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Does the COVID-19 war metaphor influence reasoning?
Panzeri, Francesca; Di Paola, Simona; Domaneschi, Filippo.
  • Panzeri F; Department of Psychology, University of Milan-Bicocca, Milan, Italy.
  • Di Paola S; DAFIST-Laboratory of Language and Cognition, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy.
  • Domaneschi F; DAFIST-Laboratory of Language and Cognition, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy.
PLoS One ; 16(4): e0250651, 2021.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1833527
ABSTRACT
In recent times, many alarm bells have begun to sound the metaphorical presentation of the COVID-19 emergency as a war might be dangerous, because it could affect the way people conceptualize the pandemic and react to it, leading citizens to endorse authoritarianism and limitations to civil liberties. The idea that conceptual metaphors actually influence reasoning has been corroborated by Thibodeau and Boroditsky, who showed that, when crime is metaphorically presented as a beast, readers become more enforcement-oriented than when crime is metaphorically framed as a virus. Recently, Steen, Reijnierse and Burgers replied that this metaphorical framing effect does not seem to occur and suggested that the question should be rephrased about the conditions under which metaphors do or do not influence reasoning. In this paper, we investigate whether presenting the COVID-19 pandemic as a war affects people's reasoning about the pandemic. Data collected suggest that the metaphorical framing effect does not occur by default. Rather, socio-political individual variables such as speakers' political orientation and source of information favor the acceptance of metaphor congruent entailments right-wing participants and participants relying on independent sources of information are those more conditioned by the COVID-19 war metaphor, thus more inclined to prefer bellicose options.
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Full text: Available Collection: International databases Database: MEDLINE Main subject: Social Behavior / Thinking / COVID-19 Type of study: Qualitative research Limits: Adult / Female / Humans / Male Country/Region as subject: Europa Language: English Journal: PLoS One Journal subject: Science / Medicine Year: 2021 Document Type: Article Affiliation country: Journal.pone.0250651

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Full text: Available Collection: International databases Database: MEDLINE Main subject: Social Behavior / Thinking / COVID-19 Type of study: Qualitative research Limits: Adult / Female / Humans / Male Country/Region as subject: Europa Language: English Journal: PLoS One Journal subject: Science / Medicine Year: 2021 Document Type: Article Affiliation country: Journal.pone.0250651