Ignored, Vulnerable, and Invisible: Evidence for an Embodied Social Metaphor
Presentation Type
Poster/Portfolio
Presenter Major(s)
Psychology, English
Mentor Information
Kristy Dean
Department
Psychology
Location
Henry Hall Atrium 32
Start Date
11-4-2012 9:00 AM
Keywords
Social Science
Abstract
Research on embodied cognition and metaphors suggest that people's understanding of abstract concepts is grounded in their sensory experiences. For example, feeling physically warm (vs. cool) elicits perceptions that others are interpersonally warm (Williams & Bargh, 2008), and social exclusion (vs. acceptance) leads people to literally feel colder (Zhong & Leonardelli, 2008). The current study examined the effects of social exclusion/acceptance on perceptions of physical vulnerability and invisibility. Consistent with hypotheses, participants randomly assigned to write about a past social exclusion (vs. acceptance) displayed greater accessibility of physical risk-related constructs (assessed via a word completion task), and expressed greater aversion to experiencing invisibility (assessed via reactions to an imagination scenario). Discussion will center on future research questions and interventions aimed at helping people to cope with exclusion and to feel physically safe.
Ignored, Vulnerable, and Invisible: Evidence for an Embodied Social Metaphor
Henry Hall Atrium 32
Research on embodied cognition and metaphors suggest that people's understanding of abstract concepts is grounded in their sensory experiences. For example, feeling physically warm (vs. cool) elicits perceptions that others are interpersonally warm (Williams & Bargh, 2008), and social exclusion (vs. acceptance) leads people to literally feel colder (Zhong & Leonardelli, 2008). The current study examined the effects of social exclusion/acceptance on perceptions of physical vulnerability and invisibility. Consistent with hypotheses, participants randomly assigned to write about a past social exclusion (vs. acceptance) displayed greater accessibility of physical risk-related constructs (assessed via a word completion task), and expressed greater aversion to experiencing invisibility (assessed via reactions to an imagination scenario). Discussion will center on future research questions and interventions aimed at helping people to cope with exclusion and to feel physically safe.