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Number 2/2007
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Influence of direct and negated directives on attention directing
Józef Maciuszek
Institute of Applied Psychology
Jagiellonian University
Abstract |
The paper presents research into the effects of the use of negations in directives
commands, suggestions and requests). Described are three experiments that tested
effects of variously formulated instructions: direct (pay attention to) and negated
(don't pay attention to) commands on directing of attention. Two indicators of
attention direction were used: time needed to name the colors of stimulus words,
and the level of recollection of these words after completion of the color naming
task. In consecutive experiments, the numbers of key words, colors and experimental
groups were changed. The strong conclusion drawn from the research is that a direct
command influences all indicators of attention directing. However, a negated command
increases the level of key word recollection, too. Both the automatic process that
generates paradoxical effects of negated commands and the controlled process of
reasoning may be responsible for the results of the memory task.
Key words: directives, influence, interference, negation
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