Generics and Quantified Generalizations: Asymmetry Effects and Strategic Communicators

Area of Science:

• Linguistics
• Cognitive Science
• Social Psychology

Background:

• Generic statements are common generalizations with a unique linguistic profile.
• Previous research suggested an asymmetry in generic statements, potentially leading to social biases.
• The hypothesis that this asymmetry is unique to generics was widely accepted.

Purpose of the Study:

• To test if the asymmetry effect is unique to generics or generalized across other statement types.
• To investigate how speakers choose generalizing sentences in relation to acceptance conditions and recipient inferences.
• To understand the conditions under which asymmetry effects can exacerbate social biases.

Main Methods:

• Empirical investigation of asymmetry effects in generics and quantified statements.
• Experimental design to assess speaker choices based on acceptance conditions versus recipient inferences.
• Analysis of communication scenarios (cooperative vs. non-cooperative) to observe exploitation of asymmetry.

Main Results:

• Evidence found for a generalized asymmetry effect across generics and quantified statements ('most', 'some', 'typically', 'usually').
• Speakers in cooperative scenarios choose generalizing sentences with implied prevalence matching actual prevalence.
• In non-cooperative scenarios, speakers exploit asymmetry effects to mislead recipients.

Conclusions:

• The asymmetry effect is not unique to generics but is a generalized phenomenon in language.
• Speaker sensitivity to recipient inferences influences sentence choice in cooperative contexts.
• Exploitation of asymmetry effects in non-cooperative communication can introduce biased beliefs.