Time reordered: Causal perception guides the interpretation of temporal order

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Neuroscience
• Perception

Background:

• The relationship between perceived causality and temporal order is complex.
• Previous research suggests temporal order influences causal judgments.
• This study investigates the reverse: causality influencing temporal perception.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate a novel temporal illusion where perceived causality dictates event order.
• To determine if causality overrides objective temporal sequencing in perception.
• To explore the mechanisms underlying this causality-induced temporal illusion.

Main Methods:

• Participants viewed Michotte-style launching sequences with mismatched temporal and causal orders.
• Objective temporal order was manipulated against perceived causal relationships.
• Participants were asked to recall and identify the viewed clips.

Main Results:

• Participants consistently reordered events to align with perceived causality, violating objective temporal order.
• Participants failed to recognize the actual clip, preferring a causally consistent version.
• The effect persisted even without attentional deficits.

Conclusions:

• Perceived causality can override objective temporal order in perception, creating a temporal illusion.
• Temporal order may be inferred 'on-demand' based on phenomenal causality and the temporal priority principle.
• Causal impressions can arise from dynamic sequences despite spatiotemporal deviations, challenging existing causal perception theories.