Slippery slope arguments imply opposition to change

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Linguistics
• Argumentation Theory

Background:

• Slippery slope arguments (SSAs) are common rhetorical devices.
• Empirical research on SSA perception is limited.
• SSAs involve an initial proposal (A) and a predicted undesirable consequence (C).

Purpose of the Study:

• Investigate the subjective evaluation and perception of SSAs.
• Determine if SSAs are interpreted as consequentialist arguments.
• Examine the influence of speaker beliefs on SSA perception.

Main Methods:

• Four studies were conducted to analyze SSA perception.
• Study 1: Assessed if SSAs are perceived as arguments against proposal A.
• Study 2: Examined the relationship between consequence undesirability and inference strength.
• Studies 3 & 4: Investigated the impact of speaker beliefs on SSA coherence, strength, and persuasiveness using eye-tracking.

Main Results:

• SSAs are interpreted as arguments against the initial proposal.
• The strength of this inference correlates with the undesirability of the predicted consequence.
• Readers are sensitive to the coherence between speaker beliefs and SSA meaning.
• Internal coherence significantly influences perceived argument strength and persuasiveness.

Conclusions:

• SSAs function as negative consequentialist arguments.
• People infer speaker opposition to the initial proposal from SSAs.
• SSAs are persuasive only when speaker attitudes align with this inference.
• Contextual factors, like speaker beliefs, are crucial for SSA effectiveness.