Abstract:

The temporal granularity of consciousness may be far less fine than the real-time information processing mechanisms that underlie our sensitivity to small temporal differences. It is suggested that conscious time perception, like space perception, is subject to errors that belie a unitary underlying representation. E. R. Clay's (The Alternative: A Study in Psychology, 1882) concept of the “specious present,” an extended moment represented in consciousness, is suggested as an alternative to the more common notion of instantaneous experience that underlies much reasoning based on the “time of arrival” in consciousness. Copyright 2002 Elsevier Science (USA).

Language: English

Document Type: Editorial

Affiliations: 1: Department of Psychology, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, Pennsylvania 2: Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania