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How long depends on how fast--perceived flicker dilates subjective duration
Sophie K Herbst1, Amir Homayoun Javadi, Elke van der Meer
1Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Berlin, Germany ; Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
Plos One
|November 7, 2013
Summary
Human time perception relies on consciously perceived stimulus changes, not objective rates or neural activity. Subjective duration increases with perceived flicker, influencing how we experience time intervals.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Psychology
- Sensory Perception
Background:
- Humans lack a dedicated time sensory system, relying on indirect mechanisms for duration judgments.
- Stimulus changes can subjectively dilate perceived time, suggesting duration is linked to event processing.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether subjective time dilation is driven by objective stimulus change rate, perceived saliency, or neural processing energy.
- To determine the role of conscious perception in linking stimulus changes to perceived duration.
Main Methods:
- Participants viewed visual stimuli flickering at various frequencies (4-166 Hz).
- Subjective duration, behavioral flicker fusion threshold, and electroencephalography (EEG) responses were measured.
- Stimuli were compared to steady visual stimuli to assess duration dilation.
Main Results:
- Consciously perceived flicker dilated subjective duration; slower frequencies (e.g., 4 Hz) had the most pronounced effect.
- Flicker frequencies above the flicker fusion threshold did not alter perceived duration, despite eliciting neural responses.
- Perceived duration correlated with the subjective saliency of temporal features, not objective change rates or neural energy.
Conclusions:
- Subjective time perception in the peri-second range is primarily influenced by the perceived saliency of temporal features.
- Conscious awareness of stimulus changes is critical for time dilation effects.
- Objective stimulus properties and neural responses alone do not fully explain subjective time perception.
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