Yes / Accurate time perception is critical for a number of human behaviours, such as understanding speech and the appreciation of music. However, it remains unresolved whether sensory time perception is mediated by a central timing component regulating all senses, or by a set of distributed mechanisms, each dedicated to a single sensory modality and operating in a largely independent manner. To address this issue, we conducted a range of unimodal and cross-modal rate adaptation experiments, in order to establish the degree of specificity of classical after-effects of sensory adaptation. Adapting to a fast rate of sensory stimulation typically makes a moderate rate appear slower (repulsive after-effect), and vice versa. A central timing hypothesis predicts general transfer of adaptation effects across modalities, whilst distributed mechanisms predict a high degree of sensory selectivity. Rate perception was quantified by a method of temporal reproduction across all combinations of visual, auditory and tactile senses. Robust repulsive after-effects were observed in all unimodal rate conditions, but were not observed for any cross-modal pairings. Our results show that sensory timing abilities are adaptable but, crucially, that this change is modality-specific - an outcome that is consistent with a distributed sensory timing hypothesis.

Neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD) is a collective name for diagnoses such as ADHD, ASD/Autism, Tourette’s syndrome and language disorders. A child with these diagnoses has different deficits that can be divided into the following problem areas; Social interaction, Learning difficulties, Memory and motor skills, and Concentration difficulties. In order for these children to cope with their everyday lives, they need support in the form of assistive aid products or human care. This investigative work has been done in collaboration with Komikapp AB and focused on developing a product within the assistive technology industry. The goal was to design an assistive aid for children with NDD diagnoses that offers increased school performance. The work was planned through the design processes Double Diamond process and Design Thinking process and is placed within the framework of Eco Design. The project was initiated with literature studies on the different diagnoses together with what products were available on the current market. From the background research, conclusions could be drawn that the products were often considered to be large and bulky, stationary, non-discreet and had a childish appearance. It could also be stated that appreciated products were fidget toys that stimulate the user through tactile senses, such as stress balls. In addition, the product aid market for older children, those in their adolescence, was small. The decision was made to narrow down the target group for children in the higher stages of Swedish comprehensive school and that the problem area for the work should be focused on Concentration difficulties. The investigation was followed by a questionnaire sent to people who work or have worked within the teaching profession. Moreover, in-depth interviews were conducted with a principal at an NDD-adapted higher-stage school, an occupational therapist at Stockholm’s ADHD centre and five teaching assistants. After all the information was gathered, brainstorming methods were used to break down the chosen problem area, Concentration difficulties. A smaller subgroup to the problem area was observed and assumed to benefit the work from a course goal perspective. The new niche problem area was Time perception. Based on this choice, further market research was carried out on aids in the category of time perception. This was followed by ideation, which produced five concepts. Three of these were taken for further development after an evaluation. Common to all concepts was that the product would help the user perceive time by showing time, date and day as well as having features to set alarms and timers with a visual explanation of the remaining time. After workshops with three people in professions that deal with NDD diagnoses on a daily basis, and two design engineering students, the Flexitime concept was chosen. This concept was the watch that offered a discreet design and an option to also include a fidget function. The detailed design of the Flexitime watch began and further market research was done on today’s range of smartwatches. A survey was also sent out to young people between the ages of 12-16 to gain an understanding of what kind of design attracts the target group. The survey received 39 respondents and a 50/50 gender split which laid the foundation for the design methods used to achieve the exterior design. The watch’s inner design and user scenarios were designed for a final design proposal. The fidget feature and the navigation to set timers or to turn on/off the sound of the watch were determined. The final design proposal for the assistive product Flexitime was a discreet, user-friendly, simple watch designed for teenagers to use into adulthood. The watch had not only features to help the user understand and perceive time, but a fidget feature to tame restless fingers. The dial for navigating the watch’s menu also offered the ability to rotate freely and generate tactile stimulation through its structure. This investigative work and the final design proposal for Flexitime form a basis for further work. / Neuropsykiatriska funktionsnedsättningar (NPF) är ett samlingsnamn för diagnoser som ADHD, AST/Autism, Tourettes syndrom och språksvårigheter. Ett barn med dessa diagnoser har olika svårigheter som kan delas in efter följande problemområden; Social interaktion, Inlärningssvårigheter, Minne och motorik samt Koncentrationssvårigheter. För att dessa barn ska klara av sin vardag behöver de stöd i form av hjälpmedelsprodukter eller mänsklig vård. Detta utredningsarbete har gjorts i samarbete med Komikapp AB och fokuserats på framtagning av en produkt inom hjälpmedelsbranschen. Målet var att designa ett hjälpmedel för barn med NPF diagnoser som erbjuder en ökad prestation i skolan. Arbetet projekterades genom designprocesserna Double Diamond processen samt Design Thinking processen och placerar sig inom ramen för Eco Design. Projektet inleddes med litteraturundersökningar för de olika diagnoserna samt vilka produkter som finns för dessa på marknaden idag. Från bakgrundsinsamlingen kunde slutsatser dras om att produkterna ansågs ofta vara stora och klumpiga, stationära, ha ett barnsligt utseende och icke-diskreta. Det kunde också konstateras att produkter som uppskattades var pillerillprodukter som stimulerar användaren genom taktila sinnen som exempelvis stressbollar. Dessutom var utbudet för äldre barn, tonåringar, litet. Beslutet togs att målgruppen skulle avsmalnas till barn i högstadieåldern och att problemområdet för arbetet ska fokuseras på Koncentrationssvårigheter. Utredningen fortsatte genom utskick av frågeformulär till personer som jobbar eller tidigare har jobbat inom läraryrket samt djupa intervjuer med en rektor på en NPF anpassad högstadieskola, en terapeut på Stockholms ADHD-center och 5 lärarassistenter. Efter all informationsinsamling användes brainstorm metoder för att bryta ner det valda problemområdet, Koncentrationssvårigheter. En mindre subgrupp under problemområdet observerades och antogs gynna arbetet utifrån ett kursmål-perspektiv. Det nya nischade problemområdet var Tidsuppfattning. Utifrån detta val gjordes ytterligare marknadsundersökningar på hjälpmedel i kategorin tidsuppfattning. Därefter följde en idegenerering som frambringade fem koncept. Tre av dessa togs till vidareutveckling efter en utvärdering. Gemensamt för alla koncept var att produkten skulle hjälpa användaren uppfatta tiden genom att ange tid, datum och dag samt ha funktionerna att ställa alarm och timers med bildlig förklaring av kvarstående tid. Efter workshops med tre personer inom yrken som dagligen handskas med NPF diagnoser, och två designingenjörs-studenter valdes konceptet Flexitime. Detta koncept var armbandsuret som erbjöd en diskret design och möjlighet till att även inkludera en pillerillfunktion. Den detaljerade designen av klockan Flexitime påbörjades och ytterligare marknadsundersökningar gjordes på dagens utbud av smartwatches. Även en enkät skickades ut ungdommar mellan 12-16 år för att få en förståelse av vad för design som attraherar målgruppen. Enkäten fick 39 respondenter och en 50/50 könsfördelninng vilket la grunden för de designmetoder som användes för att nå den utvändiga designen. Klockans inre funktioner och användarscenarion designades för ett slutgiltigt designförslag. Pillerillfunktionen samt navigeringen, för att stänga av/sätta på klockans ljud och ställa timers, bestämdes. Det slutgiltiga designförslaget på hjälpmedelsprodukten Flexitime var en diskret, användarvänlig, simpel klocka designad för tonåringar att använda upp till vuxenåldern. Klockan hade inte bara funktioner för att hjälpa användaren förstå och uppfatta tiden, utan även en pillerillfunktion för att tämja rastlösa fingrar. Ratten för att navigera i klockans meny erbjöd även möjligheten att rotera fritt och generera taktil stimulering genom dess struktur. Detta utredningsarbete och det slutgiltiga designförslaget på Flexitime utgör en god grund till fortsatt arbete.

The experiments reported within this thesis use psychophysical techniques to examine the factors which determine perceived multisensory timing in humans. Chapters 1 and 2 describe anatomical and psychophysical features of temporal processing, respectively, whilst Chapter 3 introduces the reader to psychophysical methods. Chapter 4 examines the relationship between two measures of sensory latency, reaction time (RT) and crossmodal temporal order judgment (TOJ). Despite task and attentional manipulations the two measures do not correlate, suggesting that they measure some fundamentally different aspect(s) of temporal perception. Chapter 5 examines the effects of adaptation to asynchronous stimulus pairs on perceived audiovisual (AV), audiotactile (AT) and visuotactile (VT) temporal order. Significant temporal shifts are recorded in all three conditions. Evidence is also presented showing that crossmodal TOJs are intransitive. Chapter 6 shows that concurrent adaptation to two sets of asynchronous AV stimulus pairs causes perceived AV temporal order to recalibrate at two locations simultaneously, and that AV asynchrony adaptation effects are significantly affected by observers' attention during adaptation. Finally, Chapter 7 shows that when observers are accustomed to a physical delay between motor actions and sensory events, an event presented at a reduced delay appears to precede the causative motor action. The data are well-described by a simple model based on a strong prior assumption of physical synchrony between motor actions and their sensory consequences.

As alteracoes na percepcao da passagem do tempo dos seres humanos tem sido investigadas em relacao as caracteristicas de diversos estimulos, condicoes corporais ou determinados tipos de tarefa. Porem, pouco se sabe sobre essas alteracoes como funcao das contingencias reforcadoras ou punitivas que controlam o comportamento. Este estudo visou investigar essa questao experimentalmente atraves do uso de um jogo virtual em computador simulando percursos de um avatar em um labirinto com 36 situacoes de escolha entre esquerda e direita. Pontos poderiam ser ganhos ou perdidos, sendo a pontuacao final convertida em titulos de nobreza hipoteticos dentro de um ranking previamente estabelecido. Tres contingencias foram manipuladas: sob Punicao (P) escolhas erradas entre direita e esquerda produziam perda de pontos; sob Reforcamento (R) escolhas certas produziam ganho de pontos; na condicao Controle (C) nao havia alteracao nos pontos. No Experimento 1 (n=60), tres grupos foram manipulados, cada um exposto a uma dessas contingencias; no Experimento 1A (n=40) novos participantes passaram pelas condicoes P e R, porem com uma alteracao na instrucao explicitando o nao perigo de morte do avatar; no Experimento 2 (n=6), cada participante foi exposto as tres condicoes experimentais, sendo manipulada a ordem de exposicao: C-P-R e C-R-P. Cada participante foi solicitado a estimar o tempo que permaneceu jogando: nos dois primeiros estudos essa solicitacao foi feita apenas apos o termino do jogo (estimativa retrospectiva); no ultimo os participantes foram informados ao inicio da primeira sessao experimental que essa solicitacao lhes seria feita ao final de cada sessao (estimativa prospectiva). Da mesma forma, ao final da sessao no Experimentos 1 e 1A, e ao final de cada sessao no Experimento 2, foi solicitada aos participantes uma avaliacao do jogo, com pontuacoes crescentes proporcionais ao grau de diversao em joga-lo. Os resultados mostraram que no Experimento 1 a condicao P produziu tempo de sessao maior que na condicao C e a condicao R produziu tempo de sessao menor do que na condicao C, sendo que no Experimento 1A as diferencas se reduziram; no Experimento 2 esse tempo foi sendo reduzido na sucessao das contingencias, independente da ordem utilizada. Nos experimentos 1 e 1A os participantes superestimaram a duracao da sessao de jogo na condicao R, e as condicoes C e P produziram estimativas proximas a duracao real. No Experimento 2 a condicao R tambem esteve associada a superestimativas na maioria dos participantes, porem sua relacao com os resultados obtidos em C e P varia entre os participantes. A magnitude da consequencia se mostrou uma variavel relevante no efeito da punicao, que foi menos acentuado no Experimento 1A. A apreciacao do jogo pelos sujeitos foi, no geral, mais positiva para a condicao P. Esses resultados apontam a interacao das contingencias operantes na percepcao temporal, sendo discutida tambem a aparente independencia entre o efeito operante da punicao e o relato verbal sobre a diversao inerente a atividade consequenciada / Alterations in the perception of the passage of time in humans have been investigated in relation to the characteristics of several stimuli, bodily conditions and certain types of task. However, little is known about these alterations as a function of reinforcing or punishing contingencies that control behavior. This study aimed to investigate this question experimentally by using a virtual computer game simulating a maze in which an avatar was faced with 36 choice situations between left and right. Points could be won or lost, the final score being converted into hypothetical titles of nobility within a predetermined ranking. Three contingencies were manipulated: under Punishment (P) \"wrong \" choices between right and left produced loss of points; under Reinforcement (R) \"right\" choices produced gain points; under control condition (C) there was no change in points at all. In Experiment 1 (n=60), three groups were manipulated, each exposed to one of these contingencies, in Experiment 1A (n=40) new participants were exposed to the conditions P and R, but with a statement explaining that there was no chance of avatar\'s death during the game, in Experiment 2 (n=6), each participant was exposed to three experimental conditions, having the sequence of exposure being manipulated: C-P-R for half the participants and C-R-P for the other half. Each participant was asked to estimate the duration spent playing: in the first two studies this request was made just after the end of the game (retrospective estimation), at the last study participants were informed at the beginning of the first experimental session that this request would be made to them end of each session (prospective estimate). Similarly, at the end of the session in Experiments 1 and 1A, and at the end of each session in Experiment 2, participants were requested a review of the game, with scores increasing with the degree of fun playing it. The results showed that in Experiment 1 the condition P produced greater session length than the condition C, and condition R produced lesser session length than condition C, whereas in Experiment 1A differences are reduced; in Experiment 2 session length was being reduced along the succession of contingencies, regardless of the sequence used. In Experiments 1 and 1A participants overestimated the duration of the game session under the condition R, and C and P conditions produced close to the actual duration estimates. In Experiment 2 the R condition was also associated with overestimation in the majority of participants, however its relationship to the results obtained in C and P varies between participants. The magnitude of the result proved to be a relevant variable in the effect of punishment, which was less pronounced in Experiment 1A. The enjoyment of the game by the subjects was generally more positive for condition P. These results indicate the interaction of operant contingencies on time perception, and also discussed the apparent independence between the operant effect of punishment and verbal report about the fun inherent in activity that was punished

As alteracoes na percepcao da passagem do tempo dos seres humanos tem sido investigadas em relacao as caracteristicas de diversos estimulos, condicoes corporais ou determinados tipos de tarefa. Porem, pouco se sabe sobre essas alteracoes como funcao das contingencias reforcadoras ou punitivas que controlam o comportamento. Este estudo visou investigar essa questao experimentalmente atraves do uso de um jogo virtual em computador simulando percursos de um avatar em um labirinto com 36 situacoes de escolha entre esquerda e direita. Pontos poderiam ser ganhos ou perdidos, sendo a pontuacao final convertida em titulos de nobreza hipoteticos dentro de um ranking previamente estabelecido. Tres contingencias foram manipuladas: sob Punicao (P) escolhas erradas entre direita e esquerda produziam perda de pontos; sob Reforcamento (R) escolhas certas produziam ganho de pontos; na condicao Controle (C) nao havia alteracao nos pontos. No Experimento 1 (n=60), tres grupos foram manipulados, cada um exposto a uma dessas contingencias; no Experimento 1A (n=40) novos participantes passaram pelas condicoes P e R, porem com uma alteracao na instrucao explicitando o nao perigo de morte do avatar; no Experimento 2 (n=6), cada participante foi exposto as tres condicoes experimentais, sendo manipulada a ordem de exposicao: C-P-R e C-R-P. Cada participante foi solicitado a estimar o tempo que permaneceu jogando: nos dois primeiros estudos essa solicitacao foi feita apenas apos o termino do jogo (estimativa retrospectiva); no ultimo os participantes foram informados ao inicio da primeira sessao experimental que essa solicitacao lhes seria feita ao final de cada sessao (estimativa prospectiva). Da mesma forma, ao final da sessao no Experimentos 1 e 1A, e ao final de cada sessao no Experimento 2, foi solicitada aos participantes uma avaliacao do jogo, com pontuacoes crescentes proporcionais ao grau de diversao em joga-lo. Os resultados mostraram que no Experimento 1 a condicao P produziu tempo de sessao maior que na condicao C e a condicao R produziu tempo de sessao menor do que na condicao C, sendo que no Experimento 1A as diferencas se reduziram; no Experimento 2 esse tempo foi sendo reduzido na sucessao das contingencias, independente da ordem utilizada. Nos experimentos 1 e 1A os participantes superestimaram a duracao da sessao de jogo na condicao R, e as condicoes C e P produziram estimativas proximas a duracao real. No Experimento 2 a condicao R tambem esteve associada a superestimativas na maioria dos participantes, porem sua relacao com os resultados obtidos em C e P varia entre os participantes. A magnitude da consequencia se mostrou uma variavel relevante no efeito da punicao, que foi menos acentuado no Experimento 1A. A apreciacao do jogo pelos sujeitos foi, no geral, mais positiva para a condicao P. Esses resultados apontam a interacao das contingencias operantes na percepcao temporal, sendo discutida tambem a aparente independencia entre o efeito operante da punicao e o relato verbal sobre a diversao inerente a atividade consequenciada / Alterations in the perception of the passage of time in humans have been investigated in relation to the characteristics of several stimuli, bodily conditions and certain types of task. However, little is known about these alterations as a function of reinforcing or punishing contingencies that control behavior. This study aimed to investigate this question experimentally by using a virtual computer game simulating a maze in which an avatar was faced with 36 choice situations between left and right. Points could be won or lost, the final score being converted into hypothetical titles of nobility within a predetermined ranking. Three contingencies were manipulated: under Punishment (P) \"wrong \" choices between right and left produced loss of points; under Reinforcement (R) \"right\" choices produced gain points; under control condition (C) there was no change in points at all. In Experiment 1 (n=60), three groups were manipulated, each exposed to one of these contingencies, in Experiment 1A (n=40) new participants were exposed to the conditions P and R, but with a statement explaining that there was no chance of avatar\'s death during the game, in Experiment 2 (n=6), each participant was exposed to three experimental conditions, having the sequence of exposure being manipulated: C-P-R for half the participants and C-R-P for the other half. Each participant was asked to estimate the duration spent playing: in the first two studies this request was made just after the end of the game (retrospective estimation), at the last study participants were informed at the beginning of the first experimental session that this request would be made to them end of each session (prospective estimate). Similarly, at the end of the session in Experiments 1 and 1A, and at the end of each session in Experiment 2, participants were requested a review of the game, with scores increasing with the degree of fun playing it. The results showed that in Experiment 1 the condition P produced greater session length than the condition C, and condition R produced lesser session length than condition C, whereas in Experiment 1A differences are reduced; in Experiment 2 session length was being reduced along the succession of contingencies, regardless of the sequence used. In Experiments 1 and 1A participants overestimated the duration of the game session under the condition R, and C and P conditions produced close to the actual duration estimates. In Experiment 2 the R condition was also associated with overestimation in the majority of participants, however its relationship to the results obtained in C and P varies between participants. The magnitude of the result proved to be a relevant variable in the effect of punishment, which was less pronounced in Experiment 1A. The enjoyment of the game by the subjects was generally more positive for condition P. These results indicate the interaction of operant contingencies on time perception, and also discussed the apparent independence between the operant effect of punishment and verbal report about the fun inherent in activity that was punished

Organismos são capazes de diferenciar estímulos sensoriais gerados independentemente pelo ambiente dos estímulos causados por sua própria ação no mundo. Esse processo depende de mecanismos neurais e cognitivos que unam suas ações às percepções por elas geradas. Objetivo desse trabalho foi investigar a interação da ação com a percepção visual no domínio temporal. Em cinco experimentos psicofísicos, foi estudado o efeito modulatório da ação no efeito flash-lag e em tarefas envolvendo estimativas de intervalos temporais. Nossos resultados mostraram que o planejamento e/ou execução de atos motores voluntários são capazes de reduzir em algumas dezenas de milissegundos as latências com que estímulos visuais são percebidos e também de reduzir as estimativas de intervalos temporais. A redução dessas latências é maior quando a conseqüência sensorial da ação é apresentada na fóvea, assim como quando existe um atraso entre a ação e o estímulo por ela causado. / Organisms are able to distinguish between sensory stimuli from the environment and sensory stimuli they cause. This process depends on neural and cognitive mechanisms that link actions to perceptions generated by these actions. This work aimed to investigate the interaction of action and perception in the temporal domain. In five psychophysical experiments, we have assessed the modulation of action in the flash-lag effect and in tasks involving temporal interval estimations. Our results showed that the planning and execution of a voluntary motor action are capable of reducing both visual perceptual latencies and temporal interval estimations. This reduction increases when the sensory consequences of motor actions are presented on the fovea and when a delay is injected between the action and the stimuli caused by it.

Enligt tidigare forskning upplever människor att tiden går fortare i lugna trygga miljöer och går långsamt i påfrestande situationer. Något som skapar lugna trygga känslor hos människor är färgen blå medans färgen gul som har ett ständigt tröttande ljus upplevs som påfrestande. Vilket i teorin ska innebära att människor som tittar på något blått upplever att tiden går snabbare än de som betraktar något gult. I föreliggande studie har detta undersökts med två experiment, i första experimentet fick deltagarna slå multiplikationstal på kalkylatorn på en dator medan det var en blå eller gul bakgrund. I det andra experimentet fick deltagarna se en snurra på en gul eller blå bakgrund. I inget av experimenten upptäcktes någon signifikant skillnad. I experimentet var det dessutom fler som svarade att de ville använda den blåa bakgrunden om den fick tiden att upplevas gå fortare än den gula.

Avhandlingen handlar om prospektivt minne (PM) hos personer med utvecklingsstörning. PM syftar på att formulera intentioner och genomföra dessa någon gång i framtiden, antingen inom en definierad tidsram eller i samband med en specifik händelse. Frågeställningar: 1. Finns det en kvalitativ och kvantitativ skillnad mellan prospektivt minne hos personer med utvecklingsstörning och en kontrollgrupp? (Artikel I – II) 2. Hur ser sambandet mellan prospektivt minne, arbetsminne och episodiskt minne ut hos personer med utvecklingsstörning och, skiljer sig detta åt jämfört med kontrollgruppen? (Artikel II) 3. Vilka förutsättningar vid inkodning och hågkomst är kompatibla? (Artikel III) 4. På vilket sätt kan svag association mellan olika delar av information bidra till prospektiva minnesfel? (Artikel IV) 5. Går det att särskilja en hög- respektive lågpresterande grupp personer med utvecklingsstörning med avseende på prospektiv minnesprestation? (Artikel II) Personer med utvecklingsstörning begår fler prospektiva minnesfel än personer i kontrollgruppen. Motsvarande gruppskillnad finns inte för självskattat minne. Prospektiv minnesprestation är bättre med bilder jämfört med ord som prospektiva ledtrådar, mest tydligt för personer med utvecklingsstörning. Arbetsminneskapacitet visade ett samband med både prospektivt minne och antalet falska minnen i kognitivt krävande situationer, till exempel, situationer med flera parallella prospektiva minnesuppgifter. Falska minnen och prospektivt minne hade ett samband hos personer med utvecklingsstörning. Att felaktigt känna igen bilder med bara delvis bekanta delar och att känna igen prospektiva ledtrådar utan att komma ihåg själva intentionen hade ett samband hos personer med utvecklingsstörning. Personer med utvecklingsstörning var också sämre än kontrollgruppen på att upprepa tidsintervall. Detta kan till exempel bero på bristande episodiskt minne och begränsade strategier för att lösa den här typen av uppgifter. Resultaten diskuteras i relation till träning av prospektivt minne och val av hjälpmedel. / This thesis deals with prospective memory (PM) in individuals with intellectual disability. The term refers to planning and executing actions that cannot be performed immediately and have to be stored in memory and retrieved either within a specified timeframe or to be associated with a specific event. Following research questions were explored: 1. Does prospective memory performance in the intellectual disability group differ quantitatively and qualitatively compared to a control group of individuals without intellectual disability? (Paper I – II) 2. What are the relations between prospective memory, working memory and episodic memory in individuals with intellectual disability, and how are these relations different from the relations found in individuals without intellectual disability? (Paper II) 3. What conditions constitute compatibility between encoding and retrieval of prospective memory tasks? (Paper III) 4. In what way might weak binding contribute to PM failure? (Paper IV) 5. Is it possible to identify high and low PM-performing groups of individuals with intellectual disability? (Paper II) The results of the studies demonstrated that individuals with intellectual disability commit more PM errors than individuals in the control group, despite similarities in self-rated memory. Pictures as PM cues improved PM performance in comparison to words in both groups. This may be important primarily for recognition of the PM cue, particularly in the intellectual disability group. As to working memory capacity, it also shows a relation to both PM performance and binding performance in cognitively demanding situations (e.g., tasks with multiple parallel PM tasks). Furthermore, it was found that binding is related to PM performance in the intellectual disability group as there is a relationship between feature errors and recognition of cues, though not retrieving the correct intention. Finally, time reproduction was found to be weak in the intellectual disability group compared to the control group. This may be due to, for example, weak episodic memory and limited strategies for solving this type of task. These findings are discussed in relation to PM training and PM aids.

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Το ηλεκτροεγκεφαλογράφημα αποτελεί μία μέθοδο καταγραφής των ηλεκτρικών σημάτων που παράγονται στο εσωτερικό του εγκεφάλου. Τα ηλεκτρικά αυτά σήματα διαχέονται από το σημείο που παράγονται προς την εξωτερική δερματική επιφάνεια του κρανίου όπου μετρώνται ως διαφορές δυναμικού. Αντικείμενο της διπλωματικής εργασίας είναι η σχεδίαση και η υλοποίηση μίας πειραματικής συνθήκης και της αντίστοιχης πειραματικής διάταξης, η οποία θα επιτρέπει την καταγραφή των Προκλητών δυναμικών του ατόμου που θα εκτελεί το πείραμα. Το κλινικό πρωτόκολλο που χρησιμοποιήθηκε εξετάζει δύο βασικά θέματα. Το πρώτο αφορά την αντίληψη του ανθρώπου για το χρόνο και το δεύτερο το πώς επηρεάζουν τα υποσυνείδητα μηνύματα τη λήψη αποφάσεων και την εγκεφαλική λειτουργία. Αρχικά, στο πρώτο κεφάλαιο της παρούσας διπλωματικής εργασίας, αναφέρονται οι βασικές αρχές του ηλεκτροεγκεφαλογραφήματος και το σύστημα διάδοσης της πληροφορίας στον ανθρώπινο εγκέφαλο. Επιπλέον περιγράφεται ο τρόπος με τον οποίο γίνεται η καταγραφή του σήματος του εγκεφαλογραφήματος και των Προκλητών Δυναμικών. Στη συνέχεια, στο δεύτερο κεφάλαιο παρουσιάζεται η θεωρία στην οποία βασίστηκε ο σχεδιασμός του κλινικού πρωτοκόλλου και η οποία αφορά δύο θέματα, την αντίληψη του ανθρώπου για το χρόνο και την επιρροή των υποσυνείδητων μηνυμάτων στη λήψη αποφάσεων. Στα επόμενα κεφάλαια περιγράφεται το κλινικό πρωτόκολλο που χρησιμοποιήθηκε και οι πειραματικές συνθήκες που εξετάστηκαν κατά τη διεξαγωγή των πειραμάτων. Ακόμα, γίνεται περιγραφή τόσο του υλικού όσο και του λογισμικού μέρους της πειραματικής διάταξης που αναπτύχθηκε για την υλοποίηση του κλινικού πρωτοκόλλου. Η πειραματική διάταξη που αναπτύχθηκε στα πλαίσια της διπλωματικής επιτρέπει τη σύνδεση με Ηλεκτροεγκεφαλογράφο με αποτέλεσμα τον συγχρονισμό της πειραματικής ακολουθίας και της καταγραφής του ηλεκτροεγκεφαλογραφήματος και των Προκλητών Δυναμικών. Με την πειραματική διάταξη που αναπτύχθηκε έγιναν δύο πειράματα. Η καταγραφή της εγκεφαλικής δραστηριότητας του κάθε εξεταζόμενου (ΗΕΓ) ήταν συνεχής για όλη τη διάρκεια της δοκιμασίας. Η εξαγωγή των Προκλητών Δυναμικών έγινε μετά το τέλος της καταγραφής με το πρόγραμμα EEGLAB, με το οποίο έγινε και η επεξεργασία τους. Τα Προκλητά Δυναμικά απεικονίστηκαν τόσο σε δισδιάστατα όσο και σε τρισδιάστατα μοντέλα κεφαλιών ενώ εξετάστηκε και το φασματικό περιεχόμενο του σήματος του ηλετροεγκεφαλογραφήματος για τις διάφορες πειραματικές συνθήκες. Από την ανάλυση των καταγραφών παρατηρήθηκαν κάποιες διαφορές μεταξύ των συνθηκών του πειράματος οι οποίες περιείχαν υποσυνείδητα μηνύματα και αυτών που δεν περιείχαν. Οι κορυφώσεις του δυναμικού εντοπίστηκαν τις ίδιες χρονικές στιγμές για όλες τις συνθήκες ενώ το πλάτος τους ήταν διαφορετικό μεταξύ των συνθηκών στις οποίες δινόταν στους εξεταζόμενους η σωστή απάντηση με υποσυνείδητο μήνυμα και σε αυτές που δεν δινόταν. / The electroencephalogram constitutes a method for recording electrical signals produced in the interior of the brain. These electric signals are diffused from the point of the brain where they are produced to the exterior dermal surface of the skull where they are measured as potential differences. The object of this diploma thesis is the design and the development of an experiment and the corresponding experimental setup, which allows the recording of the Event Related Potentials of the person who executes the experiment. The clinical protocol that is used examines two fundamental issues. The first is related to time perception while the second one examines if and how subliminal messages influence the decision making and the cerebral operation. Initially, in the first chapter of the present diploma thesis, the fundamentals of the Electroencephalogram and the system that is responsible for the distribution of the information inside the human brain is described. Following, Electroencephalogram and Event Related Potentials (ERPs) recordings are described. In the second chapter the theory on which the planning of the clinical protocol was based is presented. It concerns two research fields of psychophysiology; time perception and the influence of subliminal messages in decision-making. In the next chapters the clinical protocol and the experimental conditions that were examined during the experiments are described. Furthermore, there is a description of both the software and the hardware modules of the developed system. The experimental setup that was developed in the framework of the diploma thesis allows the connection to an Electroencephalograph and appropriate trigger signals are used in order to synchronize stimuli and recordings of EEG and ERPs. Two experiments were conducted. The recording of the brain activity was continuous for the whole duration of the experimental procedure. The Event Related Potentials were extracted post-hoc, after the end of the recording, using the EEGLAB software. The Event Relates Potentials were mapped both on two-dimensional and on three-dimensional head models. The spectrum of the electroencephalogram was also examined for the various experimental conditions. Analysis of the recordings revealed differences between the experimental conditions that contained subliminal messages in the EEG and ERPs. The ERPs’ peaks were detected at the same time delays for all the conditions. However, the amplitude of the peaks differed between the conditions where the right answers were given with subliminal messages and those that did not contain any subliminal messages.