Events at predicted location expand in time

Predictability is a key factor that influences the perceived duration of an event. Prior studies investigating the effect of prediction on perceived duration were predominantly interested in the predictions related to the identity of the upcoming target. In this study, we sought to investigate the effect of location-based predictions on perceived duration with the concurrent tracking of eye movements. The results suggest a pattern of longer perceived duration when the event appeared at the predicted location. A higher sensitivity towards the events appearing at the unpredicted location was observed under conditions when prestimulus eye movements were controlled. The results further demonstrate that the apparent expansion of the perceived duration of events at the predicted location was accompanied by longer fixation duration and smaller saccadic amplitude. Additionally, the pupil size following the target offset was larger for the predicted conditions. The measures of fixation duration and pupil size are reliable markers to capture ongoing attentional processes, and therefore, we suggest that attentional mechanisms might underlie the duration expansion of events occurring at predicted locations.