Research Paper#Sensorimotor Synchronization, Cognitive Science, Human Movement🔬 ResearchAnalyzed: Jan 3, 2026 18:31
Dynamical Incompatibilities in Finger Tapping
Published:Dec 29, 2025 18:14
•1 min read
•ArXiv
Analysis
This paper addresses a fundamental contradiction in the study of sensorimotor synchronization using paced finger tapping. It highlights that responses to different types of period perturbations (step changes vs. phase shifts) are dynamically incompatible when presented in separate experiments, leading to contradictory results in the literature. The key finding is that the temporal context of the experiment recalibrates the error-correction mechanism, making responses to different perturbation types compatible only when presented randomly within the same experiment. This has implications for how we design and interpret finger-tapping experiments and model the underlying cognitive processes.
Key Takeaways
- •Different period perturbation types (step changes and phase shifts) in paced finger tapping experiments can lead to dynamically incompatible responses.
- •Temporal context recalibrates the error-correction mechanism, influencing responses.
- •Responses are compatible only when different perturbation types are presented randomly within the same experiment.
- •This understanding helps improve experimental design and data interpretation in sensorimotor synchronization research.
Reference
“Responses to different perturbation types are dynamically incompatible when they occur in separate experiments... On the other hand, if both perturbation types are presented at random during the same experiment then the responses are compatible with each other and can be construed as produced by a unique underlying mechanism.”