Innate and Cultural Spatial Time: A Developmental Perspective.

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Neuroscience
• Developmental Psychology
• Neuroscience of Time Perception

Background:

• Understanding the neural basis of time representation is crucial for cognitive development.
• Existing literature suggests distinct mechanisms for implicit and explicit time perception.
• The concept of a 'mental timeline' (MTL) is central to explicit time cognition.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the emergence and nature of spatial maps for time in the brain.
• To differentiate between innate, metrical time maps and learned, conceptual mental timelines.
• To elucidate the developmental trajectory and underlying factors of the mental timeline.

Main Methods:

• Comprehensive literature review on spatial representations of time.
• Conceptual analysis and definition of 'metrical map of time' and 'mental timeline' (MTL).
• Synthesis of findings related to innate vs. learned temporal cognition.

Main Results:

• Both metrical time maps and conceptual mental timelines (MTL) are spatial in nature.
• Metrical maps are innate, analogic, bi-dimensional, and linked to implicit/motor timing.
• The MTL is learned, uni-dimensional, linear, directional (e.g., left-to-right), and emerges around 8-10 years old, linked to explicit/cognitive time.

Conclusions:

• The development of the MTL is significantly influenced by number cognition, semantic time concepts, and literacy.
• Ordinality and linearity in temporal representation are acquired through cognitive and cultural factors.
• Spatial frameworks are fundamental to both implicit and explicit forms of time perception in the brain.