Orientational Perception: IV. Time and Length Perception in Depersonalized and Derealized Patients and Controls Under Positive Feedback Conditions

Fifteen derealized patients reporting distortions in time and/or space perception and 15 matched controls were tested for differences in their perception of time and space. When the test responses were "fed back" as the input on subsequent trials in order to amplify small but consistent errors, no differences were found. The authors conclude that at this level of illness (depersonalization and derealization), and despite their reports, psychiatric patients do not make a significant number of errors in time and space perception.