Abstract: Using moving window display technique and recognition probes technique, two experiments examined whether the lapses of time adverbs or adverbials are sufficient to time shifts in narratives and thus tested the scenarios model by Anderson and strong iconicity assumption by Zwaan. Experiment 1 investigated the condition on making time shifts by the lapses of time phrases; Experiment 2 investigated whether the spans of scenarios increase had affected time shifts by incontinuous time phrases. These results demonstrated discontinuous temporal information was necessary to time shifts, but not sufficient. Discontinuous temporal information might not produce time shift until its lapse reached the ratio between the lapse of temporal information and the lapse of scenario.

Key words: situation-model, event-indexing model, scenarios model, strong iconicity assumption