Abstract
Timing intervals on the scale of many hours to around a day are mediated by the circadian rhythm system, while in the range of seconds to minutes a different system, known as time perception, is used. Time perception is described as the processes involved in the discrimination and reproduction of relatively short intervals in the seconds to minutes range. In this paper, some explanations are provided on the three study methods of temporal discrimination in animals, which are differential reinforcement of long latencies (DRLL); interval bisection task; and peak interval (PI) procedure. In addition, the behavioral property of the interval timing is also explained by scalar property. Recently, research has illuminated some of the behavioral and neural mechanisms underlying “internal clocks” of the short interval timing and the circadian timing systems. This paper discusses the theoretical information-processing model of interval timing, and attempts to identify the brain region by utilizing electroencephalography data. (Japanese Journal of Physiological Psychology and Psychophysiology, 21 (1) : 39-48, 2003.)
