Cynthia Whissell
Biographic Data
| ID | 629561 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Cynthia Whissell |
| GIVEN NAMES | Cynthia |
| FAMILY NAME | Whissell |
| SIGNATURE | WHISSELL C |
| AFFILIATIONS | Laurentian University |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-5844-4929 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 43 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 18 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 43 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1989 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2023 |
| H-INDEX | 3 |
Engaging with Emotion
This work informs by encouraging the reader to interact with the text itself and with the literature in the area.
Engaging with Emotion
How the Titles of Popular Songs have Changed over the Last 60 Years
Billboard magazine has been keeping track of the 100 hottest (most popular) songs of the year since 1958. Lists of the Hot 100 titles from 1960 to 2019 (6001 titles) were used to study the way in which popular song titles changed over time. Based on significant polynomial regression trends and significant results from a discriminant function analysis, it is concluded that there were three main phases in titles (early, middle, and late) and that t…
Pumping Up the Base: Deployment of Strong Emotion and Simple Language in Presidential Nomination Acceptance Speeches
Background and Method: This research examines the nomination acceptance speeches of US presidential candidates from Republican and Democratic parties in the post-WWII mass communication era (1948–2020, 38 speeches). Variables studied are the emotional tone of the speeches, their abstractness, their Grade Level, their employment of personal pronouns and their mentions of “America”. Speeches were scored with the Dictionary of Affect in Language (a …
According to Their Emotional Plots, the Iliad is Most Likely Tragic While the Odyssey Is Not
The words of Kline's English translations of the Iliad and the Odyssey were scored in terms of their emotional connotations with the Dictionary of Affect in Language Plots of the two epics were modeled in terms of variations in word unpleasantness (which was assumed to represent misfortune) across time. At the overall level, words in the Iliad were significantly more unpleasant (unfortunate), active, and concrete than those in the Odyssey. The pl…
An Episodic Plot and an Unhappy Ending: What Emotional Sound Patterns Reveal About the Structure of Coleridge's Rime of the Ancyent Marinere
Pleasant sounds (phonemes) within Coleridge's 1798 Rime of the Ancyent Marinere were employed to study the poem's structure in terms of the Aristotelean concepts of fortune (many pleasant emotions/phonemes) and misfortune (few) and to address questions as to how the poem doubled in length shortly before publication. The distribution of emotionally pleasant phonemes such as long e (i), l, v, and th (θ) indicated the presence of a (likely original)…
Choosing a Name
Titles in Highly Ranked Multidisciplinary Psychology Journals 1966–2011: More Words and Punctuation Marks Allow for the Communication of More Information
Titles of articles in seven highly ranked multidisciplinary psychology journals for every fifth year between 1966 and 2011 (inclusive) were studied in terms of title length, word length, punctuation density, and word pleasantness, activation, and concreteness (assessed by the Dictionary of Affect in Language). Titles grew longer (by three words) and were more frequently punctuated (by one colon or comma for every other article) between 1966 and 2…
The Trend toward more Attractive and Informative Titles: American Psychologist 1946–2010
Titles of journal articles serve to attract attention and inform potential readers. All titles from 65 volumes of American Psychologist (1946-2010, N = 12,313 titles) were studied in terms of their emotionality, style, and contents. Several trends noted for titles in different kinds of journals from psychology and other disciplines were present in American Psychologist (increasing title length, increasing use of punctuation marks, increasing empl…
Explaining Inconsistencies in Shakespeare's Character Henry V on the Basis of the Emotional Undertones of His Speeches
Shakespeare's character Henry V is infamous, among 20th-century analysts of drama, for his inconsistent disposition. Some analysts highlight this character's reformation and others his Machiavellian tendency to moderate his disposition in tune with changing situations. The Dictionary of Affect in Language (Whissell, 2009) was used to score the emotional undertones of words in Henry V's dialogue. Analyses of these undertones, described in terms of…
Challenging an Authorial Attribution: Vocabulary and Emotion in a Translation of Goethe's Faust Attributed to Samuel Taylor Coleridge
This article disputes the stylometric attribution of an anonymous English 1821 translation of Goethe's German verse drama Faust to the poet an critic Samuel Taylor Coleridge. The translation was compared to four known Coleridgean dramas, two of which were translations from German. Evidence challenging Coleridge's authorship came from words used proportionally more often by Coleridge, words used proportionally more often by the unknown translator,…
Leading with words? Emotion and style in the language of U.S. President Clinton's public communications
Leading with words? Emotion and style in the language of U.S. President Clinton's public communicationsSamples of U. S. President Clinton's public communications were scored with a computer program for the emotional undertones of their words, for the proportional occurrence of negations and very common words, and for the use of first and second person pronouns. The first two measures address emotion, the remaining ones style. Measures successfull…
Poet Interrupted: Differences in the Emotionality and Imagery of Byron's Poetry Associated With His Turbulent Mid-Career Years in England 1,2
The Dictionary of Affect in Language was employed to compare two parts of Byron's Childe Harold's Pilgrimage, written before and after an interruption of several turbulent years in England. The post-interruption part of the poem employed fewer extreme emotional words and more abstract words than the pre-interruption part. In a second analysis, poems written during the interruption and poems written before and after Childe Harold were examined, al…
Emotion and the Humors: Scoring and Classifying Major Characters from Shakespeare's Comedies on the Basis of Their Language
The theory of humors, which was the prevalent theory of affect in Shakespeare's day, was used to explain both states (moods, emotions) and traits (personalities). This article reports humoral scores appropriate to the major characters of Shakespeare's comedies. The Dictionary of Affect in Language was used to score all words (N = 180,243) spoken by 105 major characters in 13 comedies in terms of their emotional undertones. These were translated i…
Poet Interrupted: Differences in the Emotionality and Imagery of Byron's Poetry Associated with His Turbulent Mid-Career Years in England
The Dictionary of Affect in Language was employed to compare two parts of Byron's Childe Harold's Pilgrimage, written before and after an interruption of several turbulent years in England. The post-interruption part of the poem employed fewer extreme emotional words and more abstract words than the pre-interruption part. In a second analysis, poems written during the interruption and poems written before and after Childe Harold were examined, al…
Using the Revised Dictionary of Affect in Language to Quantify the Emotional Undertones of Samples of Natural Language
Whissell's Dictionary of Affect in Language, originally designed to quantify the Pleasantness and Activation of specifically emotional words, was revised to increase its applicability to samples of natural language. Word selection for the revision privileged natural language, and the matching rate of the Dictionary, which includes 8,742 words, was increased to 90%. Dictionary scores were available for 9 of every 10 words in most language samples.…
Emotional Fluctuations in Bob Dylan's Lyrics Measured by the Dictionary of Affect Accompany Events and Phases in his Life
Lyrics for Bob Dylan's songs between 1962 and 2001 (close to 100,000 words) were scored with the help of the Dictionary of Affect in Language (Whissell, 2006). Means for Pleasantness, Activation, and Imagery are reported for 22 Blocks characterizing this time span. Significant but weak differences across Blocks were found for all three measures at the level of individual words. Emotional fluctuations in words included in Bob Dylan's lyrics accomp…
The Distinct Emotional Flavor of Gnostic Writings from the Early Christian Era
More than 500,000 scored words in 83 documents were used to conclude that it is possible to identify the source of documents (proto-orthodox Christian versus early Gnostic) on the basis of the emotions underlying the words. Twenty-seven New Testament works and seven Gnostic documents (including the gospels of Thomas, Judas, and Mary [Magdalene]) were scored with the Dictionary of Affect in Language. Patterns of emotional word use focusing on eigh…
A Comparison of Two Lists Providing Emotional Norms for English Words (Anew and the DAL)
Although different in terms of purpose, word-selection procedures, and rating scales, both the ANEW (n = 1034) and DAL (n = 8742) lists, which have 633 words in common, provide normative emotional ratings for English words. This research compared the lists and cross-validated the two main lexical dimensions of affect. Parallel representatives of the two dimensions (Valence and Pleasantness, Arousal and Activation) were correlated across lists (rs…
Quantifying Genre: An Operational Definition of Tragedy and Comedy Based on Shakespeare's Plays
Emotion and imagery in the words of Shakespeare's plays, as measured by the Dictionary of Affect in Language, were used to predict genre (tragedy or comedy). Genre distinctions, which were associated with small effect sizes, were established on the basis of 23 plays and then applied to other plays. A discriminant function which combined lower emotional Pleasantness with higher emotional Activation or arousal and more pictorial Imagery successfull…
Word Emotionality and the Structure of the Old Testament Book of Ruth
Words in the World English Bible version of the book of Ruth were studied in terms of their emotional implications using the Dictionary of Affect in Language which matched 2,225 (89%) of the words. The use of extremely Passive/Unpleasant words and that of extremely Pleasant words gave evidence of a V and inverse-V structure, respectively. Ruth was gentle in tone, containing 188% of the normative proportion of Pleasant/Passive words and approximat…
Word Emotionality and the Structure of the Old Testament Book of Ruth 1
Words in the World English Bible version of the book of Ruth were studied in terms of their emotional implications using the Dictionary of Affect in Language which matched 2,225 (89%) of the words. The use of extremely Passive/Unpleasant words and that of extremely Pleasant words gave evidence of a V and inverse-V structure, respectively. Ruth was gentle in tone, containing 188% of the normative proportion of Pleasant/Passive words and approximat…
Quantifying Genre: An Operational Definition of Tragedy and Comedy Based on Shakespeare's Plays
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Word Emotionality and the Structure of the Old Testament Book of Ruth
Comparison of the Books of the New Testament (English Translation) in Terms of Emotion and Word Use
The 27 books of the New Testament (English Translation) were scored using the Dictionary of Affect in Language. Books were compared with one another in terms of Activation, Pleasantness, and Imagery scores, and in terms of word length, use of the word "love," and mentions of Jesus. Significant differences among books were evident for all variables. A table of means and standard errors is provided. Measures of the books were related to one another…
Mate selection in popular women's fiction
The Great Communicator” and “The Great Talker” on the Radio: Projecting Presidential Personas
This article analyzes the impressions thai two recent presidents (“the Great Communicator, ” Ronald Reagan; and “the Great Talker, ” Bill Clinton) conveyed in their Saturday morning radio addresses. Attention centers on two dimensions: activity and positivity. Clinton projected a more active anda more positive image than Reagan. On these dimensions, Reagan's use of language was closer to the American norm than Clinton's, although the differences …
Sound and Emotion in Given Names
An analysis of the distribution of phonemes in men's and women's names confirmed several past findings, e.g., women's names were more variable and longer, contained more vowels, and were more likely to end with a vowel, especially schwa. Assigning emotional character to individual phonemes revealed that emotional information was encoded in name sounds. Men's names included significantly more cheerful, active, nasty, and unpleasant phonemes while …
Projecting Presidential Personas on the Radio: An Addendum on the Bushes
We expand our recent analysis of the Saturday morning radio addresses of Presidents Reagan and Clinton to include Presidents George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush. The Busbes’broadcasts contrast sharply and in some unanticipated ways with those of Reagan and Clinton
Will Premenstrual Syndrome Produce a MS Hyde: Evidence from Daily Administrations of the Emotions Profile Index
22 women participated in a study that required daily completion of the Emotions Profile Index and a short diary form for 49 consecutive days. The Emotions Profile Index for 868 subject-days was factor-analyzed. Differences in Factor 1 (friendly extraversion) were related to menstrual cycle position while differences in Factor 2 (timidity) were not. Evidence for a premenstrual move in the direction of aggressive, depressed distrust (irritable intr…
The Position of Sex-Typical Words in Two-Dimensional Emotion Space
Data from five experiments (total N = 304) were used to examine differences in assignments of sex-typicality to personality-describing words. The several significant differences were interpreted in terms of the location of male-typical and female-typical words in two-dimensional emotion space. Words judged as typical of women were consistently more pleasant and less active than those judged as typical of men. The report includes tables of over 20…
Mate selection in popular women's fiction
Changes in Women's Emotions as a Function of Emotion Valence, Self-Determined Category of Premenstrual Distress, and Day in the Menstrual Cycle
A confirmatory study where 20 women completed Plutchik and Kellerman's Emotions Profile Index in a daily prospective rating of emotions supported previous findings of mood fluctuations across the menstrual cycle. Positive moods peaked at or about the time of ovulation and negative ones at or about the time of menstruation. However, significant interactions indicated that a pronounced shift in mood was only characteristic of women who rated themse…
Pleasantness, Activation, and Sex Differences in Advertising
Advertisements in men's, women's, girls', and boys' magazines (n = 38,195 words) were scored objectively in terms of 15 measures of linguistic style, e.g., use of common words, use of long words, use of specific words and emotional tone (pleasantness and activation, as measured by the Dictionary of Affect). There were several sex- and age-related differences among advertisements from different sources. Advertisements from boys' magazines were ext…
Pleasantness, Activation, and Sex Differences in Advertising
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Objective Analysis of Text: II. Using an Emotional Compass to Describe the Emotional Tone of Situation Comedies
Transcripts for episodes from 9 situation comedies (roughly 27,000 words in total) were scored by the program TEXT.NLZ in terms of emotional tone. To promote ease of interpretation scores for the dimensions of pleasantness and activation were depicted as vectors in a normative emotional space. Both numerical and figural representations of the data indicated that the words used in situation comedies were pleasant and mildly active, with small diff…
Holding Emotional and Linguistic Rulers up to the Poetry of Robert Frost
The words in a large and representative sample of Robert Frost's poetry were compared with information in several data bases which provided estimates of the poetry's pleasantness, arousal, emotionality, imagery, and linguistic complexity. Findings confirmed that Frost's poetry was linguistically simple and emotionally restrained in comparison to that of his cohort. They also highlighted the increasing variability in Frost's poetry across time and…
Holding Emotional and Linguistic Rulers Up to the Poetry of Robert Frost
Sound and Emotion in Given Names
An analysis of the distribution of phonemes in men's and women's names confirmed several past findings, e.g., women's names were more variable and longer, contained more vowels, and were more likely to end with a vowel, especially schwa. Assigning emotional character to individual phonemes revealed that emotional information was encoded in name sounds. Men's names included significantly more cheerful, active, nasty, and unpleasant phonemes while …
Projecting Presidential Personas on the Radio: An Addendum on the Bushes
We expand our recent analysis of the Saturday morning radio addresses of Presidents Reagan and Clinton to include Presidents George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush. The Busbes’broadcasts contrast sharply and in some unanticipated ways with those of Reagan and Clinton
The Great Communicator” and “The Great Talker” on the Radio: Projecting Presidential Personas
This article analyzes the impressions thai two recent presidents (“the Great Communicator, ” Ronald Reagan; and “the Great Talker, ” Bill Clinton) conveyed in their Saturday morning radio addresses. Attention centers on two dimensions: activity and positivity. Clinton projected a more active anda more positive image than Reagan. On these dimensions, Reagan's use of language was closer to the American norm than Clinton's, although the differences …
Emotion and Style in an English Translation of the Quran
An English translation of the Quran was studied in terms of word use patterns, emotionality of words, and style. Variables were assessed with the help of computer programs and the Dictionary of Affect in Language. On the basis of words used at unusually high frequencies, the translation of the Quran was seen to be emphatically about Allah, his Prophets and Message, and believers. The translation of the Quran was slightly less Pleasant and Active …
Titles of Articles Published in the Journal Psychological Reports: Changes in Language, Emotion, and Imagery over Time
Over 1,500 titles of articles in the journal Psychological Reports for 1955–59, 1975, and 1995 were analyzed using the Dictionary of Affect in Language. There were changes across time in emotional tone measured in terms of Pleasantness (which was somewhat low and rose across time) and Activation (which was high and also rose). Significant differences were also present for Imagery (which was high and rose across time), style (titles became longer …
Comparison of the Books of the New Testament (English Translation) in Terms of Emotion and Word Use
The 27 books of the New Testament (English Translation) were scored using the Dictionary of Affect in Language. Books were compared with one another in terms of Activation, Pleasantness, and Imagery scores, and in terms of word length, use of the word "love," and mentions of Jesus. Significant differences among books were evident for all variables. A table of means and standard errors is provided. Measures of the books were related to one another…
Serial Publication and the Emotional Associations of Words in Dickens' David Copperfield
A study of the emotional associations and imagery of words in Dickens' serially published novel David Copperfield, quantified by the Dictionary of Affect in Language, identified patterns both in the whole novel and within its chapters and installments. The Pleasantness and Activation of words rose significantly across the novel, while the use of Imagery first fell and then rose again. The last chapter of each installment had shorter sentences and…
The Flow of Emotion through Beowulf
The Old English saga Beowulf was studied in translation with the help of the Dictionary of Affect in Language which quantifies the emotional connotations of words. Statistically significant differences in Pleasantness and Activation were evident across segments of the poem. A model was developed to represent the wavelike flow of Pleasantness and Activation through the Beowulf saga. Analyses identified a meta-structure whose climax was the second …
The Flow of Emotion Through Beowulf
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Serial Publication and the Emotional Associations of Words in Dickens' David Copperfield
Quantifying Genre: An Operational Definition of Tragedy and Comedy Based on Shakespeare's Plays
Emotion and imagery in the words of Shakespeare's plays, as measured by the Dictionary of Affect in Language, were used to predict genre (tragedy or comedy). Genre distinctions, which were associated with small effect sizes, were established on the basis of 23 plays and then applied to other plays. A discriminant function which combined lower emotional Pleasantness with higher emotional Activation or arousal and more pictorial Imagery successfull…
Word Emotionality and the Structure of the Old Testament Book of Ruth
Words in the World English Bible version of the book of Ruth were studied in terms of their emotional implications using the Dictionary of Affect in Language which matched 2,225 (89%) of the words. The use of extremely Passive/Unpleasant words and that of extremely Pleasant words gave evidence of a V and inverse-V structure, respectively. Ruth was gentle in tone, containing 188% of the normative proportion of Pleasant/Passive words and approximat…
Word Emotionality and the Structure of the Old Testament Book of Ruth 1
Words in the World English Bible version of the book of Ruth were studied in terms of their emotional implications using the Dictionary of Affect in Language which matched 2,225 (89%) of the words. The use of extremely Passive/Unpleasant words and that of extremely Pleasant words gave evidence of a V and inverse-V structure, respectively. Ruth was gentle in tone, containing 188% of the normative proportion of Pleasant/Passive words and approximat…
Quantifying Genre: An Operational Definition of Tragedy and Comedy Based on Shakespeare's Plays
ammonsscientific.com is your first and best source for all of the information you’re looking for. From general topics to more of what you would expect to find here, ammonsscientific.com has it all. We hope you find what you are searching for
Word Emotionality and the Structure of the Old Testament Book of Ruth
Emotional Fluctuations in Bob Dylan's Lyrics Measured by the Dictionary of Affect Accompany Events and Phases in his Life
Lyrics for Bob Dylan's songs between 1962 and 2001 (close to 100,000 words) were scored with the help of the Dictionary of Affect in Language (Whissell, 2006). Means for Pleasantness, Activation, and Imagery are reported for 22 Blocks characterizing this time span. Significant but weak differences across Blocks were found for all three measures at the level of individual words. Emotional fluctuations in words included in Bob Dylan's lyrics accomp…
Psychology (39 works) · Linguistics (28 works) · Social Psychology (26 works) · Social Psychology (24 works) · Philosophy (19 works) · Art (18 works) · Literature (17 works) · Philosophy (17 works) · Communication (15 works) · Communication (15 works)