Hand Movements Influence Time Perception of Visual Stimuli in Sub or Supra Seconds Duration

Time perception is critical in human-computer interaction to guarantee precise action performance. The duration of visual stimuli can sometimes be perceived longer or shorter than its actual duration. Hand movements are frequently seen when we operate computers. The current study aimed to address whether hand movements influence time perception of visual stimuli in sub or supra seconds duration. The study adopted the method of constant stimuli belonging to the psychophysical method. The experiment was divided into a hand movement part and a static part. In the movement part, participants put their left hands in the carton and moved in an anticlockwise circle at a constant speed. In the static part, they rested their left hands in the carton. Participants were asked to make a judgment with their right fingers about whether the standard or probe stimuli lasted longer. Results showed a compressed effect for the perception of sub-second stimuli and an expanded effect for the supra-second stimuli. Furthermore, for sub-second, hand movements enhanced the compressed effect as compared to a stationary state, while for supra-second, there was no significant difference between movement state and stationary state. It also indicated that the processing mechanisms of the two timing scales are distinct and could be modulated by hand movements.