The intrinsic link between motor behavior and temporal cognition

The debate about the cognitive mechanisms behind human temporal processing has raged for decades without a clear resolution. The theory presented here describes a different perspective to the traditional accounts on the issue, namely, that motor behaviors or sequences of motor behaviors provide a means of reproducing time intervals. Evidence behind this perspective includes tapping strategies (exemplified by musicians), counting strategies, and neuropsychological results showing activation of motor areas during temporal cognitive tasks. I propose that motor behaviors aid human timing by offering a set of processes that consistently take a set amount of time to accomplish. Motor behaviors also allow segmentation of larger intervals into smaller intervals that are easier to estimate. I conclude with a discussion of implications of this perspective on temporal cognition.