Guy Madison
PhD, Associate professor, Researcher
Address: Department of Psychology
Behavioural Sciences Building
Umeå University
S-901 87 Umeå
Sweden
Ph: 46 (0)90 - 786 64 01
Cell: 46(0)70 - 554 30 34
Fax: 46 (0)90 - 786 66 95
E-post: guy.madison@psy.umu.se
Current research projects
- Synchronisation. People are very apt to co-ordinate their movements (including the voice) with other events with a high level of precision, as apparent in music and ensemble playing. I experimentally study synchronisation with a range of different sound patterns, and the results are used to construct models that describe and simulate human behaviour.
- The relation between timing (to judge time and control one's behaviour in time) and cognitive ability (executive functions, psychometric intelligence). Click here to see the description for a project related to these issues, supported by Vetenskapsrådet.
- Ethologi of children with ADHD, in particular with respect to timing, reaction time, inhibition, and attention.
- The experience of groove or "swing" in music; what is its function and biological basis, and how is it related to properties of the sound signal? Click here to see the description for a project related to these issues, supported by Riksbankens Jubileumsfond.
- Music preferences, in particular as a function of repeated exposure.
- Physiological reactions to music and other sound patterns. Click here to see the description for a project related to these issues, supported by Centrum för Idrottsforskning.
- The human rhythmic ability and its biological basis: Adaption, ethology, neurology, and comparisons with other species (evolutionary psychology, comparative psychology). Click here for an article on this topic.
Read more about timing, rhythm och music psychology (currently only in swedish. However, you can easily find definitions and introductory texts by searching the Internet).
Thesis projects
If you want to write a thesis or an exam paper, you can find a number of suggestions for topics that relate to current international research in the PDF-file below. Contact me to discuss such issues. Suggested topics
Previous and future research includes
- Non-linear phenomena in behavioural science and neuroscience, specifically applied to the production of time intervals and rhythm. I use a number of numerical methods to describe statistical dependencies in data, also known as random fractals, long-memory processes, or fractional Gaussian noise. Methods employed are box-plot, Frequency Domain Maximum Likelihood Estimation (MLE), Detrended Fluctuation Analysis (DFA), and Dispersional Analysis. See some related papers in my publication list.
- Expression and communication of emotions in music.
- Temporal integration, i.e. how sensory information is integrated over time.
- Learning och training, in particular related to high-level skills such as music, sports, craftsmanship etc.
- Artificial/synthetic music (computer-generated or algorithmic music).
- Human ethology or human nature from an evolutionary and comparative perspective.
