Time Perception

At first glance, the idea of perceiving time might seem a bit strange. In the case of visual perception, for instance, there is obviously a stimulus—an object—to be perceived, and a sensory receptor—the eye—for capturing the stimulus. However, it is difficult to imagine a temporal stimulus or even a receptor for time. Nevertheless, situations arise all day long where a person has to take into account his or her impressions about time. For example, if you are waiting at a red light, you will not have to use a watch to realize when it takes an abnormally long time for the light to turn green. Likewise, if someone stops or hesitates in the normal flow of a conversation, the listener will notice the delays—or temporal ...