Shared Principles of Individuation Underpin Object-Event Correspondences Cross-Linguistically

Entities in both the spatial and the temporal domains are characterized by a shared notion of individuation. Within the spatial domain, objects (e.g., table, ball) are discrete, countable mental individuals, and are distinct from unindividuated substances (e.g., sand, water). Within the temporal domain, bounded events (e.g., pile up a deck of cards) are mental individuals: They are internally structured in terms of distinct temporal stages and a well-defined endpoint; as such, they differ from unbounded events (e.g., shuffle a deck of cards) that lack such features. A key question left open by previous studies (conducted with English speakers) is whether the principles of mental individuation across the spatial and temporal domains are universal or shaped by one's native language. Here, we address this issue by comparing English and Mandarin speakers. Our results highlight shared signatures of individuation that underpin object-event correspondences across languages and are potentially universal.