Master's Theses

Department

Psychology

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Abstract

The present study attempted to clarify the effect of copying complex figures on the experience of time duration. The subjects were 30 volunteers from psychology classes at Fort Hays Kansas State College. The task required subjects to copy complex figures of either 5, 9, or 13 interior angles during a standard interval of either 12, 14, 16, 18 or 20 seconds and then reproduce an equal interval while copying different figures. The hypotheses of this study were: (1) that copying less complex figures during the standard interval would cause overestimation of the reproduced interval in which more complex figures were drawn; (2) that copying more complex figures during the standard interval would cause underestimation of the reproduced interval in which less complex figures were drawn. The results indicated that complexity as defined here did not affect the experience of time duration. Length of the standard interval did effect the duration reproduced, but this effect disappeared when the times were transformed into ratios. Thus, length of time only effected duration reproduction directly and did not interact with the other variables. The conclusions of the present study are that copying complex figures may allow subjects to use strategies that enable them to disregard the complexity of the whole figure.

Keywords

Psychology

Advisor

Dr. Robert Markley

Date of Award

Summer 1976

Document Type

Thesis - campus only access

Rights

© The Author(s)

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