Time estimation as an index of processing demand in memory search

Fortin, Claudette; Rousseau, Robert

doi:10.3758/bf03203095

Cited by 64 publications

(74 citation statements)

References 19 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Although the mean reaction time slope (172 msec) was much steeper in the present experiment than in preceding similar experiments with an interpolated memory search task (about 35 msec in Rousseau, 1987, andFortin et aI., 1993), the slopes ofthe temporal production functions, when these nontemporal tasks were interpolated in temporal production, were surprisingly similar: about 25 msec in the preceding experiments and 20 msec in the present experiment. High reaction time slopes were expected with rhyming judgments, since the visual operations needed in reading add to the total duration of the nontemporal task.…”

Section: Resultscontrasting

confidence: 35%

“…In prospective time estimation, simultaneous nontemporal processing may result in a shortening of the estimated interval (Hicks, Miller, Gaes, & Bierman, 1977); in a temporalinterval-production paradigm, nontemporal processing lengthens the produced time interval (Fortin & Rousseau, 1987). These data suggest that some nontemporal activities may interrupt pulse accumulation; in fact, such data have been used to assume attentional control in time estimation, thus forming the category of attentional models of time estimation (Block, 1990).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Temporal interval production and processing in working memory

Fortin

Breton

1995

Perception & Psychophysics

129

109

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Short-term memory or working memory has been proposed as a cognitive structure contributing to time estimation. Thus, in a previous experiment, retrieving a stored item during a temporalinterval production lengthened the interval in proportion to the number of items in the memory set. In the present study, this issue was analyzed further by testing whether the proportional lengthening is induced by the load itself (i.e., the number of items) or by comparing the probe with memorized items. In a first experiment, a memory set was maintained during a temporal production, and the comparison of the probe with memorized items was postponed until the end of time production. Varyingthe number of items in the memory set had no effect on temporal intervals produced during its retention, suggesting that mental comparison was the source of the lengthening of time intervals. In succeeding experiments, tasks requiring processing in working memory but involving no memory load were combined with temporal production. In Experiment 2, increasing the number of syllables in a rhyme-judgment task proportionally lengthened temporal intervals that were produced simultaneously. In Experiment 3, increasing the amount of mental rotation in a task involving visuospatial processing also lengthened simultaneous temporal production. This interference between processing in working memory and time estimation suggests that working memory, defined as a work space for active processing of current information, contributes to time estimation.Time estimation is often represented as relying on the activity of two main components of a timing system: a pacemaker or a clock generating pulses, and a counter accumulating them and signaling when the number of pulses reaches a criterion value corresponding to a given duration (e

show abstract

Section: Resultscontrasting

confidence: 35%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Temporal interval production and processing in working memory

Fortin

Breton

1995

Perception & Psychophysics

129

109

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…These experiments showed that the amount of interference between the nontemporal tasks and temporal production was not a function of the level ofdifficulty of the search task but, instead, ofthe amount of processing in short-term memory required in the nontemporal task (Fortin & Rousseau, 1987;Fortin et aI., 1993). However, the present study shows that increasing the level of difficulty within a nontemporal task requiring processing in short-term memory increases the interference between the nontemporal task and a concurrent temporal production task: Processing order information, in Experiment 1, increased the slopes of RTs as a function of set size and increased correspondingly the mean temporal productions as a function of set size in a CP condition.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Some recent research with human subjects suggests that shortterm memory would also be involved in the comparison of brief time intervals (Wearden & Ferrara, 1993). Fortin and Rousseau (1987) combined a short-termmemory search task with time interval production. In this experiment, the subject memorized a set ofdigits and then produced a subjective 2-sec interval.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Order information in short-term memory and time estimation

Fortin

Massé

1999

Mem Cogn

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In previous experiments, the amount of interference between time production and visual or memory search tasks was shown not to be related to the level of difficulty of the search task per se, but instead to the amount of processing in short-term memory required in the search task. The first experiment of the present study verified whether the amount of interference between time production and a short-term memory task may be related to the level of difficulty of the short-term memory task. Two versions of a memory task, with and without processing of order information, were combined with a temporal interval production task in a concurrent processing condition. As is shown in a control reaction time task, processing order information increased the level of difficulty of the memory search task. In the concurrent processing condition, the interference between short-term memory processing and time production was stronger when the level of difficulty of the short-term memory search task was increased by requiring that order information be processed. The results of Experiment 2 showed that the amount of interference between a similar short-term memory task and time production seems not to be related to the amount of order information that must be maintained during the time production task. This dissociation between the effects of processing and the maintenance of order information is compatible with a similar dissociation, observed in previous experiments, between the effects of processing and those of maintaining item information in short-term memory on concurrent time production.A current view, in time estimation research, holds that short-term or working memory is involved in performing the time estimation tasks used in most time research paradigms (Zakay, 1990). For example, a well-known psychophysical model of time estimation assumes that, to reproduce a brieftime interval (e.g., 2 sec), temporal information would be accumulated that could then be stored in a short-term memory store during the temporal reproduction. This information would be compared with a criterion amount of temporal information, corresponding to the to-be-reproduced interval, stored in long-term memory (Church, 1984; Gibbon, Church, & Meek, 1984). Some recent research with human subjects suggests that shortterm memory would also be involved in the comparison of brief time intervals (Wearden & Ferrara, 1993).Fortin and Rousseau (1987) combined a short-termmemory search task with time interval production. In this experiment, the subject memorized a set ofdigits and then produced a subjective 2-sec interval. During the temporal production, a probe digit was presented. At the end of the subjective 2-sec interval, the subject was asked to press one oftwo response buttons: One was used for answering This research was supported by a grant from the Natural Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada to the first author. We would like to thank Y. Lacouture for helpful suggestions regarding this research and M. Poirier for useful comments on an ea...

show abstract

“…For example, intervals spent performing demanding attentional tasks (Brown, 1985, Experiment 2;Tsao, Wittlieb, Miller, & Wang, 1983) or memory tasks (Fortin & Breton, 1995, Experiment I;Hicks & Brundige, 1974) are associated with a shortening of perceived time and/or more error in time judgments relative to control conditions. Fortin and colleagues (Fortin & Rousseau, 1987;Fortin et aI., 1993, Experiment I) studied memory search tasks and found that the more mental comparisons required, the progressively shorter the perceived time (longer temporal productions).…”

Section: Interference Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Attentional resources in timing: Interference effects in concurrent temporal and nontemporal working memory tasks

Brown

1997

Perception & Psychophysics

516

504

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Three experiments examined interference effects in concurrent temporal and nontemporal tasks. The timing task in each experiment required subjects to generate a series of 2-or 5-sec temporal productions. The nontemporal tasks were pursuit rotor tracking (Experiment 1), visual search (Experiment 2), and mental arithmetic (Experiment 3). Each nontemporal task had two levels of difficulty. All tasks were performed under both single-and dual-task conditions. A simple attentional allocation model predicts bidirectional interference between concurrent tasks. The main results showed the classic interference effect in timing. That is, the concurrent nontemporal tasks caused temporal productions to become longer (longer productions represent a shortening of perceived time) and/or more variable than did timing-onlyconditions. In general, the difficult version of each nontemporal task disrupted timing more than the easier version. The timing data also exhibited a serial lengthening effect, in which temporal productions became longer across trials. Nontemporal task performance showed a mixed pattern. Tracking and visual search were essentially unaffected by the addition of a timing task, whereas mental arithmetic was disrupted by concurrent timing. These results call for a modification of the attentional allocation model to incorporate the idea of specialized processing resources. Two major theoretical frameworks-multiple resource theory and the working memory model-are critically evaluated with respect to the resource demands of timing and temporal/nontemporal dual-task performance.The interference effect is one of the most consistent findings in the time perception literature. The effect refers to a disruption in timing that occurs when subjects are required to perform some demanding nontemporal task during the interval. The usual result is that perceived time becomes shortened. Because of differences between time judgment methods (see below), this effect is manifested as either shorter verbal estimations and reproductions or longer temporal productions. Time judgments also may display more error and variability under nontemporal task conditions than under control (no-task) conditions. This paper explores the nature of this effect, with special reference to the role ofattentional processes in timing. First, a review of the empirical and theoretical work in the area is presented, and issues involving mutual interference between temporal and nontemporal processing are raised. Three experiments designed to address these issues are reported. The paper concludes with a discussion centering on the relationship between timing and current models of attentional resources.

show abstract

Time estimation as an index of processing demand in memory search

Cited by 64 publications

References 19 publications

Temporal interval production and processing in working memory

Temporal interval production and processing in working memory

Order information in short-term memory and time estimation

Attentional resources in timing: Interference effects in concurrent temporal and nontemporal working memory tasks

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About