The semantic mediation of evaluative meaning.

Abstract

Within the theoretical framework of Osgood's (Osgood, Suci, & Tannenbaum, 1957) theory of meaning the sign of an object is a primary symbol assumed to evoke a representational mediating response that is some part of the total behavior emitted by the organism when stimulated by the object itself. This response produces distinctive cues, mediating behavior that would otherwise not have occurred in the absence of previous association of the object with the word. The representational elements (r m -s m ) correspond to the meaning of the sign, and because of the cue or stimulus components the sign can be conditioned to other stimuli initially lacking in meaning. Upon conditioning such symbolic stimuli are designated assigns. On the basis of the congruity principle distinctive responses may be produced by novel stimuli if the assign, within appropriate contextual arrangements, is used to label other novel stimuli (Osgood etal., 1957).

Effects of verbally mediated drive on a motor response and evaluative ratings.

“…Although administration of shock was not sufficient to shift the evaluative ratings to the negative side of the scale, there was a significant shock effect for the R-Sh group. This corresponds with the findings of Osipow (1960) and DiVesta and Stover (1962) who mediated negative changes in evaluation using negative evaluative verbal labels instead of shock. These studies used nonsense materials as stimuli and did not attempt to vary the extremity or intensity of the mediated evaluative response.…”

“…A number of recent experiments have demonstrated the development and verbal mediation of evaluative reactions or preferences (DiVesta, 1962;DiVesta & Stover, 1962;Eisman, 1955). Presumably, underlying evaluation or preference is some motivational quality, affect, or drive which develops through association with reward or punishment, pleasant or unpleasant events (Doob, 1947;Nunnally, Ducknowski, & Parker, 1965;Osgood, 1957).…”

Us and them: Social categorization and the process of intergroup bias.

“…It is well documented that once words have acquired the ability to evoke positive or negative affective responses (i.e, words such as good and bad), they can then act as higher order conditioning stimuli themselves. Pairing these words with other, affectively neutral words over time will eventually establish a positive or negative response to the previously neutral words as well (eg., Das & Nanda, 1963;Di Vesta & Stover, 1962;A. W Staats & Staats, 1958;C K. Staats & Staats, 1957).…”

“…Studies of associative learning (e.g- Das & Nanda, 1963;Di Vesta & Stover, 1962;A. W Staats & Staats, 1958; C. K. Staats & Staats, 1957;Zanna, Kiesler, & Pilkonis, 1970) have demonstrated that when words are consistently paired with other stim-uli having strong affective characteristics or consequences, through classical conditioning these words will acquire strong evaluative properties of their own.…”

The Measurement of Children's Meaning

“…Inasmuch as the children's rating process is much the same as that of the adult, comparisons of meaning over a wide age range are feasible. A number of studies (Castaneda, Fahel, and Odom, 1961;Di Vesta and Stover, 1962;Donahoe, 1961;Ervin, 1960;Kagan, Hosken, and Watson, 1961;Maltz, 1963;Sievers, 1956) have begun to explore the possibilities of this approach in studies of developmental processes and in experimental settings. Additional studies of specific hypotheses based on sound theoretical assumptions are required to clearly delineate the areas of conceptualization in which connotative meaning undergoes developmental changes.…”