The Effects of Language Use on Time Perspectives in Multilingual Morocco

Abstract

In the current study, we tested the effects of language on time perspective orientation in a Moroccan student sample. Four explanation, mechanisms have been considered: first, the priming of different contents by the use of different languages; second, the influence of the use of different languages on the social identity; third, the altering of memory capacity fostered by the use of a foreign language; and fourth, the enhanced psychological distance when using a foreign language. We used a language manipulation in a sample of Moroccan students (n = 133) with respect to the Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory (ZTPI). The results show that the language manipulation can lead to differences with respect to the scoring on the ZTPI. The suggested mechanisms have different significance on the measurement of the five time perspectives: an altered psychological distance can account for observed differences in the two past-related dimensions—Past Positive and Past Negative—and for Present Hedonism, whereas for Present Fatalism and Future, either language priming effects or altered social identity may explain the observed differences better. The results of the current study also show in general that psychological measurement in Morocco is a more complex procedure than in linguistically homogenous countries.