Abstract
We reviewed literature to understand when a spatial map for time is available in the brain. We carefully defined the concepts of metrical map of time and of conceptual representation of time as the mental time line (MTL) in order to formulate our position. It is that both metrical map and conceptual representation of time are spatial in nature. The former should be innate, related to motor/implicit timing, it should represent all magnitudes with an analogic and bi-dimensional structure. The latter MTL should be learned, available at about 8–10 years-old and related to cognitive/explicit time. It should have uni-dimensional, linear and directional structure (left-to-right in Western culture). We bear the centrality of the development of number cognition, of time semantic concepts and of reading/writing habits for the development of ordinality and linearity of the MTL.
Highlights
Numerous studies agree that the brain maps time dimension by a spatial code (Walsh, 2003; Bueti and Walsh, 2009; Oliveri et al, 2009)
If a spatial stimulation interferes with a temporal task but the reverse does not happen, we can assume that temporal system does depend on spatial system but the spatial system does not depend on the temporal system
If a numerical stimulation interferes with a temporal task but the reverse does not happen, we can assume that temporal system does depend on numerical system but the numerical system does not depend on the temporal system
Summary
Numerous studies agree that the brain maps time dimension by a spatial code (Walsh, 2003; Bueti and Walsh, 2009; Oliveri et al, 2009). Time and Space in the Brain (Galton, 1880; Dehaene et al, 1993; Droit-Volet, 2003; Dormal et al, 2006, 2008; Torralbo et al, 2006; Vicario et al, 2007, 2008; Ishihara et al, 2008; Umiltà et al, 2009; Vallesi et al, 2011) and studies supporting partially dependent systems by showing asymmetrical influences (Castelli et al, 2006; Casasanto and Boroditsky, 2008; Bottini and Casasanto, 2013; Droit-Volet and Coull, 2015) are present in literature For the former case, for example, Merritt et al (2010) trained two rhesus macaques to classify lines on their duration or spatial extent by means of a touch screen. Clarification about the generalized or the hierarchical organization of quantities maps would insert inside the debate about the innate or the cultural nature of the spatial representations of quantities (Proctor and Cho, 2006; Bonato et al, 2012, 2016 for the debate on the spatial nature of quantities representations)
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