Showing papers on "Time perception published in 1991"

Directed attention and perception of temporal order.

Abstract: The present research examined the effects of directed attention on speed of information transmission in the visual system. Ss judged the temporal order of 2 stimuli while directing attention toward 1 of the stimuli or away from both stimuli. Perception of temporal order was influenced by directed attention: Given equal onset times, the attended stimulus appeared to occur before the unattended stimulus. Direction of attention also influenced the perception of simultaneity. The findings support the notion that attention affects the speed of transmission of information in the visual system. To account for the pattern of temporal order and simultaneity judgments, a model is proposed in which the temporal profile of visual responses is affected by directed attention.

Effect of boredom proneness on time perception.

Abstract: As part of a larger study examining attribution differences in boredom, the effect of Boredom Proneness on perception of time passage was investigated in 110 undergraduates completing a tedious number-circling task. Highly boredom-prone individuals perceived time as passing more slowly during the task than low boredom-prone persons, but the two groups did not differ in their objective or chronometric time-passage estimates. The findings support the contention that depressed affect produces a subjective slowing of time but does not alter the perception of objective passage of chronometric time.

Temporal coding in rhythm tasks revealed by modality effects

Abstract: Temporal coding has been studied by examining the perception and reproduction ofrhythms and by examining memory for the order of events in a list. We attempt to link these research programs both empirically and theoretically. Glenberg and Swanson (1986) proposed that the superior recall of auditory material, compared with visual material, reflects more accurate temporal coding for the auditory material. In this paper, we demonstrate that a similar modality effect canbe produced in a rhythm task. Auditory rhythmscomposed of stimuli of two durations are reproducedmore accurately than are visual rhythms. Furthermore, it appears that the auditory superiority reflects enhanced chunking ofthe auditory material rather than better identification of durations.

A New Illusion of Time Perception

Abstract: When one very short empty time interval follows right after another, the second one can be underestimated considerably, but only if it is longer than the first one. We coined the term "time-shrinking" for this illusory phenomenon in our previous studies. Although we could relate our finding to some studies of rhythm perception, we were not able to explain the illusion. The present article presents our attempt to understand the mechanism that causes the time-shrinking. Four experiments are reported. The first one ruled out the possibility that the illusion results from a difficulty in resolving the temporal structure. The second experiment showed that the listener was not inadvertently judging the duration of the first interval instead of that of the second one. In addition, this experiment yielded more information about the time window within which the illusion occurs. The third experiment showed that forward masking of the sound markers, delimiting the empty durations, could not explain the illusion either. Furthermore, this experiment revealed a clue to the mechanism of time-shrinking: competition between expected and observed temporal positions. The fourth experiment further examined the temporal conditions that give rise to the illusion and showed that categorical perception plays a crucial role in the formation of the illusion. In the general discussion, we argue that the illusion is due to an asymmetric process of temporal assimilation.

The perception of time and situated engrossment

Abstract: This paper concerns the relationship between objective and subjective time. Ordinarily one's perception of time is synchronized roughly with the time of clocks and calendars (synchronicity), but under certain conditions it seems that time is passing very slowly (protracted duration). We used two different methods to obtain personal narratives concerning the experience of protracted duration

Time and duration: a persistent illusion.

Abstract: Attention is drawn to a persistent illusory correlation between the words time and duration. This illusory correlation led Ward (1991) to conclude that neural adaptation and informational adaptation are asynchronous. But when the illusion is dispelled so that like is compared to like, it then appears possible that informational adaptation and neural adaptation may be closely linked.

Time estimation in flight

Abstract: Experiments were performed to determine whether edge rate and flow rate impact the perception of time during an active control task and to further examine the relationship between edge rate or flow rate and time perception. One experiment also examined the extent to which time perception is driven by: (1) the temporal structure of the world, i.e., edge rate/flow rate changes, and (2) the amount of activity involved in accomplishing a task. The second factor was varied by examining time estimations made while subjects passively viewed the simulated flight and while also actively engaged in controlling lateral craft disturbances.

Computer-assisted comparison of melodic and rhythmic discrimination skills in hearing-impaired and normally hearing children: A pilot study

Abstract: For a number of years, the sense of hearing has been granted particular attention as an important factor in the perception and conceptualization of time (Rileigh & Odom, 1972). In fact, some have labeled hearing as the “time sense,” suggesting that we learn much about the sequence of events through time as we hear a stream of auditory cues. Furthermore, the ability to perceive changes in frequency and melodic patterns has been typically assigned to the auditory system. Complicating this picture is the belief that sense of time and the ability to perceive complex rhythmic and melodic patterns develop with increasing maturation and exposure to auditory information. If these theories are indeed correct, are persons who have early and severe hearing losses at risk for achieving these very basic perceptual skills? If so, what interventions need to be undertaken? To date, a relatively small body of research exists comparing the rhythmic and melodic perception of hearing-impaired persons with normally hearing individuals. The bulk of studies have been conducted with young children of elementary school age, and the greater number of extant studies examine rhythmic perception. In a study comparing hard-of-hearing children with normally hearing children (Sterritt, Camp, & Lippman, 1966), nine children with hearing losses and nine normally hearing children reproduced temporal patterns created by an above-threshold tone or by a flashing light on a telegraph key. The authors concluded that the hard-of-hearing children’s performance on a rhythmic reproduction task was poorer than that of normally hearing children. This decrement was attributed to early auditory deprivation, which the authors believed influenced perception for not only auditory patterns but also for visual temporal patterns. Davis and Hardick (1981) noted that for children with severe and profound hearing losses, the developmental history for auditory perception is believed to begin at the age the children are aided; children of identical chronological ages may have different length auditory histories. In a later test of rhythmic perception (Rileigh & Odom, 1972), deaf and normally hearing subjects were asked to reproduce visually-produced rhythmic patterns that varied in length and complexity. The outcome suggested that a developmental continuum of skills relating to rhythmic perception existed, with hearing-impaired subjects demonstrating a later mastery of more complex patterns than the normally hearing peers. In other words, rather than being deviant in rhythmic perception, children with hearing losses may develop similar rhythmic skills at a later age. Limited exposure to auditory signals might be one explanation for this delay.

Hearing-impaired children's rhythm perception and speech

Abstract: The role of rhythm in the speech intelligibility of 18 hearing-impaired children, aged 15 years with hearing losses from 40 to 108 db, was investigated. Their perceptual judgement of visual rhythm sequences was superior to that of the hearing controls, but their scores were not correlated with their speech intelligibility.