The role of audience design and goal bias in message generation: Evidence from Chinese source-goal motion events

This study investigated the effects of audience design and goal bias in Chinese speakers’ message generation of source-goal motion events (e.g., A bird flies from the tree to the house), using picture description and memory tasks. The status of the source (e.g., the tree) or the goal (e.g., the hous...

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Main Authors: Chen Zhao, Rui Xu, Tingting Sun
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Cambridge University Press 2025-01-01
Series:Language and Cognition
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S1866980825100240/type/journal_article
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author Chen Zhao
Rui Xu
Tingting Sun
author_facet Chen Zhao
Rui Xu
Tingting Sun
author_sort Chen Zhao
collection DOAJ
description This study investigated the effects of audience design and goal bias in Chinese speakers’ message generation of source-goal motion events (e.g., A bird flies from the tree to the house), using picture description and memory tasks. The status of the source (e.g., the tree) or the goal (e.g., the house) was manipulated as known or unknown to the confederate addressees. The findings revealed that the participants were more likely to omit the sources when they were mutually known to the addressee than when they were not. However, participants showed similar accuracy in detecting source changes, regardless of whether the sources were known to the addressee. Moreover, they consistently mentioned goals and showed similar accuracy in detecting goal changes, regardless of whether the goals were known or unknown to the addressee. The results suggest that audience design influenced the speakers’ mention of sources, but not their memory of them. It did not affect either the mention or the memory of goals. Goal bias was not consistently observed across the two experiments, both linguistically and in memory. This suggests a fragile goal bias in Chinese. Taken together, these findings demonstrate that audience design and goal bias influence the message generation of motion events in Chinese speakers.
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institution Kabale University
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publishDate 2025-01-01
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series Language and Cognition
spelling doaj-art-1425e08dc56b4ac4960c03c54dfb95d12025-08-20T08:07:06ZengCambridge University PressLanguage and Cognition1866-98081866-98592025-01-011710.1017/langcog.2025.10024The role of audience design and goal bias in message generation: Evidence from Chinese source-goal motion eventsChen Zhao0Rui Xu1Tingting Sun2Bilingual Cognition and Development Lab, Center for Linguistics and Applied Linguistics, https://ror.org/00fhc9y79 Guangdong University of Foreign Studies , Guangzhou, ChinaBilingual Cognition and Development Lab, Center for Linguistics and Applied Linguistics, https://ror.org/00fhc9y79 Guangdong University of Foreign Studies , Guangzhou, ChinaBilingual Cognition and Development Lab, Center for Linguistics and Applied Linguistics, https://ror.org/00fhc9y79 Guangdong University of Foreign Studies , Guangzhou, ChinaThis study investigated the effects of audience design and goal bias in Chinese speakers’ message generation of source-goal motion events (e.g., A bird flies from the tree to the house), using picture description and memory tasks. The status of the source (e.g., the tree) or the goal (e.g., the house) was manipulated as known or unknown to the confederate addressees. The findings revealed that the participants were more likely to omit the sources when they were mutually known to the addressee than when they were not. However, participants showed similar accuracy in detecting source changes, regardless of whether the sources were known to the addressee. Moreover, they consistently mentioned goals and showed similar accuracy in detecting goal changes, regardless of whether the goals were known or unknown to the addressee. The results suggest that audience design influenced the speakers’ mention of sources, but not their memory of them. It did not affect either the mention or the memory of goals. Goal bias was not consistently observed across the two experiments, both linguistically and in memory. This suggests a fragile goal bias in Chinese. Taken together, these findings demonstrate that audience design and goal bias influence the message generation of motion events in Chinese speakers.https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S1866980825100240/type/journal_articleaudience designgoal biaslanguage productionmessage generation
spellingShingle Chen Zhao
Rui Xu
Tingting Sun
The role of audience design and goal bias in message generation: Evidence from Chinese source-goal motion events
Language and Cognition
audience design
goal bias
language production
message generation
title The role of audience design and goal bias in message generation: Evidence from Chinese source-goal motion events
title_full The role of audience design and goal bias in message generation: Evidence from Chinese source-goal motion events
title_fullStr The role of audience design and goal bias in message generation: Evidence from Chinese source-goal motion events
title_full_unstemmed The role of audience design and goal bias in message generation: Evidence from Chinese source-goal motion events
title_short The role of audience design and goal bias in message generation: Evidence from Chinese source-goal motion events
title_sort role of audience design and goal bias in message generation evidence from chinese source goal motion events
topic audience design
goal bias
language production
message generation
url https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S1866980825100240/type/journal_article
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AT ruixu theroleofaudiencedesignandgoalbiasinmessagegenerationevidencefromchinesesourcegoalmotionevents
AT tingtingsun theroleofaudiencedesignandgoalbiasinmessagegenerationevidencefromchinesesourcegoalmotionevents
AT chenzhao roleofaudiencedesignandgoalbiasinmessagegenerationevidencefromchinesesourcegoalmotionevents
AT ruixu roleofaudiencedesignandgoalbiasinmessagegenerationevidencefromchinesesourcegoalmotionevents
AT tingtingsun roleofaudiencedesignandgoalbiasinmessagegenerationevidencefromchinesesourcegoalmotionevents