Research Program / Claims / physical-time-3
Psychological time is the second inner sense, a natural channel connecting the inner world and the outer world, and can be relatively easily integrated into physical time.
心理时间是第二内在感官，是连接内在世界与外在世界的天然通道，可较容易地融入物理时间。
Concept physical time · Domain Nonlinear Time and Self-Cognition · mechanism · interface 3/3 · testability 3/3 · status untested · ★ fundable
This program treats the Seth Material as a source of hypotheses, not as doctrine to be validated. Lead dossiers are AI-compiled from the corpus with a book-and-session citation after every statement; literature reviews are AI web-search summaries whose references were all DOI-verified against Crossref; the agenda draft is an AI synthesis. None of it is Seth's original text, and none of it represents scientific consensus. English fields are machine-translated; the Chinese text is authoritative.
Seth sources (book §session)
Adjudicating experiment
Approximately 240 novices are randomly assigned to standardized psychological-time practice, mindfulness training, or an equal-duration relaxation active control. Training lasts 8 weeks, 20 minutes daily, with assessments before, after, and at 1-month follow-up; time bisection, duration reproduction, and synchronization tapping tasks are used. The pre-registered primary endpoint is absolute estimation error; bias and coefficient of variation are also reported, matching expectancy, instructor contact, and practice time. About 80 participants additionally undergo EEG. This paradigm tests measurable training effects and cannot adjudicate the undefined inner–outer world channel.
Suggested paper title
Effects of Attentional Training on Interval Timing Accuracy: A Pre-registered Randomized Controlled Trial
What it would overturn
Only by demonstrating an information channel not explainable by known sensory, attentional, and memory processes would the hypothesis that 'time perception depends on existing sensory and cognitive systems' be modified.
Candidate labs / funders
Simon Grondin; Marc Wittmann，Institute for Frontier Areas of Psychology and Mental Health; Matthew D. Sacchet，Meditation Research Program，Massachusetts General Hospital
Specificity of Seth's formulation
'Second inner sense,' 'natural channel,' and 'integration' all lack independent measurement rules; it is not specified whether training should improve accuracy, reduce variability, or only change the sense of time passage.
Note
Corresponds to supplementary question 2: duration estimation before and after training can be quantitatively tested, but feeling time as slower does not imply more accurate estimation; the two must be set as distinct endpoints.
Evidence (1, DOI-verified via Crossref)
Cite: Future Mind Institute, Seth Material Research Agenda, claim physical-time-3, https://www.seth.org.cn/en/research/claims/physical-time-3