Processing of time-related words and images: a new approach to the mental timeline

Abstract The aim of this research was to investigate whether information related to time concepts, such as future and past, is processed according to a mental spatial schema, even when presented under conscious and non-conscious perceptual conditions. For this purpose, a sample of 212 healthy Western adults (M = 21.9; SD = 4.9) was selected and instructed to classify words presented parafoveally (Experiment 1A) or foveally (Experiment 1B), and pictures displayed foveally (Experiment 2), as having either‘past’ or ‘future’ meaning. The stimuli were followed by an immediate mask (nonconscious processing) or after a delay (conscious processing). The ANOVA showed a performance pattern congruent with the left-past right-future conceptual metaphor, regardless of target location, stimulus type, and processing level. This novel procedure could be a valuable method for examining the mental timeline, which determines how we classify these temporal stimuli, even when they are not consciously perceived. The observed response pattern is likely to be influenced by cultural factors, such as the direction of reading and writing. However, it is unclear whether individual characteristics, such as the availability and/or distribution of cognitive resources, may also play a role in organizing temporal information in a personalized spatial order. This indicates a need for further research.