THE INFLUENCE OF AFFECTIVE FACTORS ON TIME PERCEPTION

Several studies have suggested that both affective valence and arousal affect the perception of time. However, in previous experiments, the two affective dimensions have not been systematically controlled. in t his study, standardized photographic slides rated for emotional valenc e and arousal were projected to two groups of subjects for 2, 4, and 6 sec. One group of subjects estimated the projection duration on an an alog scale, whereas the second group of subjects reproduced the interv als by pushing a button. Heart rate and skin conductance responses wer e also recorded during stimulus presentation as indices of attention a nd arousal. Time estimation results showed neither a main effect of va lence nor a main effect of arousal. A highly significant valence X aro usal interaction affected duration judgments. For low-arousal stimuli, the duration of negative slides was judged relatively shorter than th e duration of positive slides. For high-arousal stimuli, the duration of negative slides was judged longer than the duration of positive sli des. The same interaction pattern was observed across judgment modalit ies. These results are interpreted in terms of a model of action tende ncy, in which the level of arousal controls two different motivational mechanisms, one emotional and the other attentional.