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Graduation Term
Spring 2025
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Department
Department of Psychology
Committee Chair
Allison Nguyen
Committee Co-Chair
Dawn McBride
Abstract
When we talk to each other, we have to use context to understand meaning. Semantic gradable adjectives are words like tall and short, and thus, are dependent on the context they are in (Kennedy & McNally, 2005). It is likely that how gradable adjectives are interpreted can be altered by certainty. Cognitive verbs, like know, believe, and think, indicate the speaker’s certainty in a statement. Furthermore, cognitive verbs inform the recipient about the credibility of the information offered (Abrusán, 2008). Experts are also thought to modify certainty via their credibility (Chan et al., 2014; Noroozi, 2023), likely due to authority being perceived as having special access to information (Fetzer, 2008; Schommer-Aikins, 2012). The aim of this study was to see how cognitive verbs and the presence of authority affect confidence of presented statements and whether the verbs, or authority, or both have an effect on the interpretation of gradable adjectives. I predict that know will result in higher levels of certainty ratings, with think resulting in lower certainty ratings. I also predict that the person making the assertion in the presented sentence will have an effect on certainty ratings, with experts resulting in higher levels of certainty. I found that both cognitive verbs and the presence of an expert affected how participants interpreted gradable adjectives. In addition, the use of know was found to increase certainty and trust in the individual making the assertion. Lastly, when the subject of the sentence was an expert, the individual was rated as more trustworthy, and people’s certainty in the statements were higher.
Access Type
Thesis-ISU Access Only
Recommended Citation
Ervin, Will T., "Authority and Expressions of Knowledge" (2025). Theses and Dissertations. 2058.
https://ir.library.illinoisstate.edu/etd/2058
