Abstract
Previous studies demonstrated common timing mechanisms involved in perceptual judgments of time-intervals and performance of simple rhythmic movements (e.g., single-finger or foot tapping). For example, participants who showed larger timing variability in single-finger tapping also demonstrated lower acuity in time perception (Keele et al., 1985). Here, we examined whether motor training requiring complex movements without explicit periodicity affects perceptual judgments of time-intervals. We trained participants to throw a ball to hit a target as accurately as possible in a virtual environment across four-day sessions. We observed that as timing variability in motor performance decreased, the sensitivity of time-interval discrimination increased. Therefore, we demonstrated that improvement of motor timing enhances the sensitivity of time perception. Furthermore, our results suggest that a shared temporal mechanism exists between perception and movement regardless of rhythmicity or complexity of the motor tasks.
Acknowledgement: NSF CAREER Award 1555006