The role of attention in time estimation processes

Zakay, Dan; Block, Richard A.

doi:10.1016/s0166-4115(96)80057-4

Cited by 306 publications

(295 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…The fact that this group effect was mediated by greater impulsivity of SDI can be explained by models of prospective time perception. Subjects estimate the duration of a given interval as longer when the focus of attention is on the passage of time as opposed to a condition where the same interval is filled with activities that distract an observer from attending to time (Wittmann and Lehnhoff, 2005;Zakay and Block, 1996). An overestimation of time intervals is a sign of boredom or emotional distress that draws attention away from meaningful thoughts and actions and directs it to the passage of time (Danckert and Allman, 2005;Twenge et al, 2003).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impaired time perception and motor timing in stimulant-dependent subjects

Wittmann

Leland

Churan

et al. 2007

Drug and Alcohol Dependence

148

152

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Stimulant-dependent individuals (SDI) have abnormal brain metabolism and structural changes involving dopaminergic target areas important for the processing of time. These individuals are also more impulsive and impaired in working memory and attention. The current study tested whether SDI show altered temporal processing in relation to impulsivity or impaired prefrontal cortex functioning. We employed a series of timing tasks aimed to examine time processing from the milliseconds to multiple seconds range and assessed cognitive function in 15 male SDI and 15 stimulant-naïve individuals. A mediation analysis determined the degree to which impulsivity or executive dysfunctions contributed to group differences in time processing. SDI showed several abnormal time processing characteristics. SDI needed larger time differences for effective duration discrimination, particularly for intervals of around 1 sec. SDI also accelerated finger tapping during a continuation period after a 1 Hz pacing stimulus was removed. In addition, SDI overestimated the duration of a relatively long time interval, an effect which was attributable to higher impulsivity. Taken together, these data show for the first time that SDI exhibit altered time processing in several domains, one which can be explained by increased impulsivity. Altered time processing in SDI could explain why SDI have difficulty delaying gratification.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impaired time perception and motor timing in stimulant-dependent subjects

Wittmann

Leland

Churan

et al. 2007

Drug and Alcohol Dependence

148

152

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“…Detailed analyses of disruptions in timing from interfering tasks such as those used in the present and other studies (e.g., Brown, 1997;Macar, 2002;Rammsayer & Ulrich, 2005) contribute to pinpoint the type of attentional resources involved when timing tasks are performed, a fundamental issue considering the central role of attention in most current influential models of timing (Gibbon, Church & Meck, 1984;Zakay & Block, 1996). Finally, from a practical perspective, given the use of timing tasks in measuring mental workload (e.g., Liu & Wickens, 1994), a more detailed definition of the processes involved in timing might also contribute to providing e a better index of the workload imposed by a variety of tasks (O'Donnell & Eggemeier, 1986 …”

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confidence: 84%

Temporal order in memory and interval timing: An interference analysis

2007

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This is the unspecified version of the paper.This version of the publication may differ from the final published version. The effect of varying load in memory tasks performed during a time interval production was examined. In a first experiment, increasing load in memory search for temporal order affected concurrent time production more strongly than varying load in a spatial memory task of equivalent difficulty. This result suggests that timing uses some specific resources also required in processing temporal order in memory, resources that would not be used in the spatial memory task. A second experiment showed however that although increasing load affected time intervals when the concurrent task was to search for temporal order, the same manipulation had a much smaller effect on produced intervals when the task was to maintain information on temporal order in memory. These results underscore the importance of considering the specific resources and processes involved when the interference between timing and concurrent nontemporal tasks is analyzed. Permanent repository link

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“…Indeed, there is evidence that acquisition, representation, and processing of temporal information in neural systems presumably differ from the processing of object or spatial stimulus features. For example, unlike stimulus dimensions like color and shape, temporal representations are acquired dynamically subserved by the use of effective encoding and monitoring strategies (Gilliland & Martin, 1940;Kileen & Weiss, 1987) and are thus specifically sensitive to attentional manipulations (Casini & Ivry, 1999;Mangels et al, 1998;Zakay & Block, 1996). The involvement of these strategic operations might have rendered the executive monitoring of duration information more sensitive to frontal lobe damage than the respective operations on spatial information.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Within the framework of internal clock models (Church, 1989;Gibbon, Church, & Meck, 1984;Treisman, Faulkner, Naish, & Brogan, 1990;Zakay & Block, 1996), which describe formal properties of the cognitive processes underlying duration processing, it is assumed that different components contribute each to a specific functional level of duration processing. Fundamental to this is the hypothesis that clock-counter mechanisms monitor the passage of subjective time (clock stage).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Yet, acquisition and representation of temporal information in neural systems presumably differ fundamentally from the processing of object or spatial stimulus features. Representations of temporal duration are acquired dynamically, demanding attentional gating until stimulus off-set and thus are specifically sensitive to the use of effective encoding and attentional allocation strategies (Gilliland & Martin, 1940;Kileen & Weiss, 1987;Niki & Watanabe, 1979;Zakay & Block, 1996). Since the classification task demanded additional strategic monitoring of attentional resources, a higher degree of impairment in frontal lobe patients is predicted for temporal duration classification as compared to the spatial task.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Processing of temporal duration information in working memory after frontodorsal tumour excisions

Hälbig

Cramon

Schmid

et al. 2002

Brain and Cognition

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This study aimed to test the hypothesis that impairments of temporal duration processing after frontal lobe lesions reflect deficits in executive monitoring functions rather than a domain-specific deficit in the maintenance of duration information in working memory. Patients with frontodorsal lesions, clinical controls with post-central lesions, and healthy controls performed recognition and classification tasks, which should allow for testing maintenance and monitoring functions, respectively. Results showed mild non-selective impairments of the frontal patients on both temporal and spatial recognition tasks, but a marked selective degradation on temporal classification while performance on spatial classification was unimpaired. This suggests that maintenance of duration information in working memory after frontal lesions is basically preserved but that, depending on executive task characteristics, there is a specific deficit in the strategic organization of this type of information.

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The role of attention in time estimation processes

Cited by 306 publications

References 45 publications

Impaired time perception and motor timing in stimulant-dependent subjects

Impaired time perception and motor timing in stimulant-dependent subjects

Temporal order in memory and interval timing: An interference analysis

Processing of temporal duration information in working memory after frontodorsal tumour excisions

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