synchronization of auditory tones. When attempting this procedure, it's important to remember that the usage of bouncing balls should be limited for IOI's longer than 300 milliseconds because the bouncing ball is a 300 milliseconds IOI is unnaturally fast to tap. After its development, this technique paved the way for researchers in the field of sensory motor synchronization and timing processing to explore the coordination of timing in the sensory and motor cortices.After watching this video, you should have a good understanding of how to carry out the synchronization task by employing the bouncing ball with a uniformly varying velocity.

bouncing-ball-with-uniformly-varying-velocity-metronome

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An efficient way to gain insight into how humans navigate themselves in three dimensions is described. The method takes advantage of a motion simulator capable of moving observers in ways unattainable by traditional simulators. Results confirm that movement in the horizontal plane is underestimated, while vertical movement is overestimated.

MPI CyberMotion Simulator: Implementation of a Novel Motion Simulator to Investigate Multisensory Path Integration in Three Dimensions

Behavioral tasks that allow for the assessment of perceptual and sensorimotor timing abilities in the general population (i.e., non-musicians) are presented. Synchronization of finger tapping to the beat of an auditory stimuli and detecting rhythmic irregularities provides a means of uncovering rhythm disorders.

Uncovering Beat Deafness: Detecting Rhythm Disorders with Synchronized Finger Tapping and Perceptual Timing Tasks

A protocol is presented for the characterization of the in-field pedestrian behavior and the simulation of the resulting structural response. Field-tests demonstrate that the in situ identified pacing rate and synchronization rate among the participants constitute an essential input for the simulation and verification of the human-induced loads.

Simulation of Human-induced Vibrations Based on the Characterized In-field Pedestrian Behavior

This protocol offers a digitization of portions of traditional clinical tasks commonly used to measure cognition and motor control in Parkinson’s disease. Clinical tasks are digitized while biophysical rhythms are co-registered from different functional levels of the nervous systems, ranging from voluntary, spontaneous, automatic to autonomic.

Dynamic Digital Biomarkers of Motor and Cognitive Function in Parkinson's Disease

The dynamics between coupled brains of individuals have been increasingly represented by inter-brain synchronization (IBS) when they coordinate with each other, mostly using simultaneous-recording signals of brains (namely hyperscanning) with fNIRS. In fNIRS hyperscanning studies, IBS has been commonly assessed through the wavelet transform coherence (WTC) method because of its advantage on expanding time series into time-frequency space where oscillations can be seen in a highly intuitive way.

How to Calculate and Validate Inter-brain Synchronization in a fNIRS Hyperscanning Study

The protocol described here aims to enhance the quantitative evaluation of upper limb deficits, with the goal of developing additional technology for remote assessment both in the clinic and at home. Virtual reality and biosensor technologies are combined with standard clinical techniques to provide insights into the functioning of the neuromuscular system.

Setup for the Quantitative Assessment of Motion and Muscle Activity During a Virtual Modified Box and Block Test

We present a protocol that employs eye tracking to monitor eye movements during an interval comparison (duration perception) task based on visual events. The aim is to provide a preliminary guide to separate oculomotor responses to duration perception tasks (comparison or discrimination of time intervals) from responses to the stimulus itself.

Eye Movements in Visual Duration Perception: Disentangling Stimulus from Time in Predecisional Processes

A novel motion-based acuity test that allows the assessment of central and peripheral visual processing in low-vision and healthy individuals, along with goggles limiting peripheral vision compatible with MRI protocols, are described here. This method offers a comprehensive vision assessment for functional impairments and dysfunctions of the visual system.

Motion-Acuity Test for Visual Field Acuity Measurement with Motion-Defined Shapes

We demonstrate how an objective measure can be employed in the widely employed rubber hand illusion paradigm. This measure is obtained by modifying the well-established crossmodal congruency task. This task allows the investigation of multisensory processes which are critical for modulations of body representations as in the rubber hand illusion.

The Crossmodal Congruency Task as a Means to Obtain an Objective Behavioral Measure in the Rubber Hand Illusion Paradigm

This paper describes how to use the emotional oddball task and fMRI to measure brain activation in children and adolescents at familial high risk for schizophrenia (FHR). FMRI was used to measure differences in fronto-striato-limbic regions during an emotional oddball task. Children with FHR exhibited abnormal functional activation during adolescence.

Measurement of Fronto-limbic Activity Using an Emotional Oddball Task in Children with Familial High Risk for Schizophrenia

Learn sensory motor synchronization using a bouncing ball with uniformly varying velocity in a metronome task. This method compares visual and auditory timing to explore modality-specific processing in neuroscience.

Bouncing Ball with a Uniformly Varying Velocity in a Metronome Synchronization Task

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