Thanks to Omni Brain for the post regarding new research at UCLA that suggests an alternative model to the most popular clock-based model of mental time-keeping. According to a press release:
- "For decades, scientists have believed that the brain possesses an internal clock that allows it to keep track of time. Now a UCLA study in the Feb. 1 edition of Neuron proposes a new model in which a series of physical changes to the brain’s cells helps the organ to monitor the passage of time.
- "The value of this research lies in understanding how the brain works," said Dean Buonomano, associate professor of neurobiology and psychiatry at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and a member of the university’s Brain Research Institute. "Many complex human behaviors -- from understanding speech to playing catch to performing music -- rely on the brain’s ability to accurately tell time. Yet no one knows how the brain does it."
- The most popular theory assumes that a clock-like mechanism – which generates and counts regular fixed movements -- underlies timing in the brain. In contrast, Buonomano suggests a physical model that operates without using a clock. He offers an analogy to explain how it works."
I'm headed off to try secure the original article in Neuron and hope to post more detailed information soon. Stay tunned.
Technorati Tags: psychology, educational psychology, neuroscience, neuropsychology, mental time keeping, time perception, brain clock, internal clock, IQ, intelligence, cognition
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