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Journal of Language and Social Psychology
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0261927X08317947v1
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Article

The Effects of Hedges in Persuasive Arguments: A Nuanced Analysis of Language

Amanda M. Durik*, M. Anne Britt, Rebecca Reynolds, and Jennifer Storey

Northern Illinois University, DeKalb

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: adurik{at}niu.edu.


  Abstract
Drawing together research on persuasion and text comprehension, two experiments test the effects of hedge placement (Experiment 1) and hedge type (Experiment 2) on attitudes, source evaluations, and perceptions of argument strength. Participants read an editorial in support of implementing comprehensive exams at their university. Experiment 1 shows that hedges placed on data statements (and not interpretation statements) lead to negative perceptions of the policy, source, and argument. This is especially pronounced on source evaluations among individuals with more scientific training. Experiment 2 reveals that colloquial, but not professional, hedges placed on interpretation statements lead to more negative evaluations relative to no hedges. Data related to perceptions of the source are moderated by individual differences in scientific reasoning. This research suggests that hedges describing data statements and/or that use colloquial language can, but do not always, undermine persuasive attempts.

First published on May 1, 2008, doi:10.1177/0261927X08317947

Journal of Language and Social Psychology 2008;27:217.

A more recent version of this article appeared on September 1, 2008

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