Language as a ‘game changer’ for spontaneous trait inference

Abstract

This paper provides a summary of the project regarding language and spontaneous trait inference (STI) interaction. For 40 years, different methodologies had been used to study STI. However, these methodologies used sentences to elicit the inference, but they were never controlled from a linguistic point of view. We studied STI behavior when sentences were modified by adverbs of manner and checked linguistic parameters to verify which had more importance when the inference occurred. Results show that not only these adverbs modify the strength for STI, but they sometimes also change which trait is preferably inferred by the participants, adding new traits which were not available if the adverbs were not inferred.