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Related Experiment Video

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Exploring the Role of Deontic Reasoning and World Knowledge in Wason´s Selection Task

Exploring the Role of Deontic Reasoning and World Knowledge in Wason´s Selection Task

Published on: July 22, 2025

Natural language metaphors covertly influence reasoning.

Paul H Thibodeau¹, Lera Boroditsky

¹Department of Psychology, Stanford University, Stanford, California, United States of America. pthibode@trinity.edu

|January 10, 2013

Summary

Metaphors subtly influence how people choose solutions for social problems like crime, even when presented with options. This effect occurs unconsciously, impacting decisions regardless of awareness.

Area of Science:

Cognitive Psychology
Social Psychology
Linguistics

Background:

Metaphors are commonly used in discussions of social issues, including crime.
Previous research demonstrated that crime metaphors (e.g., beast, virus) influence solution generation.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate how metaphors affect solution selection when participants are given a choice of options.
To determine if participants are aware of the metaphorical influence on their decisions.
To examine the role of political affiliation in metaphorical reasoning about crime.

Main Methods:

Participants were presented with a crime problem and a selection of potential solutions.
Metaphorical framing was used in problem descriptions.
Participants' choices were recorded, and awareness of the metaphor was assessed.

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Political affiliation was recorded and analyzed in relation to metaphorical influence.

Main Results:

Metaphors significantly influenced participants' choices of solutions, even when explicit alternatives were provided.
The influence of metaphors persisted even when participants were unaware of or could not recall the metaphor.
Republicans showed a tendency towards enforcement-focused solutions and were less susceptible to metaphorical influence compared to Democrats and Independents.

Conclusions:

Metaphorical framing can covertly shape reasoning and decision-making regarding social issues.
Awareness of a metaphor is not necessary for it to exert influence.
Political ideology moderates the impact of metaphors on reasoning about crime, with differing preferences for solution types.