“Instant enemies” and “Instant allies” in the U.S. and Taiwan: a LIWC analysis

An online survey was used to collect participants' retrospective accounts of an encounter with an “instant enemy” and an encounter with an “instant ally” in samples of 262 American and 250 Taiwanese respondents. Using software that measured the relative use of various word categories, we examin...

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Main Authors: Wen Cheng, William Ickes, Anna Park, Hui-Ju Wu, Yuyun Agus Riani
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2023-05-01
Series:Frontiers in Communication
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcomm.2023.1036770/full
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author Wen Cheng
William Ickes
Anna Park
Hui-Ju Wu
Yuyun Agus Riani
Yuyun Agus Riani
author_facet Wen Cheng
William Ickes
Anna Park
Hui-Ju Wu
Yuyun Agus Riani
Yuyun Agus Riani
author_sort Wen Cheng
collection DOAJ
description An online survey was used to collect participants' retrospective accounts of an encounter with an “instant enemy” and an encounter with an “instant ally” in samples of 262 American and 250 Taiwanese respondents. Using software that measured the relative use of various word categories, we examined ingroup/outgroup differences and cultural differences in the experience and perception of an “instant enemy” and an “instant ally.” With regard to ingroup/outgroup differences, we found that inclusive and positive emotion words were used more frequently to describe the instant ally encounters, whereas exclusive and negative emotion words were used more frequently in reports of the instant enemy encounters. We also found that our respondents' descriptions of instant ally encounters were more likely to be put into a context defined by words related to leisure, work, and space, whereas their descriptions of instant enemy encounters were more likely to ignore the context and focus instead on what type of person the instant enemy was, as defined by more personal pronouns and words denoting specific categories of humans. With regard to cultural differences, we replicated previous findings indicating that Asian respondents tend to have thoughts and perceptions that are more holistic and integrated than those of Western respondents, as indicated by more words related to cognitive and affective processes, insight, and awareness of causation. Viewed collectively, the findings make a strong case that word-category usage can reveal both well-established and novel findings in comparisons of individuals from different cultures.
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spelling doaj.art-dbd8aab9ee8f4ce3b6ec3c00dccda0f92023-05-23T13:40:22ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Communication2297-900X2023-05-01810.3389/fcomm.2023.10367701036770“Instant enemies” and “Instant allies” in the U.S. and Taiwan: a LIWC analysisWen Cheng0William Ickes1Anna Park2Hui-Ju Wu3Yuyun Agus Riani4Yuyun Agus Riani5Center for Teacher Education, Institute of Education, International Graduate Program of Education and Human Development, National Sun Yat-sen University, Kaohsiung, TaiwanDepartment of Psychology, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX, United StatesDepartment of Psychology and Counseling, University of Central Arkansas, Conway, AR, United StatesCenter for Teacher Education, Cheng Shiu University, Kaohsiung, TaiwanInternational Graduate Program of Education and Human Development, National Sun Yat-sen University, Kaohsiung, TaiwanCommunication Science Department, Brawijaya University, Malang, IndonesiaAn online survey was used to collect participants' retrospective accounts of an encounter with an “instant enemy” and an encounter with an “instant ally” in samples of 262 American and 250 Taiwanese respondents. Using software that measured the relative use of various word categories, we examined ingroup/outgroup differences and cultural differences in the experience and perception of an “instant enemy” and an “instant ally.” With regard to ingroup/outgroup differences, we found that inclusive and positive emotion words were used more frequently to describe the instant ally encounters, whereas exclusive and negative emotion words were used more frequently in reports of the instant enemy encounters. We also found that our respondents' descriptions of instant ally encounters were more likely to be put into a context defined by words related to leisure, work, and space, whereas their descriptions of instant enemy encounters were more likely to ignore the context and focus instead on what type of person the instant enemy was, as defined by more personal pronouns and words denoting specific categories of humans. With regard to cultural differences, we replicated previous findings indicating that Asian respondents tend to have thoughts and perceptions that are more holistic and integrated than those of Western respondents, as indicated by more words related to cognitive and affective processes, insight, and awareness of causation. Viewed collectively, the findings make a strong case that word-category usage can reveal both well-established and novel findings in comparisons of individuals from different cultures.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcomm.2023.1036770/fullinstant ally/enemyindividualism/collectivismintergroup communicationsocial-identity theoryLIWC
spellingShingle Wen Cheng
William Ickes
Anna Park
Hui-Ju Wu
Yuyun Agus Riani
Yuyun Agus Riani
“Instant enemies” and “Instant allies” in the U.S. and Taiwan: a LIWC analysis
Frontiers in Communication
instant ally/enemy
individualism/collectivism
intergroup communication
social-identity theory
LIWC
title “Instant enemies” and “Instant allies” in the U.S. and Taiwan: a LIWC analysis
title_full “Instant enemies” and “Instant allies” in the U.S. and Taiwan: a LIWC analysis
title_fullStr “Instant enemies” and “Instant allies” in the U.S. and Taiwan: a LIWC analysis
title_full_unstemmed “Instant enemies” and “Instant allies” in the U.S. and Taiwan: a LIWC analysis
title_short “Instant enemies” and “Instant allies” in the U.S. and Taiwan: a LIWC analysis
title_sort instant enemies and instant allies in the u s and taiwan a liwc analysis
topic instant ally/enemy
individualism/collectivism
intergroup communication
social-identity theory
LIWC
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcomm.2023.1036770/full
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