Agentive Language: Its Effect on the Perception of Culpability in Investigative Interviewing

|Publish Date: May 30, 2024|Keywords: Contemporary EHF 2024, Investigation, Linguistics, Publications|

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 Author
Dominique L M Bovell
Abstract
This paper looks at the effect of using agentive language in a simulated investigative interview, to determine if the use of language that assigns agency to human action impacts how interviewees perceive culpability for their role in an accident. The results revealed no significant effect of using agentive language. The research methodology, participants’ disposition, and the customary use of agentive language in English may explain these results.