Abstract
Memory of duration is important in time perception. Does aesthetic experience distort memory of elapsed time? We examined the effect of aesthetic experience in art appreciation on time perception using a stimulus duration reproduction task. A stimulus (black circle) to be reproduced was presented for a given duration and the painting was presented while participants reproduced the duration. Results conformed to Vierordt’s Law; shorter durations are overestimated and longer durations are underestimated. On the other hand, the effect of aesthetic experience seemed not to distort time perception. Previously, specific emotion has been found to distort a short duration. Results in this study suggest that aesthetic experience is more like mood rather than emotion, which might affect a longer duration. Further research concerning the length of duration would need to be done in order to see if the aesthetic experience would distort the longer-duration perception.
