Exploring metaphor's epistemic function: Uncertainty moderates metaphor-consistent priming effects on social perceptions

Keefer, Lucas A.; Landau, Mark J.; Sullivan, Daniel; Rothschild, Zachary K.

doi:10.1016/j.jesp.2011.02.002

Cited by 42 publications

(64 citation statements)

References 4 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Our second theoretically guided hypothesis was that priming a journey-metaphoric framing of a possible identity increases engagement by means of increasing identity connection. This hypothesis follows from the integration of two prior findings: perceived identity connection is a key antecedent of engagement with a possible identity , and using the journey metaphor to frame temporally remote aspects of one's identity increases their perceived connection to one's current identity (Keefer et al, 2011). Studies 5 and 6 test this hypothesis, in Study 5 with a sample of college freshmen focused on their academic possible identity and in Study 6 with a sample of adults focused on a desired possible identity 4 years in the future.…”

Section: Part 2: the Journey Metaphor Transfers Procedural Confidencementioning

confidence: 97%

The college journey and academic engagement: How metaphor use enhances identity-based motivation.

Landau

Oyserman

Keefer

et al. 2014

Journal of Personality and Social Psychology

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

People commonly talk about goals metaphorically as destinations on physical paths extending into the future or as contained in future periods. Does metaphor use have consequences for people's motivation to engage in goal-directed action? Three experiments examine the effect of metaphor use on students' engagement with their academic possible identity: their image of themselves as academically successful graduates. Students primed to frame their academic possible identity using the goal-as-journey metaphor reported stronger academic intention, and displayed increased effort on academic tasks, compared to students primed with a nonacademic possible identity, a different metaphoric framing (goal-as-contained-entity), and past academic achievements (Studies 1-2). This motivating effect persisted up to a week later as reflected in final exam performance (Study 3). Four experiments examine the cognitive processes underlying this effect. Conceptual metaphor theory posits that an accessible metaphor transfers knowledge between dissimilar concepts. As predicted in this paradigm, a journey-metaphoric framing of a possible academic identity transferred confidence in the procedure, or action sequence, required to attain that possible identity, which in turn led participants to perceive that possible identity as more connected to their current identity (Study 4). Drawing on identity-based motivation theory, we hypothesized that strengthened current/possible identity connection would mediate the journey framing's motivating effect. This mediational process predicted students' academic engagement (Study 5) and an online sample's engagement with possible identities in other domains (Study 6). Also as predicted, journey framing increased academic engagement particularly among students reporting a weak connection to their academic possible identity (Study 7).

show abstract

Section: Part 2: the Journey Metaphor Transfers Procedural Confidencementioning

confidence: 97%

The college journey and academic engagement: How metaphor use enhances identity-based motivation.

Landau

Oyserman

Keefer

et al. 2014

Journal of Personality and Social Psychology

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Metaphors of up and down affected satisfaction with one's university decision only when uncertainties about college were salient. (Data from Keefer, Landau, Sullivan, and Rothschild (); Error bars represent standard errors)…”

Section: But When Does Metaphor Shape Product Evaluation?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Conceptual metaphors shape consumer psychology

Landau

Zhong

Swanson

2017

Consumer Psychology Review

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Marketers routinely use metaphors to compare abstract concepts to concrete concepts in remote domains. For example, a tagline "Supercharge your day" compares energy to electricity. Such messages aim to change consumer attitudes and behavior, but what impact do they have? According to Conceptual Metaphor Theory, metaphors can shape thought by borrowing knowledge of a concrete concept to understand and relate to an abstraction, despite their superficial differences. Supporting this claim is growing evidence that exposure to metaphoric messages prompts recipients to construe the metaphor's abstraction in ways that are analogous to the salient concrete concept. This article presents a selective review of this literature, focusing on studies pertaining to product evaluation and consumption attitudes. Discussion looks across findings to identify questions for future research. Taken as a whole, this research illuminates how, when, and for whom metaphoric messages are persuasive, with theoretical and practical implications for marketing, design, and persuasion. K E Y W O R D Sconsumer psychology, embodied cognition, marketing, message framing, metaphor, persuasion

show abstract

“…Furthermore, past research (Keefer, Landau, Sullivan, & Rothschild, 2011) has also indicated that individuals are more likely to rely on metaphors to interpret target-relevant information when target uncertainty is high. In this study, we examined a hypothetical or potential relationship, which is likely to be more uncertain than an established relationship.…”

Section: Sweet Taste and Romantic Perceptions Of A Nonestablished Relmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sweet love

Ren

Tan

Arriaga

et al. 2014

Journal of Social and Personal Relationships

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Terms of endearment such as ''sweetie,'' ''honey,'' and ''sugar'' are commonly used in the context of describing romantic partners. This article explores how a relatively subtle manipulation, namely taste sensations, might influence romantic perceptions of a nonestablished relationship. Consistent with predictions, results from Studies 1 and 2 (n ¼ 280) showed that participants evaluated a hypothetical relationship, but not an existing relationship, more favorably when exposed to sweet taste compared to nonsweet taste control. Study 3 (n ¼ 142) further showed that participants indicated greater interest in initiating a relationship with a potential partner when exposed to sweet taste, as compared to control participants. Implications for the role of sweet taste experiences in attraction and relationship initiation are discussed. Keywords Attraction, metaphors, romantic interest, romantic relationships, sweet tasteMetaphors are used to represent relational bonds symbolically. In English, this is best captured by the oft-heard phrase, ''love is sweet,'' which brings to mind prevalent ideas of love and romance. For example, terms of endearment such as ''sweetie,'' ''honey,'' and ''sugar'' are commonly used with close others and especially in reference to romantic partners (with similarities in other languages, such as Mandarin, German, etc.). J S P RRecent research suggests that these terms may be more than mere metaphors (Chan, Tong, Tan, & Koh, 2013;Meier, Moeller, Riemer-Peltz, & Robinson, 2011). When words indicating sweet taste (e.g., honey or sweetie) are used in a romantic context of describing close others, they become cognitively mapped in such a way that triggering one concept (e.g., sweet taste) may make the other more accessible (e.g., romantic love). This article explores the idea that the experience of a sweet taste and the concept of love can become intertwined. This research specifically examines whether sweet taste experiences affect one's romantic perceptions. We posit that sweet taste experiences may direct romantic perceptions in the form of romantic interest and evaluations of a potential romantic relationship. These romantic perceptions matter because they can orient people toward some romantic partners and/or away from others. Romantic perceptions can be the basis for initiating new relationships, and this is especially important as romantic bonds figure prominently in adult social lives, given that they satisfy important needs and can have important consequences for short-and long-term well-being (Kielcolt-Glaser & Newton, 2001). Hence, we sought to establish whether something as subtle as a sweet taste experience might alter one's perceptual orientation toward a potential romantic relationship. Metaphorical thinking: Sweet taste and loveMetaphors are useful linguistic tools to understand abstract concepts by using the knowledge of more concrete examples (Lakoff & Johnson, 1980), such as when emotions are communicated by being paired with terms of physical positions (e.g., ''I feel ...

show abstract

Exploring metaphor's epistemic function: Uncertainty moderates metaphor-consistent priming effects on social perceptions

Cited by 42 publications

References 4 publications

The college journey and academic engagement: How metaphor use enhances identity-based motivation.

The college journey and academic engagement: How metaphor use enhances identity-based motivation.

Conceptual metaphors shape consumer psychology

Sweet love

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About