Browsing by Author "Sundman, Stephanie"

Objectives: Subjective perception and estimates of elapsed time are sensitive to fluctuation in emotional state. Studies have shown that anticipating a threat such as electric shock and loud noise lengthens subjectively perceived duration of time. Although the effects of anticipating unpleasant stimuli on time perception have been studied quite extensively, it remains unclear whether anticipating an appealing emotional event distort subjective time. The aim of the current study was to examine whether anticipating of an erotic picture result in overestimation of subjectively perceived duration of time. In addition, it was examined whether the level of sexual arousal reported by the participants was associated with the extent of temporal distortion. Methods: The participants completed a temporal bisection task, during which they estimated durations of visual probes relative to previously learned long and short standard durations. The color of the probe indicated whether a possibly erotic picture was later presented. Because the picture was not always followed, three experimental conditions were used: 1) a condition where the erotic picture was anticipated and presented at the end of the estimated time interval; 2) the picture was anticipated but a blank screen was shown; and 3) where a blank screen was anticipated and presented. Conclusion: The cue durations were found to be overestimated due to anticipation of erotic picture. Moreover, participants who rated the pictures as more arousing showed a stronger temporal overestimation effect than participants who reported images as less arousing. The results support the pacemaker-accumulator model, according to which the number of pulses sent by the pacemaker provides a basis for estimating time, and the more pulses the pacemaker sends to the accumulator, the longer the duration is judged to be.