2004
Volume 41, Issue 1
  • ISSN: 1573-9775
  • E-ISSN: 2352-1236

Abstract

Abstract

Research has shown that concrete language is more understandable, interesting and stored better in memory than abstract language (i.e. Sadoski, Goetz, & Rodriguez, 2000). Results are however inconclusive when it comes to the persuasive power of concrete language, which could be due to different operationalisations of the concept across studies. The current study aims to disentangle the concepts of concreteness and of details by manipulating the materials systematically. In an experiment, participants ( = 207) read a judicial case. On the basis of three pro arguments and three counter-arguments they were asked to judge a woman’s fitness as a parent. When the pro arguments were formulated concretely, counter-arguments were formulated abstractly and vice versa. Concreteness comprised three versions: concrete, concrete with details and concrete with affective details. In order to test whether concrete arguments were more decisive (cf. ), participants were also asked to recall the arguments. Results show a marginally significant effect of plain concreteness. However, when concrete arguments were accompanied by non-affective details, these arguments were significantly more convincing. In addition, concrete arguments were recalled better than abstract arguments. Findings are discussed with regard to the different operationalisations of concreteness across studies.

Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/journals/10.5117/TVT2019.1.009.HUST
2019-04-01
2024-11-03
Loading full text...

Full text loading...

/deliver/fulltext/15739775/41/1/09_TVT2019.1_HUST.html?itemId=/content/journals/10.5117/TVT2019.1.009.HUST&mimeType=html&fmt=ahah

References

  1. Bensi, L., Nori, R., Strazzari, E., & Giusberti, F.(2003). Vividness in judgements of guilt. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 97(3), 1133-1136.
    [Google Scholar]
  2. Brysbaert, M., Stevens, M., De Deyne S., Voorspoels, W., & Storms, G.(2014). Norms of age of acquisition and concreteness for 30,000 Dutch words. Acta Psychologica, 150, 80-84.
    [Google Scholar]
  3. Douma, P.(1994). Wees zo concreet mogelijk. Schrijfadviseurs over concreet en abstract taalgebruik. Tijdschrift voor Taalbeheersing, 16(1), 16-31.
    [Google Scholar]
  4. Frey, K.P., & Eagly, A.H.(1993). Vividness can undermine the persuasiveness of messages. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 65(1), 32-44.
    [Google Scholar]
  5. Goetz, E.T., Sadoski, M., Stowe, M.L., Fetsco, T.G., & Kemp, S.G.(1993). Imagery and emotional response in reading literary text: Quantitative and qualitative analyses. Poetics, 22(1-2), 35-49.
    [Google Scholar]
  6. Guadagno, R.E., Rhoads, K.V.L., & Sagarin, B.J.(2011). Figural vividness and persuasion capturing the “elusive” vividness effect. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 37(5), 626-639.
    [Google Scholar]
  7. Hansen, J., & Wänke, M.(2010). Truth from language and truth from fit: The impact of linguistic concreteness and level of construal on subjective truth. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 36(11), 1576-1588.
    [Google Scholar]
  8. Kaminski, J.A., Sloutsky, V.M., & Heckler, A.F.(2013). The cost of concreteness: The effect of nonessential information on analogical transfer. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied, 19(1), 14-29.
    [Google Scholar]
  9. Kousta, S.T., Vigliocco, G., Vinson, D.P., Andrews, M., & Del Campo, E.(2011). The representation of abstract words: Why emotion matters. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 140(1), 14-34.
    [Google Scholar]
  10. Nisbett, R., & Ross, L.(1980). Human Inference: Strategies and Shortcomings of Social Judgment. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
    [Google Scholar]
  11. Paivio, A.(1986). Mental Representations: A Dual Coding Approach. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
    [Google Scholar]
  12. Pettus, C., & Diener, E.(1977). Factors affecting the effectiveness of abstract versus concrete information. The Journal of Social Psychology, 103(2), 233-242.
    [Google Scholar]
  13. Reyes, R.M., Thompson, W.C., & Bower, G.H.(1980). Judgmental biases resulting from differing availabilities of arguments. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 39(1), 2-12.
    [Google Scholar]
  14. Sadoski, M., Goetz, E.T., & Rodriguez, M.(2000). Engaging texts: Effects of concreteness on comprehensibility, interest, and recall in four text types. Journal of Educational Psychology, 92(1), 85-95.
    [Google Scholar]
  15. Shedler, J., & Manis, M.(1986). Can the availability heuristic explain vividness effects?Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 51(1), 26-36.
    [Google Scholar]
  16. Smith, S.M., & Shaffer, D.R.(2000). Vividness can undermine or enhance message processing: The moderating role of vividness congruency. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 26(7), 769-779.
    [Google Scholar]
  17. Spooren, W.P.M.S., Hustinx, L.G.M.M., Aben, J., & Turkenburg, E.(2015). Concreetheid onder de loep. In M.Boogaard, B.van den Bogaerde, S.Bacchini, M.Curcic, N.de Jong, E.le Pichon & L.Rasier (Red.), Artikelen van de achtste Anéla Conferentie Toegepaste Taalwetenschap 2015 (pp. 97-110). Delft: Eburon.
    [Google Scholar]
  18. Taylor, S.E., & Thompson, S.C.(1982). Stalking the elusive “vividness” effect. Psychological Review, 89(2), 155-181.
    [Google Scholar]
  19. Tversky, A., & Kahneman, D.(1973). Availability: A heuristic for judging frequency and probability. Cognitive Psychology, 5(2), 207-232.
    [Google Scholar]
/content/journals/10.5117/TVT2019.1.009.HUST
Loading
/content/journals/10.5117/TVT2019.1.009.HUST
Loading

Data & Media loading...

  • Article Type: Research Article
Keyword(s): abstractness; concreteness; details; experiment; persuasion
This is a required field
Please enter a valid email address
Approval was a Success
Invalid data
An Error Occurred
Approval was partially successful, following selected items could not be processed due to error