Decoding time from space
A review of the complication clock and its representation of temporal experience
Dados Bibliográficos
| ID | 21640907 |
|---|---|
| Autores | Nathan Thomas Han (0000-0001-6102-0783, Peking University, autor correspondente), Michael B Steinborn (0000-0002-6108-5568, University of Würzburg), Liyu Cao (0000-0002-1124-9579, Zhejiang Lab, autor correspondente) |
| Ano | 2026 |
| Volume | 33 |
| Fascículo | 6 |
| Data de publicação | 2026-08-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Sim |
| Open Access | Sim |
| Tipo | ARTICLE |
| Periódico | Psychonomic Bulletin & Review (JOURNAL) |
| Identificadores do periódico | ISSN: 1069-9384 • E-ISSN: 1531-5320 |
| Editora | Springer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.3758/s13423-026-02951-2 |
| PMID | 42414692 |
| OpenAlex | W7167587326 |
| Idioma | EN |
| Referências citadas | 160 |
The complication clock, originally introduced by Wilhelm Wundt, remains a pivotal method in experimental psychology for probing the subjective timing of events. By localising the position of a moving pointer, one can objectively measure when someone perceives an event to have occurred. The method therefore maps temporal judgments via a spatial representation of time on the basis of a moving pointer. Although it provides a unique tool for capturing otherwise unobservable phenomena, the method also raises critical conceptual and methodological challenges. In this article, we provide a historical account of the research, from early complication experiments on sensory processing through Libet’s (Libet et al., 1982) repurposing for volition research to present-day investigations of sense of agency, affect, and perceptual awareness. We then discuss the measurement structure of the clock, illustrating how the spatial nature of the clock introduces systematic distortions to time reports and examining conditions under which these distortions can be identified and controlled. We further show that the method carries an implicit commitment to serial-discrete temporal order, constraining the range of cognitive phenomena that the clock is able to investigate. These analyses can help to inspire greater methodological and conceptual sensitivity for future investigations into our subjective timing of events
Cognition · Mental representation · Perception · Time perception · Unobservable · Free Will and Agency · Mind wandering and attention · Neuroscience and Music Perception
Everything Flows
The Ecological Approach to Visual Perception
Neural Mechanisms for Interacting with a World Full of Action Choices
Fears, phobias, and preparedness
Addressing the theory crisis in psychology
Subjective Referral of the Timing for a Conscious Sensory Experience
Influence of cognitive control and mismatch on the N2 component of the ERP
The Diffusion Decision Model
Voluntary action and conscious awareness
Cortical mechanisms of action selection
Time of Conscious Intention to Act in Relation to Onset of Cerebral Activity (Readiness-Potential)
The Neural Basis of Decision Making
The tangle of space and time in human cognition
Time and the observer
Arrested Theory Development
Examining the effect of Libet clock stimulus parameters on temporal binding
Subjective reports of stimulus, response, and decision times in speeded tasks
Intentional binding and the sense of agency
When Timing the Mind One Should Also Mind the Timing
On Subjective Back-Referral and How Long It Takes to Become Conscious of a Stimulus
The rotating spot method of timing subjective events
The Interpretation of Libet's Results on the Timing of Conscious Events
Physical, Neural, and Mental Timing
Biases in the subjective timing of perceptual events
Cultural background influences implicit but not explicit sense of agency for the production of musical tones
The effects of action choice on temporal binding, agency ratings, and their correlation
The Timing of Conscious Experience
Diverging implicit measurement of sense of agency using interval estimation and Libet clock
Problems in the Timing of Conscious Experience
Intention, attention and the temporal experience of action
Perceptual latencies of object recognition and affect measured with the rotating spot method
The Theory-Ladenness of Observation and the Theory-Ladenness of the Rest of the Scientific Process
On the Alleged Backwards Referral of Experiences and Its Relevance to the Mind-Body Problem
Constant differences
Orienting of Attention
Intentionality
Visual working memory directly alters perception
Foreperiod and simple reaction time
| Velocidade de citação | historical |
|---|---|
| Altamente citado | Não |