Simultaneity and temporal order perception: Different sides of the same coin? Evidence from a visual prior-entry...

Area of Science:

• Cognitive psychology
• Neuroscience
• Psychophysics

Background:

• Attended stimuli are perceived as occurring earlier than unattended stimuli, a phenomenon known as prior entry.
• Prior entry is typically measured by the point of subjective simultaneity (PSS) in temporal order judgments (TOJs).
• The traditional interpretation assumes PSS indicates perceived simultaneity, but this is debated.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the perceptual experience at the PSS in prior entry.
• To test whether the PSS reflects perceived simultaneity or uncertainty in temporal order.
• To examine the role of attention in modulating temporal perception.

Main Methods:

• Used peripheral cues to direct attention.
• Conducted temporal order judgments (TOJs) to determine the point of subjective simultaneity (PSS).
• Analyzed the perceptual experience at the PSS under varying attentional conditions.

Main Results:

• Manipulating attention influenced temporal perceptions around the PSS.
• Observers sometimes perceived simultaneity at the PSS.
• In other instances, observers reported uncertainty about the order of stimulus presentation at the PSS.

Conclusions:

• The PSS in prior entry does not always coincide with the perception of simultaneity.
• Perceptual uncertainty, rather than perceived simultaneity, can occur at the PSS.
• This challenges models assuming inevitable simultaneity perception when temporal order is indiscernible.