University of Twente Student Theses
A study about contagion and personality characteristics in tip-of-the-tongue situations
Duijvendijk, L.M. (2013) A study about contagion and personality characteristics in tip-of-the-tongue situations.
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| Abstract: | Abstract Background. When you are unable to think of the word but feel sure that you know it and that it is on the verge of coming back to you, is called the ‘tip-of-the-tongue’ (TOT) state. TOTs are a general phenomenon, and the number of TOT experiences can be influenced by multiple factors. In addition, some feel TOTs can have a contagious effect. Objectives. The objective of the current study was twofold. First, the presumed contagious effect of TOTs was tested experimentally. Secondly, the effect of personality characteristics in this presumed contagious effect of TOTs was studied. Empathic characteristics play an important role in many known psychological contagion processes, and is part of an altruistic personality. Therefore this study mainly concentrated on the possible influence of altruistic personality characteristics. Methods. Forty adults participated in this study. The study had a setup of a quiz in which participant had to answer questions. When reading the question, a webcam image (movie) was shown in which the participant saw their opponent (an actor) who acted as if he knew the answer, did not know the answer or was experiencing a TOT. Participants were asked to indicate if they knew the answer, did not know the answer or if they were experiencing a TOT. Personality was measured using the NEO-PI-R. Results. No statistically significant differences were found in the percentages of TOT responses between TOT movies and non-TOT movies. A statistically significant difference in TOT percentages was found between movies where the participants saw and heard the actor acting as if he knew the answer, compared to movies where participants saw and heard the actor acting as if he did not know the answer. A statistically significant negative correlation was found between the altruism personality domain of the NEO-PI-R and the number of TOT responses on a movie where an actor acted as if he were in a TOT state. Conclusions. The results of this study do not support the suggestion that TOTs can have a contagious effect. However, the results suggest that the number of TOT experiences might be influenced by observing people around us. In addition, people with an altruistic personality are less receptive for the presumed contagious effect of TOTs in a competitive situation. |
| Item Type: | Essay (Master) |
| Faculty: | BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences |
| Subject: | 77 psychology |
| Programme: | Psychology MSc (66604) |
| Link to this item: | https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/64592 |
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