On the basis of our own and available experimental materials, the proposal is discussed that the neural mechanism of implicit estimation of time intervals between significant visual events should be analyzed in the framework of top-down cognitive control theory. In this framework, the mechanism producing active inhibition during the formation, switching, or updating of the cognitive set for
... [Show full abstract] recognizing a negative facial expression is analyzed. The significance of the function of temporal interval estimation is shown in providing the flexibility of cognitive processes. © 2015, Springer International Publishing Switzerland, All rights Reserved.