Filling your time: Auditory flutter alters perceived duration via stimulus-locked responses

Abstract

In the current article, we examined the flutter-duration illusion; the extension of perceived duration when an interval is filled with auditory flutter. Participants reproduced flutter-filled and empty durations while electrophysiological activity was recorded. As expected, participants over-produced durations when they were filled with auditory flutter rather than unfilled. Using multivariate pattern analysis, we found several differentiating patterns of neural activity while participants listened to either flutter-filled or empty intervals. However, in subsequent single trial analysis, only two of these clusters predicted perceived duration in the flutter condition; one occurring in line with the second click of the flutter, and one in line with the fourth click. We relate this finding to the N1P2 component and P3a component to timing initiation and arousal, respectively.