The impact of emotion on temporal prediction ability in different timing contexts

Our ability to predict temporal events (TP) is dynamically modulated by contextual factors (i.e., different predictive contexts) and closely intertwined with emotional states, shaping our adaptive responses within the environment. While studies have extensively probed how emotions distort time perception, their impact on predictive ability remains unexplored. Here, we investigated emotions' impact on temporal prediction. Participants (N = 23) completed a standard implicit TP task and its emotional version (TP-E), using positive (i.e., joy), negative (i.e., fear), and neutral faces as visual stimuli. Reaction times (RTs) to the target were recorded in two predictive contexts: rhythmic (i.e., interstimulus intervals (ISIs) were constant, 900 ms) and single-interval condition (i.e., target's timing estimation was based on the prior exposure of the train of stimuli) and random (no-time context). We found a specific decrease in RTs, in the single-interval context, when fearful stimuli were used, compared to neutral stimuli. This suggests that negative emotion influences temporal prediction, aligning with emotional adjustments in processing threatening situations, including modulation of physiological arousal, cognitive appraisal, and time estimation. Indeed, such modulation of RTs, specifically in the single-interval condition, may be attributed to improved memory and attention, essential cognitive abilities for single-based predictions, enhanced by the exposure to fearful stimuli.