The implicit and explicit embodiment of time

The present research concerns the idea of an embodied concept and asks whether a concept as such is fundamentally grounded in implicit sensorimotor representations or is better understood as the product of explicit analytic processes. Our investigation focuses on the relation between spatial and temporal concepts. Systematic constraints and patterns found in space (e.g. the physical environment, the mechanical properties of our bodies and the organization of our perceptual systems) seem to influence how we gesture, talk, and think about temporal relations. A novel method designed to explore how different spatial reference frames ground distinct temporal concepts was used in which participants guessed the spatial locations of picture tiles in one of two boxes. The task was designed to resemble a parapsychology demonstration. Unknown to participants, the tiles depicted either PAST/FUTURE or EARLIER/LATER temporal relations. Results demonstrate that responses were assisted by the relative spatial locations of the boxes in a manner concordant with the structure of a particular temporal concept and suggest that implicit processes act on representations accessible to explicit analysis. Participants became aware of temporal structure when stimuli were placed in front and behind (Experiment 1) but not when placed to the left and right (Experiment 2). Furthermore, participants responded systematically to PAST/FUTURE but not EARLIER/LATER stimulus items. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.