Semantic differential

The semantic differential and differential ( also polarity profile ) is a method that has been developed in psychology to find out what ideas connect people with certain terms, facts or planning.

It uses no direct questions like: What do you think of ...? What do you think of ...? Instead, the people are indirectly asked to share by giving them the opportunity to how strongly they connect, for example, the term " loneliness " (or another test unit ) with certain properties. You get to a range of property pairs such as " large - small ", " strong - weak " and can specify in each case whether they are " large" or "small" connect " solitude " rather and to what extent they do so. Although it often does not recognize the connection between these properties and the interviewed terms (test units) from the outset, coming in interviews very often matching results out.

The method has the advantage that the results are better comparable and are less influenced by what the interviewee than-expected response to direct questioning.

History and methods

A semantic differential is in the setting of a research method for the quantitative analysis of the affective meanings of words. It was designed by Charles E. Osgood and colleagues ( Osgood, Suci and Tannenbaum 1957) develops and varies slightly in the German language by Peter Hofstätter in the form of the polarity profile; It combines the "managed association " with the rating ".

The subject evaluated in this process their affective attitude toward concepts and ideas on a mostly seven-point scale, bipolar at the ends of association terms like " hot / cold" or " slow / fast " preset. By combining the individual ratings creates a polarity profile, which is evaluated by means of the calculation of mean and dispersion measure. Using the method of calculation of correlation and principal component analysis can be found a few basic dimensions (called factors ), which are all of these ratings as a basis. This allowed Osgood and employees using 20 prototypical terms that appear in all languages ​​( such as moon, sun, father, mother, etc.), show that across cultures, three factors are sufficient to meet the affective part of the word meaning to describe:

Factors or dimensions

The valence dimension measures the hedonic quality of a connotation: Will likely triggered by a term a good, pleasant, desirable feeling or is this rather poorly, disagreeable and repulsive?

The potency dimension means the power or strength which carries an emotion in itself: Feels a little big, powerful, and dominant, or rather small, weak and controllable?

The activation dimension describes the degree of arousal that is associated with one emotion: Some things feel dynamic, noisy and excited at, some against it rather calm, quiet and passive.

These three dimensions seem to form a kind of " socio -emotional reason equipment" of the people, irrespective of their language and culture: Even emotions can be mapped about it - it is about "fear" a negative ( valence ), weak (potency ) and excited (activation) of emotion, while " satisfaction" is positive, powerful and quiet.

The semantic differential in various sciences

In psychology the semantic differential, for example in the field of client -centered psychotherapy or talk therapy to detect the self or its discrepancy with the ideal - self- employed. Further areas of applicability of the semantic differential are market research, media analysis and social research, especially in terms of brands, products, companies, and individuals whose image is to be analyzed. A description and critique offers Merten (1995).

In linguistics, the semantic differential are employed to explore connotations, ie secondary meanings of words, and it is discussed in this context in a number of introductions to linguistics. The method also allows cross-cultural comparisons, so that you can see whether people from different regions of the world combine the same or different settings with a concept. Gross demonstrates this for the word " revolution," the example of German and Chinese students.

In literary studies ( quantitative literature ), the semantic differential can be used to explore literary ratings by subjects and objectify it.