1
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Peters-Founshtein G, Dafni-Merom A, Monsa R, Arzy S. Evidence for grid-cell-like activity in the time domain. Neuropsychologia 2024; 198:108878. [PMID: 38574806 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2024.108878] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2023] [Revised: 03/22/2024] [Accepted: 03/26/2024] [Indexed: 04/06/2024]
Abstract
The relation between the processing of space and time in the brain has been an enduring cross-disciplinary question. Grid cells have been recognized as a hallmark of the mammalian navigation system, with recent studies attesting to their involvement in the organization of conceptual knowledge in humans. To determine whether grid-cell-like representations support temporal processing, we asked subjects to mentally simulate changes in age and time-of-day, each constituting "trajectory" in an age-day space, while undergoing fMRI. We found that grid-cell-like representations supported trajecting across this age-day space. Furthermore, brain regions concurrently coding past-to-future orientation positively modulated the magnitude of grid-cell-like representation in the left entorhinal cortex. Finally, our findings suggest that temporal processing may be supported by spatially modulated systems, and that innate regularities of abstract domains may interface and alter grid-cell-like representations, similarly to spatial geometry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregory Peters-Founshtein
- The Computational Neuropsychiatry Lab, Department of Medical Neurobiology, Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel; Department of Nuclear Medicine, Sheba Medical Center, Ramat-Gan, Israel.
| | - Amnon Dafni-Merom
- The Computational Neuropsychiatry Lab, Department of Medical Neurobiology, Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Rotem Monsa
- The Computational Neuropsychiatry Lab, Department of Medical Neurobiology, Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Shahar Arzy
- The Computational Neuropsychiatry Lab, Department of Medical Neurobiology, Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel; Department of Neurology, Hadassah Hebrew University Medical School, Jerusalem, Israel
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2
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Malyshevskaya A, Miklashevsky A, Fischer MH, Scheepers C, Shtyrov Y, Myachykov A. Keeping track of time: Horizontal spatial biases for hours, days, and months. Mem Cognit 2024; 52:894-908. [PMID: 38153647 PMCID: PMC11111500 DOI: 10.3758/s13421-023-01508-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/05/2023] [Indexed: 12/29/2023]
Abstract
In many Western cultures, the processing of temporal words related to the past and to the future is associated with left and right space, respectively - a phenomenon known as the horizontal Mental Time Line (MTL). While this mapping is apparently quite ubiquitous, its regularity and consistency across different types of temporal concepts remain to be determined. Moreover, it is unclear whether such spatial mappings are an essential and early constituent of concept activation. In the present study, we used words denoting time units at different scales (hours of the day, days of the week, months of the year) associated with either left space (e.g., 9 a.m., Monday, February) or right space (e.g., 8 p.m., Saturday, November) as cues in a line bisection task. Fifty-seven healthy adults listened to temporal words and then moved a mouse cursor to the perceived midpoint of a horizontally presented line. We measured movement trajectories, initial line intersection coordinates, and final bisection response coordinates. We found movement trajectory displacements for left- vs. right-biasing hour and day cues. Initial line intersections were biased specifically by month cues, while final bisection responses were biased specifically by hour cues. Our findings offer general support to the notion of horizontal space-time associations and suggest further investigation of the exact chronometry and strength of this association across individual time units.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anastasia Malyshevskaya
- Potsdam Embodied Cognition Group, Cognitive Sciences, University of Potsdam, Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 24/25, D-14476, Potsdam-Golm, Germany.
- Centre for Cognition and Decision Making, Institute for Cognitive Neuroscience, HSE University, Krivokolenniy Pereulok 3, Entrance 2, Moscow, Russian Federation, 101000.
| | - Alex Miklashevsky
- Potsdam Embodied Cognition Group, Cognitive Sciences, University of Potsdam, Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 24/25, D-14476, Potsdam-Golm, Germany
| | - Martin H Fischer
- Potsdam Embodied Cognition Group, Cognitive Sciences, University of Potsdam, Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 24/25, D-14476, Potsdam-Golm, Germany
| | - Christoph Scheepers
- School of Neuroscience and Psychology, University of Glasgow, 62 Hillhead Street, Glasgow, G12 8QB, UK
| | - Yury Shtyrov
- Center of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience (CFIN), Institute for Clinical Medicine Aarhus University, Universitetsbyen 3, bldg 1719, 8000, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Andriy Myachykov
- Department of Psychology, Northumbria University, Northumberland Building, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 8ST, UK
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3
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Malyshevskaya A, Fischer MH, Shtyrov Y, Myachykov A. Horizontal mapping of time-related words in first and second language. Sci Rep 2024; 14:9675. [PMID: 38678052 PMCID: PMC11055926 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-60062-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2023] [Accepted: 04/17/2024] [Indexed: 04/29/2024] Open
Abstract
The existence of a consistent horizontal spatial-conceptual mapping for words denoting time is a well-established phenomenon. For example, words related to the past or future (e.g., yesterday/tomorrow) facilitate respective leftward/rightward attentional shifts and responses, suggesting the visual-spatial grounding of temporal semantics, at least in the native language (L1). To examine whether similar horizontal bias also accompanies access to time-related words in a second language (L2), we tested 53 Russian-English (Experiment 1) and 48 German-English (Experiment 2) bilinguals, who classified randomly presented L1 and L2 time-related words as past- or future-related using left or right response keys. The predicted spatial congruency effect was registered in all tested languages and, furthermore, was positively associated with higher L2 proficiency in Experiment 2. Our findings (1) support the notion of horizontal spatial-conceptual mapping in diverse L1s, (2) demonstrate the existence of a similar spatial bias when processing temporal words in L2, and (3) show that the strength of time-space association in L2 may depend on individual L2 proficiency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anastasia Malyshevskaya
- Potsdam Embodied Cognition Group, Cognitive Sciences, University of Potsdam, Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 24/25, 14476, Potsdam-Golm, Germany.
- Centre for Cognition and Decision Making, Institute for Cognitive Neuroscience, HSE University, Krivokolenniy Pereulok 3, Entrance 2, 101000, Moscow, Russian Federation.
| | - Martin H Fischer
- Potsdam Embodied Cognition Group, Cognitive Sciences, University of Potsdam, Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 24/25, 14476, Potsdam-Golm, Germany
| | - Yury Shtyrov
- Center of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience (CFIN), Institute for Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Universitetsbyen 3, Bldg. 1719, 8000, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Andriy Myachykov
- Department of Psychology, Northumbria University, Northumberland Building, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE1 8ST, UK
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4
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Mariano M, Stanco G, Graps DI, Rossetti I, Bolognini N, Paulesu E, Zapparoli L. The sense of agency in near and far space. Conscious Cogn 2024; 120:103672. [PMID: 38452630 DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2024.103672] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2023] [Revised: 12/20/2023] [Accepted: 03/02/2024] [Indexed: 03/09/2024]
Abstract
The sense of agency is the ability to recognize that we are the actors of our actions and their consequences. We explored whether and how spatial cues may modulate the agency experience by manipulating the ecological validity of the experimental setup (real-space or computer-based setup) and the distance of the action-outcome (near or far). We tested 58 healthy adults collecting explicit agency judgments and the perceived time interval between movements and outcomes (to quantify the intentional binding phenomenon, an implicit index of agency). Participants show greater implicit agency for voluntary actions when there is a temporal and spatial action-outcome contingency. Conversely, participants reported similar explicit agency for outcomes appearing in the near and far space. Notably, these effects were independent of the ecological validity of the setting. These results suggest that spatial proximity, realistic or illusory, is essential for feeling implicitly responsible for the consequences of our actions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marika Mariano
- Psychology Department and NeuroMi - Milan Centre for Neuroscience, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy.
| | - Giulia Stanco
- Psychology Department and NeuroMi - Milan Centre for Neuroscience, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
| | - Damiano Ignazio Graps
- Psychology Department and NeuroMi - Milan Centre for Neuroscience, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
| | - Ileana Rossetti
- Psychology Department and NeuroMi - Milan Centre for Neuroscience, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
| | - Nadia Bolognini
- Psychology Department and NeuroMi - Milan Centre for Neuroscience, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy; IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Milan, Italy
| | - Eraldo Paulesu
- Psychology Department and NeuroMi - Milan Centre for Neuroscience, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy; IRCCS Orthopedic Institute Galeazzi, Milan, Italy
| | - Laura Zapparoli
- Psychology Department and NeuroMi - Milan Centre for Neuroscience, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy; IRCCS Orthopedic Institute Galeazzi, Milan, Italy.
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5
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Scozia G, Pinto M, Lozito S, Binetti N, Pazzaglia M, Lasaponara S, Doricchi F. The time course of the spatial representation of 'past' and 'future' concepts: New evidence from the STEARC effect. Atten Percept Psychophys 2024; 86:1048-1055. [PMID: 38413505 PMCID: PMC11062999 DOI: 10.3758/s13414-024-02862-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/08/2024] [Indexed: 02/29/2024]
Abstract
Humans use space to think of and communicate the flow of time. This spatial representation of time is influenced by cultural habits so that in left-to-right reading cultures, short durations and past events are mentally positioned to the left of long durations and future events. The STEARC effect (Space Temporal Association of Response Codes) shows a faster classification of short durations/past events with responses on the left side of space and of long durations/future events with responses on the right side. We have recently showed that during the classification of time durations, space is a late heuristic of time because in this case, the STEARC appears only when manual responses are slow, not when they are fast. Here, we wished to extend this observation to the semantic classification of words as referring to the 'past' or the 'future'. We hypothesised that the semantic processing of 'past' and 'future' concepts would have engaged slower decision processes than the classification of short versus long time durations. According to dual-route models of conflict tasks, if the task-dependent classification/decision process were to proceed relatively slowly, then the effects of direct activation of culturally preferred links between stimulus and response (S-R), i.e., past/left and future/right in the case of the present task, should attain higher amplitudes before the instruction-dependent correct response is selected. This would imply that, at variance with the faster classification of time durations, during the slower semantic classification of time concepts, in incongruent trials, the direct activation of culturally preferred S-R links should introduce significant reaction time (RT) costs and a corresponding STEARC at the fastest manual responses in the experiment too. The study's results confirmed this hypothesis and showed that in the classification of temporal words, the STEARC also increased as a function of the length of RTs. Taken together, the results from sensory duration and semantic classification STEARC tasks show that the occurrence, strength and time course of the STEARC varies significantly as a function of the speed and level of cognitive processing required in the task.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriele Scozia
- Dipartimento di Psicologia, Università degli Studi di Roma 'La Sapienza', Roma, Italy
- Fondazione Santa Lucia IRCCS, Roma, Italy
| | - Mario Pinto
- Dipartimento di Psicologia, Università degli Studi di Roma 'La Sapienza', Roma, Italy
- Fondazione Santa Lucia IRCCS, Roma, Italy
| | - Silvana Lozito
- Dipartimento di Psicologia, Università degli Studi di Roma 'La Sapienza', Roma, Italy
- Fondazione Santa Lucia IRCCS, Roma, Italy
| | - Nicola Binetti
- International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA), Trieste, Italy
| | - Mariella Pazzaglia
- Dipartimento di Psicologia, Università degli Studi di Roma 'La Sapienza', Roma, Italy
- Fondazione Santa Lucia IRCCS, Roma, Italy
| | - Stefano Lasaponara
- Dipartimento di Psicologia, Università degli Studi di Roma 'La Sapienza', Roma, Italy
- Fondazione Santa Lucia IRCCS, Roma, Italy
| | - Fabrizio Doricchi
- Dipartimento di Psicologia, Università degli Studi di Roma 'La Sapienza', Roma, Italy.
- Fondazione Santa Lucia IRCCS, Roma, Italy.
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6
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Beracci A, Fabbri M. Vertical Mental Timeline Is Not Influenced by VisuoSpatial Processing. Brain Sci 2024; 14:184. [PMID: 38391758 PMCID: PMC10886795 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci14020184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2024] [Revised: 02/08/2024] [Accepted: 02/13/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024] Open
Abstract
The results examining the direction (bottom-to-top vs. top-to-bottom) of the mental vertical timeline are not conclusive. The visuospatial processing of temporal stimuli along vertical space could influence this time representation. This study aimed to investigate whether and how the visuospatial processing stage modulated the vertical timeline in an online temporal categorization task. In three studies, Italian university students (N = 150) responded more quickly to words expressing the past with a down arrow key, and more quickly to words expressing the future with an up arrow key, irrespective of whether the words were located in the top, middle, or bottom space (Experiment 1), or were presented downward (from top to bottom; Experiment 2A) or upward (from bottom to top Experiment 2B). These results suggest that the representation of time was not influenced by the visuospatial processing. The daily experience with verticality (e.g., to reach the attic, the lift goes up) could explain the bottom-to-top direction of the mental timeline.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessia Beracci
- Department of Psychology Renzo Canestrari, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy
| | - Marco Fabbri
- Department of Psychology, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, 81100 Caserta, Italy
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7
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Ren W, Guo X, Wang F, Zhang Z. Joint spatial-temporal association of response codes (STEARC) effect: Mental timelines embodied interpersonally. Psych J 2023; 12:793-800. [PMID: 37988606 DOI: 10.1002/pchj.699] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2022] [Accepted: 08/31/2023] [Indexed: 11/23/2023]
Abstract
A co-action task was used to explore the effect of social interactions on temporal judgements, in comparison with an individual-task condition. In Experiment 1, the co-actors sat either individually (individual condition) or alongside a partner (joint condition) in front of a monitor and then responded to time-related words (e.g. yesterday, tomorrow). In Experiment 2, co-actors sat separately in front of two monitors and categorized the words either individually or jointly. Participants' response times to past- and future-related words in the individual conditions of both experiments had no significant difference. However, in the joint conditions, the responses were faster when the past-time words were mapped toward the participants on the left than when future-time words were mapped toward them. Our data support the existence of a specific mapping between past-time-left space and future-time-right space. This suggests that the two cooperators probably shared a similar mental timeline.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weicong Ren
- Department of Psychology, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Xiujuan Guo
- Department of Psychology, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Fusui Wang
- Department of Psychology, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Zhijie Zhang
- Department of Psychology, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang, China
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8
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Dalmaso M, Pileggi S, Vicovaro M. Face Age is Mapped Into Three-Dimensional Space. Cogn Sci 2023; 47:e13374. [PMID: 37950541 DOI: 10.1111/cogs.13374] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2023] [Revised: 09/28/2023] [Accepted: 10/16/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023]
Abstract
People can represent temporal stimuli (e.g., pictures depicting past and future events) as spatially connoted dimensions arranged along the three main axes (horizontal, sagittal, and vertical). For example, past and future events are generally represented, from the perspective of the individuals, as being placed behind and in front of them, respectively. Here, we report that such a 3D representation can also emerge for facial stimuli of different ages. In three experiments, participants classified a central target face, representing an individual at different age stages, as younger or older than the reference face of 40 years. Manual responses were provided with two keys placed along the horizontal axis (Experiment 1), the sagittal axis (Experiment 2), and the vertical axis (Experiment 3). The results indicated that the younger faces were represented on the left/back/top side of the space, whereas the older faces were represented on the right/forward/bottom side of the space. Furthermore, in all experiments, the latencies decreased with the absolute difference between the age of the target face and that of the reference face (i.e., a distance effect). Overall, this work suggests that the spatial representation of time includes social features of the human face.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mario Dalmaso
- Department of Developmental and Social Psychology, University of Padova
| | - Stefano Pileggi
- Department of Developmental and Social Psychology, University of Padova
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9
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Beracci A, Fabbri M. The combination of the horizontal and vertical dimensions in mental time representation: the existence of a spatial mental map of time. Atten Percept Psychophys 2023; 85:2386-2405. [PMID: 37563514 DOI: 10.3758/s13414-023-02768-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/16/2023] [Indexed: 08/12/2023]
Abstract
Horizontal and vertical representations of time (past-left or down and future-right or top) have been demonstrated. However, only a few studies have investigated the existence of a spatial map of time, considering it as the interaction of different spatial dimensions in space. The aim of this study was to investigate the existence of a mental time representation along the diagonal axes, intended as the combination of the horizontal and the vertical dimensions. Seventy-nine Italian participants (85% females; mean age = 25.11 ± 4.86 years; 77 right-handed) performed an online temporal judgment task using 20 Italian temporal expressions presented either always in the center (Experiment 1) or in the four corners of the screen (Experiment 2) and two pairs of response keys ("C" and "U" for the positive diagonal; "R" and "N" for the negative diagonal). Results showed spatial-temporal associations in positive (i.e., time was represented from left-bottom to right-top) and negative (i.e., time was represented from left-top to right-bottom) diagonals, although in Experiment 2 these associations were weak for the negative diagonal. These spatial-temporal associations along both diagonals were confirmed even when participants were free to place different temporal stimuli along a diagonally drawn line, in a Time-to-Position task, indicating that the temporal expressions could be ordered linearly along the diagonal spaces. Finally, these data indicated that the horizontal information was mainly used for determining the spatial-temporal associations along both diagonals, whereas the vertical information was flexible with a bottom-to-top (for positive diagonal) and top-to-bottom (for negative diagonal) temporal representation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessia Beracci
- Department of Psychology "Renzo Canestrari", Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy.
| | - Marco Fabbri
- Department of Psychology, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Caserta, Italy
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10
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Scozia G, Pinto M, Pellegrino M, Lozito S, Pia L, Lasaponara S, Doricchi F. How time gets spatial: factors determining the stability and instability of the mental time line. Atten Percept Psychophys 2023; 85:2321-2336. [PMID: 37468788 PMCID: PMC10584722 DOI: 10.3758/s13414-023-02746-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/07/2023] [Indexed: 07/21/2023]
Abstract
Left-to-right readers classify faster past events with motor responses on the left side of space and future events with responses on the right side. This suggests a left-to-right spatial organization in the mental representation of time. Here, we show that the significance and reliability of this representation are linked to the joint use of temporal and spatial codes in the task at hand. In a first unimanual Go/No-Go Implicit Association Test (IAT), attending selectively to "past" or to "future" words did not activate corresponding "left" or "right" spatial concepts and vice versa. In a second IAT, attending to both temporal (i.e., "past" and "future") words and spatial targets (i.e., "left" and "right") pointing arrows produced faster responses for congruent rather than incongruent combinations of temporal and spatial concepts in task instructions (e.g., congruent = "Go with past words and left-pointing arrows"; incongruent = "Go with past words and right-pointing arrows"). This effect increased markedly in a STEARC task where spatial codes defined the selection between "left-side" and "right-side" button presses that were associated with "past" and "future" words. Two control experiments showed only partial or unreliable space-time congruency effects when (a) participants attended to superordinate semantic codes that included both spatial "left"/"right" or temporal "past/future" subordinate codes; (b) a primary speeded response was assigned to one dimension (e.g., "past vs. future") and a nonspeeded one to the other dimension (e.g., "left" vs. "right"). These results help to define the conditions that trigger a stable and reliable spatial representation of time-related concepts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriele Scozia
- Dipartimento di Psicologia, Università degli Studi di Roma 'La Sapienza', Roma, Italy.
- PhD program in Behavioral Neuroscience, Università degli Studi di Roma 'La Sapienza', Roma, Italy.
| | - Mario Pinto
- Dipartimento di Psicologia, Università degli Studi di Roma 'La Sapienza', Roma, Italy
| | - Michele Pellegrino
- Dipartimento di Psicologia, Università degli Studi di Roma 'La Sapienza', Roma, Italy
| | - Silvana Lozito
- Dipartimento di Psicologia, Università degli Studi di Roma 'La Sapienza', Roma, Italy
- PhD program in Behavioral Neuroscience, Università degli Studi di Roma 'La Sapienza', Roma, Italy
| | - Lorenzo Pia
- Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Stefano Lasaponara
- Dipartimento di Psicologia, Università degli Studi di Roma 'La Sapienza', Roma, Italy
| | - Fabrizio Doricchi
- Dipartimento di Psicologia, Università degli Studi di Roma 'La Sapienza', Roma, Italy.
- Fondazione Santa Lucia IRCCS, Roma, Italy.
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11
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Cona G, Wiener M, Allegrini F, Scarpazza C. Gradient Organization of Space, Time, and Numbers in the Brain: A Meta-analysis of Neuroimaging Studies. Neuropsychol Rev 2023:10.1007/s11065-023-09609-z. [PMID: 37594695 DOI: 10.1007/s11065-023-09609-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2022] [Accepted: 07/07/2023] [Indexed: 08/19/2023]
Abstract
In this study, we ran a meta-analysis of neuroimaging studies to pinpoint the neural regions that are commonly activated across space, time, and numerosity, and we tested the existence of gradient transitions among these magnitude representations in the brain. Following PRISMA guidelines, we included in the meta-analysis 112 experiments (for space domain), 114 experiments (time domain), and 115 experiments (numerosity domain), and we used the activation likelihood estimation method. We found a system of brain regions that was commonly recruited in all the three magnitudes, which included bilateral insula, the supplementary motor area (SMA), the right inferior frontal gyrus, and bilateral intraparietal sulci. Gradiental transitions between different magnitudes were found along all these regions but insulae, with space and numbers leading to gradients mainly over parietal regions (and SMA) whereas time and numbers mainly over frontal regions. These findings provide evidence for the GradiATOM theory (Gradient Theory of Magnitude), suggesting that spatial proximity given by overlapping activations and gradients is a key aspect for efficient interactions and integrations among magnitudes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giorgia Cona
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padua, Via Venezia 8, 35131, Padua, Italy.
- Padova Neuroscience Center, University of Padua, Padua, Italy.
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Padua, Padua, Italy.
| | - Martin Wiener
- Department of Psychology, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, USA
| | - Francesco Allegrini
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padua, Via Venezia 8, 35131, Padua, Italy
| | - Cristina Scarpazza
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padua, Via Venezia 8, 35131, Padua, Italy
- IRCSS San Camillo Hospital, Venice, Italy
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12
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When time stands upright: STEARC effects along the vertical axis. PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH 2023; 87:894-918. [PMID: 35718808 PMCID: PMC10017642 DOI: 10.1007/s00426-022-01693-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2021] [Accepted: 05/24/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
According to the spatial-temporal association of response codes (STEARC) effect, time can be spatially represented from left to right. However, exploration of a possible STEARC effect along the vertical axis has yielded mixed results. Here, in six experiments based on a novel paradigm, we systematically explored whether a STEARC effect could emerge when participants were asked to classify the actual temporal duration of a visual stimulus. Speeded manual responses were provided using a vertically oriented response box. Interestingly, although a top-to-bottom time representation emerged when only two temporal durations were employed, an inverted bottom-to-top time representation emerged when a denser set of temporal durations, arranged along a continuum, was used. Moreover, no STEARC effects emerged when participants classified the shapes of visual stimuli rather than their temporal duration. Finally, three additional experiments explored the STEARC effect along the horizontal axis, confirming that the paradigm we devised successfully replicated the standard left-to-right representation of time. These results provide supporting evidence for the notion that temporal durations can be mapped along the vertical axis, and that such mapping appears to be relatively flexible.
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13
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Zhu X, Huang Y, Liu W, Yu Z, Duan Y, He X, Zhang W. Keeping Morality "on the Straight" and Never "on the Bend": Metaphorical Representations of Moral Concepts in Straightness and Curvature. Behav Sci (Basel) 2023; 13:bs13040295. [PMID: 37102809 PMCID: PMC10136358 DOI: 10.3390/bs13040295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2023] [Revised: 03/16/2023] [Accepted: 03/21/2023] [Indexed: 04/28/2023] Open
Abstract
The study of moral conceptual metaphors has been an important topic in recent years. In Chinese culture, the concepts of curvature and straightness are given certain semantic contents, in which curvature refers to being sly while straightness refers to having integrity. In the present study, we used the Implicit Association Test (IAT) paradigm (Experiment 1) and the Stroop paradigm (Experiment 2) to investigate whether there are metaphorical representations of curvature and straightness in moral concepts. The results revealed that the mean reaction time in compatible trials (i.e., moral words accompanied by a straight pattern and immoral words accompanied by a curved pattern) was significantly shorter than that in incompatible trials (i.e., moral words accompanied by a curved pattern and immoral words accompanied by a straight pattern). The Stroop paradigm showed that reaction times were significantly reduced when moral words were presented in a straight font, but there was no significant difference between the presentation of immoral words in a straight font and that in a curved font. The results suggest that mental representations of moral concepts are associated with straightness and curvature in Chinese culture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoyan Zhu
- Center for Studies of Psychological Application, Key Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China
- Ministry of Education, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China
| | - Yanbing Huang
- Center for Studies of Psychological Application, Key Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China
- Ministry of Education, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China
| | - Wenxuan Liu
- Center for Studies of Psychological Application, Key Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China
- Ministry of Education, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China
| | - Zhao Yu
- Center for Studies of Psychological Application, Key Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China
- Ministry of Education, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China
| | - Yan Duan
- Center for Studies of Psychological Application, Key Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China
- Ministry of Education, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China
| | - Xianyou He
- Center for Studies of Psychological Application, Key Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China
- Ministry of Education, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China
- Key Laboratory of Chinese Learning and International Promotion, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China
| | - Wei Zhang
- Center for Studies of Psychological Application, Key Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China
- Ministry of Education, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China
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14
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Khatin-Zadeh O, Farsani D, Hu J, Farina M, Banaruee H, Marmolejo-Ramos F. Distributed embodiment of metaphorical hope in hand, head, and eyebrow gestures. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1139881. [PMID: 37034906 PMCID: PMC10075202 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1139881] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2023] [Accepted: 02/27/2023] [Indexed: 04/11/2023] Open
Abstract
This study aimed to examine the embodied conceptualization of hope through metaphors. We asked a group of participants to discuss their hopes in a semi-structured interview. We examined the types of hand, head, and eyebrow gestures produced when they were talking about their future hopes. The obtained results showed that when participants talked about their future hopes, they mainly used forward hand gestures, rightward head gestures, and upward eyebrow gestures. Based on these results, it is suggested that various semantic components and emotional associations of hope are metaphorically embodied in different manners in various parts of the body. The future aspect of hope is conceptualized as a forward movement and is embodied as a forward hand gesture. The good or positive emotional aspect associated with future hopes is metaphorically conceptualized as a rightward head gesture or an upward eyebrow gesture. We call this process distributed embodiment of a metaphorical concept. Our proposal is supported by the findings of past studies that have found future is metaphorically embodied as something in front of us (or forward movement), and good is metaphorically embodied as upper space (or upward movement) or right side (or rightward movement).
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Affiliation(s)
- Omid Khatin-Zadeh
- School of Foreign Languages, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Danyal Farsani
- Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
- *Correspondence: Danyal Farsani,
| | - Jiehui Hu
- School of Foreign Languages, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Mirko Farina
- Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Human Machine Interaction Lab, Innopolis University, Innopolis, Russia
| | - Hassan Banaruee
- Department of English, American, and Celtic Studies, The University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
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15
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A systematic investigation reveals that Ishihara et al.'s (2008) STEARC effect only emerges when time is directly assessed. Sci Rep 2022; 12:18822. [PMID: 36335159 PMCID: PMC9637157 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-23411-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2022] [Accepted: 10/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
The Spatial-TEmporal Association of Response Codes (STEARC) effect (Ishihara et al. in Cortex 44:454-461, 2008) is evidence that time is spatially coded along the horizontal axis. It consists in faster left-hand responses to early onset timing and faster right-hand responses to late onset timing. This effect has only been established using tasks that directly required to assess onset timing, while no studies investigated whether this association occurs automatically in the auditory modality. The current study investigated the occurrence of the STEARC effect by using a procedure similar to Ishihara and colleagues. Experiment 1 was a conceptual replication of the original study, in which participants directly discriminated the onset timing (early vs. late) of a target sound after listening to a sequence of auditory clicks. This experiment successfully replicated the STEARC effect and revealed that the onset timing is mapped categorically. In Experiments 2, 3a and 3b participants were asked to discriminate the timbre of the stimuli instead of directly assessing the onset timing. In these experiments, no STEARC effect was observed. This suggests that the auditory STEARC effect is only elicited when time is explicitly processed, thus questioning the automaticity of this phenomenon.
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16
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Embodied time: Effect of reading expertise on the spatial representation of past and future. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0276273. [PMID: 36301981 PMCID: PMC9612582 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0276273] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2022] [Accepted: 10/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
How do people grasp the abstract concept of time? It has been argued that abstract concepts, such as future and past, are grounded in sensorimotor experience. When responses to words that refer to the past or the future are either spatially compatible or incompatible with a left-to-right timeline, a space-time congruency effect is observed. In the present study, we investigated whether reading expertise determines the strength of the space-time congruency effect, which would suggest that learning to read and write drives the effect. Using a temporal categorization task, we compared two types of space-time congruency effects, one where spatial incongruency was generated by the location of the stimuli on the screen and one where it was generated by the location of the responses on the keyboard. While the first type of incongruency was visuo-spatial only, the second involved the motor system. Results showed stronger space-time congruency effects for the second type of incongruency (i.e., when the motor system was involved) than for the first type (visuo-spatial). Crucially, reading expertise, as measured by a standardized reading test, predicted the size of the space-time congruency effects. Altogether, these results reinforce the claim that the spatial representation of time is partially mediated by the motor system and partially grounded in spatially-directed movement, such as reading or writing.
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17
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Mendonça R, Garrido MV, Semin GR. Two Cultural Processing Asymmetries Drive Spatial Attention. Cogn Sci 2022; 46:e13185. [PMID: 35973007 DOI: 10.1111/cogs.13185] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2021] [Revised: 07/01/2022] [Accepted: 07/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Cultural routines, such as reading and writing direction (script direction), channel attention orientation. Depending on one's native language habit, attention is biased from left-to-right (LR) or from right-to-left (RL). Here, we further document this bias, as it interacts with the spatial directionality that grounds time concepts. We used a spatial cueing task to test whether script direction and the grounding of time in Portuguese (LR, Exp. 1) and Arabic (RL, Exp. 2) shape visuomotor performance in target discrimination. Temporal words (e.g., tomorrow, yesterday) were presented as cues in two modalities: visual (Exp. 1-2) and auditory (Exp. 1). Gaze movement (Exp. 1) and speed of discrimination decisions (Exp. 1-2) of targets presented to the left or right sides of the screen were assessed. As predicted, the interaction between target location and time concepts was significant across both modalities and linguistic communities. Additionally, LR participants detected the target on the right side of the screen faster after a future word than the target on the left side of the screen after a past word cue. In contrast, RL participants detected the target on the left side of the screen faster when the cue word was a future word than the target on the right side of the screen cued by a past word. In both modalities, the initial eye-gaze movement (Exp. 1) was responsive to the cue's time referent, further confirming that time orients attention. An additional bias was observed for the first fixation onset, which landed earlier on the target set that matched habitualized spatial routines. We conclude that scanning regularities are shaped by writing habits and bodily grounded categorical features.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rita Mendonça
- William James Center for Research, ISPA-Instituto Universitário
| | | | - Gün R Semin
- William James Center for Research, ISPA-Instituto Universitário.,Faculty of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Utrecht University
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18
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Grasso CL, Ziegler JC, Coull JT, Montant M. Space-Time Congruency Effects Using Eye Movements During Processing of Past- and Future-Related Words. Exp Psychol 2022; 69:210-217. [PMID: 36475833 DOI: 10.1027/1618-3169/a000559] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
In Western cultures where people read and write from left to right, time is represented along a spatial continuum that goes from left to right (past to future), known as the mental timeline (MTL). In language, this MTL was supported by space-time congruency effects: People are faster to make lexical decisions to words conveying past or future information when left/right manual responses are compatible with the MTL. Alternatively, in cultures where people read from right to left, space-time congruency effects go in the opposite direction. Such cross-cultural differences suggest that repeated writing and reading dynamic movements are critically involved in the spatial representation of time. In most experiments on the space-time congruency effect, participants use their hand for responding, an effector that is associated to the directionality of writing. To investigate the role of the directionality of reading in the space-time congruency effect, we asked participants to make lateralized eye movements (left or right saccades) to indicate whether stimuli were real words or not (lexical decision). Eye movement responses were slower and higher in amplitude for responses incompatible with the direction of the MTL. These results reinforce the claim that repeated directional reading and writing movements promote the embodiment of time-related words.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camille L Grasso
- CNRS, Laboratoire de Psychologie Cognitive (UMR 7290), Aix-Marseille Université, Marseille, France
| | - Johannes C Ziegler
- CNRS, Laboratoire de Psychologie Cognitive (UMR 7290), Aix-Marseille Université, Marseille, France
| | - Jennifer T Coull
- CNRS, Laboratoire de Neurosciences Cognitive (UMR 7291), Aix-Marseille Université, Marseille, France
| | - Marie Montant
- CNRS, Laboratoire de Psychologie Cognitive (UMR 7290), Aix-Marseille Université, Marseille, France
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19
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Study on acquisition of time words by children with autism spectrum disorders. CURRENT PSYCHOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s12144-022-03199-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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20
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Ferreri L, Versace R, Victor C, Plancher G. Temporal Predictions in Space: Isochronous Rhythms Promote Forward Projections of the Body. Front Psychol 2022; 13:832322. [PMID: 35602686 PMCID: PMC9115380 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.832322] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2021] [Accepted: 03/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
A regular rhythmic stimulation increases people's ability to anticipate future events in time and to move their body in space. Temporal concepts are usually prescribed to spatial locations through a past-behind and future-ahead mapping. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that a regular rhythmic stimulation could promote the forward-body (i.e., toward the future) projections in the peri-personal space. In a Visual Approach/Avoidance by the Self Task (VAAST), participants (N = 24) observed a visual scene on the screen (i.e., a music studio with a metronome in the middle). They were exposed to 3 s of auditory isochronous or non-isochronous rhythms, after which they were asked to make as quickly as possible a perceptual judgment on the visual scene (i.e., whether the metronome pendulum was pointing to the right or left). The responses could trigger a forward or backward visual flow, i.e., approaching or moving them away from the scene. Results showed a significant interaction between the rhythmic stimulation and the movement projections (p < 0.001): participants were faster for responses triggering forward-body projections (but not backward-body projections) after the exposure to isochronous (but not non-isochronous) rhythm. By highlighting the strong link between isochronous rhythms and forward-body projections, these findings support the idea that temporal predictions driven by a regular auditory stimulation are grounded in a perception-action system integrating temporal and spatial information.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Gaën Plancher
- Laboratoire d’Étude des Mécanismes Cognitifs, Université Lumière Lyon 2, Lyon, France
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21
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Candini M, D’Angelo M, Frassinetti F. Time Interaction With Two Spatial Dimensions: From Left/Right to Near/Far. Front Hum Neurosci 2022; 15:796799. [PMID: 35115914 PMCID: PMC8804530 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2021.796799] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2021] [Accepted: 12/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
In this study, we explored the time and space relationship according to two different spatial codings, namely, the left/right extension and the reachability of stimulus along a near/far dimension. Four experiments were carried out in which healthy participants performed the time and spatial bisection tasks in near/far space, before and after short or long tool-use training. Stimuli were prebisected horizontal lines of different temporal durations in which the midpoint was manipulated according to the Muller-Lyer illusion. The perceptual illusory effects emerged in spatial but not temporal judgments. We revealed that temporal and spatial representations dynamically change according to the action potentialities of an individual: temporal duration was perceived as shorter and the perceived line’s midpoint was shifted to the left in far than in near space. Crucially, this dissociation disappeared following a long but not short tool-use training. Finally, we observed age-related differences in spatial attention which may be crucial in building the memory temporal standard to categorize durations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michela Candini
- Department of Psychology, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
- Unit of Recovery and Functional Rehabilitation, Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri IRCCS, Institute of Castel Goffredo, Mantova, Italy
- *Correspondence: Michela Candini,
| | - Mariano D’Angelo
- Department of Psychology, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
- Unit of Recovery and Functional Rehabilitation, Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri IRCCS, Institute of Castel Goffredo, Mantova, Italy
| | - Francesca Frassinetti
- Department of Psychology, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
- Unit of Recovery and Functional Rehabilitation, Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri IRCCS, Institute of Castel Goffredo, Mantova, Italy
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22
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Malyshevskaya A, Gallо F, Pokhoday M, Kotrelev P, Shtyrov Y, Myachykov A. Spatial conceptual mapping of words with temporal semantics. СОВРЕМЕННАЯ ЗАРУБЕЖНАЯ ПСИХОЛОГИЯ 2022. [DOI: 10.17759/jmfp.2022110313] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Unlike concrete words related to sensory perception (e.g., hear, sun), abstract words (including the words with temporal semantics, e.g., year, tomorrow) do not have direct embodied sensory correlates. Nevertheless, existing research indicates that abstract concepts’ representations make regular reference to sensorimotor processes, e.g., visual perception. For example, regular expressions such as “the future is ahead” or “the flow of time” are common in different languages reflecting a relatively universal nature of space-time correspondences. Moreover, these regular correspondences are commonly demonstrated in experimental studies; for example — by registering attentional displacement during processing of past and future related words. Here, the main theoretical approaches as well as existing experimental data documenting neurocognitive foundations of space-time representations are reviewed. A detailed overview of research on spatial-conceptual mapping of time concepts in three-dimensional visual space is offered. We also consider features of space-time associations that reflect linguistic and socio-cultural differences. In conclusion, the main areas of current and future that will allow an integration of the existing data within a common theoretical framework are defined.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - F. Gallо
- National Research University Higher School of Economics
| | - M.Y. Pokhoday
- National Research University Higher School of Economics
| | - P.V. Kotrelev
- National Research University Higher School of Economics
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23
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Zhang L, Atari M, Schwarz N, Newman EJ, Afhami R. Conceptual metaphors, processing fluency, and aesthetic preference. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jesp.2021.104247] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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24
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Feng W, Wang L, Wang T. Love the new and loathe the old: The influence of alphabetic order in a brand series on consumers’ preferences. CURRENT PSYCHOLOGY 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s12144-021-02479-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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25
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Abstract
The space-time interaction suggests a left-to-right directionality in the mind's representation of elapsing time. However, studies showing a possible vertical time representation are scarce and contradictory. In Experiment 1, 32 participants had to judge the duration (200, 300, 500, or 600 ms) of the target stimulus that appeared at the top, centre, or bottom of the screen, compared with a reference stimulus (400 ms) that always appeared in the centre of the screen. In Experiment 2, 32 participants were administered the same procedure, but the reference stimulus appeared at the top, centre, or bottom of the screen and the target stimulus was fixed in the centre location. In both experiments, a space-time interaction was found with an association between short durations and bottom response key as well as between long durations and top key. The evidence of a vertical mental timeline was further confirmed by the distance effect with a lower level of performance for durations close to that of the reference stimulus. The results suggest a bottom-to-top mapping of time representation, more in line with the metaphor "more is up."
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessia Beracci
- Department of Psychology, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Caserta, Italy
| | - Marissa Lynn Rescott
- Department of Psychology, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Caserta, Italy
| | - Vincenzo Natale
- Department of Psychology "Renzo Canestrari", University of Bologna, Italy
| | - Marco Fabbri
- Department of Psychology, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Caserta, Italy
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26
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Kawaguchi Y, Tomonaga M, Adachi I. No evidence of spatial representation of age, but "own-age bias" like face processing found in chimpanzees. Anim Cogn 2021; 25:415-424. [PMID: 34601661 PMCID: PMC8940789 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-021-01564-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2021] [Revised: 08/26/2021] [Accepted: 09/21/2021] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Previous studies have revealed that non-human primates can differentiate the age category of faces. However, the knowledge about age recognition in non-human primates is very limited and whether non-human primates can process facial age information in a similar way to humans is unknown. As humans have an association between time and space (e.g., a person in an earlier life stage to the left and a person in a later life stage to the right), we investigated whether chimpanzees spatially represent conspecifics’ adult and infant faces. Chimpanzees were tested using an identical matching-to-sample task with conspecific adult and infant face stimuli. Two comparison images were presented vertically (Experiment 1) or horizontally (Experiment 2). We analyzed whether the response time was influenced by the position and age category of the target stimuli, but there was no evidence of correspondence between space and adult/infant faces. Thus, evidence of the spatial representation of the age category was not found. However, we did find that the response time was consistently faster when they discriminated between adult faces than when they discriminated between infant faces in both experiments. This result is in line with a series of human face studies that suggest the existence of an “own-age bias.” As far as we know, this is the first report of asymmetric face processing efficiency between infant and adult faces in non-human primates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuri Kawaguchi
- Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria. .,Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Tokyo, Japan. .,Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University, Inuyama, Japan.
| | | | - Ikuma Adachi
- Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University, Inuyama, Japan
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27
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Topić V, Stojić S, Domijan D. An implicit task reveals space-time associations along vertical and diagonal axes. PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH 2021; 86:1252-1261. [PMID: 34327600 DOI: 10.1007/s00426-021-01561-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2021] [Accepted: 07/17/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
In previous studies investigating the space-time compatibility effect, the experimental task always invites explicit spatial or temporal processing or both. In this study, we kept space and time irrelevant to the task. In a go/no-go task, participants (N = 50) were asked to either press a single button when they found the target or refrain from responding when there was no target in a search array. We manipulated the duration of the target-alone presentation that preceded a 7 × 7 search array consisting of either target plus distractors or distractors alone. The results revealed faster responses to shorter durations when the target appeared in the upper relative to the lower space. A similar effect also appeared along the diagonal axis with faster responses to shorter durations in upper-left relative to lower-right space. In contrast, no such difference was found along the horizontal axis. We hypothesize that vertical and diagonal space-time associations arise from the grounding of mental representation of time in physical experiences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vanja Topić
- Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Mostar, Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina
| | - Sandra Stojić
- Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Mostar, Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina.,Doctoral School of Psychology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary.,Institute of Psychology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Dražen Domijan
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Rijeka, Sveučilišna avenija 4, 51000, Rijeka, Croatia.
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28
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Tversky B, Jamalian A. Thinking Tools: Gestures Change Thought About Time. Top Cogn Sci 2021; 13:750-776. [PMID: 34298590 DOI: 10.1111/tops.12566] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2021] [Revised: 06/24/2021] [Accepted: 07/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Our earliest tools are our bodies. Our hands raise and turn and toss and carry and push and pull, our legs walk and climb and kick allowing us to move and act in the world and to create the multitude of artifacts that improve our lives. The list of actions made by our hands and feet and other parts of our bodies is long. What is more remarkable is we turn those actions in the world into actions on thought through gestures, language, and graphics, thereby creating cognitive tools that expand the mind. The focus here is gesture; gestures transform actions on perceptible objects to actions on imagined thoughts, carrying meaning with them rapidly, precisely, and directly. We review evidence showing that gestures enhance our own thinking and change the thought of others. We illustrate the power of gestures in studies showing that gestures uniquely change conceptions of time, from sequential to simultaneous, from sequential to cyclical, and from a perspective embedded in a timeline to an external perspective looking on a timeline, and by so doing obviate the ambiguities of an embedded perspective. We draw parallels between representations in gesture and in graphics; both use marks or actions arrayed in space to communicate more immediately than symbolic language.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbara Tversky
- Human Development, Columbia Teachers College.,Department of Psychology, Stanford University
| | - Azadeh Jamalian
- Human Development, Columbia Teachers College.,The GIANT Room, New York
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29
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Beracci A, Santiago J, Fabbri M. The categorical use of a continuous time representation. PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH 2021; 86:1015-1028. [PMID: 34291309 PMCID: PMC9090696 DOI: 10.1007/s00426-021-01553-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2021] [Accepted: 06/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
The abstract concept of time is mentally represented as a spatially oriented line, with the past associated with the left space and the future associated with the right. Although the line is supposed to be continuous, most available evidence is also consistent with a categorical representation that only discriminates between past and future. The aim of the present study was to test the continuous or categorical nature of the mental timeline. Italian participants judged the temporal reference of 20 temporal expressions by pressing keys on either the left or the right. In Experiment 1 (N = 32), all words were presented at the center of the screen. In Experiment 2 (N = 32), each word was presented on the screen in a central, left, or right position. In Experiment 3 (N = 32), all text was mirror-reversed. In all experiments, participants were asked to place the 20 temporal expressions on a 10-cm line. The results showed a clear Spatial–TEmporal Association of Response Codes (STEARC) effect which did not vary in strength depending on the location of the temporal expressions on the line. However, there was also a clear Distance effect: latencies were slower for words that were closer to the present than further away. We conclude that the mental timeline is a continuous representation that can be used in a categorical way when an explicit past vs. future discrimination is required by the task.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessia Beracci
- Department of Psychology, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Viale Ellittico 31, 81100, Caserta, CE, Italy.
| | - Julio Santiago
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Marco Fabbri
- Department of Psychology, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Viale Ellittico 31, 81100, Caserta, CE, Italy
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30
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Li H, Zhang J, Zhang E. A Three-Dimensional Spatial Metaphorical Representation of Generation Implied in Han Kin Terms. Front Psychol 2021; 12:656586. [PMID: 34149542 PMCID: PMC8209262 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.656586] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2021] [Accepted: 04/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract concepts can be represented in the brain by means of metaphors. Generation refers to seniority in the family or clan, implies the implementation of different attitudes required by kinship, and contains profound psychological, emotional, and social factors. Generation as an abstract concept is related to concepts such as power, social status, importance, and time. The conceptual metaphor theory based on the embodied theory proposes that abstract concepts are represented by actual sensorimotor experiences. Generation implied in Han kin terms is often represented by multiple spatial terms. According to conceptual metaphor theory, the current study predicted that generation could be represented by multiple spatial metaphors. We designed six experiments to investigate this issue. The results showed that (1) the up–down and left–right positions in which kinship words were presented affected the processing of the concept of generation; (2) the processing of kinship words also affected up–down and left–right spatial information perception; and (3) the processing of the concept of generation could also automatically activate the front–back spatial operation and induce the embodied simulation of body movement. In sum, the results suggested that generation might be represented by the three-dimensional spatial metaphor of vertical, horizontal, and sagittal axes, which are influenced by the sensorimotor system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huijuan Li
- Institute of Psychology and Behavior, Henan University, Kaifeng, China
| | - Jijia Zhang
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Science and Technology, Renmin University of China, Beijing, China
| | - Entao Zhang
- Institute of Psychology and Behavior, Henan University, Kaifeng, China
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31
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Deng M, Guinote A, Li L, Cui L, Shi W. When Abstract Concepts Rely on Multiple Metaphors: Metaphor Selection in the Case of Power. SOCIAL COGNITION 2021. [DOI: 10.1521/soco.2021.39.3.408] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The study examines metaphor selection for the same abstract concept when multiple concrete dimensions are available for use. Drawing on the power concept, four studies investigated the roles of attention and visual features of concrete dimensions in metaphoric mapping. In Studies 1 and 2, two concrete dimensions (vertical space and size) were visually connected to power-related target words simultaneously, and one was salient. Attention driven by stimulus saliency allowed the attended concrete dimension to have a higher activation level and to be used. In Studies 3 and 4, the attended and the non-attended concrete dimensions were presented separately, and the latter was visually associated with power-related target words. This time, the attended dimension did not have an activation advantage, allowing the non-attended dimension to be used for metaphoric mapping simultaneously. The findings suggest that attention is important, but not necessary, and that features of concrete dimensions can guide metaphor use.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ana Guinote
- University College London and Instituto Universitario de Lisboa (CIS, ISCTE-IUL)
| | - Lin Li
- East China Normal University
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32
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Mendonça R, Garrido MV, Semin GR. The Effect of Simultaneously Presented Words and Auditory Tones on Visuomotor Performance. Multisens Res 2021; 34:1-28. [PMID: 34062511 DOI: 10.1163/22134808-bja10052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2020] [Accepted: 05/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
The experiment reported here used a variation of the spatial cueing task to examine the effects of unimodal and bimodal attention-orienting primes on target identification latencies and eye gaze movements. The primes were a nonspatial auditory tone and words known to drive attention consistent with the dominant writing and reading direction, as well as introducing a semantic, temporal bias (past-future) on the horizontal dimension. As expected, past-related (visual) word primes gave rise to shorter response latencies on the left hemifield and future-related words on the right. This congruency effect was differentiated by an asymmetric performance on the right space following future words and driven by the left-to-right trajectory of scanning habits that facilitated search times and eye gaze movements to lateralized targets. Auditory tone prime alone acted as an alarm signal, boosting visual search and reducing response latencies. Bimodal priming, i.e., temporal visual words paired with the auditory tone, impaired performance by delaying visual attention and response times relative to the unimodal visual word condition. We conclude that bimodal primes were no more effective in capturing participants' spatial attention than the unimodal auditory and visual primes. Their contribution to the literature on multisensory integration is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rita Mendonça
- William James Center for Research, ISPA - Instituto Universitário, Rua Jardim do Tabaco, 34, 1149-041 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Margarida V Garrido
- Iscte - Instituto Universitário de Lisboa, Cis-Iscte, Av. Das Forças Armadas, 1649-026 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Gün R Semin
- William James Center for Research, ISPA - Instituto Universitário, Rua Jardim do Tabaco, 34, 1149-041 Lisboa, Portugal
- Faculty of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Utrecht University, 3584 CS Utrecht, The Netherlands
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33
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Mental representation of autobiographical memories along the sagittal mental timeline: Evidence from spatiotemporal interference. Psychon Bull Rev 2021; 28:1327-1335. [PMID: 33782918 PMCID: PMC8367924 DOI: 10.3758/s13423-021-01906-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Time is usually conceived of in terms of space: many natural languages refer to time according to a back-to-front axis. Indeed, whereas the past is usually conceived to be "behind us", the future is considered to be "in front of us." Despite temporal coding is pivotal for the development of autonoetic consciousness, little is known about the organization of autobiographical memories along this axis. Here we developed a spatial compatibility task (SCT) to test the organization of autobiographical memories along the sagittal plane, using spatiotemporal interference. Twenty-one participants were asked to recall both episodic and semantic autobiographical memories (EAM and SAM, respectively) to be used in the SCT. Then, during the SCT, they were asked to decide whether each event occurred before or after the event presented right before, using a response code that could be compatible with the back-to-front axis (future in front) or not (future at back). We found that performance was significantly worse during the non-compatible condition, especially for EAM. The results are discussed in light of the evidence for spatiotemporal encoding of episodic autobiographical memories, taking into account possible mechanisms explaining compatibility effects.
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34
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Kaup B, Scherer N, Ulrich R. Associations Between Abstract Concepts: Investigating the Relationship Between Deictic Time and Valence. Front Psychol 2021; 12:612720. [PMID: 33643140 PMCID: PMC7907156 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.612720] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2020] [Accepted: 01/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The present study examines whether deictic time and valence are mentally associated, with a link between future and positive valence and a link between past and negative valence. We employed a novel paradigm, the two-choice-sentence-completion paradigm, to address this issue. Participants were presented with an initial sentence fragment that referred to an event that was either located in time (future or past) or of different valence (positive or negative). Participants chose between two completion phrases. When the given dimension in the initial fragment was time, the two completion phrase alternatives differed in valence (positive vs. negative). However, when the given dimension in the initial fragment was valence, the two completion phrase alternatives differed in time (future vs. past). As expected, participants chose completion phrases consistent with the proposed association between time and valence. Additional analyses involving individual differences concerning optimism/pessimism revealed that this association is particularly pronounced for people with an optimistic attitude.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbara Kaup
- Department of Psychology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
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35
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Starr A, Srinivasan M. The future is in front, to the right, or below: Development of spatial representations of time in three dimensions. Cognition 2021; 210:104603. [PMID: 33486438 DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2021.104603] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2020] [Revised: 01/08/2021] [Accepted: 01/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Across cultures, people frequently communicate about time in terms of space. English speakers in the United States, for example, might "look forward" to the future or gesture toward the left when talking about the past. As shown by these examples, different dimensions of space are used to represent different temporal concepts. Here, we explored how cultural factors and individual differences shape the development of two types of spatiotemporal representations in 6- to 15-year-old children: the horizontal/vertical mental timeline (in which past and future events are placed on a horizontal or vertical line that is external to the body) and the sagittal mental timeline (in which events are placed on a line that runs through the front-back axis of the body). We tested children in India because the prevalence of both horizontal and vertical calendars there provided a unique opportunity to investigate how calendar orientation and writing direction might each influence the development of the horizontal/vertical mental timeline. Our results suggest that the horizontal/vertical mental timeline and the sagittal mental timeline are constructed in parallel throughout childhood and become increasingly aligned with culturally-conventional orientations. Additionally, we show that experience with calendars may influence the orientation of children's horizontal/vertical mental timelines, and that individual differences in children's attitudes toward the past and future may influence the orientation of their sagittal mental timelines. Taken together, our results demonstrate that children are sensitive to both cultural and personal factors when building mental models of time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ariel Starr
- Department of Psychology, University of Washington, United States of America.
| | - Mahesh Srinivasan
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, United States of America
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36
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Gu Y, Zheng Y, Swerts M. Which Is in Front of Chinese People, Past or Future? The Effect of Language and Culture on Temporal Gestures and Spatial Conceptions of Time. Cogn Sci 2020; 43:e12804. [PMID: 31858627 PMCID: PMC6916330 DOI: 10.1111/cogs.12804] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2018] [Revised: 11/01/2019] [Accepted: 11/05/2019] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
The temporal‐focus hypothesis claims that whether people conceptualize the past or the future as in front of them depends on their cultural attitudes toward time; such conceptualizations can be independent from the space–time metaphors expressed through language. In this paper, we study how Chinese people conceptualize time on the sagittal axis to find out the respective influences of language and culture on mental space–time mappings. An examination of Mandarin speakers' co‐speech gestures shows that some Chinese spontaneously perform past‐in‐front/future‐at‐back (besides future‐in‐front/past‐at‐back) gestures, especially when gestures are accompanying past‐in‐front/future‐at‐back space–time metaphors (Exp. 1). Using a temporal performance task, the study confirms that Chinese can conceptualize the future as behind and the past as in front of them, and that such space–time mappings are affected by the different expressions of Mandarin space–time metaphors (Exp. 2). Additionally, a survey on cultural attitudes toward time shows that Chinese tend to focus slightly more on the future than on the past (Exp. 3). Within the Chinese sample, we did not find evidence for the effect of participants' cultural temporal attitudes on space–time mappings, but a cross‐cultural comparison of space–time mappings between Chinese, Moroccans, and Spaniards provides strong support for the temporal‐focus hypothesis. Furthermore, the results of Exp. 2 are replicated even after controlling for factors such as cultural temporal attitudes and age (Exp. 3), which implies that linguistic sagittal temporal metaphors can indeed influence Mandarin speakers' space–time mappings. The findings not only contribute to a better understanding of Chinese people's sagittal temporal orientation, but also have additional implications for theories on the mental space–time mappings and the relationship between language and thought.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Gu
- Tilburg Center for Cognition and Communication, Tilburg University.,Department of Experimental Psychology, University College London
| | - Yeqiu Zheng
- Department of Econometrics and Operations Research, Tilburg University
| | - Marc Swerts
- Tilburg Center for Cognition and Communication, Tilburg University
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37
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Cona G, Wiener M, Scarpazza C. From ATOM to GradiATOM: Cortical gradients support time and space processing as revealed by a meta-analysis of neuroimaging studies. Neuroimage 2020; 224:117407. [PMID: 32992001 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.117407] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2019] [Revised: 08/31/2020] [Accepted: 09/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
According to the ATOM (A Theory Of Magnitude), formulated by Walsh more than fifteen years ago, there is a general system of magnitude in the brain that comprises regions, such as the parietal cortex, shared by space, time and other magnitudes. The present meta-analysis of neuroimaging studies used the Activation Likelihood Estimation (ALE) method in order to determine the set of regions commonly activated in space and time processing and to establish the neural activations specific to each magnitude domain. Following PRISMA guidelines, we included in the analysis a total of 112 and 114 experiments, exploring space and time processing, respectively. We clearly identified the presence of a system of brain regions commonly recruited in both space and time that includes: bilateral insula, the pre-supplementary motor area (pre-SMA), the right frontal operculum and the intraparietal sulci. These regions might be the best candidates to form the core magnitude neural system. Surprisingly, along each of these regions but the insula, ALE values progressed in a cortical gradient from time to space. The SMA exhibited an anterior-posterior gradient, with space activating more-anterior regions (i.e., pre-SMA) and time activating more-posterior regions (i.e., SMA-proper). Frontal and parietal regions showed a dorsal-ventral gradient: space is mediated by dorsal frontal and parietal regions, and time recruits ventral frontal and parietal regions. Our study supports but also expands the ATOM theory. Therefore, we here re-named it the 'GradiATOM' theory (Gradient Theory of Magnitude), proposing that gradient organization can facilitate the transformations and integrations of magnitude representations by allowing space- and time-related neural populations to interact with each other over minimal distances.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giorgia Cona
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padua, Via Venezia 8, 35131, Padua, Italy; Padova Neuroscience Center, University of Padua, Italy.
| | - Martin Wiener
- Department of Psychology, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA.
| | - Cristina Scarpazza
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padua, Via Venezia 8, 35131, Padua, Italy.
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38
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Yang W, Feng X, Jin J, Liu Y, Sun Y. Can mirror reading reverse the flow of time? Evidence from Japanese speakers. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2020; 33:19. [PMID: 32780277 PMCID: PMC7419422 DOI: 10.1186/s41155-020-00156-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2019] [Accepted: 07/09/2020] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Accumulating evidence over the last two decades has established the causal role of a unidirectional orthography in shaping speakers' mental representations of time. Casasanto and Bottini (Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 143, 473-479, 2014) extended previous findings by showing that exposure to mirror-reversed orthography of speakers' native language could completely redirect their mental timelines within minutes. However, the question of whether such a causal effect of writing direction on temporal cognition can be identified in speakers whose native languages adopt bidirectional orthographies remains underexplored in the literature. To address this issue, the present study focused on Japanese which uses bidirectional writing systems, one proceeding horizontally from left to right (HLR) and one vertically from top to bottom (VTB). Two experiments were performed, and the tasks asked participants to process standard/mirror orthography prime questions about time arranged horizontally or vertically, followed by horizontal or vertical arrays of pictorial target stimuli about temporal relations. Results demonstrated that Japanese speakers encoded passage of time into a top-to-bottom linear path commensurate with the VTB writing direction, but they did not align their mental representations of time with the HLR writing orientation. Accordingly, exposure to mirror-reversed bidirectional orthographies redirected Japanese speakers' vertical but not horizontal space-time mappings. Theoretical implications concerning the causal effects of bidirectional orthographies and the generalizability of the representational flexibility of time maintained by Casasanto and Bottini (Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 143, 473-479) are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenxing Yang
- College of Foreign Studies, Yangzhou University, 196 West Huayang Road, Yangzhou, 225127, Jiangsu Province, China.
| | - Xueqin Feng
- College of Foreign Studies, Yangzhou University, 196 West Huayang Road, Yangzhou, 225127, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Jing'ai Jin
- College of Foreign Studies, Yangzhou University, 196 West Huayang Road, Yangzhou, 225127, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Yuting Liu
- College of Foreign Studies, Yangzhou University, 196 West Huayang Road, Yangzhou, 225127, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Ying Sun
- College of Foreign Studies, Yangzhou University, 196 West Huayang Road, Yangzhou, 225127, Jiangsu Province, China
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39
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Frankowska N, Parzuchowski M, Wojciszke B, Olszanowski M, Winkielman P. Rear negativity: Verbal messages coming from behind are perceived as more negative. EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/ejsp.2649] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Natalia Frankowska
- SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities Warsaw Poland
- Center of Research on Cognition and Behavior SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities Sopot Poland
| | - Michal Parzuchowski
- Center of Research on Cognition and Behavior SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities Sopot Poland
| | - Bogdan Wojciszke
- Center of Research on Cognition and Behavior SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities Sopot Poland
| | | | - Piotr Winkielman
- SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities Warsaw Poland
- University of California San Diego La Jolla CA USA
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40
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The radiation of autonoetic consciousness in cognitive neuroscience: A functional neuroanatomy perspective. Neuropsychologia 2020; 143:107477. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2020.107477] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2019] [Revised: 03/07/2020] [Accepted: 04/27/2020] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
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41
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Ding X, Feng N, He T, Cheng X, Fan Z. Can mental time lines co-exist in 3D space? Acta Psychol (Amst) 2020; 207:103084. [PMID: 32408141 DOI: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2020.103084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2019] [Revised: 03/12/2020] [Accepted: 04/29/2020] [Indexed: 10/24/2022] Open
Abstract
A growing body of evidence suggested that time can be represented separately either on the lateral, sagittal or vertical axis. However, it is still not clear whether these mental time lines from different origins could co-exist, or compete with each other such that if one is selected, the others are inhibited? The present study addressed this question using a multi-dimensional free-choice paradigm with Mandarin speakers in three experiments. The results showed that significant spatial-temporal congruency effects were found both on the lateral and sagittal/vertical axes in the horizontal/coronal plane either in a temporal judgment relevant or irrelevant task. By contrast, the spatial-temporal congruency effects did not appear at the same time on the sagittal and vertical axes in the sagittal plane. These results supported that lateral mental time line could co-exist with the other two, while sagittal and vertical mental time lines could not co-exist with each other. This finding implied that the space-time mapping mechanism is different between the lateral axis and the sagittal and vertical axes, whereas it is the same for the latter two axes.
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42
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Bender A, Teige-Mocigemba S, Rothe-Wulf A, Seel M, Beller S. Being In Front Is Good-But Where Is In Front? Preferences for Spatial Referencing Affect Evaluation. Cogn Sci 2020; 44:e12840. [PMID: 32441389 DOI: 10.1111/cogs.12840] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2018] [Revised: 04/07/2020] [Accepted: 04/08/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Speakers of English frequently associate location in space with valence, as in moving up and down the "social ladder." If such an association also holds for the sagittal axis, an object "in front of" another object would be evaluated more positively than the one "behind." Yet how people conceptualize relative locations depends on which frame of reference (FoR) they adopt-and hence on cross-linguistically diverging preferences. What is conceptualized as "in front" in one variant of the relative FoR (e.g., translation) is "behind" under another variant (reflection), and vice versa. Do such diverging conceptualizations of an object's location also lead to diverging evaluations? In two studies employing an implicit association test, we demonstrate, first, that speakers of German, Chinese, and Japanese indeed evaluate the object "in front of" another object more positively than the one "behind." Second, and crucially, the reversal of which object is conceptualized as "in front" involves a corresponding reversal of valence, suggesting an impact of linguistically imparted FoR preferences on evaluative processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Bender
- Department of Psychosocial Science, University of Bergen.,SFF Centre for Early Sapiens Behaviour (SapienCE), University of Bergen
| | | | | | - Miriam Seel
- Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Nagoya University
| | - Sieghard Beller
- Department of Psychosocial Science, University of Bergen.,SFF Centre for Early Sapiens Behaviour (SapienCE), University of Bergen
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43
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Laeng B, Hofseth A. Where Are the Months? Mental Images of Circular Time in a Large Online Sample. Front Psychol 2019; 10:2634. [PMID: 31849757 PMCID: PMC6892832 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02634] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2019] [Accepted: 11/07/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
People may think about time by mentally imaging it in some spatial form, or as "spacetime." In an online survey, 76,922 Norwegian individuals positioned two dots corresponding to the months of December and March on what they imagined to be their appropriate places on a circle. The majority of respondents placed December within a section of the circumference ranging from 11:00 to 12:00 o'clock, but a group of respondents chose positions around the diametrically opposite 6:00 o'clock position. A similar relationship occurred for March, where most respondents chose a position ranging from 2:30 to 3:00 o'clock but a group of respondents chose positions around 9:00 o'clock. About half of the respondents (N = 39,797) continued to fill out an online questionnaire probing their mental images related to the "year" concept. This clarified that 75% of respondents "saw" the months unfolding in a clockwise direction versus 19% in a counter clockwise fashion. Moreover, while a majority (70%) stated that they imagined the year as a "circle," the rest indicated the use of other mental images (e.g., ellipses and spirals, lines and squares, idiosyncratic or synesthetic spatial forms). We found only weak effects or preferences for spatial forms based on respondents' gender, handedness, age, or geographical location.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruno Laeng
- Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.,RITMO Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies in Rhythm, Time and Motion, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Anders Hofseth
- NRKbeta, The Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation, Oslo, Norway
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44
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Prisms for timing better: A review on application of prism adaptation on temporal domain. Cortex 2019; 119:583-593. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2018.10.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2018] [Revised: 09/04/2018] [Accepted: 10/12/2018] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
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45
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Bylund E, Gygax P, Samuel S, Athanasopoulos P. Back to the future? The role of temporal focus for mapping time onto space. Q J Exp Psychol (Hove) 2019; 73:174-182. [DOI: 10.1177/1747021819867624] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Do we conceptualise the future as being behind us or in front of us? Although this question has traditionally been investigated through the lens of spatiotemporal metaphors, new impetus was recently provided by the Temporal-Focus Hypothesis. This hypothesis holds that the mapping of temporal concepts onto the front–back axis is determined by an individual’s temporal focus, which varies as a function of culture, age, and short-term attention shifts. Here, we instead show that participants map the future on to a frontal position, regardless of cultural background and short-term shifts. However, one factor that does influence temporal mappings is age, such that older participants are more likely to map the future as behind than younger participants. These findings suggest that ageing may be a major determinant of space–time mappings, and that additional data need to be collected before concluding that culture or short-term attention do influence space–time mappings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emanuel Bylund
- Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa
- Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | | | - Steven Samuel
- Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
- University of Essex, Colchester, UK
| | - Panos Athanasopoulos
- Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa
- Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK
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46
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Janczyk M, Ulrich R. Action consequences affect the space-time congruency effect on reaction time. Acta Psychol (Amst) 2019; 198:102850. [PMID: 31238176 DOI: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2019.05.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2019] [Revised: 04/13/2019] [Accepted: 05/07/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022] Open
Abstract
According to the metaphoric mapping hypothesis, people code time in terms of space. Consistent with this hypothesis, several reaction time studies have demonstrated that participants respond faster with a left (right) response to stimuli that convey temporal information about the past (future) than when this stimulus-response mapping is reversed (past → right, future → left). The present experiment examines whether the side of the response key or of the (visual) action effect elicited by the response is the crucial factor of this space-time congruency effect. In a response-effect (R-E) compatible group, a response to a temporal stimulus produced a visual action effect on the same side as the response location (left response → left action effect, right response → right action effect). In an R-E incompatible group, however, response and action effect occurred on opposite sides (left response → right action effect, right response → left action effect). A typical space-time congruency effect was obtained in the R-E compatible group, but the congruency effect interacted with group and was descriptively reversed in the R-E incompatible group. This result pattern suggests that the typical congruency effect is determined by the location of the action consequences rather than the location of the response key. Based on this result, we suggest that the space-time congruency effect is based on an abstract spatial mental representation that embraces action events in the external space.
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Román A, Flumini A, Santiago J. Scanning of speechless comics changes spatial biases in mental model construction. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2019; 373:rstb.2017.0130. [PMID: 29914998 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2017.0130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/12/2018] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The mental representation of both time and number shows lateral spatial biases, which can be affected by habitual reading and writing direction. However, this effect is in place before children begin to read. One potential early cause is the experiences of looking at picture books together with a carer, as those images also follow the directionality of the script. What is the underlying mechanism for this effect? In the present study, we test the possibility that such experiences induce spatial biases in mental model construction, a mechanism which is a good candidate to induce the biases observed with numbers and times. We presented a speechless comic in either standard (left-to-right) or mirror-reversed (right-to-left) form to adult Spanish participants. We then asked them to draw the scene depicted by sentences like 'the square is between the cross and the circle'. The position of the lateral objects in these drawings reveals the spatial biases at work when building mental models in working memory. Under conditions of highly consistent directionality, the mirror comic changed pre-existing lateral biases. Processes of mental model construction in working memory stand as a potential mechanism for the generation of spatial biases for time and number.This article is part of the theme issue 'Varieties of abstract concepts: development, use and representation in the brain'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonio Román
- Mind, Brain, and Behavior Research Centre, University of Granada, 18010 Granada, Spain
| | - Andrea Flumini
- Mind, Brain, and Behavior Research Centre, University of Granada, 18010 Granada, Spain
| | - Julio Santiago
- Mind, Brain, and Behavior Research Centre, University of Granada, 18010 Granada, Spain
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Thönes S, Stocker K. A standard conceptual framework for the study of subjective time. Conscious Cogn 2019; 71:114-122. [PMID: 31004875 DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2019.04.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2018] [Revised: 04/09/2019] [Accepted: 04/11/2019] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Research on the mental representation of time ('subjective time') has provided broad insights into the nature of time perception and temporal processing. As the field comprises different scientific disciplines, such as psychology, philosophy, and neuroscience, studies differ with regard to the basic terms and concepts used. For this reason, research on subjective time lacks a coherent conceptual system. We argue that research in the field of subjective time should aim at establishing such a system, i.e., a more standardized terminology, in order to strengthen its theoretical basis and to support an efficient communication of results. Based on key empirical findings and concepts that are commonly (but inconsistently) used in the literature, we argue for a conceptual framework for the study of subjective time that differentiates between three types of mental representations of time: basic temporal processing, time perception in terms of passage, and time perception in terms of duration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sven Thönes
- Experimental Psychology, Department of Psychology, Johannes Gutenberg-University, Mainz, Germany; Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors, Dortmund, Germany.
| | - Kurt Stocker
- Department of Psychology, University of Zürich, Switzerland; Chair of Cognitive Science, ETH Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zürich, Switzerland; Swiss Distance Learning University, Faculty of Psychology, Brig, Switzerland.
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Kranjec A, Lehet M, Woods AJ, Chatterjee A. Time Is Not More Abstract Than Space in Sound. Front Psychol 2019; 10:48. [PMID: 30774606 PMCID: PMC6367220 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2018] [Accepted: 01/09/2019] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Time is talked about in terms of space more frequently than the other way around. Some have suggested that this asymmetry runs deeper than language. The idea that we think about abstract domains (like time) in terms of relatively more concrete domains (like space) but not vice versa can be traced to Conceptual Metaphor Theory. This theoretical account has some empirical support. Previous experiments suggest an embodied basis for space-time asymmetries that runs deeper than language. However, these studies frequently involve verbal and/or visual stimuli. Because vision makes a privileged contribution to spatial processing it is unclear whether these results speak to a general asymmetry between time and space based on each domain’s general level of relative abstractness, or reflect modality-specific effects. The present study was motivated by this uncertainty and what appears to be audition’s privileged contribution to temporal processing. In Experiment 1, using an auditory perceptual task, temporal duration and spatial displacement were shown to be mutually contagious. Irrelevant temporal information influenced spatial judgments and vice versa with a larger effect of time on space. Experiment 2 examined the mutual effects of space, time, and pitch. Pitch was investigated because it is a fundamental characteristic of sound perception. It was reasoned that if space is indeed less relevant to audition than time, then spatial distance judgments should be more easily contaminated by variations in auditory frequency, while variations in distance should be less effective in contaminating pitch perception. While time and pitch were shown to be mutually contagious in Experiment 2, irrelevant variation in auditory frequency affected estimates of spatial distance while variations in spatial distance did not affect pitch judgments. Results overall suggest that the perceptual asymmetry between spatial and temporal domains does not necessarily generalize across modalities, and that time is not generally more abstract than space.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Kranjec
- Department of Psychology, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, PA, United States.,Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Matthew Lehet
- Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, United States.,Department of Psychology, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Adam J Woods
- Cognitive Aging and Memory Clinical Translational Research Program, Institute on Aging, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States.,Department of Aging and Geriatric Research, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - Anjan Chatterjee
- Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
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von Sobbe L, Scheifele E, Maienborn C, Ulrich R. The Space-Time Congruency Effect: A Meta-Analysis. Cogn Sci 2019; 43. [PMID: 30648797 DOI: 10.1111/cogs.12709] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2018] [Revised: 11/28/2018] [Accepted: 11/30/2018] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Several reaction time (RT) studies report faster responses when responses to temporal information are arranged in a spatially congruent manner than when this arrangement is incongruent. The resulting space-time congruency effect is commonly attributed to a culturally salient localization of temporal information along a mental timeline (e.g., a mental timeline that runs from left to right). The present study aims to provide a compilation of the published RT studies on this time-space association in order to estimate the size of its effect and the extent of potential publication bias in this field of research. In this meta-analysis, three types of task are distinguished due to hitherto existing empirical findings. These findings suggest that the extent to which time is made relevant to the experimental task has a systematic impact on whether or not the mental timeline is activated. The results of this meta-analysis corroborate these considerations: First, experiments that make time a task-relevant dimension have a mean effect size of d = 0.46. Second, in experiments in which time is task irrelevant, the effect size does not significantly deviate from zero. Third, temporal priming studies have a surprisingly high mean effect size of d = 0.47, which, however, should be adjusted to d = 0.36 due to publication bias.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Rolf Ulrich
- Department of Psychology, University of Tübingen
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