scholarly journals Time-Shrinking and Categorical Temporal Ratio Perception

2006 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gert Ten Hoopen ◽  
Takayuki Sasaki ◽  
Yoshitaka Nakajima ◽  
Ger Remijn ◽  
Bob Massier ◽  
...  

In a previous study, we presented psychophysical evidence that time-shrinking (TS), an illusion of time perception that empty durations preceded by shorter ones can be conspicuously underestimated, gives rise to categorical perception on the temporal dimension (Sasaki, Nakajima, & ten Hoopen, 1998). In the present study, we first survey studies of categorical rhythm perception and then describe four experiments that provide further evidence that TS causes categorical perception on the temporal dimension. In the first experiment, participants judged the similarity between pairs of /t1/t2/ patterns (slashes denote short sound markers delimiting the empty time intervals t1 and t2). A cluster analysis and a scaling analysis showed that patterns liable to TS piled up in a 1:1 category. The second and third experiments are improved replications in which the sum of t1 and t2 in the /t1/t2/ patterns is kept constant at 320 ms. The results showed that the 12 patterns /115/205/, /120/200/,  . . ., /165/155/, /170/150/ formed a 1:1 category. The fourth experiment utilizes a cross-modality matching procedure to establish the subjective temporal ratio of the /t1/t2/ patterns and a 1:1 category was established containing the 11 patterns /120/200/, /125/195/,  . . ., /165/155/, /170/150/. On basis of these converging results we estimate a domain of perceived 1:1 ratios as a function of total pattern duration (t1 + t2) between 160 and 480 ms. We discuss the implications of this study for rhythm perception and production.

1993 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-38 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gert Ten Hoopen ◽  
Gaston Hilkhuysen ◽  
Gert Vis ◽  
Yoshitaka Nakajima ◽  
Fumihiko Yamauchi ◽  
...  

When one very short empty time interval follows right after another, the second one can be underestimated considerably, but only if it is longer than the first one. We coined the term "time-shrinking" for this illusory phenomenon in our previous studies. Although we could relate our finding to some studies of rhythm perception, we were not able to explain the illusion. The present article presents our attempt to understand the mechanism that causes the time-shrinking. Four experiments are reported. The first one ruled out the possibility that the illusion results from a difficulty in resolving the temporal structure. The second experiment showed that the listener was not inadvertently judging the duration of the first interval instead of that of the second one. In addition, this experiment yielded more information about the time window within which the illusion occurs. The third experiment showed that forward masking of the sound markers, delimiting the empty durations, could not explain the illusion either. Furthermore, this experiment revealed a clue to the mechanism of time-shrinking: competition between expected and observed temporal positions. The fourth experiment further examined the temporal conditions that give rise to the illusion and showed that categorical perception plays a crucial role in the formation of the illusion. In the general discussion, we argue that the illusion is due to an asymmetric process of temporal assimilation.


2005 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 411-424 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryota Miyauchi ◽  
Takayuki Nakajima

In many sensory dimensions, assimilation of characteristics of perceived events can be found. In the present study, we examined whether assimilation appeared also in time perception, employing time intervals shorter than 300 ms marked by tone bursts. In Experiment 1, we measured points of subjective equality of two neighboring empty time intervals, t1 and t2. The perceived durations approached each other when the difference between t1 and t2 was small. That is, bilateral assimilation took place. In Experiment 2, we measured points of subjective equality of t1 in smaller steps and across a wider durational range than in Experiment 1. We found that t1 was overestimated slightly when it was a bit shorter than t2, and t1 was underestimated slightly when it was a bit longer than t2. The overestimation and the underestimation were considered as typical assimilation. The results also showed that the perception of t1 changed from assimilation to contrast when the difference between t1 and t2 exceeded the range -80 � t1 � t2 � 40 ms.


1998 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 201-222 ◽  
Author(s):  
Takayuki Sasaki ◽  
Yoshitaka Nakajima ◽  
Gert Ten Hoopen

In previous studies, we established an illusion of time perception that we called time-shrinking: an empty time interval, immediately preceded by a slightly shorter time interval, is underestimated. In the first experiment of the present study, we examined the perceived duration not only of the second interval (t2), but also of the first interval (tl). The empty time intervals tl and t2, making a total duration of 90,180, 360, or 720 ms, were presented such that the time ratio between them changed systematically. The points of subjective equality of tl and t2 were established by the method of adjustment. In the patterns typically susceptible to timeshrinking, that is, in which t2 was underestimated, tl was perceived almost vertically. In the second experiment, listeners had to bisect an empty duration of 180 ms, marked by sound bursts. The bisecting sound marker was positioned closer to the initial marker than to the final one. Thus, tl had to be shorter than t2 in order for a regular pattern to be perceived. In the third experiment, just-noticeable forward and backward displacements of the middle sound marker were measured by a transformed updown method. The prediction that the interval of uncertainty was closer to the initial than to the final sound marker was confirmed. The three experiments demonstrated the existence of unilateral temporal assimilation, and it is argued that this perceptual mechanism causes a category of 1:1 rhythms, despite a considerable change in temporal ratio between two contiguous time intervals.


1991 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 431-448 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yoshitaka Nakajima ◽  
Gert Ten Hoopen ◽  
René Van Der Wilk

When two very short time intervals are presented serially by sound markers (in such a way that they share a common marker) the subject's duration judgments of the second time interval can be affected by the duration of the first interval. Such a conspicuous effect has not been reported in the literature. Standard empty time intervals of 120, 240, 480, and 720 msec were preceded by a neighboring empty time interval of various physical durations, and subjects adjusted a comparison empty time interval to the same subjective duration as these standards. We found clear underestimations of the standard duration when its physical duration was 120 msec. For example, when the preceding duration was 45 msec, the relative underestimation was about 40%. Because such a stable and remarkable underestimation appeared in a very simple situation, this phenomenon may be called a new illusion. Such an illusion did not appear when the time interval to be judged was succeeded by another time interval. At present we cannot explain the illusion, but in the general discussion we attempt to relate it to some findings in rhythm perception.


2001 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 293-301 ◽  
Author(s):  
Douglas S. Grant
Keyword(s):  

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 219-238 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tai-Quan Peng ◽  
Yixin Zhou ◽  
Jonathan J. H. Zhu
Keyword(s):  

1979 ◽  
Vol 48 (3) ◽  
pp. 807-814 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shraga Hocherman ◽  
Gita Ben-Dov

The ability of human subjects to judge the duration of short empty time intervals was studied in relation to the modality composition of the marker signals. Ac each trial, a pair of empty intervals was presented by a series of three successive stimuli, and the subject was asked to point out the longer interval of the two. Tone pips and flashes of light were used as the bounding signals. All the possible combinations of auditory and visual stimuli were used, in random order, to delimit pairs of intervals. Performance was found modality-independent when the first two stimuli were of the same modality. Strong response biases were introduced by varying the modality of the first or the second stimulus. Analysis of these biases indicates that memorization of the empty time intervals is affected by the modality of the binding signals.


2021 ◽  
Vol 118 (29) ◽  
pp. e2026130118
Author(s):  
Andrew A. Rouse ◽  
Aniruddh D. Patel ◽  
Mimi H. Kao

Rhythm perception is fundamental to speech and music. Humans readily recognize a rhythmic pattern, such as that of a familiar song, independently of the tempo at which it occurs. This shows that our perception of auditory rhythms is flexible, relying on global relational patterns more than on the absolute durations of specific time intervals. Given that auditory rhythm perception in humans engages a complex auditory–motor cortical network even in the absence of movement and that the evolution of vocal learning is accompanied by strengthening of forebrain auditory–motor pathways, we hypothesize that vocal learning species share our perceptual facility for relational rhythm processing. We test this by asking whether the best-studied animal model for vocal learning, the zebra finch, can recognize a fundamental rhythmic pattern—equal timing between event onsets (isochrony)—based on temporal relations between intervals rather than on absolute durations. Prior work suggests that vocal nonlearners (pigeons and rats) are quite limited in this regard and are biased to attend to absolute durations when listening to rhythmic sequences. In contrast, using naturalistic sounds at multiple stimulus rates, we show that male zebra finches robustly recognize isochrony independent of absolute time intervals, even at rates distant from those used in training. Our findings highlight the importance of comparative studies of rhythmic processing and suggest that vocal learning species are promising animal models for key aspects of human rhythm perception. Such models are needed to understand the neural mechanisms behind the positive effect of rhythm on certain speech and movement disorders.


2014 ◽  
Vol 149 ◽  
pp. 134-141 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tsuyoshi Kuroda ◽  
Emi Hasuo ◽  
Katherine Labonté ◽  
Vincent Laflamme ◽  
Simon Grondin
Keyword(s):  

1999 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 190-205 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angelo Santi ◽  
Lori Ross ◽  
Romina Coppa ◽  
James Coyle

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