How Does Subjective Phrasing Influence Perceived Polarization of the Conversation and Affective Polarization in One-on-One Online Conversations?

Schmelcher, Johanna (2025) How Does Subjective Phrasing Influence Perceived Polarization of the Conversation and Affective Polarization in One-on-One Online Conversations? Bachelor thesis, Psychology.

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Abstract

This research looked at one-on-one online conversations to investigate how the use of subjective phrasing influences how polarized people perceived their conversations. Recent research suggests that using subjective phrasing can decrease perceived polarization of online discussions about polarized matters. The current study investigated the influence of such phrasing on perceived polarization of the conversation and on affective polarization. Based on previous research, we predicted that (H1) subjective phrasing will decrease perceived polarization of conversations in different-minded pairs, but not affect it in likeminded pairs. Secondly, we predicted that (H2) subjective phrasing will increase affective polarization in likeminded pairs, but not affect it in different-minded pairs. Furthermore, we predicted that (H3) one partner using subjective phrasing will positively correlate with the other partner using subjective phrasing. Lastly, we predicted that (H4) female participants will use more subjective phrasing than male participants, which will decrease overall perceived polarization of the conversation. We conducted a mixed-methods, between-subjects, experimental study (N = 306) where participants had 10-minute-long online conversations in pairs about a polarized issue. We found that subjective phrasing significantly decreased overall perceived polarization of the conversation in different-minded pairs. While it did not directly influence affective polarization, it did increase warmth towards different-minded others in different- minded pairs. Additionally, there was indeed a positive correlation between conversation partners’ subjective language uses. Lastly, females used more subjective phrasing than men, leading to less perceived polarization of the conversation. This study supports past research and suggests that the power of subjective phrasing might lie in making different-minded people feel closer to one another. Keywords: subjective phrasing, polarization, closeness, online discussion, gender

Item Type:	Thesis (Bachelor)
Supervisor name:	Koudenburg, N.
Degree programme:	Psychology
Differentiation route:	None [Bachelor Psychology]
Date Deposited:	07 Jul 2025 08:20
Last Modified:	07 Jul 2025 08:20
URI:	http://gmwpublic.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/5314

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