The role of euphemisms in language comprehension: The taboo topic of rape
Loading...
Date
2015-08
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
The Ohio State University
Abstract
The present study examined effects of euphemisms on language comprehension. Participants (N=316) completed an online survey and were asked to read a scenario depicting rape and answer questions regarding their interpretations of the scenarios and their attitudes about the speaker. The scenarios varied only in the target word used (i.e., rape; sexual assault; forced himself), the placement of the target word (beginning of passage; end of passage), and the point of view of the speaker (victim; lawyer). No significant effects were found of the target word used or placement of the word on participants’ responses. However, a significant effect of speaker was found on the dependent variables, with the victim point of view conditions eliciting higher ratings of the reliability, trustworthiness, and credibility of the speaker, and how strongly the speaker seemed to feel to participants than the lawyer point of view conditions. Language does not have as much of an influence on cognition as predicted, however, this study did provide evidence that who is reporting affects audiences’ judgments.
Description
Keywords
language comprehension, euphemisms, rape, sexual assault