Perceived duration as a function of auditory stimulus frequency.

Abstract

Ss [subjects] made absolute magnitude estimations of durations ranging from 8 to 250 sec. Auditory clicks were broadcast during each trial at frequencies ranging from 0 to 10 clicks/sec. Magnitude estimations were found to be an increasing function of click frequency from 0 to 1.50 per sec., thereafter declining slightly. The magnitude of this "frequency effect" was found to be a decreasing monotonic function of duration. For durations of 8 sec., the mean magnitude estimation was displaced upward 13% by an increase in frequency from .25 to 1.50 per sec. The comparable alterations of 13- and 24-sec. estimations were 12% and 4%, respectively. Although Ss'' mean absolute error of estimation for single trials was 45%, mean errors computed algebraically over either 2 or 6 trials were only [plus or minus] 6-9%. Estimations were an almost perfect linear function of duration, the pooled slopes for 3 experiments being 1.000, .974, and 1.056, with an overall mean of 1.01.