First Names on the Campus: A Semantic Differential Analysis

Abstract

Osgood 1 attempts to reduce the meaning of a concept to its basic factors. Research with the semantic differential has previously evaluated stereotypes of first names, and nicknames of men and first names of women. 2 Other recent contributions in the area of first names have been made by Seeman 3 on the naming process, by Harari and McDavid and by Gray on how schoolteachers use name stereotypes. 4 The books by Dunkling and by Stewart have also contributed to our general knowlege of first names. 5 The earlier semantic differential investigations were somewhat limited by computer capacity so that only about 30 names could be studied at one time. Other studies of name stereotypes have also been limited to about the same number. One exception is the work of Buchanan and