The Effect of Intensifiers on Perceived Deceptiveness of Written Messages

Abstract

This study used a questionnaire to examine the influence of intensifiers on perceived deceptiveness of written messages. It was predicted that a verbal message including an intensifier would be perceived more deceptive than one without an intensifier. To test this prediction, two types of messages were constructed: a group of three messages including intensifiers and a group of three messages without ones. Before administering the questionnaire, the computer program “GPOWER” was used to obtain the appropriate sample size. Participants were 202 undergraduate women, who were assigned to one of the two types of messages. They were asked to rate perceived deceptiveness, using a seven-point rating scale. Contrary to expectations, perceived deceptiveness was not influenced by the intensifiers. In addition, weak negative correlations were found between perceived deceptiveness and General Trust Scale. The implications of the findings are discussed.View full abstract