Is power-space a continuum? Distance effect during power judgments.
Despite the increasing evidence suggesting that power processing can activate vertical space schema, it still remains unclear whether this power-space is dichotomic or continuous. Here we tested the nature of the power-space by the distance effect, a continuous property of space cognition. In two experiments, participants were required to judge the power of one single word (Experiment 1) or compare the power of two words presented in pairs (Experiment 2). The power distance was indexed by the absolute difference of power ratings. Results demonstrated that reaction time decreased with the power distance, whereas accuracy increased with the power distance. The findings indicated that different levels of power were presented as different vertical heights, implying that there was a common mechanism underlying space and power cognition.
Department of Psychology, Fudan University, Handan Road 220, Shanghai SH 200433, China.
Tianjiao
T
Jiang
Department of Psychology, Fudan University, Handan Road 220, Shanghai SH 200433, China. Electronic address: judy1981_81@hotmail.com.
Lei
L
Zhu
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007600:Judgment; D008297:Male; D011209:Power, Psychological; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology*; D013028:Space Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult
Continuous; Dichotomic; Distance effect; Power judgment