认知与发展心理学研究室知识库

人们常借助空间经验来理解时间这一抽象概念。这种时间一空间跨域映射的过程被称作时空隐喻。时空映射在左右轴和上下轴遵循一定的模式，然而，当这一映射发生在前后轴时，其映射方向可能在不同情境间切换。基于时空参考系灵活选择与组合转换的视角，本研究类比空间导航中他者中心与自我中心参考系的交互机制，聚焦“顺序位置”他者中心参考系与“自我”所处“此时此地”的自我中心参考系之间的动态藕合过程，探讨二者在不同情境下的组合转换如何影响时空映射方向，尝试解释前后轴的时空映射灵活性。本研究通过两个研究系统考察以下问题:1)顺序信息引发的他者中心参考系激活如何影响涉及“自我”的指示性时间概念理解;2)时间焦点与语言表达如何影响该过程。

研究一通过三个行为实验考察时间顺序表征对时间概念加工的影响。实验1采用“刺激一反应”相容范式探测时间顺序表征的时空联结，发现人们在“更早在前，更晚在后”的时空对应关系下加工速度快于相反的对应关系，说明时间顺序比较任务的确可以激活“顺序位置”他者中心参考系，进而表现出对应的时空联结。实验2将实验1中的时间顺序判断任务作为启动任务，将指示性时间词汇判断任务作为目标任务。目标任务结果揭示，当他者中心参考系与“自我”所在的“此时此地”这一自我中心参考系相结合时，原有由时间焦点和语言习惯主导的“未来在前，过去在后”倾向被显著削弱，而不再表现出任何时空映射倾向。实验3通过空间顺序运动情境启动“顺序位置”时空参考系并提供“前/后”外部空间线索，发现不论是哪种空间顺序运动情境启动，被试原有的时空映射倾向均被削弱。上述结果表明，时间顺序表征的时空联结的确可以在一定程度上激活“顺序位置”他者中心参考系，并在情境需要时与自我为中心参考系相结合，从而动态调整人们在前后轴的时空映射倾向。

研究二由四个行为实验组成，旨在探究时间顺序表达语言对时间概念加工的影响。实验4比较了法语学习者和未学过法语的年轻人在指示性时间词汇判断任务中的表现。结果显示，由于法语中经常使用“顺序位置”相关词汇表达过去和未来相关的时间，导致即使未经过时间顺序比较任务启动的情况下，法语学习者仍然在指示性时间词汇判断任务中表现出了原有映射倾向的减弱甚至翻转。而实验Sa-Sc进一步考察时间顺序表达语句的启动效应，实验结果发现，无论启动句是否包含隐喻，都能在一定程度上减弱甚至翻转被试原有的时空映射倾向。然而三个实验的启动效应存在差异，可能受时间焦点或开放性等个人特质的影响，未来研究可进一步探讨个体认知特征与即时语言情境的交互作用。

综合以上实验结果，本研究认为，在情境需要的情况下，顺序信息引发的他者中心参考系的确会与自我中心参考系发生结合，动态调整原先由时间焦点及语言习惯决定的前后轴时空映射关系。而顺序相关语言表达在长期的时空映射关系塑造与短期的句子加工过程中都会对时间概念加工起到一定的调节作用。这一发现为理解人类在前后轴上灵活而复杂的时空映射机制提供了新的视角。

People often use spatial experience to understand the abstract concept of time. This process of cross-domain mapping between time and space is called space-time metaphor. Space-time mapping follows a certain pattern on the lateral and vertical axis, but that along the sagittal axis shifts across different contexts. From the perspective of flexible selection and combination of space-time reference frames, this study draws an analogy to the interaction mechanism between allocentric and egocentric reference frames in spatial navigation to explain the flexibility of the space-time mapping along the sagittal axis. Specifically, we focus on the dynamic interconnection between the "sequence is position" allocentric reference frame and the egocentric reference frame centered on the "here and now," exploring how their combination and transformation in different contexts shape the space-time mapping. two series of studies to examine the following questions: (1) How the activation of the allocentric reference frame induced by sequential information influences the understanding of deistic temporal concepts involving the "ego," and (2) how temporal focus and linguistic expressions modulate this processing.

Study 1，aimed to investigate the effect of the space-time mapping of sequential time representation on temporal concept processing, consists of three behavioral experiments. Experiment 1 employed a "stimulus-response compatibility" paradigm to examine the space-time mapping of temporal sequence representation. The results showed that participants process temporal concepts faster with the mapping "earlier is in front, later is behind" than with the reversed mapping, indicating that temporal sequence judgement task can activate the "sequence is position" allocentric refer0ence frame, leading to a corresponding space-time mapping. Experiment 2 employed the temporal sequence judgment task in Experiment 1 as the priming task and a deistic temporal word judgment task as the target task. The results revealed that when the allocentric reference frame was combined with the egocentric reference frame centered on the "here and now," the original tendency of "future in front, past behind" in people, which was previously determined by temporal focus and linguistic conventions, was significantly weakened, and no specific mapping was detected. Experiment 3 introduced a motion in sequence spatial context to prime the "sequence is position" reference frame while providing external spatial cues for the front-back axis. The results showed that regardless of the type of spatial motion priming, participants' original mapping was attenuated. These findings suggest that the spatiotemporal association of sequential time representation can activate the "sequence is position" allocentric reference frame to some extent. Out of the requirement of context, this reference frame can dynamically interact with the ego-centered reference frame, leading to adjustments or even reversals in spatiotemporal mapping patterns along the sagittal axis.

Study 2, aimed at exploring the influence of sequential time language on temporal concept processing, comprises four behavioral experiments. Experiment 4 compared the performance of Fr0ench learners with young individuals who had never reached French, finding that due to the frequent use of "sequence is position"-related vocabulary in French to express past and future temporal concepts, French learners no longer exhibited the "future in front, past behind" space-time mapping in deistic temporal term judgment tasks even without the instant priming of temporal sequential information, but rather the innate mapping was reduced or even reversed. Experiments 5a-5c further examined the priming effect of temporal sequence expressions. The results showed that regardless of whether the priming sentences contain metaphors, they can weaken or even reverse the default space-time mapping to varying degrees. However, the priming effects observed across the three experiments were inconsistent, possibly influenced by individual differences such as temporal focus or cognitive openness. Future research could further explore the interaction between individual cognitive traits and immediate linguistic context.

Bascd on the above experimental results, this study suggests that when required by the context, the allocentric reference frame induced by sequential information can combine with the egocentric reference frame, dynamically adjusting the space-time mapping along the sagittal axis primarily determined by temporal focus and linguistic conventions. Moreover, sequential linguistic expressions play a regulatory role in both the long-term shaping of spatiotemporal mappings and the short-term processing of sentences. These findings provide a new perspective for understanding the flexible and complex space-time mapping mechanisms along the sagittal axis in human cognition.