Self-generated cognitive fluency: consequences on evaluative judgments

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Authors
von Hecker, Ulrich
Hanel, Paul H. P.
Winkielman, Piotr
Monograph
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Date
2023-01-27
Publisher
Journal title
Cognition and Emotion
Issue
2
Volume
37
Pages
Pages
254-270
DOI
ISSN
0269-9931
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https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02699931.2022.2161482
Access date
2023-01-27
Abstract PL
Abstract EN
People can support abstract reasoning by using mental models with spatial simulations. Such models are employed when people represent elements in terms of ordered dimensions (e.g. who is oldest, Tom, Dick, or Harry). We test and find that the process of forming and using such mental models can influence the liking of its elements (e.g. Tom, Dick, or Harry). The presumed internal structure of such models (linear-transitive array of elements), generates variations in processing ease (fluency) when using the model in working memory (see the Symbolic Distance Effect, SDE). Specifically, processing of pairs where elements have larger distances along the order should be easier compared to pairs with smaller distances. Elements from easier pairs should be liked more than elements from difficult pairs (fluency being hedonically positive). Experiment 1 shows that unfamiliar ideographs are liked more when at wider distances and therefore easier to process. Experiment 2 replicates this effect with non-words. Experiment 3 rules out a non-spatial explanation of the effect while Experiments 4 offers a high-powered replication. Experiment 5 shows that the spatial effect spontaneously emerges after learning, even without a task that explicitly focuses on fluency. Experiment 6 employed a shorter array, but yielded no significant results.
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Keywords PL
Keywords EN
Symbolic distance effect (SDE)
magnitude processing
linear orders
spatial processing
cognitive fluency
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https://share.swps.edu.pl/handle/swps/323
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cc-by-nc-nd
Except as otherwise noted, this item is licensed under the Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives licence | Permitted use of copyrighted works
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