48 research outputs found
Listening speaks to our intuition while reading promotes analytic thought
No full textThis is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from the American Psychological Association via the DOI in this recordAll data are available on the Open Science Framework, see
https://osf.io/wyqh6/?view_only=63c7efa4e0e840e59b3ff9f5f67569dc (Geipel & Keysar,
2021).It is widely assumed that thinking is independent of language modality because an argument
is either logically valid or invalid regardless of whether we read or hear it. This is taken for
granted in areas such as psychology, medicine and the law. Contrary to this assumption, we
demonstrate that thinking from spoken information leads to more intuitive performance
compared to thinking from written information. Consequently, we propose that people think
more intuitively in the spoken modality and more analytically in the written modality. This
effect was robust in five experiments (N = 1243), across a wide range of thinking tasks, from
simple trivia questions to complex syllogisms, and it generalized across two different
languages, English and Chinese. We show that this is consistent with neuroscientific findings
and propose that modality dependence could result from how language modalities emerge in
development and are used over time. This finding sheds new light on the way language
influences thought and has important implications for research that relies on linguistic
materials and for domains where thinking and reasoning are central such as law, medicine
and business.National Science Foundation (NSF)University of Chicago Center for International Social Science Researc
Foreign Language Effects on Judgment and Decision Making
No full textI present four studies in which my coauthors and I investigated whether presenting information in a foreign language, as opposed to the native language, influences
judgment and decision-making. Research on judgment and decision-making suggests that there are two routes to judgment and choice: an intuitive, emotional route and an
analytic, controlled route. Research on bilingualism suggests that the use of a foreign language influences the intuitive route. It attenuates emotions and dampens the
activation of moral and sociocultural norms. Merging these lines of research, my coauthors and I predicted that foreign language would influence judgment and decision-making. We found that it influences moral judgment through a deactivation of moral norms, and that it affects the perception of risk and benefit through an attenuation of negative feelings. I discuss the theoretical and practical significance of the present findings, and point out limitations and possible future developments of this research area
Qualifikation und Konfession am Beispiel München :Kirchenzugehörigkeit in Münchner Chefetagen
No full textThe article gives a short overview on previous engagements of the author in the field of the geography of religion. Then it starts out to ascertain that confessional denomination can be used as an indicator for selective mobility of highly qualified people. The faculties of the two Munich universities as well as civil servants of Munich’s public administration (23.000 cases), employees of major companies in industry (BMW and DASA), commercial services like “Munich Re-Insurance” and the media (Bavarian Broadcasting Company), with altogether 37.000 cases, were included in the study. It shows that the higher the rank in the various hierarchies the bigger is the share of Protestants (who are in a diaspora situation here) and of those who have left their denominations. In this group, disintegration from traditional relations in favour of an individualistic lifestyle is evident11922
Breaking Magic: Foreign Language Suppresses Superstition
No full textIn three studies we found that reading information in a foreign language can suppress common superstitious beliefs. Participants read scenarios either in their native or a foreign language. In each scenario, participants were asked to imagine performing an action (e.g., submitting a job application) under a superstitious circumstance (e.g., broken mirror; four-leaf clover) and to rate how they would feel. Overall, foreign language prompted less negative feelings towards bad-luck scenarios, less positive feelings towards good-luck scenarios, while it exerted no influence on non-superstitious, control scenarios. We attribute these findings to language-dependent memory. Superstitious beliefs are typically acquired and used in contexts involving the native language. As a result, the native language evokes them more forcefully than a foreign language
How foreign language affects decisions: Rethinking the brain drain model
No full textVolk, Köhler, and Pudelko (JIBS, 45, 862–885, 2014) propose that foreign language use depletes cognitive resources, thus hindering individual decision making and self-regulation. The present commentary highlights studies showing that foreign language use can also improve decision making and self-regulation. We propose that these benefits derive from two psychological factors. The first concerns the timing of cognitive depletion. Foreign language use involves an increase of memory load in the early phases of information processing, which has been shown to reduce the capture of attention by tempting stimuli. The second factor concerns the nature of human memory. Experiences and their associated emotions are coded in the language in which they occur, and thus are more accessible when the same language is used at retrieval. Therefore, certain mental constructs, such as stereotypes, which have been shaped by years of cultural learning in a native language context, may exert less influence when processing a foreign language. The present treatment indicates value in extending Volk et al.’s conceptual model, and can help develop language strategies that may ultimately improve organizational decision making
