Using a Wald model to study time perception in intervals with varying proportions of cognitively demanding and idle phases

Using a Wald model to study time perception in intervals with varying proportions of cognitively demanding and idle phases | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Using a Wald model to study time perception in intervals with varying proportions of cognitively demanding and idle phases Álvaro Garrido-Pérez, Amrapali Pednekar, Pieter Simoens, Yara Khaluf This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8424803/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Human time perception is strongly influenced by cognitive load. When individuals estimate durations while simultaneously performing a cognitively demanding non-timing task, they typically underestimate time; conversely, when there is no concurrent task–or when it requires low effort–durations tend to be overestimated. However, no prior study has investigated how subjective time is shaped when a single interval contains both cognitively demanding and relatively idle (low-demand) periods in varying proportions. To address this question, we introduced a novel interval-reproduction task in which participants first chose between two lotteries (decision-making phase) and then waited until a deadline (idle phase). Participants (n = 21) then reproduced the total duration spanning both phases. Decision difficulty and deadline duration were manipulated to vary the fraction of the interval spent in each phase. We modelled reproductions as an evidence accumulation process using a Hierarchical Bayesian Wald model. To our knowledge, this is the first study to apply an evidence accumulation model to investigate time reproductions of intervals under varying levels of cognitive load. We found a trade-off between susceptibility to time modulation by changes in the relative durations of the loaded and idle phases and the strength of the central tendency bias. Biological sciences/Neuroscience Biological sciences/Psychology Social science/Psychology Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Supplementary Files supplementaryinformation.pdf Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8424803","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":572524955,"identity":"4613ef29-86b4-4b20-b872-9ab552b0ae83","order_by":0,"name":"Álvaro 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