Foetus or child? Language and attitudes toward abortion

Due to moral, religious and cultural sensibilities, the topic of abortion still gives rise to controversy in many countries. In this post, I will discuss our research showing how language used in abortion discourse can affect people’s attitudes by changing their attributions of humanity to unborn...
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From derogation to reclamation: How does language change?

Derogatory labels are offensive words that can be reclaimed by a stigmatized group; however, the process of reclaiming can carry risks. In 2020, Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests took place around the world, reminding us about social inequalities and racism. Through these protests, we became

Why we’d buy a microwave from BODIKA_1996 but not from KODIBA_1996 – Articulation movements and their effects on judgments and decisions

People like inward-oriented articulation movements (e.g., in BODIKA – Lips → Tongue → Throat) more than outward-oriented articulation movements (e.g., in KODIBA – Throat → Tongue → Lips). This effect has an impact on various judgments and decisions in everyday life - but why is “in” better than “out