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Powerless Language Markers and the Correspondence Bias

Attitude Confidence Mediates the Effects of Tag Questions on Attitude Attributions

California State University–Fresno

Traci Y. Craig

University of Idaho, Moscow

The present research examines the effect of tag questions and hedges on attributions of a target's attitude and the confidence related to the target's behavior (i.e., writing a message). In Study 1, a message containing tag questions and hedges attenuated the correspondence bias when the target was constrained in his or her behavior. This attenuation was mediated by participants' perceptions of the target's confidence in his or her attitude toward the message topic. Study 2 replicated the attenuation effect and found attitudinal confidence rather than general confidence mediated the attenuation. It was further found that tag questions (rather than hedges) were responsible for the bias attenuation (Study 3), which was again mediated by participants' perceptions of the target's confidence.

Key Words: linguistic power • correspondence bias • confidence

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