Verb tense, negatives, and other determinants of the intensity of evaluative meaning

Abstract

Fourteen adjectives were rated along an 11-point scale of (Un) Favorableness, both singly and when preceded by each of 21 Quantifiers. The Quantifiers consisted of: eight adverbs denoting Frequency (e.g., Often ); severn adverbs denoting Temporal proximity (e.g., Soon ); three Verb Tenses ( Is, Was, Will be ); and three Negatives ( Not, Un —, and Not un —). Data from 88 S s were scaled by a successive intervals method. Empirical scale values for all Quantifier-Adjective pairs were tested against a linear model. All four categories of quantifiers exert decremental effects on the degree of evaluative polarization of the adjectives, to comparative extents which are consistent with a priori and theoretical expectation. Some implications of the findings for measurement and development are briefly discussed.