A further study of the relation of time estimation to monotony

Abstract

An experiment was conducted to answer the question, "Does monotony bias a time judgment in consistent fashion?" 45 students, tested in small groups with controls to prevent social effects, were asked to perform a simple, repetitive task. At intervals judgments were made by the subjects as to the amount of time spent upon each work interval. Curves were plotted to depict the errors of time estimation occurring as the subjects changed from a motivated state to one of monotony. At the beginning and end of the task the subjects rated themselves on a scale of boredom. Boredom increased markedly from beginning to end. The results indicate a group tendency toward increasing overestimation of time with increasing monotony, but the increase is not statistically significant. Under monotony conditions some individuals overestimate time, but others underestimate it. The lack of consistency of the results does not seem to warrant using time estimation as a criterion of monotony. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)