title: Time estimation and expectancies.
abstract: The purpose of this research was to examine the influence of different types of expectancies on time estimation behavior. In Experiment 1, subjects were led to expect that a given number of trials would occur in a music perception task. In Experiment 2, expectancies concerning the duration of a given waiting period were varied. Results of both experiments indicated that the confirmation/violation of expectancies exerted a significant impact on duration judgments. When subjects received more/fewer trials than expected or waited for a duration that was longer/shorter than expected, the total duration of these time spans was over- and underestimated, respectively. Conversely, time estimates were relatively accurate when subjects' expectancies were confirmed. The results of Experiment 1 further revealed that reaction time responses within the music perception task were also systematically influenced by the expected amount of activity. Results are discussed in terms of a framework that emphasizes the role of anticipatory attending on time estimation behavior.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Haverford College, PA 19041.
authors.forename: M G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Boltz
mesh_terms: D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001307:Auditory Perception; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009146:Music; D010898:Pitch Perception; D013998:Time Perception