Time Perception: Effects of Task Speed and Delay

Abstract

The study examined the effect of task speed and delay on the perception of time. 60 subjects were randomly allocated to four groups in a 2 × 2 design. The first factor related to the speed of the task (fast or slow) undertaken during the time to be estimated, while the second factor related to when time estimates were obtained (immediately after the task versus following a delay). Analysis supported the hypothesised interaction, with time estimates being shorter in the fast than in the slow condition when obtained immediately after the task but longer in the fast than the slow condition when obtained after a delay. Results are discussed in relation to cognitive theories of time perception.