All times at once: multiple timing and uncertainty in time perception
[eng] In our daily lives, we often navigate situations that require us to manage multiple temporal intervals simultaneously. Whether it is timing the cooking times of different ingredients when preparing a meal, playing a musical instrument, and synchronizing with other musicians while keeping track...
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| Tipo de recurso: | tesis doctoral |
| Estado: | Versión publicada |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2024 |
| País: | España |
| Institución: | Universidad de Barcelona |
| Repositorio: | Dipòsit Digital de la UB |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:diposit.ub.edu:2445/219803 |
| Acceso en línea: | https://hdl.handle.net/2445/219803 http://hdl.handle.net/10803/694021 |
| Access Level: | acceso abierto |
| Palabra clave: | Psicologia experimental Cognició Percepció Experimental psychology Cognition Perception |
| Sumario: | [eng] In our daily lives, we often navigate situations that require us to manage multiple temporal intervals simultaneously. Whether it is timing the cooking times of different ingredients when preparing a meal, playing a musical instrument, and synchronizing with other musicians while keeping track of your own tempo, or driving in busy traffic and paying attention to the timing of traffic lights, crossing pedestrians, and the paths of vehicles, our ability to accurately perceive and measure time is crucial. These are just some of the many examples that illustrate the complexity of real-life tasks in which our perception of time enables us to navigate time-sensitive environments effectively. The present thesis investigates the cognitive processes involved in time perception, focusing especially on how we manage multiple temporal intervals simultaneously and how uncertainty influences these processes. By exploring these dynamics, our research aims to deepen our understanding of the mechanisms that enable us to function effectively in such situations. To this aim, we developed three studies that combine theoretical modelling, empirical research, and the development of new tools to investigate these mechanisms. Throughout the various studies that constitute the thesis, we address the challenge of simultaneous multiple timing from different perspectives: In the first study, understanding multiple timings as a source of interference, we translated a common size illusion to the temporal domain, which allowed us to measure how distractors can distort the perceived duration of an attended event. We found a clear influence of surrounding stimuli duration on the perceived duration an attended event, although not in the same direction as the effects of the same type of paradigm in the visuo-spatial modality. On the other hand, the second study explored multiple timing as an ability for managing complex tasks. We designed a novel experimental task to explore the optimality of human observers in simulated real-life scenarios that require a certain capacity of tracking, measuring, and working with multiple durations at the same time. We found that, although in an only partially optimal manner, participants utilized the multiple simultaneous sources of temporal information to guide their behaviour. IV Our findings contribute to refining existing models of time perception by extending them to better account for the complexities of simultaneous multiple timing, as well as developing new models or methods to fill the gaps in less explored paradigms. Additionally, our third study introduces and validates an innovative methodology designed to measure temporal uncertainty more accurately and without the caveats that more traditional methods entail, thereby enhancing our ability to study these cognitive processes in greater detail. This method also offers new insights into the cognitive processes underlying uncertainty in time perception, providing a valuable tool for future research and practical applications. Overall, the present thesis advances our understanding of time perception by investigating the complex interactions between simultaneous temporal intervals encompassed in both sub-second and supra-second ranges, as well as the critical role of uncertainty in such situations. By refining existing models and introducing new methodologies, the research sheds light on the cognitive processes that underpin our ability to manage multiple timing tasks. The insights gained from this work not only reinforce the theoretical foundations of time perception but also provide practical tools for future studies to further explore how we perceive and process time under real-world conditions. These contributions lay a foundation for continued research in this area, with potential implications for fields ranging from cognitive psychology to applied technologies where precise timing is critical. |
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