On energy-dependent cues in duration discrimination

We consider the possibility that, in a duration discrimination task involving very short empty time intervals, T and T + ?T, bounded by brief auditory pulses, there may be a critical value of the base duration T within the range 50–300 msec below which duration is coded on the basis of sensory interactions between the markers which bound the interval. With ?T fixed at 10 msec, the functional relation between performance and base duration was determined under three levels of marker intensity. Changing the intensity by 37 dB resulted in the same small change in performance at the shortest base duration (50 msec), where it is most likely that an intensity-dependent interaction could be present, as was obtained at the longest base duration (250 msec), where such an interaction should be minimally effective as a cue for duration discrimination. The code for the duration of an empty auditory interval greater than 50 msee probably is not dorived from energy-dependent processes.