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Synchronizing Perception Online: Temporal Binding, Attention, and Individual Differences

Temporal processing is fundamental to perception, attention, and decision-making, yet investigating its mechanisms at scale remains a challenge (Bridges et al., 2020). This talk presents a series of web-based sensory integration tasks, from low-level audiovisual simultaneity judgments to perceptual decisions such as visual causality. Results demonstrate that, under carefully controlled conditions, online methods can yield data quality and temporal precision comparable to laboratory settings. Critically, the large and diverse samples enabled by online research allowed for the identification of distinct profiles of audiovisual temporal integration and segregation, linked to individual differences in autistic and schizotypal traits (Marsicano et al., 2022). Moreover, rhythmic sensory stimulation delivered online effectivelymodulated temporal processing and visuo-spatial attention across varied personological profiles. These findings underscore the promise of online experimentation not only as a method for investigating temporal cognition, but also as a scalable tool for modulating it through targeted manipulations (Marsicano et al., 2024).

The ability of the brain to represent, integrate, and segregate events over time lies at the core of human cognition and behaviour. From low-level sensory processing to high-level cognitive functions, temporal processing shapes how we perceive the world, allocate attention, and make decisions.&nbsp;<br>Traditionally, research on temporal processing has relied on highly controlled laboratory settings. These environments enable millisecond-level precision for stimulus presentation and response recording, providing powerful tools to uncover the temporal structure of perception. However, lab-based experiments have notable limitations: they often rely on narrow participant pools, limiting generalizability and statistical power, and they require significant resources, physical space, and specialized equipment.<br>While laboratories remain the gold standard in timing research, these constraints highlight the growing appeal of web-based experimentation (Bridges et al. 2020). Recent advances in online platforms have improved the precision and reliability of behavioural and psychophysical tasks conducted remotely, creating new opportunities for high-quality timing research outside the lab. Similarly, the widespread use of smartphones and tablets has enabled novel methods to study temporal dynamics in ecologically valid, real-world contexts (Marsicano et al. 2022; 2024). Both web-based and mobile approaches, though offering reduced experimental control, allow for scalable data collection across diverse populations and can track within-subject variability across time and settings.<br>This symposium presents recent empirical evidence on the potential and limitations of web- and smartphone-based experimentation for investigating temporal perception and cognition. We highlight studies showing that, with appropriate tools and procedures, online platforms can achieve high levels of temporal precision comparable to traditional lab settings. These include web-based experiments on temporal integration and segregation across uni- and multisensory modalities and responses to rhythmic sensory stimulation (Marsicano et al., 2022; 2024; Deodato et al., 2024; Lamprou-Kokolaki et al., 2024). We also emphasize the benefits of accessing large, heterogeneous samples online, which supports the identification of individual differences and distinct temporal processing profiles. In addition, we introduce a smartphone-based approach for estimating individual alpha oscillation frequency via a visual illusion (Xu et al., 2025). This method uses perceived jitter to infer temporal characteristics of neural activity, capturing individual variability, mood-related changes, and diurnal patterns under naturalistic conditions. Across the symposium, we compare behavioural patterns and performance metrics across web, mobile, and lab contexts, showing broadly comparable data quality and variability. We also address key methodological challenges, such as device heterogeneity, participant attention, and timing uncertainty, and propose strategies to improve reproducibility, including calibration routines, browser-based latency checks, and frame-locked stimulus presentation. We review commonly used platforms (e.g., PsychoPy/PsychoJS, jsPsych) and evaluate the strengths of mobile tools for timing research. By integrating this diverse body of evidence, the symposium highlights how web and mobile technologies are expanding the reach of timing research, offering scalable, inclusive, and ecologically valid approaches to investigating the temporal dynamics of cognition.

Symposium 7: Beyond the Lab: Timing Perception and Cognition in Online and Mobile Environments

Timing Research Forum 4

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[S7-02]Synchronizing Perception Online: Temporal Binding, Attention, and Individual Differences

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