Effect on perceived duration and sensitivity to time when observing disgusted faces and disgusting mutilation pictures

The aim of this study was to compare the effect on interval discrimination of the presentation of disgusting mutilation images and the presentation of faces expressing disgust. In Experiments 1 and 2, participants had to say whether the second of two images was presented for a shorter or a longer duration than the first (intervals = 400 ms vs. 482 ms). Although the overall probability of responding “long” was not exactly the same in these two experiments, participants reported that duration was longer more often when disgusting mutilation images were presented than when neutral or disgusted faces were presented. In Experiment 3, in which a single-stimulus method was employed, mutilation images were once again reported to be presented for a longer duration than neutral or disgusted faces. The investigation also reveals that discrimination levels are not higher when mutilation images are presented. It is argued that the effect of mutilation images on perceived duration is not due to attention; it is rather attributed to the increased arousal caused by these images.