Threats may be negative promises (but warnings are more than negative tips)

Wray, Helen and Wood, Jeffrey S. and Haigh, Matthew and Stewart, Andrew J. (2016) Threats may be negative promises (but warnings are more than negative tips). Journal of Cognitive Psychology, 28 (5). pp. 593-600. ISSN 2044-5911

Text Wray Wood Haigh and Stewart_2016_accepted.doc - Accepted Version Download (135kB)

Abstract

In everyday situations conditional promises, threats, tips, and warnings are commonplace. Previous research has reported disruption to eye movements during reading when conditional promises are produced by someone who does not have control over the conditional outcome event, but no such disruption for the processing of conditional tips. In the present paper, we examine how readers process conditional threats and warnings. We compare one account which views conditional threats and warnings simply as promises and tips with negative outcomes, with an alternative account which highlights their broader pragmatic differences. In an eye-tracking experiment we find evidence suggesting that, in processing terms, while threats operate like negative promises, warnings are more than negative tips.

Item Type:	Article
Identification Number:	10.1080/20445911.2016.1152972
Dates:	Date Event 25 February 2016 Published Online 6 February 2016 Accepted
Subjects:	CAH04 - psychology > CAH04-01 - psychology > CAH04-01-01 - psychology (non-specific)
Divisions:	Faculty of Business, Law and Social Sciences > College of Psychology
Depositing User:	Panagiotis Rentzelas
Date Deposited:	20 Jun 2017 21:48
Last Modified:	11 Jun 2024 13:03
URI:	https://www.open-access.bcu.ac.uk/id/eprint/4725

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