On the nonlinearity of the foreperiod effect

Abstract One of the frequently employed tasks within the implicit timing paradigm is the foreperiod task. The foreperiod is the time interval spanning from the presentation of a warning signal to the appearance of a target stimulus, during which reaction time trajectory follows time uncertainty. Whi...

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Main Authors: Amirmahmoud Houshmand Chatroudi, Giovanna Mioni, Yuko Yotsumoto
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2024-02-01
Series:Scientific Reports
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-53347-y
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author Amirmahmoud Houshmand Chatroudi
Giovanna Mioni
Yuko Yotsumoto
author_facet Amirmahmoud Houshmand Chatroudi
Giovanna Mioni
Yuko Yotsumoto
author_sort Amirmahmoud Houshmand Chatroudi
collection DOAJ
description Abstract One of the frequently employed tasks within the implicit timing paradigm is the foreperiod task. The foreperiod is the time interval spanning from the presentation of a warning signal to the appearance of a target stimulus, during which reaction time trajectory follows time uncertainty. While the typical approach in analyzing foreperiod effects is based on linear approximations, the uncertainty in the estimation of time, expressed by the Weber fraction, implies a nonlinear trend. In the present study, we analyzed the variable foreperiod reaction times from a relatively large sample (n = 109). We found that the linear regression on reaction times and log-transformed reaction times poorly fitted the foreperiod data. However, a nonlinear regression based on an exponential decay function with three distinctive parameters provided the best fit. We discussed the inferential hazards of a simplistic linear approach and demonstrated how a nonlinear formulation can create new opportunities for studies in implicit timing research, which were previously impossible.
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spelling doaj-art-05725d2d57d04253ae3c73c703bb79bb2025-08-20T03:41:42ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222024-02-0114111010.1038/s41598-024-53347-yOn the nonlinearity of the foreperiod effectAmirmahmoud Houshmand Chatroudi0Giovanna Mioni1Yuko Yotsumoto2Department of Life Sciences, The University of TokyoDepartment of General Psychology, University of PaduaDepartment of Life Sciences, The University of TokyoAbstract One of the frequently employed tasks within the implicit timing paradigm is the foreperiod task. The foreperiod is the time interval spanning from the presentation of a warning signal to the appearance of a target stimulus, during which reaction time trajectory follows time uncertainty. While the typical approach in analyzing foreperiod effects is based on linear approximations, the uncertainty in the estimation of time, expressed by the Weber fraction, implies a nonlinear trend. In the present study, we analyzed the variable foreperiod reaction times from a relatively large sample (n = 109). We found that the linear regression on reaction times and log-transformed reaction times poorly fitted the foreperiod data. However, a nonlinear regression based on an exponential decay function with three distinctive parameters provided the best fit. We discussed the inferential hazards of a simplistic linear approach and demonstrated how a nonlinear formulation can create new opportunities for studies in implicit timing research, which were previously impossible.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-53347-y
spellingShingle Amirmahmoud Houshmand Chatroudi
Giovanna Mioni
Yuko Yotsumoto
On the nonlinearity of the foreperiod effect
Scientific Reports
title On the nonlinearity of the foreperiod effect
title_full On the nonlinearity of the foreperiod effect
title_fullStr On the nonlinearity of the foreperiod effect
title_full_unstemmed On the nonlinearity of the foreperiod effect
title_short On the nonlinearity of the foreperiod effect
title_sort on the nonlinearity of the foreperiod effect
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-53347-y
work_keys_str_mv AT amirmahmoudhoushmandchatroudi onthenonlinearityoftheforeperiodeffect
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