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Does Language Affect Personality Perception? A Functional Approach to Testing the Whorfian Hypothesis
Author(s) -
Chen Sylvia Xiaohua,
BenetMartínez Verónica,
Ng Jacky C. K.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
journal of personality
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.082
H-Index - 144
eISSN - 1467-6494
pISSN - 0022-3506
DOI - 10.1111/jopy.12040
Subject(s) - psychology , personality , perception , cognitive psychology , dialectic , malleability , affect (linguistics) , cognition , social psychology , big five personality traits , epistemology , encryption , philosophy , communication , ciphertext , neuroscience , computer science , operating system
Whether language shapes cognition has long been a controversial issue. The present research adopts a functional approach to examining the effects of language use on personality perception and dialectical thinking. We propose that language use activates corresponding cultural mindsets, which in turn influence social perception, thinking, and behavior. Four studies recruited C hinese‐ E nglish bilinguals ( N = 129 in Study 1, 229 in Study 2, 68 in Study 3, 106 in Study 4) and used within‐subjects and between‐subjects design, written and behavioral reports, and self‐ and other perceptions. The four studies converged to show that C hinese‐ E nglish bilinguals exhibit higher dialectical thinking and more variations in self‐ and observer ratings of personality when using the C hinese language than when using E nglish. Furthermore, dialectical thinking predicted more self‐ and other‐perceived variations in personality and behavior across bilingual contexts. These results highlight the important role of culture in understanding the relations between language and cognition, and attest to the malleability of personality perception and dialectical thinking within and across individuals in response to culture‐related linguistic cues.