Estimating the duration of visual stimuli in motion environments

Abstract

The aim of this research is to determine the influence of visual motion on the temporal estimation of a static object. Previous research has shown that the magnitude of temporal distortion caused by movement depends on objects’ speed, although those studies have not taken into account the possible interference of the environment in which objects are embedded. On the basis of the results obtained in a psychophysical task in which the constant-stimuli method was used, we suggest that high-speed conditions produce an overestimation of the duration of an static object whilst, in contrast, low-speed conditions do not show an appreciable effect. The implications of these results are discussed within the comparative framework of the main theoretical models of temporal estimation.