The Effect Of Numerical Magnitude On Time Perception-The Moderating Effect Of Conceptual Magnitude

Numbers are abstract symbols in life,often combined with context information to represent some entity.Previously,when exploring the effects of combining numerical and contextual information on temporal perception,some researchers used conceptual magnitudes to represent contextual information.Conceptual magnitude is an imprecise magnitude information that is not directly obtained through physical observation,for example,people know that "lion" is larger than "ant",even if they only see conceptual symbols without seeing real objects,they can obtain corresponding magnitude information.Previous studies have been controversial about the impact of combining numbers and conceptual magnitude on time perception.A theory of magnitude theory proposes that the information in the dimensions of quantity,time and space has a common metric and neural basis,and there is a common increasing and decreasing trend in the "quantity" between different dimensions of information.In other words,there is a mapping of "more A and more B" between different dimensions of information.And some researchers believe that all continuous variables can be included in ATOM.Thus,the influence of continuous variables on temporal perception formed by the combination of numerical and conceptual magnitudes may also originate from that unified metric system.Accordingly,it has been proposed that when numbers are combined with conceptual magnitudes,the conceptual magnitudes do not moderate the effect of numbers on time perception.This is demonstrated by the fact that the effect of numbers on time perception is underestimated for small numbers and overestimated for large numbers,regardless of whether numbers are combined with large or small conceptual scales.However,some researchers argue that it is the difference between stimuli(or between stimulus and background),rather than the absolute size of the stimulus,that determines our sensory judgments and stimulus recognition.According to the relative quantity effect,the representation of numbers in the individual’s subjective psychological sense,i.e.,the relative number size rather than the absolute number value,is the key to determining whether numbers affect time perception.Therefore,some researchers have argued that when conceptual magnitudes are combined with numbers,conceptual magnitudes moderate the effect of numbers on time perception.Specifically,the difference in time estimation between numbers increases when numbers are combined with large conceptual magnitudes,while the difference in time estimation between numbers decreases or even disappears when numbers are combined with small conceptual magnitudes.In view of this,the present study will investigate whether conceptual magnitudes can moderate the effects of numbers on time perception by combining the ideas of quantity theory and relative quantity effects.Experiment 1 used the numbers "1","2","8" and "9" as stimulus materials to verify the effect of numbers on time perception.The results of the experiment were consistent with previous studies in that the effects of numbers on time perception were underestimated for small numbers and overestimated for large numbers.Experiment 2 used a combination of numerical and weight conceptual magnitudes "kg" and "mg" as experimental stimuli to test whether conceptual magnitudes play a moderating role in the effect of numerical size on time perception.It was found that conceptual magnitudes did not moderate the effect of number size on time perception,and that the effect of numbers on time perception showed an underestimation of small numbers and an overestimation of large numbers,whether numbers were combined with large conceptual magnitudes(kilograms)or small conceptual magnitudes(milligrams).Experiment 3 built on Experiment 2 by increasing subjects’ familiarity with conceptual magnitudes.The effect of increasing familiarity with conceptual magnitudes on the perception of time was investigated to see whether conceptual magnitudes moderated the effect of numerical size.The results showed that the familiarity with "kilogram" and "milligram" increased significantly after increasing the familiarity with the concept magnitude,but did not reach the ideal familiarity.The results of Experiment 3 also showed that conceptual magnitude still did not moderate the effect of number size on time perception.Experiment 4 used a combination of numbers and the conceptual magnitude of weight,’tonnes’ and ’grams’,as stimulus materials.It was investigated whether conceptual magnitudes moderated the effect of number size on time perception when familiar conceptual magnitudes were used.It was found that conceptual magnitudes moderated the effect of number size on time perception when familiar conceptual symbols were used,with the difference in time estimates between numbers significantly increasing when numbers were combined with large conceptual magnitudes(tons)and disappearing when numbers were combined with small conceptual magnitudes(grams).This result suggests that the moderating role of conceptual magnitude in the effect of numbers on time perception is influenced by conceptual sign familiarity.Experiments 5 and 6 used the length concept scale to validate and extend the weight concept scale.After the length concept scale familiarity questionnaire,Experiment 5 used the unfamiliar length concept scales "decimetre" and "millimetre";Experiment 6 used the familiar length concept scales "kilometre " and "centimetres".The results of Experiment 5 found that conceptual magnitudes did not moderate the effect of number size on time perception when unfamiliar conceptual magnitudes were used.The results of Experiment 6 found that conceptual magnitudes moderated the effect of number size on time perception when familiar conceptual magnitudes were used.The above results suggest that:(1)Conceptual magnitudes do not moderate the effect of numbers on time perception when individuals are unfamiliar with conceptual symbols,and numbers exhibit underestimation of small numbers and overestimation of large numbers whether they are combined with small or large conceptual magnitudes.(2)Conceptual magnitudes moderate the effect of numbers on time perception when individuals are familiar with conceptual symbols,with the difference in time estimates between numbers significantly increasing when numbers are combined with large conceptual magnitudes and disappearing when numbers are combined with small conceptual magnitudes.(3)The moderating role of conceptual magnitude in the effect of digits on time perception was influenced by conceptual sign familiarity,whether using the weight or length conceptual magnitude.