Growth of Apparent Duration: Effect of Melodic and Non-Melodic Tonal Variation

Abstract

Time estimates of 12 intervals of 15 to 65 sec. duration were obtained from 30 subjects by one of two methods, magnitude estimation and cross-modal matching. Three kinds of sequences of musical notes were presented during stimulus intervals: repetitive, melodic, and random. Within all sequences, notes were of equal duration and with equal pauses between them. In all cases, the relationship between perceived and physical time is consistent with Stevens' power law. Exponents derived from both kinds of estimates were significantly affected by the content of the interval. Exponents derived for repetitive sequences were not different from 1 and were significantly larger than exponents derived from random or melodic sequences. These results are inconsistent with the view that the predictability, familiarity, or codability of events occurring in the stimulus interval is inversely related to the perceived duration of that interval. There is some indication that the effect of the content of the interval on judgments of duration varies with the magnitude of the duration being judged. Perhaps the relationship holds only within certain parameters and, when these are exceeded, other factors mask the effect. A two-process theory of time perception, one which considers these other factors and explains the present results, is proposed.