The effects of acute exercise on temporal generalization

Sixteen healthy college students performed a multiple-trial referenced temporal generalization task and an episodic temporal generalization task before and during moderate-intensity aerobic exercise. The same tasks were performed in a resting control condition. Working memory tasks were also administered before, during, and after exercise to determine whether exercise affected working memory processes. Temporal generalization gradients demonstrated leftward shifts during exercise when compared to rest, indicating that the subject perceived intervals to elapse more slowly. This finding is consistent with an increased pacemaker speed. Subjective lengthening of stimuli as the task progressed did not occur during exercise or rest. No significant differences were observed on the episodic timing task, nor were any differences found on the working memory tasks. These findings provide support for the notion that exercise influences the internal clock in a manner similar to other arousal-inducing manipulations.