Ideological Differences in the Construction of Meaning

Abstract

Synonym selections for de-contextualized abstract words were analyzed for differences in meaning related to personal ideology. Best and worst synonym choices of fifty-six subjects who tested as either constructionists or positivists on the Attitudes about Reality scale (AAR) were expected to reflect meanings most congruent with each group's views about reality. Constructionists were expected to emphasize meanings consistent with a relational view of reality while positivists were expected to emphasize meanings consistent with an “objectivist” view. Results indicated group differences in synonym choices on a third of the target words presented. In the absence of substantive models for analyzing de-contextualized abstract words, interpretations of synonym selections, though speculative, suggested support for the hypothesis that differences in meaning construction consistent with personal ideologies occur at the level of a single word with an interpretive domain.