The Space-Time Congruency Effect: A Meta-Analysis. 2019

Linda von Sobbe, and Edith Scheifele, and Claudia Maienborn, and Rolf Ulrich
Collaborative Research Center 833, University of Tübingen.

Several reaction time (RT) studies report faster responses when responses to temporal information are arranged in a spatially congruent manner than when this arrangement is incongruent. The resulting space-time congruency effect is commonly attributed to a culturally salient localization of temporal information along a mental timeline (e.g., a mental timeline that runs from left to right). The present study aims to provide a compilation of the published RT studies on this time-space association in order to estimate the size of its effect and the extent of potential publication bias in this field of research. In this meta-analysis, three types of task are distinguished due to hitherto existing empirical findings. These findings suggest that the extent to which time is made relevant to the experimental task has a systematic impact on whether or not the mental timeline is activated. The results of this meta-analysis corroborate these considerations: First, experiments that make time a task-relevant dimension have a mean effect size of d = 0.46. Second, in experiments in which time is task irrelevant, the effect size does not significantly deviate from zero. Third, temporal priming studies have a surprisingly high mean effect size of d = 0.47, which, however, should be adjusted to d = 0.36 due to publication bias.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D011930 Reaction Time The time from the onset of a stimulus until a response is observed. Response Latency,Response Speed,Response Time,Latency, Response,Reaction Times,Response Latencies,Response Times,Speed, Response,Speeds, Response
D003210 Concept Formation A cognitive process involving the formation of ideas generalized from the knowledge of qualities, aspects, and relations of objects. Concept Acquisition,Concept Learning,Conceptualization,Acquisition, Concept,Acquisitions, Concept,Concept Acquisitions,Formation, Concept,Learning, Concept
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D013995 Time The dimension of the physical universe which, at a given place, orders the sequence of events. (McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms, 6th ed) Effects, Long-Term,Effects, Longterm,Long-Term Effects,Longterm Effects,Effect, Long-Term,Effect, Longterm,Effects, Long Term,Long Term Effects,Long-Term Effect,Longterm Effect
D065855 Spatial Processing Integration of spatial information perceived by visual and/or auditory CUES. Auditory Spatial Processing,Auditory-Visual Spatial Processing,Visual Spatial Processing,Visual-Auditory Spatial Processing,Auditory Spatial Processings,Auditory Visual Spatial Processing,Auditory-Visual Spatial Processings,Processing, Auditory Spatial,Processing, Auditory-Visual Spatial,Processing, Spatial,Processing, Visual Spatial,Processing, Visual-Auditory Spatial,Processings, Auditory Spatial,Processings, Auditory-Visual Spatial,Processings, Spatial,Processings, Visual Spatial,Processings, Visual-Auditory Spatial,Spatial Processing, Auditory,Spatial Processing, Auditory-Visual,Spatial Processing, Visual,Spatial Processing, Visual-Auditory,Spatial Processings,Spatial Processings, Auditory,Spatial Processings, Auditory-Visual,Spatial Processings, Visual,Spatial Processings, Visual-Auditory,Visual Auditory Spatial Processing,Visual Spatial Processings,Visual-Auditory Spatial Processings

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