Categorisation of action speed and estimated event duration

Two experiments investigated the relationship between the words used to des cribe event actions and estimates of event duration, and whether this relat ionship might account for some of the variation found in duration estimates . Experiment 1 manipulated sets of action words within an account of a robb ery, and replicated the Burt and Popple (1996, Experiment 1) finding that e stimated duration decreased as the implied action speed of the robbery incr eased. Experiment 2 found considerable variation across individuals in the action words they used to describe a robbery, and that the number of action words used was negatively correlated with estimated duration. Taken togeth er the experiments suggest that the interaction between individual differen ces in action categorisation and the use of inferences about the relationsh ip between action speed and event duration, may account for some of the bet ween-subject variation found in estimates of event duration.