Electrophysiological correlates of temporal generalization: evidence for a two-process model of time perception.
In an event-related potential (ERP) study, brain correlates of temporal processing in the range of milliseconds were investigated by means of a dissociation paradigm. For this purpose, ten male and ten female subjects performed temporal and pitch generalization tasks with uni- and bidimensional stimulus variation. With difficulty held constant for both tasks, a larger frontally distributed negative slow wave was observed for pitch generalization relative to temporal generalization. This ERP pattern was consistent across uni- and bidimensional tasks of the present study but in direct contrast to prior ERP studies on temporal processing. Furthermore, for both uni- and bidimensional temporal tasks, within-task ERP analyses yielded amplitude modulation of centro-parietal P3b and fronto-central P500 as brain correlates of actively processed stimulus duration. Findings were consistent with a two-process model of temporal information processing based on a real-time comparison of the presented stimulus duration against an internal representation of the standard duration.
Gibbons
Henning
H
Georg Elias Müller Institute for Psychology, University of Göttingen, D-37073 Göttingen, Germany. hgibbon@uni-goettingen.de
Rammsayer
Thomas H
TH
D000328:Adult; D001307:Auditory Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D004193:Discrimination Learning / Q000502:physiology; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005071:Evoked Potentials / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005793:Generalization, Psychological / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008960:Models, Psychological; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D013997:Time Factors; D013998:Time Perception / Q000502:physiology*