Temporal production and visuospatial processing.
Current models of prospective timing hypothesize that estimated duration is influenced either by the attentional load or by the short-term memory requirements of a concurrent nontemporal task. In the present study, we addressed this issue with four dual-task experiments. In Exp. 1, the effect of memory load on both reaction time and temporal production was proportional to the number of items of a visuospatial pattern to hold in memory. In Exps. 2, 3, and 4, a temporal production task was combined with two visual search tasks involving either pre-attentive or attentional processing. Visual tasks interfered with temporal production: produced intervals were lengthened proportionally to the display size. In contrast, reaction times increased with display size only when a serial, effortful search was required. It appears that memory and perceptual set size, rather than nonspecific attentional or short-term memory load, can influence prospective timing.
Dipartimento di Neuroscienze TCR Università di Modena e Reggio Emilia, Italy.
Francesca
F
Benuzzi
Gianpaolo
G
Basso
Paolo
P
Nichelli
D000328:Adult; D001288:Attention; D004193:Discrimination Learning; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009949:Orientation; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual; D010469:Perceptual Distortion; D011601:Psychophysics; D011930:Reaction Time; D012691:Serial Learning; D012858:Size Perception; D013998:Time Perception