Timing Research Forum 4

Chair:Martin Riemer(Technical University Berlin)

Time perception is related to the perception of space. This idea has received support from behavioral and neuroscience studies. At the behavioral level, mutual interference between the perception of time and space have been demonstrated. Larger objects are perceived as lasting longer, and the physical duration of stimuli affect their perceived size. Casasanto and Boroditsky (2008) reported evidence for an asymmetric relationship between space and time, with time being more affected by space than vice versa. This finding has stimulated the idea of a hierarchical representation of space and time, which is in line with conceptual metaphor theory but has also invoked skepticism (Riemer & Cai, 2024). The theory of an asymmetric representation of time and space is one focus of this symposium.
At the neuronal level, evidence for a common processing of time, space and other magnitudes in the parietal cortex (especially the right intraparietal sulcus; Bueti & Walsh, 2009) has led to the idea of a dimension-unspecific magnitude system. The idea of a common mechanism for the processing of temporal and spatial information has been reinforced by the discovery of time cells in the medial temporal lobe, a brain structure primarily known for its role in spatial processing (Eichenbaum, 2017). Together, these findings represent potential neuronal origins for the emergence of space-time interference in behavior.
The first two talks of the symposium are predominantly focused on behavioral studies about the (a)symmetric representation of time and space, while in the last two talks we will take a look at the neuronal processes underlying time and space perception.