Contextual effects in duration experience.

The role of contextual factors on duration estimates was investigated, employing 6 time intervals ranging from 15 to 35 sec (demarcated by the onset and termination of a display panel of lights). When compared with earlier research, the results suggest that duration estimates are affected by the context of the stimulus intervals with regard to other stimuli in the series. Specifically, those stimuli that were overestimated when they were the shortest members of the series were underestimated when they were the longest intervals of the stimulus series. In addition, a lengthening effect was observed: duration estimates increased over blocks of trials for all stimulus intervals.