Time Through the Looking-Glass: A Cross-Cultural Investigation of Subjective Time Measures

The present research aims to systematically compare multiple methods for assessing subjective time perception in a cross-cultural context. Using samples from the Netherlands and Indonesia, we will evaluate four subjective time measurements: (1) a horizontal line task, (2) a vertical line task, (3) an unbounded horizontal line task, and (4) a multidimensional dot placement task. For the horizontal and vertical line tasks, the direction of time flow will be counterbalanced, such that participants may experience time progressing either left-to-right versus right-to-left, or top-to-bottom versus bottom-to-top. Each assessment will be administered for both short (months) and long (years) time horizons. The assessment methods will be compared across four predefined criteria: (a) split-half reliability, (b) the correlation between short and long time horizons within each assessment, (c) perceived ease of use, and (d) the association between subjective time–based discounting and hyperbolic discounting behavior. By evaluating and comparing these criteria across measurement types and cultural samples, this study seeks to identify the most suitable subjective time measurement(s) for future research. The results will directly inform a subsequent hypothesis-driven study examining cross-cultural differences in subjective time perception and their implications for retirement saving behavior among Dutch and Indonesian participants.