scholarly journals Horizontal Spatial Metaphor Representation of Social Status in Chinese Culture

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hongri Sun ◽  
Danfeng Liu

The mapping relationship between social status and horizontal space (left/right) in Chinese culture has a long history. In order to explore the representation pattern of horizontal spatial metaphor of social status in Chinese culture, this study introduced two direct measurements, implicit relational assessment procedure (IRAP) paradigm, and spatial placement task to evaluate the mapping of social status to horizontal space. A total of 144 Chinese undergraduates participated in the research, wherein they were asked to place certain words indicating social status in either left or right box before or after the IRAP computer test. The results from the two measurements consistently showed that the mode of HIGH SOCIAL STATUS-LEFT and LOW SOCIAL STATUS-RIGHT (HLLR) had an advantage over HIGH SOCIAL STATUS-RIGHT and LOW SOCIAL STATUS-LEFT (HRLL), implying that the representation pattern of horizontal spatial metaphor of social status for the Chinese is HIGH SOCIAL STATUS-LEFT and LOW SOCIAL STATUS-RIGHT. However, the result convergence of the two measurements was not high, which suggests that embodiment effect has multiple characteristics and new specific experimental paradigms should be created to measure it.

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Hong

This experimental study explored the use of the implicit relational assessment procedure (IRAP) for understanding the vertical spatial metaphor of power. In the classic IRAP procedure, we formed four sets of stimuli based on the relationship between power words (powerful and powerless words) and vertical position on a computer screen (upper or lower) that were either pro-metaphor (i.e., powerful–high, powerless–low) or anti-metaphor (i.e., powerful–low, powerless–high). Participants were then asked to judge whether the words were consistent or inconsistent with the set of instructions given to them. We found that the DIRAP scores of powerful words in an above vertical space and powerless words in a below vertical space were higher than zero. Furthermore, the DIRAP scores of the pro-metaphor stimuli were significantly greater than were those of the anti-metaphor stimuli. Vertical spatial position metaphor of power concepts was verified again by implicit relational assessment procedure. These findings suggest that there is an established spatial metaphor for power, which we explain using relational frame theory. It is the first study to our knowledge to explore this metaphor using the IRAP, which overcomes the limitations of paradigms such as the implicit association test, and provides a better understanding of the mechanism of the metaphor.


2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia M. Power ◽  
Dermot Barnes-Holmes ◽  
Yvonne Barnes-Holmes ◽  
Ian T. Stewart

Author(s):  
Irma Setiawan

Social dialect variation is diversity and richness of dialect owned by an individual or group in Sasak monolingual society. Moreover, the diversity of social dialect is also often used as a medium for transferring ideology, identity, and existence by an individual or group of individual or other groups. Thus, the purpose of this study is to describe the form of vocabulary choice in social dialect variation of Sasak community to show differences in speech who is high social status (superior) and low social status (inferior) between individuals or groups and between women and men. The theory used is social dialect variation form of Janet Holmes and critical analysis Norman Fairclough. The data was collected by observing methods and interview as well as the basic techniques and derivatives, observation and documentation methods. Sources of data gathered from Sasak speakers who are communicating. Data were analyzed by using descriptive qualitative method which aims to make systematic description, categorization, and patterning. Data are presented formally and informally. At last, this study resulted in different forms of social dialect variation by an individual or group and by women and men who can cause physical-psychic intersection.


2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
pp. 183449092110031
Author(s):  
Xuyun Tan ◽  
Xuejiao Dou ◽  
Yue Zhang ◽  
Cai Xing ◽  
Baoyu Bai ◽  
...  

In the context of rapid social change, the perception of social stratification has far-reaching and complex influences on human psychology and behavior, including citizen participation. The current research explored the interactive influence of social status and subjective social mobility on citizen participation. Two studies used experimental methods to manipulate subjective social mobility and social status, respectively, to examine the interactive effect. Taken together, the results of both studies revealed that the interaction between social status and subjective social mobility had a significant influence on citizen participation: whereas citizen participation with high social status was not affected by subjective social mobility, citizen participation with low social status decreased with increases in subjective social mobility. This research established a combined dynamic and static analysis framework of social stratification structure, elucidating the current status of citizen participation under the influence of the interaction between social status and subjective social mobility, and providing a countermeasure reference for effectively promoting citizen participation.


2017 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 147470491773051 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qingke Guo ◽  
Yujie Li ◽  
Shushuang Yu

Using 347 parent–child dyads as participants, this study directly examined in-law and mate preferences in a typical collectivist culture. The results showed (1) traits indicating social status and parental investment were more highly valued by the parents, while traits indicating genetic quality and traits related to romantic love were more highly valued by the children. (2) Parental preferences were moderated by gender of the in-laws. Good earning capacity was more preferred by parents in a son-in-law, traits connoting genetic quality and reproductive fitness were more preferred by parents in a daughter-in-law. (3) There was more convergence in in-law and mate preferences in Chinese culture than in Western cultures. (4) Traditional cultural values (i.e., filial piety) can be used as a predictor of traditional mate preferences and less parent–child divergences. Additionally, greater preference for kind and understanding by parents than by children as well as by daughters than by sons, and greater preference for social status by the daughters’ than by the sons’ parents have not been observed in the rating and the ranking instrument. These findings illustrated how culture handles the parent–child disagreement over mating by authorizing greater parental influence on children’s mating decisions.


2011 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 371-388 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donald A. Slater

AbstractThroughout the deep history of Mesoamerica, the dart-thrower (a.k.a. atlatl) played a vital utilitarian and symbolic role. Although it was a highly effective tool exploited for practical purposes such as hunting and warfare, ample evidence exists which reveals its association with themes of authority, power, and prestige. The survival of ornamented dart-throwers, as well as the context in which the implement appears in Mesoamerican material culture and forms of graphic communication, reveal its role in the production and assertion of high social status. This argument will be supported by archaeological and ethnographic evidence which demonstrates that the dart-thrower served as a pan-Mesoamerican symbol of power beginning no later than the Middle to Late Formative period and continuing through the Conquest.


2017 ◽  
Vol 28 (11) ◽  
pp. 1750133 ◽  
Author(s):  
Krzysztof Kułakowski ◽  
Piotr Gronek ◽  
Alfio Borzì

Recently, a computational model has been proposed of the social integration, as described in sociological terms by Blau. In this model, actors praise or critique each other, and these actions influence their social status and raise negative or positive emotions. The role of a self-deprecating strategy of actors with high social status has also been discussed there. Here, we develop a mean field approach, where the active and passive roles (praising and being praised, etc.) are decoupled. The phase transition from friendly to hostile emotions has been reproduced, similarly to the previously applied purely computational approach. For both phases, we investigate the time dependence of the distribution of social status. There we observe a diffusive spread, which — after some transient time — appears to be limited from below or from above, depending on the phase. As a consequence, the mean status flows.


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