Wind, Anna de (2025) Does the Foreign Language Effect Apply to ‘What-if’ Thoughts? Bachelor thesis, Psychology.
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Abstract
Language shapes how we interpret and evaluate our surroundings, especially in morally ambiguous situations. The Foreign Language Effect (FLE) suggests that people may reason differently when using a non-native language, often becoming more emotionally detached and analytical. This study aimed to examine whether the FLE extends to counterfactual ‘what-if’ thinking and blame attribution. Additionally, it explored whether cultural background influences blame attribution, focussing on participants from Spain (individualistic) and Mexico (collectivistic). A 2 (language: Spanish vs English) x 2 (condition: mutable vs immutable) x 2 (nationality: Spanish vs English) between-subjects design was conducted. 595 native Spanish-speaking participants read a moral scenario in either Spanish (L1) or English (L2), about a negligent tutor whose help could have changed (mutable) or could not have changed (immutable) the outcome for a student. Blame attribution to the tutor was measured using Likert-scale items. Results showed that participants in the English condition attributed significantly more blame than those in the Spanish condition, contradicting the expected FLE. Blame was significantly higher in the mutable condition, confirming that perceived preventability of a harmful outcome increases blame. However, an alternative analysis revealed that blame levels were similar in both mutability conditions. The interaction between language and mutability was not significant. Spanish participants assigned more blame than Mexican participants, contradicting our expectations. Our findings suggest that foreign language use does not always reduce emotionality in moral judgement and cultural influences on blame attribution are complex. Future research should pretest scenarios for moral clarity, assess individual-level cultural values and explore additional cultural contexts in linguistic factors.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Bachelor) |
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| Supervisor name: | Epstude, K. and Donofrio, S.M. |
| Degree programme: | Psychology |
| Differentiation route: | None [Bachelor Psychology] |
| Date Deposited: | 16 Jul 2025 13:55 |
| Last Modified: | 16 Jul 2025 13:55 |
| URI: | http://gmwpublic.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/5574 |
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