Abstract
Perception of the time interval between one’s own action (a finger tapping) and the associated sensory feedback (a visual flash or an auditory beep) is critical for precise and flexible control of action and behavioral decision. Previous studies have examined temporal averaging for multiple time intervals and its role for perceptual organization and crossmodal integration. In the present study, we extended the temporal averaging from sensory stimuli to the coupling of action and its sensory feedback. We investigated whether and how temporal averaging could be achieved with respect to the multiple intervals in a sequence of action-sensory feedback events, and hence affect the subsequent timing behavior. In unimodal task, participants voluntarily tapped their index finger at a constant pace while receiving auditory feedback (beeps) with varied intervals as well as variances throughout the sequence. In crossmodal task, for a given sequence, each tap was accompanied randomly with either visual flash or auditory beep as sensory feedback. When the sequence was over, observers produced a subsequent tap with either auditory or visual stimulus, which enclose a probe interval. In both tasks, participants were required to make a two alternative forced choice (2AFC), to indicate whether the target interval is shorter or longer than the mean interval between taps and their associated sensory events in the preceding sequence. In both scenarios, participants’ judgments of the probe interval suggested that they had internalized the mean interval associated with specific bindings of action and sensation, showing a robust temporal averaging process for the interval between action and sensation.
Highlights
Time perception upon the interval between one’s action and its sensory feedback, i.e., sensorimotor timing, is critical for daily perception, behavioral decision and even human living (Repp, 2005)
We examine the mechanisms of temporal averaging of the time intervals between action and its sensory feedback
Effects of individual standards within the sequence To evaluate whether certain intervals in the action-sensation sequences play a significant role in determining the estimation of the probe interval, e.g., the potential recency effect stemming from the last interval (Wan and Chen, 2018), we performed binary logistic regression with responses to target intervals (“0” as shorter and “1” as longer compared with the mean interval) as dependent variable and eight sequential intervals and probe interval as predictor variables for each participant
Summary
Time perception upon the interval between one’s action and its sensory feedback (such as visual flash or auditory beep), i.e., sensorimotor timing, is critical for daily perception, behavioral decision and even human living (Repp, 2005). Two prominent examples of sensorimotor timing are sensorimotor synchronization (Aschersleben and Bertelson, 2003; Repp, 2005, 2006a,b) and temporal recalibration effect (TRE) (Stekelenburg et al, 2011; Sugano et al, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2017). Observers produced tapping movements in synchrony with a sequence of isochronously (and continuously) repeated pacing signals, being either light flashes or auditory beeps (Aschersleben and Bertelson, 2003). Following a period of adaptation, when the flashes appeared unexpectedly after the keypresses, they were often perceived as occurring before the keypresses (Stetson et al, 2006), demonstrating recalibration effect for motor-sensory temporal order judgments
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