Choy Eunice E Hang, Cheung Him
Department of Psychology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, N.T., Hong Kong.
Cogn Process. 2017 Nov;18(4):479-490. doi: 10.1007/s10339-017-0817-6. Epub 2017 May 17.
Temporal and spatial representations have been consistently shown to be inextricably intertwined. However, the exact nature of time-space mapping remains unknown. On the one hand, the conceptual metaphor theory postulates unilateral, asymmetric mapping of time onto space, that is, time is perceived in spatial terms but the perception of space is relatively independent of time. On the other hand, a theory of magnitude assumes bilateral and symmetric interactions between temporal and spatial perceptions. In the present paper, we argue that the concepts of linguistic asymmetry, egocentric anchoring, and sensory modality provide potential explanations for why evidences favoring both asymmetry and symmetry have been obtained. We first examine the asymmetry model and suggest that language plays a critical role in it. Next, we discuss the symmetry model in relation to egocentric anchoring and sensory modality. We conclude that since these three factors may jointly account for some conflicting past results regarding the strength and directionality of time-space mapping, they should be taken into serious consideration in future test designs.
时间和空间表征一直被证明是紧密相连、不可分割的。然而，时空映射的确切本质仍然未知。一方面，概念隐喻理论假定时间到空间的映射是单向、不对称的，也就是说，时间是通过空间概念来感知的，但空间感知相对独立于时间。另一方面，量级理论假定时间和空间感知之间存在双向且对称的相互作用。在本文中，我们认为语言不对称、自我中心锚定和感觉模态的概念为为何既获得了支持不对称性又获得了支持对称性的证据提供了潜在的解释。我们首先考察不对称模型，并指出语言在其中起着关键作用。接下来，我们讨论与自我中心锚定和感觉模态相关的对称模型。我们得出结论，由于这三个因素可能共同解释了过去一些关于时空映射强度和方向性的相互矛盾的结果，因此在未来的测试设计中应予以认真考虑。
