Numerical quantity affects time estimation in the suprasecond range

Abstract

Of stimuli differing in the magnitude of their numerical information, the one with the larger numerosity is perceived to last longer than that with the smaller numerosity. This numerosity–time interaction is proposed to be due to a shared neural representation for numerical magnitude and time intervals in the parietal cortex. Neuroimaging studies of temporal processing suggest that subsecond and suprasecond intervals could be mediated by distinct neural substrates. However, whether the numerosity–time interaction occurs independently of the time intervals used in the tasks remains unknown. Here we show that numerical information interacts with time estimation in the suprasecond range in females, but not in males. Our results suggest that the numerical magnitude and suprasecond intervals have shared representations in the human brain, but the associative strength between these dimensions might be different between males and females.