The categorical use of a continuous time representation

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.

Past on the ground floor and future in the attic: The vertical mental timeline.

“…This result could be due to the fact that the temporal expressions used in the study are used daily to refer to events in different past/future positions, suggesting a temporal progression in the mind (a sort of mental time travel), with a specific order on a line. This finding could suggest that the vertical STEARC effect found derived, not only from the associations between past expressions and the down key/space and between future expressions and the up key/space, but also from a possible presence of a sequential order of temporal stimuli, validating a SPoARC-like effect (Abrahamse et al, 2014;Beracci, Santiago, et al, 2021;Ginsburg et al, 2014;Zhou et al, 2019). Thus, the vertical STEARC effect, found in the temporal judgment task, and, especially, the ordinal position of the temporal expressions along the vertical line, could derive from the position effect as proposed by van Dijck and Fias (2011) as an explanation of the SNARC effect.…”

“…In a similar way, a horizontal space-time interaction has been documented, reflecting a Spatial-TEmporal Association of Response Codes (STEARC) effect (Beracci, Santiago, et al, 2021; Bonato et al, 2012; Fabbri et al, 2012, 2013a, 2013b; Ishihara et al, 2008; Vallesi et al, 2008). The STEARC effect reflects an association between past/short durations and the left space and between future/long durations and the right space (Bonato et al, 2012; Macnamara et al, 2018; von Sobbe et al, 2019; Winter, Marghetis, et al, 2015).…”

“…In our opinion, both the more-is-up metaphor account and the SPoARC-like effect remain valid in the interpretation of our data, and they are not mutually exclusive. Indeed, Beracci, Santiago, et al (2021) demonstrated the presence of a continuous MTL for the THE VERTICAL MENTAL TIME LINE 15 horizontal STEARC effect, which could be used categorically when the task required an explicit temporal judgment task. Thus, the ordinality of the temporal expressions activated internal spatial attention, using spatial (vertical) coordinates, in line with the experience of verticality (see Abrahamse et al, 2014 with the mental whiteboard hypothesis).…”

“…The STEARC effect reflects an association between past/short durations and the left space and between future/long durations and the right space (Bonato et al, 2012; Macnamara et al, 2018; von Sobbe et al, 2019; Winter, Marghetis, et al, 2015). Indeed, the space–time interaction has been confirmed using different temporal materials, such as visual or auditory temporal durations (lasting milliseconds or seconds; Fabbri et al, 2012, 2013a, 2013b; Ishihara et al, 2008), temporal verbs or expressions (Beracci, Santiago, et al, 2021; Bottini & Casasanto, 2013; Santiago et al, 2007; Torralbo et al, 2006), or moments of the day (such as breakfast, lunch, and dinner; Tversky et al, 1991). Thus, the STEARC effect supports the idea that humans represent time along a spatially oriented mental timeline or MTL (Beracci, Santiago, et al, 2021; Bonato et al, 2012; Di Bono et al, 2012; Ishihara et al, 2008; Weger & Pratt, 2008), from left to right or from right to left, in line with the cultural direction of reading and writing (Casasanto & Bottini, 2014; Chen, 2007; Fuhrman & Boroditsky, 2010; Pitt & Casasanto, 2020; Vallesi et al, 2011).…”

“…Indeed, the space–time interaction has been confirmed using different temporal materials, such as visual or auditory temporal durations (lasting milliseconds or seconds; Fabbri et al, 2012, 2013a, 2013b; Ishihara et al, 2008), temporal verbs or expressions (Beracci, Santiago, et al, 2021; Bottini & Casasanto, 2013; Santiago et al, 2007; Torralbo et al, 2006), or moments of the day (such as breakfast, lunch, and dinner; Tversky et al, 1991). Thus, the STEARC effect supports the idea that humans represent time along a spatially oriented mental timeline or MTL (Beracci, Santiago, et al, 2021; Bonato et al, 2012; Di Bono et al, 2012; Ishihara et al, 2008; Weger & Pratt, 2008), from left to right or from right to left, in line with the cultural direction of reading and writing (Casasanto & Bottini, 2014; Chen, 2007; Fuhrman & Boroditsky, 2010; Pitt & Casasanto, 2020; Vallesi et al, 2011). The STEARC effect has also been found along the vertical axis (Beracci, Rescott, et al, 2021; Bergen & Chan Lau, 2012; Fuhrman & Boroditsky, 2010; Hartmann et al, 2014; He et al, 2018; Leone et al, 2018; Ruiz Fernandéz et al, 2014; Stocker et al, 2016; Topić et al, 2021; Woodin & Winter, 2018), suggesting either a bottom-to-top or a top-to-bottom time representation.…”