How cognitive load affects duration judgments: A meta-analytic review

    Authors

    R. A. Block; P. A. Hancock;D. Zakay

    Comments

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    Abbreviated Journal Title

    Acta Psychol.

    Keywords

    Time estimation; Attention; Memory; CHILDRENS TIME PERCEPTION; DUAL-TASK PERFORMANCE; SHORT-TERM-MEMORY; REMEMBERED DURATION; APPARENT DURATION; WORKING-MEMORY; PROCESSING; DEMANDS; RECOGNITION MEMORY; PSYCHOLOGICAL TIME; TEMPORAL INTERVALS; Psychology, Experimental

    Abstract

    A meta-analysis of 117 experiments evaluated the effects of cognitive load on duration judgments. Cognitive load refers to information-processing (attentional or working-memory) demands. Six types of cognitive load were analyzed to resolve ongoing controversies and to test current duration judgment theories. Duration judgments depend on whether or not participants are informed in advance that they are needed: prospective paradigm (informed) versus retrospective paradigm (not informed). With higher cognitive load, the prospective duration judgment ratio (subjective duration to objective duration) decreases but the retrospective ratio increases. Thus, the duration judgment ratio differs depending on the paradigm and the specific type of cognitive load. As assessed by the coefficient of variation, relative variability of prospective, but not retrospective, judgments increases with cognitive load. The prospective findings support models emphasizing attentional resources, especially executive control. The retrospective findings support models emphasizing memory changes. Alternative theories do not fit with the meta-analytic findings and are rejected. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

    Journal Title

    Acta Psychologica

    Volume

    134

    Issue/Number

    3

    Publication Date

    1-1-2010

    Document Type

    Review

    Language

    English

    First Page

    330

    Last Page

    343

    WOS Identifier

    WOS:000279660400009

    ISSN

    0001-6918

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