Discourse Processes · 2002 · 165 citations · 21 references
Social SciencesPsychologySocial PsychologyInterpersonal CommunicationPersuasionSocial PerceptionFacial ExpressionPoliteness StrategiesIrony InterpretationIrony TheorySpeaker Intent Evidence
Prior research on ironic insults has produced conflicting results, with some studies showing that irony amplifies criticism while others find it dampens it. The study investigates whether the perception of ironic insults varies when participants judge speaker intent versus social impression. The authors assessed participants’ judgments of ironic versus direct insults and compliments while manipulating whether they evaluated mocking intent or politeness. Ironic insults were perceived as more mocking but also more polite than direct insults, whereas ironic compliments were perceived as more mocking and less polite than direct compliments.
Abstract In previous research, there have been inconsistent findings regarding interpretation of ironic insults. Colston (1997) reported that irony enhances the criticism conveyed by a more direct insult, but Dews and Winner (1995; Dews, Kaplan & Winner, 1995) reported that irony mutes the criticism conveyed by more direct insult. In this study we examined the possibility that the perception of ironic insults depends on whether participants were asked to judge speaker intent (e.g., mocking) or social impression (e.g., politeness). Results supported this possibility because ironic insults were perceived to be more mocking, but also more polite, than direct insults. In contrast, ironic compliments were perceived to be more mocking and less polite than direct compliments.
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On the psycholinguistics of sarcasm.
Raymond W. Gibbs · Journal of Experimental Psychology General · 1986 · 594 citations
Rachel Giora · Discourse Processes · 1995 · 381 citations