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Assessment of time perception: The effect of aging

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 May 2004

MIGUEL COELHO ,
JOAQUIM JOSÉ FERREIRA ,
BEATRIZ DIAS ,
CRISTINA SAMPAIO ,
ISABEL PAVÃO MARTINS  and
ALEXANDRE CASTRO-CALDAS
MIGUEL COELHO
Affiliation:
Laboratório de Estudos da Linguagem, Centro de Estudos Egas Moniz, Faculdade de Medicina de Lisboa, Hospital Santa Maria, Av. Egas Muniz, 1649-028 Lisboa, Portugal
JOAQUIM JOSÉ FERREIRA
Affiliation:
Laboratório de Estudos da Linguagem, Centro de Estudos Egas Moniz, Faculdade de Medicina de Lisboa, Hospital Santa Maria, Av. Egas Muniz, 1649-028 Lisboa, Portugal Instituto de Farmacologia e Terapêutica Geral, Faculdade de Medicina de Lisboa, Hospital Santa Maria, Av. Egas Muniz, 1649-028 Lisboa, Portugal
BEATRIZ DIAS
Affiliation:
Laboratório de Estudos da Linguagem, Centro de Estudos Egas Moniz, Faculdade de Medicina de Lisboa, Hospital Santa Maria, Av. Egas Muniz, 1649-028 Lisboa, Portugal
CRISTINA SAMPAIO
Affiliation:
Instituto de Farmacologia e Terapêutica Geral, Faculdade de Medicina de Lisboa, Hospital Santa Maria, Av. Egas Muniz, 1649-028 Lisboa, Portugal
ISABEL PAVÃO MARTINS
Affiliation:
Laboratório de Estudos da Linguagem, Centro de Estudos Egas Moniz, Faculdade de Medicina de Lisboa, Hospital Santa Maria, Av. Egas Muniz, 1649-028 Lisboa, Portugal
ALEXANDRE CASTRO-CALDAS
Affiliation:
Laboratório de Estudos da Linguagem, Centro de Estudos Egas Moniz, Faculdade de Medicina de Lisboa, Hospital Santa Maria, Av. Egas Muniz, 1649-028 Lisboa, Portugal
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Abstract

Studies concerning time perception lack a validated assessment tool and a consensual “gold-standard” measure. Moreover, the present evidence suggests modification of timing with aging. This study aimed to develop and validate a neuropsychological tool to measure time perception and to study temporal perception with aging. Eighty-six healthy participants, aged 15–90 years old, were asked to verbally estimate and produce empty intervals signaled by auditory beeps, of 7-, 32-, and 58-s duration. Two tests were used as “gold-standards”: estimation of the duration of time necessary to draw a clock (“clock time”) and estimation of the duration of neuropsychological evaluation (“global time”). Results showed a correlation between estimation and production (p < .01) and a correlation between estimation or production and “global time” (p < .01). The correlation between either estimation or production and age (p < .01), suggested a faster “internal-clock” in the older participants. However, this finding lost significance when controlled for literacy. The results suggest that these tests are potentially a useful tool to measure subjective perception of time. They also corroborate the hypothesis of a change in subjective time perception with aging. It was not possible to conclude if this effect was a specific result of aging or biased by the interference of literacy. (JINS, 2004, 10, 332–341.)

Keywords

Time perceptionAgingWorking memoryAttention
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society , Volume 10 , Issue 3 , May 2004 , pp. 332 - 341
Copyright
© 2004 The International Neuropsychological Society

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