When meditators avoid counting during time production things get interesting

Abstract

Time production (TP) with or without chronometric counting both instantiates and reflects the working of an internal clock, as originally posited by Treisman. We exploit the fact that a number of experienced meditators, who had previously participated in a study wherein TP was assessed, and who had employed chronometric counting then, would be coming back to the lab to participate in a second study. We specifically requested that they should not employ chronometric counting this time, thus allowing us to contrast TP with and without counting. We report a qualitative difference between TP implemented by counting and TP without counting: The first is a linear function of target duration (T), while the second is not, and entails a discontinuity in the function. Requesting meditators not to engage in chronometric counting, and thereby forcing them to rely instead on other cues (sensory, bodily, etc.), might well be an appropriate context in which to observe such a discontinuity in TP.

Time Production Intensively Studied in One Observer

“…A third limitation is that the effect of counting has not been addressed with respect to the recruitment of the phonological loop. While the theoretical connection between counting and the phonological loop has been noted in the literature (Fortin & Breton, 1995 ; Wiener, Turkeltaub, & Coslett, 2010 ), the main issue here is not in terms of phenomenology, nor electrophysiology, but rather whether chronometric counting is qualitatively (and quantitatively) different from timing with no counting (e.g., Glicksohn & Berkovich-Ohana, 2019 ). Given that chronometric counting did not appear to impact on our results, these two limitations can, however, be downplayed.…”

Altered states of consciousness: With special reference to time and the self

“…The authors show that QMT practitioners show longer duration productions than non‐active controls. These effects, which are related to mindfulness skills, are specific to QMT as Aikido practitioners did not show the same changes in relation to the non‐active controls. The experimental study undertaken by Glicksohn and Berkovich‐Ohana () is an in‐depth analysis of timing behavior of highly experienced meditators under counting and non‐counting conditions. Using a duration production paradigm asking for the temporal production of 4‐, 8‐, 16‐, and 22‐s intervals, individuals’ temporal responses were analyzed in detail.…”