Allocation of attention and practice in the production of time intervals.

During a baseline trial, participants attempted to produce a 60-sec. interval while working at either a simple tracing task or others that involved mirror-tracing. Subsequent practice with the assigned task, expected to reduce the need for allocation of attention to mirror-tracing for those groups, produced predictable effects on a second trial of duration producing. Those performing mirror-tracing reduced production times on the post-practice trial, while those performing simple tracing showed no change after practice. These results are interpreted within the attentional allocation model of estimation of prospective duration.