Spatial Depth Cues in Temporal Reasoning

Space is a foundational schema for reasoning about time and as a result time is conceptualized in terms of spatial reality. The ego-moving cognitive metaphor suggests that time is static and immobile and the self moves through it. Conversely, the time-moving cognitive metaphor suggests time moves through a stationary being and is not subject to manipulation from the observer. The present study examined the relationship between the two temporal orientations and spatial depth cues. Four depth cues were tested: relative size, atmospheric disturbance, object occlusion and linear perspective. Participants were primed by reading temporal sentences imbued with either ego-moving or time-moving characteristics. Participants then viewed images containing the depth cues and answered questions regarding time. After this, they answered eight temporal questions and completed the Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory survey. There was a marginal main effect of priming condition indicating that there was a tendency for people to take a higher proportion of ego-moving responses in the ego-moving condition. The proportion of responses varied as a function of the cue that was viewed. There was a significant tendency for people to give a time-moving response orientation to the atmospheric disturbance depth cue and a tendency for people to give an ego-moving orientation to the linear perspective depth cue across the two conditions. There were no significant correlations between the ZTPI and any of the depth cues or conditions. These results suggest that the temporal perceptions of time in relation to depth cues are distinct from linear perceptions of time.

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Psychology

Grantor

Texas State University-San Marcos

Year dc:date.issued

2012

Author dc:creator

• Frangeskou, Athena

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Graham, Reiko

• space
• abstraction
• concepts
• ego
• motion
• eepth cue
• metaphor
• schema
• construct
• context
• time

Language dc:language.iso

en

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/10877/4165

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:digital.library.txst.edu:10877/4165