Psychology of Analog\Digital readings...

[Allegro]

Does anybody notice a strong psychological contrast between reading something that is "digital" versus "analog?" Such as a clock for example: does time seem to go by faster when you are reading the numbers directly as opposed to a long-hand, short-hand device?

The car that I drive has a digital speedometer, which for some reason makes my driving a lot less "intuitive" than if I had an analog dial reading. For a reason I cannot explain, I tend to drive a lot more cautiously on a car with a digital speed reading than I do a standard analog.

I do notice that when I read a digital clock, my mind is only focused on the numbers itself, whereas an analog clock, I simply have this "feeling" of how much time is left, based on the position of the clock.

[Mr. SmartyPants]

I found an analog clock to somehow be faster... when im watching! When I look away and look back, I either go "Wow... did that pass for 10 seconds? or 70 seconds?"

[Allegro]

I guess that's sort of similiar to staring at the blinking dots of a digital watch and waiting for that digit to change. Staring at the moving hands of a regular clock does have a similiar effect.

[Markus]

For me, i can more accuratly determine when it has changed over to the next minute on digital. While its sometimes guesswork where the exact minutes are or if the back plate is aligned properly, thereby making the time go by slower...


wow... i went a bit technical there...

[Bobtheduck]

I find that looking at a digital clock takes FOREVER, but looking at an analog clock, at least I can see the seconds... Unless the digital clock has seconds, but... I just like Analog clocks better... I have a hard time knowing the time now, when someone says "3:48" but "quarter till 4" works...

I don't like most digital readouts, except where small differences really matter. I wouldn't do well, for instance, editing video on an analog readout... For things where being "fuzzy" is ok, I generally prefer it.

[Lynx]

i tended to speed less with a digital car speedometer. with an analog speedometer i was like "oh close enough to 25!" where with the digital one i was more "oh that's more then 25"

[Allegro]

i tended to speed less with a digital car speedometer. with an analog speedometer i was like "oh close enough to 25!" where with the digital one i was more "oh that's more then 25"

It always seems like you're driving faster than you really are on a digital speedometer. At least when you see the digits keep changing everytime you break or accelerate.

[livewire]

i tended to speed less with a digital car speedometer. with an analog speedometer i was like "oh close enough to 25!" where with the digital one i was more "oh that's more then 25"

huh, I didn't know there were digital speedometers!
that's cool.

anyways, I used to prefer the digital clocks only because I had trouble reading the analog one I wear....(no numbers...just little silver marks at the 3, 6, and 9 and a diamond chip at the 12) But, now it really doesn't matter to me much.

[Mr. SmartyPants]

huh, I didn't know there were digital speedometers!
that's cool.

My mom's old Toyota Cressida had a digital speedometer

[Radical Dreamer]

My mom's new car has an analog clock in it...I prefer digital clocks. XD When I look at analog clocks, I've always had to sit there and stare at it for a while..."Ok...ok...so...it's...um...3...No, 4...4:25." Doing that in a car = BAD IDEA. XD

[Allegro]

huh, I didn't know there were digital speedometers!
that's cool.

A lot of Ford cars are able to change between analog and digital speedometers. And obviously the Delorean from Back to the Future had a digital speedometer, so they've been around for some time.

[Saint]

Perhaps the analog speedometer gives you more feedback than that of a digital, if no more than at least the perception of it. Maybe the digital seems more abrupt than analog making you a little more cautious.
As for watches perhaps there is something to seeing the hand move around the clock that influences our perception of the time passing. maybe it is distracting in a slight way and makes the time go by faster or slower.
While the speed and time are the same; our perceptions can be quite odd, eh?

[Warrior4Christ]

Digital displays = more accurate. (Thus, I prefer digital watches)

As for digital speedometers (I've never used one) - 'abrupt' is probably the right word. For example, '58' and '62' probably sound like there's a larger difference between them when read off a digital display, whereas on an analogue display, it would look like much less of a difference.

[skyblue]

Ehm...for me it's both. Sometimes I feel like analog feels faster than digital and vice versa.

[TurkishMonky]

i love digital.... um, that's about it.