Abstract
Two experiments are reported that attempt to demonstrate a critical role played by sensory persistence on a standard perceived-duration task employing brief visual stimuli. Experiment 1 examined the effect on perceived duration of varying the spatial frequency of a target. For both 40- and 70-msec flashes, increased spatial frequency resulted in reduced estimates of perceived duration. These results were contrasted with predictions derived from cognitive processing models of duration perception. In Experiment 2, three typical types of target employed in current research (an outlined circle, a “noise”-filled circle, and a completely filled circle) were shown to differ significantly in their perceived duration and in their sensitivity to increases in physical duration. The results were discussed in terms of variable degrees of retinal persistence produced by the three types of targets. The possible implications for specific discrepancies in the literature and across-study comparisons in general were enumerated.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
Reference Notes
Beaton, R. J., & Long, G. M.The role of visual persistence in time perception (duration discrimination). Paper presented at the meeting of the Eastern Psychological Association, Hartford, Connecticut, April 1980.
Gildea, T. J., & Long, G. M.Spatial frequency and the latency for perceived. Paper presented at the meeting of the Eastern Psychological Association, Hartford, Connecticut, April 1980. (Manuscript submitted for publication.)
Sakitt, B., & Long, G. M.Resolution of an apparent paradox in iconic storage. Paper presented at the meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, Sarasota, Florida, April 1979. (Manuscript submitted for publication.)
References
Allan, L. G. The perception of time.Perception & Psychophysics, 1979,26, 340–354.
Allan, L. G., &Kristofferson, A. B. Judgments about the duration of brief stimuli.Perception & Psychophysics, 1974,15, 434–440.
Avant, L. L., &Lyman, P. J. Stimulus familiarity modifies perceived duration on precognition visual processing.Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 1975,1, 205–213.
Avant, L. L., Lyman, P. J., &Antes, J. R. Effects of stimulus familiarity upon judged visual duration.Perception & Psychophysics, 1975,17, 253–262.
Bindra, D., &Waksberg, H. Methods and terminology in studies of time estimation.Psychological Bulletin, 1956,53, 155–159.
Bowen, R. W., Pola, J., &Matin, L. Visual persistence: Effects of flash luminance, duration, and energy.Vision Research, 1974,14, 259–303.
Bowling, A., Lovegrove, W., &Mapperson, B. The effect of spatial frequency and contrast on visual persistence.Perception, 1979,8, 529–539.
Breitmeyer, B. Simple reaction time as a measure of the temporal response properties of transient and sustained channels.Vision Research, 1975,15, 1411–1412.
Buffardi, L. Factors affecting the filled-duration illusion in the auditory, tactual, and visual modalities.Perception & Psychophysics, 1971,10, 292–294.
Campbell, F. W., &Robson, J. G. Application of Fourier analysis to the visibility of gratings.Journal of Physiology, 1968,197, 551–566.
Cantor, N. E., &Thomas, E. A. C. Visual masking effects on duration, size, and form discrimination.Perception & Psychophysics, 1976,19, 321–327.
Cantor, N. E., &Thomas, E. A. C. Control of attention in the processing of temporal and spatial information in complex visual patterns.Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 1977,3, 243–250.
Carlson, V. R., &Feinberg, I. Consistency among methods of time judgment for independent groups.Proceedings of the American Psychological Association, 1968,3, 83–84.
Carlson, V. R., &Feinberg, D. Time judgment as a function of method, practice, and sex.Journal of Experimental Psychology, 1970,85, 171–180.
Coltheart, M., Lea, C. D., &Thompson, K. In defense of iconic memory.Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 1974,26, 633–641.
Dick, A. O. Iconic memory and its relation to perceptual processing and other memory mechanisms.Perception & Psychophysics, 1974,16, 575–596.
Efron, R. Effect of stimulus duration on perceptual onset and offset latencies.Perception & Psychophysics, 1970,8, 231–234.
Eisler, H. Experiments on subjective duration 1868–1975: A collection of power function exponents.Psychological Bulletin, 1976,83, 1154–1171.
Erwin, D. E. Further evidence for two components in visual persistence.Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Per-ception and Performance, 1976,2, 191–209.
Gomez, L. M., &Robertson, L. C. The filled-duration illusion: The function of temporal and nontemporal set.Perception & Psychophysics, 1979,25, 432–438.
Haber, R. N., &Standing, L. G. Direct estimate of apparent duration of a flash followed by visual noise.Canadian Journal of Psychology, 1970,24, 216–229.
Legge, G. E. Sustained and transient mechanisms in human vision: Temporal and spatial properties.Vision Researchk, 1978,18, 69–81.
Long, G. M. Comment on Hawkins and Shulman’s Type I and Type II visual persistence.Perception & Psychophysics, 1979,26, 412–414. (a)
Long, G. M. Iconic memory: Effects of stimulus parameters on short-term visual storage (Doctoral dissertation, Stanford University, 1978).Dissertation Abstracts International, 1979,39, 4619B.(b)
Long, G. M. Iconic memory: A review and critique of the study of short-term visual storage.Psychological Bulletin, 1980,88, 785–820.
Long, G. M., &Sakitt, B. The retinal basis of iconic memory: Eriksen and Collins revisited.American Journal of Psychology, 1980,93, 195–206.
Long, G. M., &Sakitt, B. Target duration effects on iconic memory: The confounding role of changing stimulus dimensions.Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 1980,82, 269–285.
McConchie, R. D., &Rutschmann, J. Human time estimation: On differences between methods.Perceptual and Motor Skills, 1971,32, 319–336.
Meyer, G. E., &Maguire, W. Spatial frequency and the mediation of short-term visual storage.Science, 1977,198, 524–525.
Mo, S. S. Judgment of temporal duration as a function of numerosity.Psychonomic Science, 1971,24, 71–72.
Mo, S. S. Temporal reproduction of duration as a function of numerosity.Bulletin of the Psychonomic Society, 1975,5, 165–167.
Mo, S. S., &Michalski, V. A. Judgment of temporal duration of area as a function of stimulus configuration.Psychonomic Science, 1972,27, 97–98.
Neisser, U.Cognitive psychology. Englewood Cliffs, N.J: Prentice-Hall, 1967.
Robertson, L. C., &Gomez, L. M. Figurai vs. configurai effects in the filled duration illusion.Perception & Psychophysics, 1980,27, 111–116.
Sakitt, B. Locus of short-term visual storage.Science, 1975,190, 1318–1319.
Sakitt, B. Iconic memory.Psychological Review, 1976,83, 257–276.
Sakitt, B., &Long, G. M. Relative rod and cone contributions in iconic storage.Perception & Psychophysics, 1978,23, 527–536.
Sakitt, B., &Long, G. M. Cones determine subjective offset of a stimulus but rods determine total persistence.Vision Research, 1979,19, 1439–1441. (a)
Sakitt, B., &Long, G. M. Spare the rod and spoil the icon.Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 1979,5, 19–30. (b)
Sperling, G. The information available in brief visual presentations.Psychological Monographs, 1960,74(11, Whole No. 498).
Sperling, G. Successive approximations to a model for shortterm memory.Acta Psychologica, 1967,27, 285–292.
Thomas, E. A. C., &Brown, I., Jr. Time perception and the filled-duration illusion.Perception & Psychophysics, 1974,16, 449–458.
Thomas, E. A. C., &Cantor, N. E. On the duality of simultaneous time and size perception.Perception & Psychophysics, 1975,18, 44–48.
Thomas, E. A. C., &Cantor, N. E. Simultaneous time and size perception.Perception & Psychophysics, 1976,19, 353–360.
Thomas, E. A. C., &Cantor, N. E. Interdependence between the processing of temporal and non-temporal information. In J. Requin (Ed.),Attention & performance VII. Hillsdale, N.J: Erlbaum, 1978.
Thomas, E. A. C., &Weaver, W. B. Cognitive processing and time perception.Perception & Psychophysics, 1975,17, 363–367.
Vassilev, A., &Mitov, D. Perception time and spatial frequency.Vision Research, 1976,16, 89–92.
Williamson, S. J., Kaufman, L., &Brenner, D. Latency of the neuromagnetic response of the human visual response.Vision Research, 1978,18, 107–110.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
The studies presented in this article were conducted as part of the second author’s Master’s thesis at Villanova University.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Long, G.M., Beaton, R.J. The effects of spatial frequency and target type on perceived duration. Perception & Psychophysics 28, 413–421 (1980). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03204885
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03204885