RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 An integral role for timing in interception
JF bioRxiv
FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
SP 155531
DO 10.1101/155531
A1 Chia-Jung Chang
A1 Mehrdad Jazayeri
YR 2017
UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2017/06/26/155531.abstract
AB Timing is critical for myriad behaviors in dynamic environments. For example, to intercept an object, the brain must compute a reliable estimate of time-to-contact (TTC). Prior work suggests that humans compute TTC using kinematic information such as distance and speed without explicitly relying on temporal cues, just as one would do in a physics classroom using kinematic equations. Considering the inherent uncertainty associated with estimates of speed and distance and the ability of human brain to combine different sources of information, we asked whether humans additionally rely on temporal cues. We found that humans actively integrate speed information with both explicit and implicit timing cues. Analysis of behavior in relation to a Bayesian model revealed that the additional temporal information helps subjects optimize their performance in the presence of measurement uncertainty. These findings suggest that brain’s timing mechanisms are actively engaged while interacting with dynamic stimuli.