title: Mapping the origins of time: scalar errors in infant time estimation.
abstract: Time is central to any understanding of the world. In adults, estimation errors grow linearly with the length of the interval, much faster than would be expected of a clock-like mechanism. Here we present the first direct demonstration that this is also true in human infants. Using an eye-tracking paradigm, we examined 4-, 6-, 10-, and 14-month-olds' responses to the omission of a recurring target, on either a 3- or 5-s cycle. At all ages (a) both fixation and pupil dilation measures were time locked to the periodicity of the test interval, and (b) estimation errors grew linearly with the length of the interval, suggesting that trademark interval timing is in place from 4 months.
authors: Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, Birkbeck, University of London.
authors: Caspar
authors: C
authors: Addyman
authors: Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, Birkbeck, University of London.
authors: Sinead
authors: S
authors: Rocha
authors: Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, Birkbeck, University of London.
authors: Denis
authors: D
authors: Mareschal
mesh_terms: D001288:Attention; D002657:Child Development; D053483:Eye Movement Measurements; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D011581:Psychological Tests; D011680:Pupil / Q000502:physiology; D013997:Time Factors; D013998:Time Perception