Research report 2017 - Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics
Rhythmicity in human and non-human behaviour
Authors
Poeppel, David; Rimmele, Johanna; Roeske, Tina
Departments
Department of Neuroscience
Summary
Many facets of human behaviour are rhythmic. Examples include singing, playing an instrument, or dancing, but also – perhaps less obviously – spoken language. First, we investigate the neuronal underpinnings of rhythmicity in humans. Using the example of speech, we aim to better understand the role of rhythmic neuronal activity in speech comprehension. Second, we use an animal model (songbird) to test whether rhythmicity, as observed in speech and music, is specific to human cognition – or plays a more general role in communication.