ePoster

An EEG investigation for individual differences in time perception: Unraveling neural dynamics through serial dependency

Zahra Shirzhiyan, Stefan Glasauer
FENS Forum 2024(2024)
Messe Wien Exhibition & Congress Center, Vienna, Austria

Conference

FENS Forum 2024

Messe Wien Exhibition & Congress Center, Vienna, Austria

Resources

Authors & Affiliations

Zahra Shirzhiyan, Stefan Glasauer

Abstract

Aim: Time perception isn't solely bound to current moments; instead, past experiences can significantly shape present perception. While prior studies sought neural evidence for past events' impact on perceived current duration (e.g., Cheng et al. 2023) , a clear neural mechanism underlying serial dependence and individual differences remains elusive. This study investigates individual variations in serial dependence, providing neural evidence for such distinctions.Methods: EEG signals were recorded during a duration reproduction task. Subjects (n=48, 23 female) experienced a duration (1, 1.5, or 2 seconds; 180 trials each) and had to reproduce it by pressing a button (Fig. A). Subjects were categorized into two groups based on significant and non-significant serial dependence, which was calculated from reproduced intervals (Fig. C). ERPs were analyzed during production focusing on effects from previous trials.Results: Significant differences emerged among subjects with high vs. low serial dependency for stimuli at 1s and 2s when the current and previous stimuli differed (Fig. D). Shorter previous durations exhibited higher ERP amplitude in subjects with high serial dependency, while longer previous durations showed lower amplitude in subjects with high serial dependency. No differences were found for 1.5s duration.Conclusions: Confirming our previous study (Glasauer & Shi 2022) we show that serial dependence in time perception varies individually. Our present results demonstrate that these individual differences are reflected by distinct neural signatures in the human brain, and, as evidenced by the observed changes in neural dynamics, that serial dependence acts already at the perceptual level.Figure

Unique ID: fens-24/investigation-individual-differences-06c6c199