Concrete Thinking or Ideographic Language: Which Is the Reason for Chinese People's Higher Imagery-Generation Abilities?
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1-1-2010
Description
In this study, we attempted to separate the effects of culture and language on imagery generation. By asking subjects from China, Singapore and the US to read Chinese and/or English messages, we found that culture, as opposed to language of the message, drives Chinese people's imagery-generation capabilities. Indeed, people from mainland China generated more images than both Singaporean Chinese people and Americans, even when tested in English. This is because their dominant way of thinking is concrete. Bilingual Singaporean Chinese subjects generated the same number of images when exposed to English and Chinese stimuli because they are equally adept at abstract and concrete thinking. However, their imagery-generation ability could be manipulated by priming abstract or concrete thinking.
Citation Information
Liang, Beichen; Cherian, Joseph; and Liu, Yili. 2010. Concrete Thinking or Ideographic Language: Which Is the Reason for Chinese People's Higher Imagery-Generation Abilities?. International Journal of Consumer Studies. (1). 52-60. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1470-6431.2009.00828.x ISSN: 1470-6423