Episode Ep 133 July 31, 2026 1 min 6s

The Multiple Oscillator model

From Human Factors Minute Human Factors Cast

The Multiple Oscillator Model is a connectionist model that describes how we perceive time.

An oscillator can be described as a pacemaker with a repetitive rhythm - like a swinging pendulum. The perception of an oscillator can provide the linear metric of time without one having to read a clock.

This particular model describes time as being perceived through the feedback of multiple oscillators, each with a different frequency once they are triggered. It is believed that intervals in seconds can accurately be perceived when a set of oscillators coincide with one another.

This model works as long as each sensory event triggers the oscillators to reset. However, it is unlikely that one could account for shorter intervals, like a few hundred milliseconds.

The multiple oscillator model and other proposed time-perception theories are part of the larger picture in researching why we sometimes have an altered perception of time in different situations. There are a variety of human factors that go into time perception, and there is still much to learn.

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