TIME-ESTIMATION AND EXPECTANCIES

The purpose of this research was to examine the influence of different types of expectancies on time estimation behavior. In Experiment 1, s ubjects were led to expect that a given number of trials would occur i n a music perception task. In Experiment 2, expectancies concerning th e duration of a given waiting period were varied. Results of both expe riments indicated that the confirmation/violation of expectancies exer ted a significant impact on duration judgments. When subjects received more/fewer trials than expected or waited for a duration that was lon ger/shorter than expected, the total duration of these time spans was over- and underestimated, respectively. Conversely, time estimates wer e relatively accurate when subjects' expectancies were confirmed. The results of Experiment 1 further revealed that reaction time responses within the music perception task were also systematically influenced b y the expected amount of activity. Results are discussed in terms of a framework that emphasizes the role of anticipatory attending on time estimation behavior.