Passage of Time Judgments Are Not Duration Judgments: Evidence from a Study Using Experience Sampling Methodology.

Sylvie Droit-Volet,John Wearden

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00176

Abstract

This study examined relations between passage of time judgments and duration judgments (DJs) in everyday life, in young and elderly people, with an Experience Sampling Method. The DJs were assessed by verbal estimation and interval production measures. The results showed no difference between young and elderly people in judgments of rate of passage of time, a result contrary to the conventional idea that time passes more quickly as we get older. There were also no significant relation between the judgment of passage of time and the judgments of durations. In addition, the significant predictors of individual differences in the judgment of passage of time (emotion states and focus of attention on the current activity) were not predictors of judgment of durations. In sum, passages of time judgments are not related to DJs.

Highlights

The main aim of the work reported in this article is to explore relations between passage of time judgments (PoTJs) and duration judgments (DJs), with the latter being assessed by verbal estimation and interval production measures
Our results confirmed that the experience of time passage in the everyday life did not fluctuate with age but, rather, with the individual’s emotion states
Our results suggested that the young and older individuals experienced an acceleration of time passage with the increase in the focus of attention on the current activity

Summary

Introduction

The main aim of the work reported in this article is to explore relations between passage of time judgments (PoTJs) and duration judgments (DJs), with the latter being assessed by verbal estimation and interval production measures. It is generally measured with a question such as “How fast does time pass for you?” or “How did time pass relative to clock time?”, with responses usually being given on a Likert-type scale with 7 points from “very slowly” to “very fast” (e.g., Blewett, 1992; Wittmann and Lehnhoff, 2005; Friedman and Janssen, 2010) Studies using this type of question have suggested that subjective experience of passage of time changes as a function of health status of individuals or contexts (for a review see Droit-Volet, 2013). A day feels like a year” (Ratcliffe, 2012)

Methods

Results

Conclusion