Common variability between perceptual and motor timing deteriorates the perception of self-produced intervals

Abstract

One of the central issues is whether the mechanisms of motor and perceptual timing are common. A previous study showed that the perceptual precision for self-produced intervals was worse than for passively presented intervals in the suprasecond range. We hypothesized that this deterioration was caused by the commonality between perceptual and motor timing. However, the effects of dual-task could also be a factor in the deterioration. Here, we excluded the possibility of a dual-task effect by introducing a control condition whereby participants judged passively presented intervals with a concurrent reproduction task. We also showed the dependency of temporal judgments on concurrent reproduction in the suprasecond range. Furthermore, a mathematical model replicated the perceptual deterioration for self-produced intervals by assuming the commonality. Thus, we concluded that the common hypothesis is plausible, and the perception of self-produced intervals might provide a clue for revealing the commonality of perceptual and motor timing.