Is space-time interference asymmetric? A conceptual replication of Casasanto and Boroditsky (2008)
Mon-Main hall - Z3-Poster 1-2810
Presented by: Daniel Bratzke
The previous finding of asymmetrical space-time interference (Casasanto & Boroditsky, 2008) has been considered as important evidence for the assumption that spatial metaphors are employed when talking or thinking about time. In the present study, we aimed to replicate the asymmetrical space-time interference with slight modifications of the original design. Participants were presented with horizontal lines of different lengths and durations. In contrast to Casasanto and Boroditsky’s original design, the tested durations were in the subsecond range (200 – 1000 ms) instead of the suprasecond range, and length and duration judgments were assessed via visual analogue scales instead of reproductions. In Experiment 1, participants received the information about the relevant task dimension in each trial only after the presentation of the line. In Experiment 2, the information was provided before the presentation. The results of Experiment 1 replicated the previous asymmetrical space-time interference. Both dimensions interfered with judgments of the other dimension, and the influence of line length on duration judgments was about two times as large as the effect of duration on length judgments. Preliminary results of Exp. 2 (N = 18, planned N = 25), however, do not show an asymmetric pattern.
Keywords: time perception, spatial perception, space-time interference, conceptual metaphor, cross-modal interaction