The Location and Interpretation of the Bisection Point

Abstract

In a temporal bisection task with humans, the observer is required to decide whether a probe duration (t) is more similar to the short referent (S), an R(S) response, or to the long referent (L), an RL response. Temporal bisection yields a psychometric function relating the proportion of long responses, P(R(L)), to probe duration t. The value of t at which R(S) and R(L) occur with equal frequency, P(R(L)) = .5, is referred to as the bisection point, T1/2. Bisection models usually interpret T1/2 as identifying the value of t that is equally confusable with S and L, but they differ in their predictions for the location of T1/2. The present paper presents new data relevant to the location and interpretation of T1/2. The data indicate that the empirical values usually are biased, the biases being influenced by duration range, L:S ratio, and probe spacing. Moreover, the biases often are not consistent across observers. It is concluded that empirical values of T1/2 should not be interpreted as indicating the value of t that is equally confusable with S and L.