No Space for Others? On the Increase of Students’ Self-Focus When Prodded to Think About Many Others

2016 ◽  
Vol 35 (6) ◽  
pp. 698-707 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jens H. Hellmann ◽  
Marijke Hannah Adelt ◽  
Regina Jucks

In the present experiment, participants read about the presence of many versus few others in typical student-life situations. They subsequently wrote an essay about their perspectives on learning in groups. Using the program Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count to analyze these essays signified that participants who read prompts that involved many (vs. few) other students used more first-person singular pronouns and fewer words related to others. We interpret this increase in self-focus as a consequence of induced social crowding.

Crisis ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 124-130 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Fernández-Cabana ◽  
A. García-Caballero ◽  
M. T. Alves-Pérez ◽  
M. J. García-García ◽  
R. Mateos

Background: Linguistic inquiry and word count (LIWC), a computerized method for text analysis, is often used to examine suicide writings in order to characterize the quantitative linguistic features of suicidal texts. Aims: To analyze texts compiled in Marilyn Monroe’s Fragments using LIWC, in order to explore the use of different linguistic categories in her narrative over the years. Method: Selected texts were grouped into four periods of similar word count and processed with LIWC. Spearman’s rank correlation was used to assess changes in language use across the documents over time. The Kruskal-Wallis test was applied to compare means between periods and for each of the 80 LIWC output scores. Results: Significant differences (p < .05) were found in 11 categories, the most relevant being a progressive decrease in the use of negative emotion words, a reduction in the use of long words in the third period, and an increase in the proportion of personal pronouns used as Monroe approached the time of her death. Conclusions: The consistently elevated usage of first-person personal singular pronouns and the consistently diminished usage of first-person personal plural pronouns are in line with previous studies linking this pattern with a low level of social integration, which has been related to suicide according to different theories.


Author(s):  
Nicole Persall

By analyzing the types of words used in people’s writing, we can make inferences about the different psychological states individuals may be in. According to previous research, the types of pronouns people express in their language can give information about their focus of attention. Greater use of first person singular pronouns is indicative of higher levels of self-awareness. People's focus of attention can be shifted towards the self by placing a mirror in front of them, or shifted to others by having other people present. This study manipulated levels of self-awareness in individuals, and then measured the pronoun usage in their writing using Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC2007). The results showed that the mirror condition displayed a significantly higher frequency of first person pronouns compared to the group condition. These results indicate that an individual setting with a mirror increases self-awareness, and that a group setting with no mirror reduces self-awareness. Researching self-awareness is important because it is a basic trait in humans, and a lack of, or excessive levels of self-awareness may indicate psychological problems, thus it can be applied to the study of mental disorders such as depression and mania.


2019 ◽  
Vol 38 (5-6) ◽  
pp. 773-786 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas S. Holtzman ◽  
Allison M. Tackman ◽  
Angela L. Carey ◽  
Melanie S. Brucks ◽  
Albrecht C. P. Küfner ◽  
...  

Narcissism is unrelated to using first-person singular pronouns. Whether narcissism is linked to other language use remains unclear. We aimed to identify linguistic markers of narcissism. We applied the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count to texts ( k = 15; N = 4,941). The strongest positive correlates were using words related to sports, second-person pronouns, and swear words. The strongest negative correlates were using anxiety/fear words, tentative words, and words related to sensory/perceptual processes. Effects were small (each | r| < .10).


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas S. Holtzman ◽  
Allison Mary Tackman ◽  
Albrecht Kuefner ◽  
Fenne große Deters ◽  
Mitja Back ◽  
...  

Narcissism is unrelated to using first-person singular pronouns. Whether narcissism is linked to other language use remains unclear. We aimed to identify linguistic markers of narcissism. We applied the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count to texts (k = 15; N = 4,941). The strongest positive correlates were: using words related to sports, second-person pronouns, and swear words. The strongest negative correlates were: using anxiety/fear words, tentative words, and words related to sensory/perceptual processes. Effects were small (each |r| &lt; .10).


2019 ◽  
Vol 39 (5-6) ◽  
pp. 751-763
Author(s):  
Fabian Klauke ◽  
Lena C. Müller-Frommeyer ◽  
Simone Kauffeld

Autobiographical reports of episodes of ostracism and social inclusion were analyzed in two separate samples (German N = 93; English N = 243) using the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC) software. Recalling ostracism was associated with the use of more first-person singular pronouns, fewer first-person plural pronouns, and more complex language. These findings could reflect ostracism inducing a self-focus and putting high cognitive load on its targets. This study provides a first step to establish linguistic analysis as a tool for the research of social exclusion.


Crisis ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 38 (5) ◽  
pp. 319-329 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bridianne O'Dea ◽  
Mark E. Larsen ◽  
Philip J. Batterham ◽  
Alison L. Calear ◽  
Helen Christensen

Abstract. Background: Suicide is a leading cause of death worldwide. Identifying those at risk and delivering timely interventions is challenging. Social media site Twitter is used to express suicidality. Automated linguistic analysis of suicide-related posts may help to differentiate those who require support or intervention from those who do not. Aims: This study aims to characterize the linguistic profiles of suicide-related Twitter posts. Method: Using a dataset of suicide-related Twitter posts previously coded for suicide risk by experts, Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC) and regression analyses were conducted to determine differences in linguistic profiles. Results: When compared with matched non-suicide-related Twitter posts, strongly concerning suicide-related posts were characterized by a higher word count, increased use of first-person pronouns, and more references to death. When compared with safe-to-ignore suicide-related posts, strongly concerning suicide-related posts were characterized by increased use of first-person pronouns, greater anger, and increased focus on the present. Other differences were found. Limitations: The predictive validity of the identified features needs further testing before these results can be used for interventional purposes. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that strongly concerning suicide-related Twitter posts have unique linguistic profiles. The examination of Twitter data for the presence of such features may help to validate online risk assessments and determine those in need of further support or intervention.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas S. Holtzman ◽  
Allison Mary Tackman ◽  
Fenne große Deters ◽  
Mitja Back ◽  
Brent Donnellan ◽  
...  

Narcissism is unrelated to using first-person singular pronouns. Whether narcissism is linked to other language use remains unclear. We aimed to identify linguistic markers of narcissism. We applied the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count to texts (k = 15; N = 4,941). The strongest positive correlates were: using words related to sports, second-person pronouns, and swear words. The strongest negative correlates were: using anxiety/fear words, tentative words, and words related to sensory/perceptual processes. Effects were small (each |r| &lt; .10).


2020 ◽  
Vol 35 (5) ◽  
pp. 336-343
Author(s):  
Katherine Guttmann ◽  
John Flibotte ◽  
Sara B. DeMauro ◽  
Holli Seitz

This study aimed to evaluate how parents of former neonatal intensive care unit patients with cerebral palsy perceive prognostic discussions following neuroimaging. Parent members of a cerebral palsy support network described memories of prognostic discussions after neuroimaging in the neonatal intensive care unit. We analyzed responses using Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count, manual content analysis, and thematic analysis. In 2015, a total of 463 parents met eligibility criteria and 266 provided free-text responses. Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count analysis showed that responses following neuroimaging contained negative emotion. The most common components identified through the content analysis included outcome, uncertainty, hope/hopelessness, and weakness in communication. Thematic analysis revealed 3 themes: (1) Information, (2) Communication, and (3) Impact. Parents of children with cerebral palsy report weakness in communication relating to prognosis, which persists in parents’ memories. Prospective work to develop interventions to improve communication between parents and providers in the neonatal intensive care unit is necessary.


2013 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 6-14
Author(s):  
Corrin G. Richels ◽  
Rogge Jessica

Purpose: Deficits in the ability to use emotion vocabulary may result in difficulties for adolescents who stutter (AWS) and may contribute to disfluencies and stuttering. In this project, we aimed to describe the emotion words used during conversational speech by AWS. Methods: Participants were 26 AWS between the ages of 12 years, 5 months and 15 years, 11 months-old (n=4 females, n=22 males). We drew personal narrative samples from the UCLASS database. We used Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC) software to analyze data samples for numbers of emotion words. Results: Results indicated that the AWS produced significantly higher numbers of emotion words with a positive valence. AWS tended to use the same few positive emotion words to the near exclusion of words with negative emotion valence. Conclusion: A lack of diversity in emotion vocabulary may make it difficult for AWS to engage in meaningful discourse about negative aspects of being a person who stutters


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