The Weight of Time: Affordances for an Integrated Magnitude System

In five experiments we explored the effects of weight on time in different action contexts to test the hypothesis that an integrated magnitude system is tuned to affordances. Larger magnitudes generally seem longer; however, Lu and colleagues (2009) found that if numbers were presented as weights in...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of experimental psychology. Human perception and performance 2011-12, Vol.37 (6), p.1855-1866
Main Authors: Lu, Aitao, Mo, Lei, Hodges, Bert H
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biological and medical sciences
Cognition. Intelligence
Colleagues
Effects
Experimental psychology
Experiments
Female
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Handedness
Human
Humans
Judgment
Lifting
Limited English Speaking
Magnitude
Male
Mathematics
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Science Education
Scientific Concepts
Spatial perception. Time perception
Stimulus Parameters
Time Factors
Time Perception
Time Perception - physiology
Time Perspective
Toxicology
Toxins
Undergraduate Students
Weight Perception
Weight-Bearing - physiology
Weightlifting
Young Adult
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Summary:In five experiments we explored the effects of weight on time in different action contexts to test the hypothesis that an integrated magnitude system is tuned to affordances. Larger magnitudes generally seem longer; however, Lu and colleagues (2009) found that if numbers were presented as weights in a range heavy enough to affect lifting, the "larger seems longer" effect was enhanced, but it was eliminated with weights too light to affect lifting. Experiments 1 and 2 revealed that actually lifting kilogram and gram weights had effects parallel to symbolized weights, suggesting that Lu et al.'s task implicitly evoked a lifting context. Experiments 3 and 4 showed that weights too heavy (e.g., tons) or too light to be discriminated by lifting, but relevant to other affordances (e.g., grams of a toxin) had effects on time as large or larger than for kilograms. Experiment 5 showed that the effect for grams in a toxicology context did not generalize to the lifting task of Experiment 2. Weight appears to integrate with other magnitudes when it is relevant to meaningful actions, including but not limited to lifting. (Contains 2 footnotes and 5 figures.)
ISSN:0096-1523
1939-1277
DOI:10.1037/a0024673