Changes in judgment of duration with different patterns of auditory information for individuals confined to bed

A theoretical proposition that changes in the organization and structure of auditory information result in changes in temporal experience was tested in this study. Changes were measured in the judgment of duration of a 40-second interval that occurred in three different patterns of auditory information among individuals confined to bed. The sample consisted of 90 men and 90 women aged 18 to 35 years who had no known physical or mental health problems. Subjects rested in bed in a comfortable room for two and one-half hours. Each subject received one of three forms of auditory information-called decoded, coded, and ambient auditory information. At four periods during the 150 minutes of auditory information (25 minutes, 75 minutes, 120 minutes, 150 minutes) the subject was directed by a lighted sign to produce a 40-second interval by depressing a button. The button was connected to a microtimer which timed the interval to the nearest tenth second. None of the three hypotheses-1) that time would seem to pass more slowly in the coded than in the decoded condition: 2) that time would pass more slowly in the decoded than ambient condition: and 3) that as the period of bedrest progressed differences in duration experience would occur among the three groups--was supported by the data. The produced interval for ambient auditory information was expected to be the longest of the three groups, but the opposite effect occurred; it was the shortest. The significant overestimation that occurred in the ambient condition relative to the decoded condition appeared to be related to the methodological imposition of vigilance, lack of structuring information, and the condition of waiting. The coded auditory input did not effect changes in duration relative to the decoded and ambient auditory information as subjects were able to reorder the coded information.