Visual Field Location of the Stimulus Modulates Time Perception

Abstract

The location of a stimulus in the visual field affects its perceived duration. When participants classify stimuli presented 3, 6, and 9 degrees away from fixation along the horizontal meridian relative to a Standard stimulus presented at fixation, the Comparison stimuli seem shorter the greater the stimulus eccentricity (Kliegl & Huckauf, 2014). In Experiment 1, we extended Kliegl and Huckauf?s study by using an eye-tracker to ensure that the horizontal eccentricity effect was not due to saccadic suppression. We also included Standard stimulus durations of 170 and 210 ms, in addition to the 120 ms stimulus used by Kliegl and Huckauf (2014). In Experiment 2, we presented stimuli along the vertical meridian using the same set of eccentricities and standard durations. Results indicate that location of a stimulus along both horizontal and vertical meridians affects the perceived duration of the stimulus, but this effect is constrained by the stimulus duration.