Abstract
The common idea that a measure is taken of a duration stimulus over its temporal extent, and that the decision as to whether the stimulus is relatively long or short is based upon such a measure, is shown to be incorrect. Two experiments, which require speeded responding in duration discrimination and consider response latencies as well as response probabilities, demonstrate that the response that is made is determined by the outcome of a race between an internally timed interval, the criterion, and the presented stimulus. The onset of the stimulus triggers the criterion; if the criterion ends first, the response “long” is elicited. Duration discrimination is a matter of temporal order discrimination, and in the limit, “short” responses are simple reactions while “long” responses are time estimation responses. A specific model of the real-time criterion hypothesis is tested, and these initial tests generally confirm it. From this, it is concluded that errors in duration discrimination are due entirely to variability of the criterion and that afferent latencies are not necessarily variable. This adds additional evidence for the existence of deterministic afferent latencies.
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1. Kristofferson, A. B.Psychological timing mechanisms. A lecture presented to the Lake Ontario Vision Establishment, Niagara Falls, Ontario, 9 March 1973. Mimeographed.
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This research was supported by Grant A7919 from the National Research Council of Canada. Much of the paper was written while the author was on leave at the MRC-Applied Psychology Unit, Cambridge, England.
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Kristofferson, A.B. A real-time criterion theory of duration discrimination. Perception & Psychophysics 21, 105–117 (1977). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03198714
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03198714