Time-Shrinking: The Process of Unilateral Temporal Assimilation

Abstract

Our previous research on auditory time perception showed that the duration of empty time intervals shorter than about 250 ms can be underestimated hugely if they are immediately preceded by shorter time intervals. We named this illusion 'time-shrinking' (TS). This study comprises four experiments in which the preceding interval, t1, was followed by a standard interval, t2. When t1 < or = 200 ms, and t1 < or = t2, the underestimation of t2 came into view clearly. The absolute difference between t2 and t1 was the crucial factor for the illusion to appear. The underestimation increased when t2 increased from t1 to t1 + 65 ms, stayed at about 45 ms when t2 was between t1 + 65 ms and t1 + 95 ms, and disappeared suddenly when t2 exceeded t1 + 95 ms. This pattern of results was observed across all values of t1 < or = 200 ms. A model was fit to the data to elucidate the underlying process of the illusion. The model states that the perceived duration difference between t1 and t2 is reduced by cutting mental processing time for t2; in other words, that t2 assimilates to t1.

Shortening of subjective tone intervals followed by repetitive tone stimuli

“…Other studies (Miyauchi & Nakajima, 2005;Nakajima et al, 2004;Nakajima, ten Hoopen, & van der Wilk, 1991;ten Hoopen, Miyauchi, & Nakajima, 2008) have reported that a time interval that is immediately preceded or followed by another, shorter time interval is perceived as being shorter (the temporal assimilation effect). Because the onset-onset interval between two neighboring tone bursts in the present study was 40 msec at 25 Hz, the test interval (100 to 700 msec) might be perceived as being shorter due to the temporal assimilation effect.…”

Effects of temporal shapes of sound markers on the perception of interonset time intervals

“…It is based on the processingtime hypothesis proposed by Nakajima (1987; see also Nakajima et al, 2004). This hypothesis assumes that the perceptual processing of a time interval does not end immediately after the detection of the second-marker onset, but about 80 ms later, and that the time needed for this "additional processing" is included in the perceived duration of this time interval.…”

“…Another problem was that the 500-ms time intervals employed by Woodrow (1928) seem too long to be related directly to speech perception (Patel, 2008). Since the findings on time intervals shorter than 400-500 ms were not always consistent with the findings on longer time intervals (e.g., Grondin, 1993;Nakajima et al, 2004), it was necessary anyway to investigate the effects of marker durations utilizing shorter time intervals. Thus, our study was designed to fill these gaps between previous time perception studies that had been developed in a rigorous tradition of psychophysics and rhythm perception studies oriented more closely toward speech and music.…”

Timing and time perception: A review of recent behavioral and neuroscience findings and theoretical directions

“…In other words, one quality of a timing system is to ensure that a perceived duration approximates the real duration of a stimulus. This dependent variable is emphasized when the purpose is to understand what causes distortions of perceived duration (Frassinetti, Magnani, & Oliveri, 2009;Kanai & Watanabe, 2006;Nakajima et al, 2004;Ono & Kitazawa, 2010;Pariyadath & Eagleman, 2007; for reviews, see Eagleman, 2008, ten Hoopen et al, 2008; see also Guillot & Collet, 2005, for potential distortions when movement is mentally simulated). An example of distortion is called chronostasis-that is, the illusion that the second hand takes longer to move to its next position when someone makes voluntary saccadic eye movements while watching a silently ticking clock (Yarrow, Haggard, Heal, Brown, & Rothwell, 2001).…”