Neurophysiological Correlates of Spatial Schema Simulation in Temporal Words Processing: ERPs Evidence

Simulated Semantics proposes that there is sensory-motor enactment in concept processing.However, whether sensory-motor experience is involved in abstract concept processing and its neurophysiological correlates remains unclear.An ERP study was carried out to investigate the simulation of spatial schema during the processing of Chinese temporal words.The priming effect of temporal words on spatial judgement task of 18 native Chinese speakers was examined.It was found that processing of time-referenced words primed the spatial locations and shifted attention to the left when cued by the past word, and to the right when cued by the future word.P1 was significantly enhanced in the time window of 80~130ms for congruent trials, and the effect was typically distributed in occipital sites.No modulation of N1 was found.P1 reflects the enhancement of attention and modulation to targets on attended location, thus it provides neural evidence that perceiving temporal words can activate the implied spatial schema gained from time-space metaphorical mapping and arouse activation of spatial schema.This result supports the strong version of Metaphorical Structuring View, and the activation was elicited by the neural circuit and the simulation of time-space metaphor.