« December 2007 | Main | February 2008 »

January 30, 2008

Optimal experience: Psychological studies of flow in consciousness by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

Optimal experience: Psychological studies of flow in consciousness.

Author: Csikszentmihalyi Mihaly [Ed] M [
Date: 1988
ISBN: 0-521-34288-0

The principles of psychology by William James

Title: The principles of psychology
Author: James William W
Date: 1890

U of M Library Link
Get this item

Hearing in Time by Justin London

Title: Hearing in Time
Author: London Justin. J
Date: 2004
ISBN: 0-19-516081-9

UMN Library link
Get this item

Timer Perception Literature Summery

Some of the key findings of experimental psychology in the perception of time
Reference: Hearing in Time by Justin London

-Difference in stimuli mean difference in perception
Experimental results in discrimination and perception are different for sonic and visual stimili.

-Subjective Rhythmicization
We group a sries of identical, isochronous stiumuli into groups of twos and threes, i.e. we hear duplets and triplets or a two-beat or three-beat "measures" even when there are no structural cues.

-Upper limit of subjective rhythmicization: about 1800ms
Above 1800ms successive sounds are not heard as continuous; therefore we no longer hear themin terms of a coordinated motion or movement.

-Connection between hearing/seeing rhythm and perceiving movement
Successive visual stimuli presented within a certain temporal range give the illusion of motion

-Shortest perceived interval: ~2ms
Usually measured as separation time required to discern that two tone onsents are present as opposed to one.

-Shortest ordered onset distinction: ~20ms (10 times the previous number!)
This is the shortest time necessary to discern which onset was first and which second.

-Longest interval that we can perceived/performed rhythmically: 5-6 seconds

-shortest perceptual duration regardless of sensory mode: around 130ms with %5-10 accuracy
Also shortest discernible interval between to brief sounds: (around 100ms)
Also the minimum time to allow for the cortical processing of musical elements (around 100ms).
Also the fastest possible vocal articulation of rapidly repeated syllables (around 120ms).

-Shortest musical beat/pulse: 200-250ms
At intervals less than this range, subjects begin to tap every other beat (i.e. they sub-divide)
But we can distinguish two onsets as two when they are 100ms apart! what's up? Hearing a "beat" requires at least the potential for subdivision.

-Shortest anti-phrase repeatable musical beat: around ~450ms
Stimulus is a repeated tone, subject is asked to tap/clap in between the notes

-The "Indifference Interval": 600-700s
This is the tempo at which a beat is subjectively neither "too fast" or "too slow"
Also the time interval below which subjects overestimate, and above which subjects underestimate the elapsed duration
Also the "spontaneous temp" or "natural pace": the tempo at which subjects tap a finger with no other instructions (there's great variation, but the mean is ~600ms)
Spontaneous tempo varies with age: younger subjects (4-6 years) prefer ~400ms; suggests that "spontaneous tempo" is kinematically rooted (i.e. smaller body, faster tempo)

-The "Just Noticeable Difference": 200-250ms
A basic psychological measure of perceptual acuity: the shortest perceivable difference in duration between two complex stimuli;
E.G: Smallest perceivable difference of duration between two six-tone sequences over a wide range of inter-onset-intervals (from 100 to 1000ms)
The JND is proportional to the total duration of the stimuli.

-Subject Rhythmic Organization
Differing contexts or modes of attention affect perception of duration/interval. For example, when performers are directed to shift their attention to different levels within the metrical hierarchy in a series of performances of the same passage, focusing on the eighth notes versus quarters versus half notes causes systematic shifts in tempo: Counting at higher levels leads to faster performances.

January 23, 2008

Easy Money: Undergraduate Research Opportunities

In my experience, this may be the easiest $1,700 you may ever come across.
Do it!

"There are many summer research opportunities for undergraduates both on and off campus. If you successfully apply for a Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP) grant in Spring 2008 (deadline March 3, 2008), you can use those funds for Summer 2008 research."

Check out the details here.

Introduction to Max/MSP/Jitter

What is Max/MSP/Jitter?

Max/MSP is a graphical programming environment, which means you create your own software using a visual toolkit of objects, and connect them together with patch cords. The basic environment that includes MIDI, control, user interface, and timing objects is called Max.

Jitter, a set of matrix data processing objects optimized for video and 3-D graphics

Useful links:
-Cycling '74, the company that develops Max/MSP/Jitter
-MaxObject.com: a portal for finding 3rd party development for Max/MSP/Jitter
-Festivals full of Max/MSP/Jitter people/works: ICMC, NIME, Spark

Introduction to the Arduino platform

What is Arduino?

Arduino is an open-source electronics prototyping platform based on flexible, easy-to-use hardware and software. It's intended for artists, designers, hobbyists, and anyone interested in creating interactive objects or environments.


Useful links:
-Main Arduino Site
-Make Magazine's growing Arduiono Archives
-The World Famous Index of Arduino & Freeduino Knowledge
-Arduino's programming platform: Wiring