Physics of Biological Action and Perception

Physics of Action and Perception helps researchers interested in exploring biological motor control from a physics perspective, or those interested in an alternative viewpoint on motor control from the standard biological approach. The book introduces the idea of parametric control as a distinguishing feature of living systems. It develops the idea of control with spatial referent coordinates, used as parameters for relevant laws of nature, for the control of functional movements, from multi-finger tasks to whole-body actions. It focuses on stability of actions, which are crucial for successful functional behaviors. The main idea is further linked to recent data from human studies with brain stimulation and to data on neuronal populations in different brain structures. Examples of disordered control (poor ability to shift referent coordinates) and disordered coordination (poor control of action stability) are discussed. The role of referent coordinates in perception is developed, primarily for kinesthetic perception, and the issue of perception stability is analyzed. The author discusses how the CNS creates stable percepts based on fuzzy and continuously changing signals from numerous receptors and the variable processes related to ongoing actions. The author also develops the idea of control with referent coordinates to stability of salient variables in fields typically united under the label of "cognition"; these include communication (how the gist of a message is preserved despite variability of phrases), thought processes (how one can solve a mental problem via different logical routes), and playing chess (how one selects an optimal move given a position on the board). The book is written for researchers, instructors, clinicians and other professionals in all the fields related to biological movement and perception. Presents a unifying theory of motor control based on physics Encompasses action, perception, and cognition Discusses referent coordinates, kinesthetic perception, and stability of actions Identifies importance of CNS over computational brain function

• | Author: Mark L Latash
• | Publisher: Academic Press
• | Publication Date: Aug 24, 2019
• | Number of Pages: 242 pages
• | Language: English
• | Binding: Paperback
• | ISBN-10: 0128192844
• | ISBN-13: 9780128192849