Assimilation and Contrast Effects in Part-Whole Question Sequences: A Conversational Logic Analysis
Open accessAbstract
A theoretical model of the emergence of assimilation and contrast effects in part-whole question sequences is presented. When one specific question precedes a general question and the two are not assigned to the same conversational context, respondents use the information primed by the specific question to form the general judgment. This results in part-whole assimilation effects. If both questions are perceived as belonging to gether, however, conversational norms of nonredundancy prohibit the repeated use of information that has already been provided in response to the specific question when making the general judgment. Accordingly, respondents interpret the general question to refer to aspects other than the ones covered by the specific question. Contrast effects may emerge in that case under specified conditions. If several specific questions precede the general question, however, the general one is always interpreted as a request for a summary judgment. This results in assimilation effects, even under conditions that would foster contrast effects if only one specific question is asked. The model is supported by experimental data and provides a coherent account of apparently contradictory findings previously reported in the survey literature.
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For the Schwarz et al. (1991) study, the GPT sample did not result in different correlations, though both relationships were negative.
“Asking specific life satisfaction questions before general ones did not result in different correlations, though both relationships were negative”
From Diminished diversity-of-thought in a standard large language model (2024) · cites this paper as Schwarz et al. (1991)
For the Schwarz et al. (1991) study, the GPT sample answered the two questions in a negatively correlated rather than a positively correlated manner, a qualitatively different finding from both the original and Many Labs 2 samples.
“Our result for the study of Schwarz et al. (1991) is underlined because unlike both the original sample and the Many Labs 2 sample, our GPT sample answered the two questions in a negatively correlated rather than a positively correlated manner: a qualitatively different finding”
From Diminished diversity-of-thought in a standard large language model (2024) · cites this paper as Schwarz et al. (1991)
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Cites
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Diminished diversity-of-thought in a standard large language model
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- Authors
- Schwarz, N., Strack, F., & Mai, H.-P.
- Affiliations
- Heidelberg University (DE)
- Max Planck Society (DE)
- Corresponding author
- Schwarz, Norbert
- Venue
- Public Opinion Quarterly
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press (OUP)
- Published
- 1991
- Volume
- 55
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 3
- ISSN
- 0033-362X (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2083799309
- Cited by
- 400
- References
- 15
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 11 · 2024: 13 · 2023: 9 · 2022: 28 · 2021: 12 · 2020: 9 · 2019: 29 · 2018: 10 · 2017: 17 · 2016: 14 · 2015: 12 · 2014: 24 · 2013: 18 · 2012: 15
- FWCI
- 26.78
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ssoar.info
- Locations
- Public Opinion Quarterly (publishedVersion)
- Social Science Open Access Repository (GESIS – Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences) (submittedVersion)
- OpenGrey (Institut de l'Information Scientifique et Technique) (submittedVersion)
- Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics (submittedVersion)
- Max Planck Digital Library (submittedVersion)
- MPG.PuRe (Max Planck Society) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Survey Methodology and Nonresponse
- Social Sciences › Decision Sciences › General Decision Sciences › Decision-Making and Behavioral Economics
- Physical Sciences › Mathematics › Statistics and Probability › Survey Sampling and Estimation Techniques
- Keywords
- assimilation effect, contrast effects, question order, summary judgment, survey response behavior
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