Time-asymmetric Presuppositions in Time Perception Research

Systematic under-reproduction of time has been interpreted as a misperception of time and, therefore, seems to contradict basic assumptions of pacemaker-accumulator models. An alternative explanation of this phenomenon is proposed, based on methodological constraints regarding the direction of time, which cannot be manipulated in experiments on time perception. Results from two experiments demonstrate that the direction of reproduction errors depends on the direction of the dimensional change (i.e., ascending vs. descending values). Specifically, these results support the assumption that temporal under- reproduction does not reflect a genuine misperception of time, but rather a methodological artefact. Generally, the results demonstrate that time-asymmetric presuppositions about reality need to be considered in experiments on time perception.