The fact that these are opinions: Processing and acceptability patterns of subjective vs. objective information embedded under<i> the fact that</i>

Abstract

Language can convey both objective, fact-based information and subjective, opinion-based information. Previous research has focused on linguistic contexts that are associated with subjective information, such as information embedded under find. We aim to complement this existing work by exploring whether particular linguistic contexts are specifically associated with objective information. We report two psycholinguistic experiments testing the acceptability and processing of subjective and objective predicates embedded under the fact that. As a whole, the results suggest that subjective predicates embedded under the fact that are as acceptable and as easy-to-process as objective predicates, suggesting that this construction does not create a context that requires objective, fact-based information.