Context effects and selective response lengthening in a temporal serial reproduction task

Abstract

Repeatedly performing a temporal reproduction task has been reported to increase reproduced durations. We report the novel finding that the second reproduction in a series is selectively enhanced relative to the first. This was true regardless of whether the responses were discrete (separate start and stop responses) or contiguous (stop response is the start of the next response). In a final experiment we test the hypothesis that the second reproduction is more influenced by the central tendency of previously experienced durations than is the first. These results are discussed in terms of two sources of performance uncertainty: temporal remoteness of the second and subsequent reproductions from the standard and trial-by-trial unpredictability of the standard in random but not blocked designs.

Keywords:

• Assimilation of the central tendency
• Context effects
• Temporal reproduction
• Time perception
• Uncertainty

Acknowledgments

This research was supported by the Oregon State University Department of Psychology. Anthony Havens provided technical assistance. The author reports no conflict of interest.