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Time perception

About: Time perception is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 1918 publications have been published within this topic receiving 87020 citations.


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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is shown that outcomes that are better or worse than expected lengthen or shorten the perceived duration of stimuli, respectively, and that this interaction between teaching signals and time perception occurs in the human striatum.
Abstract: Time perception and prediction errors are essential for everyday life. We hypothesized that their putative shared circuitry in the striatum might enable these two functions to interact. We show that positive and negative prediction errors bias time perception by increasing and decreasing perceived time, respectively. Imaging and behavioral modeling identify this interaction to occur in the putamen. Depending on context, this interaction may have beneficial or adverse effects.

10 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Progress is reported on with the “lossy integration” model (also known as “klepsydra’ model; Wackermann and Ehm, 2006) in interpretation of time perception data in the context of neurophysiological and neurobiological findings.
Abstract: Establishing links between experimental data, their models, and the neural substrates presents a permanent challenge for research in timing and time perception. This applies particularly to the problem of internal representation of temporal duration and its neural implementation. In this short communication we will report on progress achieved with the “lossy integration” model (also known as “klepsydra” model; Wackermann and Ehm, 2006) in interpretation of time perception data in the context of neurophysiological and neurobiological findings. In the pacemaker–gate–accumulator model (Zakay and Block, 1997), which is still considered as the standard model in the literature (Grondin, 2010), temporal durations are internally represented by cumulative pulse counts, A=t⋅f (t is the interval duration, f the effective pulse train frequency, and A is the number of pulses accumulated in the counter). Consequently, all variations in timing behavior or in a time perception task response can be accounted for by a change of the frequency f of pulses entering the counter. This gives the model its apparent elegance and universality, but is also its main weakness. Since the two hypothetical components, pacemaker and gate, are arranged serially, it is impossible to disentangle their effects. The effective frequency f may vary due to a change of the pacemaker fundamental frequency fP (e.g., in response to organismic, physiological factors), or due to a change of the gate throughput g (e.g., attentional, cognitive effects): f=fP⋅g (where g is a real number in the range from 0 to 1). By contrast, in the “klepsydra” model, (Wackermann and Ehm, 2006), temporal durations are represented by states of a lossy integrator; written in a differential form dAdt=f−κ⋅A. The inflow rate f corresponds to the pulse train frequency in the “standard” model (that the states are here continuous, rather than discrete quantities, is unimportant). The outflow rate, however, is determined by the momentary state of the accumulator A and a proportionality factor κ. Therefore, there are two loci of possible effects on internal time representation, the inflow and the outflow. The inflows can be studied only in relative terms, e.g., as inflow ratios between different experimental conditions; however, the loss rate κ can be determined numerically in given physical units (sec−1). To apply the model to the two tasks mostly used in our experimental studies – duration reproduction and duration discrimination in the supra-second range – we assume two such inflow–outflow units, each one allocated to one of the two temporal intervals to be compared. [Hence the name “dual klepsydra model” under which the model is known (Wackermann and Ehm, 2006).] Numerical procedures are available for estimating the value of κ directly from (individual or group-based) response functions in the reproduction task (Wackermann and Ehm, 2006), or indirectly, from points of subjective indifference determined by psychometric functions fitted to the data from the discrimination task (Wackermann and Spati, 2006). The lossy character of internal time representation is revealed by the progressive shortening of the reproduction response, or by the presentation order effect in the discrimination response (generally known as “subjective shortening” of past durations). Recent experiments supported the notion of the “loss rate” parameter κ as a stable individual characteristic of the subject, evidenced by the high test–retest reliability of the parameter κ obtained from duration discrimination data (Sysoeva et al., 2010) and duration reproduction data. Moreover, it was shown (Sysoeva et al., 2010) that carriers of genotypic variants related to the activity of the serotonergic (5-HT) transmitter system significantly differ in the “loss rate” parameter κ. These results suggest genetic determination of dynamic parameters of neural representation of time. Higher values of κ were found for the carriers of genotypes characterized by higher potential for 5-HT transmission: (1) lower 5-HT reuptake, known for the 5-HTTLPR SS polymorphism compared with LL, (2) lower 5-HT degradation, described for the “low expression” variant of MAOA VNTR gene compared with “high expression” variant, and (3) higher 5-HT2a receptor density, proposed for the TT polymorphism of 5-HT2a T102C gene compared with CC. Also, they fit well with findings in studies on effects of psychotropic substances affecting the serotonin subsystem. In a double-blind, placebo-controlled study, psilocybin – a serotonin (5-HT) 2A/1A receptor agonist – significantly increased parameter κ which is indicative of a higher “loss rate” of duration representation, observable by a stronger under-reproduction of temporal intervals (Wackermann et al., 2008). These convergent findings suggest an action path from 5-HT activity-related genes, via activity of 5-HT in the brain, to time perception. The psychopharmacological data also indicate that although the loss rate parameter is genetically determined, it can be temporally modified by influencing the 5-HT system. In a fMRI study, it was shown that parameter κ and the degree of self-rated impulsivity were associated with brain activation during the reproduction phase of the duration reproduction task; the activated brain areas were those related to motor execution as well as to the “core control network.” In particular, activation in these regions was positively correlated with the “loss rate” parameter κ (i.e., more pronounced under-reproduction of intervals), and with the subject's degree of impulsivity (Wittmann et al., 2011). During the encoding of duration in the reproduction task brain activation within bilateral posterior insula showed an accumulating pattern over time which peaked at the end of the interval (Wittmann et al., 2010). Based on the knowledge about insular cortex functioning it has been suggested that the integration of ascending body signals forms the basis for the representation of duration (Craig, 2009; Wittmann, 2009). This hypothesis is supported by recent observations of an association between the decrease of heart-beat frequency – indicative of an increase in parasympathetic activity – during the encoding of duration in individuals performing the duration reproduction task (Meissner and Wittmann, 2011). Interpreting these empirical findings in term of the klepsydra model, the flux of bodily signals into the posterior insular cortex could be interpreted as constituting the inflow component of the model. A more widespread network encompassing the “core control network” (Cole and Schneider, 2007) which would be associated with maintaining the representation of duration over time, can be related to the outflow component of the model, thus representing the “loss rate” of the leaky accumulator. The work reported above focused on effects of the loss component of the klepsydra model, as the “subjective shortening” is a striking phenomenon seen in duration reproduction or duration discrimination data in the supra-second region. Since these effects are omnipresent in the data (whether they are subject matter of study or not) they have to be taken into account to distinguish net effects of experimental manipulations. The klepsydraic model not only disentangles the inflow (accumulation) and outflow (loss) effects conceptually, but it also allows to separate these effects operationally. An example of this analytic strategy is given in the study of brightness–duration interaction in a duration discrimination task (Wackermann and Meyer-Blankenburg, 2009), where the net effect caused by the stimulus variation is superimposed on the main stimulus-independent effect of subjective shortening. Similar strategies should be applicable in studies intending to manipulate the hypothetical “inflows” by varying somatosensory or proprioceptive stimuli to test the “bodily signals flux” hypothesis. Summarizing: in the reported studies effects of natural variations or experimental manipulations on time perception were evaluated by means of a simple “lossy integration” model, which conceptually distinguishes between two components of the mechanism underlying internal representation of temporal durations: accumulation of internal “inflow” in the integrator, and a parallel “loss” of accumulated representation (“outflow”). It is suggested that the inflow is primarily derived from the ongoing stream of intero- and proprioceptive neural signals, while the outflow is related to low-level (synaptic?) mechanisms of neural signals transfer. Converging findings on neurophysiological or neurochemical effectors or correlates of time perception provide cumulative evidence for these working hypotheses. Therefore, we wish to draw the attention of the research community to this fruitful methodology, which promises to obtain new insights into human timing and time perception in experimental research as well as in studies of clinical populations.

10 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
05 Jul 2016-PLOS ONE
TL;DR: Results showed faster RTs for interval durations close to the reference duration in both the baseline and the emotional conditions and yielded a U-shaped curve, which suggests that implicit processing of time persists in emotional contexts.
Abstract: This study examined the effects of emotion on implicit timing. In the implicit timing task used, the participants did not receive any temporal instructions. Instead they were simply asked and trained to press a key as quickly as possible after a stimulus (response stimulus) that was separated from a preceding stimulus by a given temporal interval (reference interval duration). However, in the testing phase, the interval duration was the reference interval duration or a shorter or longer interval duration. In addition, the participants attended two sessions: a first baseline session in which no stimulus was presented during the inter-stimulus intervals, and a second emotional session in which emotional facial expressions (angry, neutral and sad facial expressions) were presented during these intervals. Results showed faster RTs for interval durations close to the reference duration in both the baseline and the emotional conditions and yielded a U-shaped curve. This suggests that implicit processing of time persists in emotional contexts. In addition, the RT was faster for the facial expressions of anger than for those of neutrality and sadness. However, the U-shaped RT curve did not peak clearly at a shorter interval duration for the angry than for the other facial expressions. This lack of time distortion in an implicit timing task in response to arousing emotional stimuli questions the idea of an automatic speeding-up of the interval clock system involved in the representation of time.

10 citations

Posted ContentDOI
24 Jul 2020-bioRxiv
TL;DR: These results provide the first evidence that direct manipulations of alpha oscillations can shift perceived time in a manner consistent with a clock speed effect.
Abstract: Previous studies have linked brain oscillation and timing, with evidence suggesting that alpha oscillations (10Hz) may serve as a sample rate for the visual system. However, direct manipulation of alpha oscillations and time perception has not yet been demonstrated. Eighteen subjects performed a time generalization task with visual stimuli. Participants first learned the standard intervals (600 ms) and then were required to judge the new temporal intervals if they were equal or different compared to the standard. Additionally, we had previously recorded resting-state EEG from each subject and calculated their Individual Alpha Frequency (IAF), estimated as the peak frequency from the mean spectrum over posterior electrodes between 8 and 13 Hz. After learning the standard interval, participants performed the time generalization task while receiving occipital transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation (tACS). Crucially, for each subject, tACS was administered at their IAF or at off-peak alpha frequencies (IAF+/-2 Hz). Results demonstrated a linear shift in the psychometric function indicating a modification of perceived duration, such that progressively faster alpha stimulation led to longer perceived intervals. These results provide the first evidence that direct manipulations of alpha oscillations can shift perceived time in a manner consistent with a clock speed effect.

10 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The results of Experiment 3 suggested that the application of a change heuristic when generating duration judgments depends on the perception of change as originating from a single, integrated perceptual object.
Abstract: The present study investigated whether the quality of a frequency change within a sound (i.e., smooth vs. abrupt) would influence perception of its duration. In three experiments, participants were presented with two consecutive sounds on each of a series of trials, and their task was to judge whether the second sound was longer or shorter in duration than the first. In Experiment 1, participants were more likely to judge sounds consisting of a smooth and continuous change in frequency as longer in duration than sounds that maintained a constant frequency. In Experiment 2, the same bias was observed for sounds incorporating an abrupt change in frequency, but only when the frequency change was relatively small. The results of Experiment 3 suggested that the application of a change heuristic when generating duration judgments depends on the perception of change as originating from a single, integrated perceptual object.

10 citations


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Performance
Metrics
No. of papers in the topic in previous years
YearPapers
202395
2022178
202177
202083
2019101
201896