The Sense of Time While Watching a Dance Performance

Although the judgment of time is an important experience embedded in the context of cognitive and emotional appraisal of events, there are few studies concerning perceived time within an ecologically valid context. Watching a cultural event such as a dance performance is a paradigmatic situation in...

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Main Authors: Vanessa Deinzer, Liam Clancy, Marc Wittmann
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SAGE Publishing 2017-12-01
Series:SAGE Open
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244017745576
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author Vanessa Deinzer
Liam Clancy
Marc Wittmann
author_facet Vanessa Deinzer
Liam Clancy
Marc Wittmann
author_sort Vanessa Deinzer
collection DOAJ
description Although the judgment of time is an important experience embedded in the context of cognitive and emotional appraisal of events, there are few studies concerning perceived time within an ecologically valid context. Watching a cultural event such as a dance performance is a paradigmatic situation in which viewers perceive time differently as a function of performance characteristics and viewers’ personal engagement. We staged two dance pieces that differed in speed of movement performed by a professional female dancer. Fifty-two participants watched both performances in counterbalanced order and rated their impressions, senses of self, and perceptions of space and time. On average, spectator-participants liked the faster dance better than the slower dance and felt more positive afterward. During the fast dance, participants focused more on the dancer’s breathing and less on their own body. Participant’s subjective perceptions were that time seemed to pass more slowly during the slow dance, but participants estimated the faster dance to have lasted longer. Path analyses revealed that paying attention to one’s bodily signals mediated the feeling of time. As typical flow states are characterized by positive feelings during an activity, as well as by a diminished sense of self and time, these results suggest that the participant’s average response reflected a relatively stronger flow state in the fast dance condition. Future studies might be encouraged assessing time perception in a variety of real-life situations. Participants’ responses could then be assessed with different methodological approaches.
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spelling doaj.art-2506096e929540978607e658526137282022-12-21T19:00:47ZengSAGE PublishingSAGE Open2158-24402017-12-01710.1177/2158244017745576The Sense of Time While Watching a Dance PerformanceVanessa Deinzer0Liam Clancy1Marc Wittmann2University of Freiburg, GermanyUniversity of California, San Diego, USAInstitute for Frontier Areas of Psychology and Mental Health, Freiburg, GermanyAlthough the judgment of time is an important experience embedded in the context of cognitive and emotional appraisal of events, there are few studies concerning perceived time within an ecologically valid context. Watching a cultural event such as a dance performance is a paradigmatic situation in which viewers perceive time differently as a function of performance characteristics and viewers’ personal engagement. We staged two dance pieces that differed in speed of movement performed by a professional female dancer. Fifty-two participants watched both performances in counterbalanced order and rated their impressions, senses of self, and perceptions of space and time. On average, spectator-participants liked the faster dance better than the slower dance and felt more positive afterward. During the fast dance, participants focused more on the dancer’s breathing and less on their own body. Participant’s subjective perceptions were that time seemed to pass more slowly during the slow dance, but participants estimated the faster dance to have lasted longer. Path analyses revealed that paying attention to one’s bodily signals mediated the feeling of time. As typical flow states are characterized by positive feelings during an activity, as well as by a diminished sense of self and time, these results suggest that the participant’s average response reflected a relatively stronger flow state in the fast dance condition. Future studies might be encouraged assessing time perception in a variety of real-life situations. Participants’ responses could then be assessed with different methodological approaches.https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244017745576
spellingShingle Vanessa Deinzer
Liam Clancy
Marc Wittmann
The Sense of Time While Watching a Dance Performance
SAGE Open
title The Sense of Time While Watching a Dance Performance
title_full The Sense of Time While Watching a Dance Performance
title_fullStr The Sense of Time While Watching a Dance Performance
title_full_unstemmed The Sense of Time While Watching a Dance Performance
title_short The Sense of Time While Watching a Dance Performance
title_sort sense of time while watching a dance performance
url https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244017745576
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