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Updated: May 24, 2026

Measuring Attention and Visual Processing Speed by Model-based Analysis of Temporal-order Judgments
Published on: January 23, 2017
Active (not passive) spatial imagery primes temporal judgements.
Jessica L Sullivan1, Hilary C Barth
1Department of Psychology, University of California-San Diego, CA, USA.
Motor imagery, not just spatial perspective, influences our perception of time. This study shows that imagining active movements, unlike passive ones, primes temporal judgments, highlighting the role of motor content in spatial-temporal links.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Human Perception
Background:
- Spatial perspectives are known to influence temporal judgments.
- Prior research often conflated spatial and motor elements in priming stimuli.
- The specific contribution of motor content remains unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether motor content is essential for spatial primes influencing temporal judgments.
- To differentiate the effects of imagined motor actions versus passive spatial motion.
Main Methods:
- 198 adult participants completed temporal judgment tasks.
- Exposure to spatial primes with varying degrees of imagined effort (active motor vs. passive motion).
Main Results:
- Spatial primes involving imagined motor actions significantly primed temporal judgments.
- Spatial primes involving passive motion did not produce similar priming effects.
- Motor content appears crucial for spatial perspective priming of time perception.
Conclusions:
- Motor imagery, not solely spatial perspective, is a key factor in spatial priming of temporal judgments.
- This finding advances our understanding of the interplay between motor and cognitive processes in time perception.
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