Investigation of Acoustic-Motor Coordination

Abstract

Hitherto we have dealt with the influence of optic and kinesthetic afferent systems on verbal instruction and on motor functioning. However, an important factor in the diagnosis of circumscribed lesions of the cerebral cortex is the state of audiomotor coordination, or, in other words, of simple motor acts dependent on the auditory afferent system; these acts have a precise serial organization, and, in their purest form, consist of “motor melodies” in which the sequence is based on time intervals. The investigation of this activity comprises two series of tests. One is aimed at the investigation of the perception and the reproduction of pitch relationships and musical melodies; the other, at the investigation of the perception and the reproduction of rhythmic structures. These two series of tests will be dealt with separately.