The dynamics of time perception: exploring the cognitive and motor contributions to temporal estimation

Time perception, a fundamental aspect of human cognition, has been the focus of extensive research due to its significant role in shaping behavior and interaction with the world. The ability to perceive and estimate time is influenced by a complex interplay of factors including cognitive load, task complexity, and the allocation of attentional resources. In the broader literature, models such as the Scalar Expectancy Theory and Internal Clock Models have sought to explain time perception through internal processes involving the brain's mechanisms for accumulating temporal information. These models suggest that our sense of time is affected by various cognitive and contextual factors, with changes in attention and cognitive demands leading to distortions in time perception. The studies discussed here contribute to this body of research by exploring how different cognitive and motor tasks influence time estimation. While the literature commonly focuses on cognitive load and its impact on temporal judgments, these studies delve deeper into the effects of task complexity and the combination of motor activities with cognitive tasks. Previous findings have shown that higher cognitive loads tend to shorten perceived time intervals, aligning with the attentional allocation model, which posits that the distribution of attentional resources plays a key role in shaping our perception of time. These studies offer new perspectives by examining time estimation without fixed intervals and by comparing different types, complexity and difficulty of tasks. Findings suggest that the interaction between cognitive load and motor tasks leads to a consistent underestimation of time, particularly when cognitive complexity increases. In contrast, purely motor tasks seem to have a more limited influence on time perception, highlighting the primacy of cognitive demands in shaping how time is experienced. The distinction between visual and executive tasks also suggests that different types of cognitive processes modulate time perception in unique ways, with tasks more complex, that engage working memory and executive functions, like mathematical tasks, resulting in more pronounced underestimations of time than those involving visual processing. Together, these studies enrich the existing literature by offering nuanced insights into how cognitive and motor tasks interact to influence temporal perception, broadening our current understanding and offering new insights into the cognitive and neural mechanisms underpinning how we perceive and estimate time.