Time Judgment: A Comparison of Filled and Unfilled Durations

Abstract

Sense mode ( 1 ), anchors ( 2 ) , and psychophysical method ( 3 ) influence time judgment. This experiment explores the possibiliry that temporal estimates of filled and unfilled durations would differ; the presence or absence of stimulation during the interval may be a relevant factor in time judgment.Two groups of 27 Ss each were presented an ascending and descending series of both filled durations of light and unfilled durations bounded by light flashes with order counterbalanced. The light source was a small red neon glow tube of comfortable brightness. Each filled and unfilled duration was judged by S as more or less than his concept of one clock second. A filled and unfilled Second Estimation Point (SEP) was derived from these judgments ( 2 ) .Since no order effects were found, the two groups were combined and filled and unfilled SEPs were compared with the Wilcoxon matched pairs rest.Filled durations (Mdn SEP, .81 sec.) were judged significantly longer (P < ,001) than unfilled durations (Mdn SEP, 1.00 sec.). More unfilled clock time was judged equivalent to the same temporal concept than filled clock rime, reflecting greater relative overestimation of the filled input.It is clear chat there are differences in apparent duration dependent upon whether S judges time that involves the presence or absence of stimulation. This finding should be investigated further using other sense modes, ranges of durations, and psychophysical methods.

Processing time between visual events

“…In the second case, it is the clock-based variance that differs with the interval structure since the timekeeping period differs: a longer time keeping period results in higher temporal variance. As shown in figure 3, a filled interval might actually be perceived as being longer than an empty one, which is consistent with the timing literature (41)(42) . Finally, it is important to stress that major distortion of perceived duration can be caused by the presentation of successive visual signals.…”

Sensorimotor synchronization: A review of the tapping literature

“…It appears that any kind of subdivision of the IOI or ITI reduces the NMA, which is why the NMA is generally not evident in tapping to music. On the basis of their findings, Wohlschläger and Koch proposed that the NMA is a consequence of perceptual underestimation of the duration of empty IOIs (see Craig, 1973;Goldfarb & Goldstone, 1963). Such underestimation would lead to a shortened period of the internal timekeeper or oscillator that controls the tapping tempo and, thus, to an NMA.…”

Processing demand modulates the effects of spatial attention on the judged duration of a brief stimulus

“…Instead, they might infer the duration of a stimulus on the basis of its brightness or clarity. From prior research, we know that attention can make a brief stimulus appear brighter (e.g., Bashinski & Bacharach, 1980;Downing, 1988), which in turn could make the stimulus interval appear longer (Goldstone, Lhamon, & Sechzer, 1978) and the letter discrimination task easier. These effects were likely to result in longer judged duration at the cued location than at an uncued location.…”

“…In prospective timing where observers are aware of the duration judgment task before the judged interval starts, duration is judged to be longer when the to-be-judged interval is filled with complex stimuli than when it is not. For example, relative to an empty interval, observers report longer duration when the same interval is filled with words (e.g., Thomas & Weaver, 1975), light (e.g., Goldfarb & Goldstone, 1963), or tones (e.g., Buffardi, 1971;Ihle & Wilsoncroft, 1983). Similarly, an interval containing more stimulus events tends to be experienced longer than the same interval containing fewer stimulus events (e.g., Buffardi, 1971;Mo, 1971Mo, , 1974Mo, , 1975, and the effect has been observed in visual, auditory, and tactile modalities (e.g., Buffardi, 1971).…”