Reducing the tendency for chronometric counting in duration discrimination tasks

Abstract

Chronometric counting is a prevalent issue in the study of human time perception as it reduces the construct validity of tasks and can conceal existing timing deficits. Several methods have been proposed to prevent counting strategies, but the factors promoting those strategies in specific tasks are largely uninvestigated. Here, we modified a classical two-interval duration discrimination task in two aspects that could affect the tendency to apply counting strategies. We removed the pause between the two intervals and changed the task instructions: Participants decided whether a short event occurred in the first or in the second half of a reference duration. In Experiment 1, both classical and modified task versions were performed under timing conditions, in which participants were asked not to count, and counting conditions, in which counting was explicitly instructed. The task modifications led to (i) a general decrease in judgment precision, (ii) a shift of the point of subjective equality, and (iii) a counting-related increase in reaction times, suggesting enhanced cognitive effort of counting during the modified task version. Precision in the two task versions was not differently affected by instructed counting. Experiment 2 demonstrates that—in the absence of any counting-related instructions—participants are less likely to engage in spontaneous counting in the modified task version. These results enhance our understanding of the two-interval duration discrimination task and demonstrate that the modifications tested here—although they do not significantly reduce the effectiveness of instructed counting—can diminish the spontaneous tendency to adopt counting strategies.

Differences between sub-second and supra-second durations for the assessment of timing deficits in amnestic mild cognitive impairment

“…We implemented the modified version of a two-interval duration discrimination task, in which a short acoustic event is presented within a longer reference sound and participants must decide whether the event occurred during the first or the second half of the reference duration [19] . Relative to a classical two-interval duration discrimination task (i.e., presenting two durations and asking whether the second duration was shorter or longer than the first one), this task has the advantage of reducing the spontaneous tendency to engage in chronometric counting [19] .…”

“…Consent to participate statement: Written informed consent was obtained from participants to participate in the study. A detailed description of this task in comparison to a classical two-interval duration discrimination task can be found in Riemer et al [19] .

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“…For example, Maaß et al [5] and Capizzi et al [4] showed decreased temporal abilities in participants with different digresses of cognitive decline when tested with brief temporal intervals. Targeting brief temporal intervals might also help researchers to investigate pure timing abilities avoiding a possible confound of using compensatory strategies like chronometric counting [17] , [18] , [19] .…”

When the heart meets the mind Exploring the brain-heart interaction during time perception

“…Participants were instructed not to count or use any other rhythm-based strategy while exposed to the stimuli because chronometric counting yields more accurate and precise duration estimates and is governed by different brain processes [50,51]. Each trial included a secondary working-memory task to further prevent any counting.…”

Efeito da estimulação vibro-tátil modulada na percepção subjetiva do tempo

“…Embora foi pedido para não contar, mais do 80% dos participantes relataram ter contado em intervalos que consideravam segundos ou em intervalos menores. A diminuição no valor do peak time com o aumento da frequência poderia estar associado ao efeito da contagem, já que se as oscilações do estímulo vibratório funcionassem como uma dica, os intervalos de alta frequência teriam estimações mais precisas pois entre menor seja o tamanho dos subintervalos, menor o erro total (GETTY, 1976;GRONDIN;MEILLEUR-WELLS;LACHANCE, 1999;RIEMER et al, 2022).…”