Docm, I am certainly open to other possibilities. I attempted to find articles like what you are referring to, by searching for flight of the bumblebee baffles scientists etc. and was unable to find any scientific article which stated that scientists were unable to explain the speed of thought in such a test.
I also looked into muscle memory and it seems like it is actually fairly scientifically tested.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muscle_memoryAlso don't forget I mentioned that often thought seems instantaneous because that is how you perceive it using your current awareness of reality, when in fact the thoughts actually are not happening that fast.
I am very interested in any scientific articles in which thought was tested in a controlled environment and the scientist performing the test was baffled. If anyone has a link to an article such as this please post it for me!
Thanks!
Taken from the above link:
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Music memory
Playing the piano requires complex actions
Fine motor skills are very important in playing musical instruments. It was found that muscle memory is relied on when playing the clarinet, specifically to help create special effects through certain tongue movements when blowing air into the instrument.[20] Memorizing is done by muscles as a note is seen and recalled, its auditory pair is learned and is matched by fingers movements (a fine motor skill).[21] When reproducing a motor action, you must have previous experience with it to memorize set actions. If there is no previous experience there will be no mental image of the motion, and therefore no actual movement.[21]
Certain human behaviours, especially actions like the fingering in musical performances, are very complex and require many interconnected neural networks where information can be transmitted across multiple brain regions.[22] It has been found that there are often functional differences in the brains of professional musicians, when compared to other individuals. This is thought to reflect the musician’s innate ability, which may be fostered by an early exposure to musical training.[22] An example of this is bimanual synchronized finger movements, which play an essential role in piano playing. It is suggested that bimanual coordination can come only from years of bimanual training, where such actions become adaptations of the motor areas.[23] When comparing professional musicians to a control group in complex bimanual movements, professionals are found to use an extensive motor network much less than those non-professionals.[23] This is because professionals rely on a motor system that has increased efficiency, and, therefore, those less trained have a network that is more strongly activated.[23] It is implied that the untrained pianists have to invest more neuronal activity to have the same level of performance that is achieved by professionals.[23] This, yet again, is said to be a consequence of many years of motor training and experience that helps form a fine motor memory skill of musical performance.
It is often reported that, when a pianist hears a well-trained piece of music, synonymous fingering can be involuntarily triggered.[22] This implies that there is a coupling between the perception of music and the motor activity of those musically trained individuals.[22] Therefore, one’s muscle memory in the context of music can easily be triggered when one hears certain familiar pieces. Overall, long-term musical fine motor training allows for complex actions to be performed at a lower level of movement control, monitoring, selection, attention, and timing.[23] This leaves room for musicians to focus attention synchronously elsewhere, such as on the artistic aspect of the performance, without having to consciously control one’s fine motor actions.[23]