行为表征水平与心理距离间不具自动化联接特性:来自图片?词汇Stroop范式的实验证据

The Absence of the Automatic Association between Behavioral Representation Level and Psychological Distance:Evidence from a Picture-word Stroop Task

基于建构水平理论基本假设的推论,采用图片?词汇Stroop范式,通过两组实验,探讨了行为表征水平与心理距离间是否具有自动化联接特性的问题。实验结果一致表明:(1)无论是以词性判断速度为指标(实验1),还是以词汇判断速度为指标(实验2),对不同建构水平行为评价词汇的加工均不受词汇所在空间距离位置的影响,说明行为表征水平的心理距离效应不具有自动化加工的特性,而可能是意识性控制加工的产物;(2)无论是对于特质性词汇,还是对于行动性词汇,相对于近距离位置,当其呈现于远距离位置时,被试对其词性(实验1)和词汇(实验2)加工的速度均更快,说明空间距离的延伸可促进对行为评价性词汇的加工绩效。

Previous researches （Liviatan, Trope, ＆ Liberman, 2008; Niu, Jiang, Qiu, Shen, ＆ Zhang, 2010; Shen, Jiang, Zhong, Niu, ＆ Zhang, 2010; Wakslak, Liberman, Nussbaum, ＆ Trope, 2008; Zhang, Shen, Zhong, Niu, ＆ Qiu, 2011） have revealed a string of consistent findings that the construal level of both oneself＇s and others＇ behaviors increases along with the extension of the psychological distance, thus supporting the notion that the Construal-level Theory （Trope ＆ Liberman, 2003; Liberman, Trope, ＆ Stephan, 2007; Liberman ＆ Trope, 2008; Trope ＆ Liberman, 2010; Shapira, Liberman, Trope, ＆ Rim, 2012） can as well explain the association between behavioral representation levels and psychological distance during the social interactions. However, is this effect the product of the consciously controlled process, or is it also the result of an unconscious automatic process？ In the current study, we investigated the nature of association between the behavioral representation levels and psychological distance, in an effort to advance the understanding of the psychological distance effect on behavioral reoresentation levels. Based on the Construal-level Theory, we hypothesize that if the psychological distance effect on behavioral representation levels is the result of the unconscious automatic process, that is, if the high-level and the low-level construals of behavioral information are unconsciously associated with distal versus proximate psychologically distances respectively, then the activating distal psychologically distances can probably enhance the process of representing the evaluations for the trait-behavioral information in high-level construals and accordingly suppress the process in the low-level construals representing the evaluations for the act-behavioral information, and vice versa. Conversely, if there is no significant difference on respective recognition speeds of evaluations on trait and action behavioral information, then the psychological distance effect on behavioral representation levels is not the product of the unconscious automatic process, instead, it may be the result of a consciously controlled process; neither there is any automatic association between the two factors. To examine this hypothesis, the present study adopted a picture-word Stroop paradigm to investigate the mechanism of the automatic association between various dimensions of psychological distance （e.g. spatial distance, temporal distance, social distance, and hypotheticality） in human cognitive systems （Bar-Anan, Liberman, Trope, ＆ Algom, 2007）. Two separate experiments were conducted to explore the association between the behavioral representation levels and psychological distances. In Experiment 1, there were 10 abstract trait words （Extraversion： conversable, lively; Agreeableness： kindhearted, modest; responsibility： faithful, conscientious; Neuroticism： moody, calm; Openness： curious, keen） from ＂Big Five＂ Personality and 10 corresponding specific action words （Extraversion： josh, hearty-laugh; Agreeableness： to help, to ask for advice; Responsibility： to repay loan, to study intensively; Neuroticism： dispute, to introspect; Openness： to probe, to penetrate） embedded within the arrow pointing to a specific location （either near or distant） in a landscape photograph with clear depth cues. Participants were asked to judge the part of speech of each word （adjective or verb） in the arrow and meanwhile ignore the arrow＇s spatial location. In Experiment 2, four sets of trait-action word pairs including lively/josh （Experiment 2a）, modest/to ask for advice （Experiment 2b）, kindhearted/to help （Experiment 2c） and faithful/to repay loan （Experiment 2d）, were adopted to be the sample stimuli and were embedded within the arrow pointing to a specific location （either near or distant） in a landscape photograph with clear depth cues. Participants were asked to judge the each word embedded in the arrow and ignore the arrow＇s spatial location. All words in the experiments were Chinese two-character words. The results showed that： （I）No matter responding to the part of speech （Experiment I） or the naming （Experiment 2） of the target words, participants＇ reaction times were not affected, hence the process of different construal-level words was not influenced by differed spatial distances. （2） Participants responded to both the part of speech （Experiment 1） and the semantic meaning （Experiment 2） significantly faster when the target words （no matter they were trait words or act words） were presented in distal locations than when they were presented in proximate locations. Based on these results, we suggest that there is no automatic association between the behavioral representation levels and psychological distances, and the psychological distance effect on behavioral representation levels may be the product of a consciously controlled process. Moreover, the possible mechanism that participants＇ performance on the behavioral evaluative words is largely dependent on a distal spatial distance has been discussed.