The influence of cue informativeness on human temporal discrimination was evaluated using a peak-interval (PI) procedure. A target moved across the computer monitor, reaching the center at 2 or 4 s. Key presses shot the center of the screen. Participants earned points when shots hit the target and lost points for misses. The target was masked during occasional, extended PI trials, allowing for measurement of temporal discrimination. During PI trials, the screen background color could exert stimulus control by providing information about target speed. Cue informativeness was represented as the correlation (φ) between light or dark green backgrounds and the 2- or 4-s target and was manipulated across 4 conditions: a multiple schedule (φ = 1), mixed signals (φ = 0.8, 0.4), and a mixed schedule (φ = 0). In Experiment 1, participants were randomly assigned to one of the 4 conditions. In Experiment 2, each participant experienced all 4 conditions. Participants learned to respond at both intervals in all conditions. Cue informativeness did not affect peak time or spread. For the most part, temporal distributions of responses for the two background colors suggested a cover-both-bases strategy in the presence of mixed signals. Participants incorporated probabilistic information from cues to allocate responding in time.

使用峰值间隔 (PI) 程序评估提示信息量对人类时间辨别力的影响。一个目标在计算机显示器上移动，在 2 或 4 秒后到达中心。按键击中了屏幕的中心。参与者在射门命中目标时获得积分，而未命中则失分。在偶尔的、扩展的 PI 试验中，目标被掩盖，允许测量时间歧视。在 PI 试验期间，屏幕背景颜色可以通过提供有关目标速度的信息来施加刺激控制。提示信息性表示为浅绿色或深绿色背景与 2 秒或 4 秒目标之间的相关性 (φ)，并在 4 种条件下进行操作：多时间表 (φ = 1)、混合信号 (φ = 0.8、0.4) , 和混合时间表 (φ = 0)。在实验 1 中，参与者被随机分配到 4 个条件之一。在实验 2 中，每个参与者都经历了所有 4 种情况。参与者学会了在所有条件下在两个时间间隔内做出反应。提示信息量不影响高峰时间或传播。在大多数情况下，两种背景颜色的响应的时间分布表明在混合信号存在的情况下覆盖两种基础策略。参与者结合了来自线索的概率信息，以便及时分配响应。两种背景颜色的响应的时间分布表明在混合信号存在的情况下覆盖双基策略。参与者结合了来自线索的概率信息，以便及时分配响应。两种背景颜色的响应的时间分布表明在混合信号存在的情况下覆盖双基策略。参与者结合了来自线索的概率信息，以便及时分配响应。