PETER PFORDRESHER (Psychology, Buffalo). Dr. Pfordresher's primary training has been in experimental psychology. His many years as a practicing musician provided the basis for his research interest in the cognitive bases of musical communication as it occurs during performance. He arrived at UB after five years as a faculty member at the University of Texas (San Antonio). The main question motivating his research concerns the way in which people retrieve complex event sequences in real time, whether in the course of perceiving or producing these sequences. Of particular concern is the way in which people use (or do not use) the perceived consequences of their actions in order to maintain fluency in communication.

His research is currently funded by the National Science Foundation and has appeared in flagship journals in the domains of cognitive psychology, cognitive science, and music cognition. Dr. Pfordresher currently serves as a consulting editor for Perception and Psychophysics, Music Perception, and the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance. Dr. Pfordresher collaborates with members of NAIL on the use of motion-capture and neuroimaging projects that involve skilled performance in musicians.