Experimental pragmatics, risk communication, and reasoning

Last updated on Aug 11, 2022
Photo by rawpixel on Unsplash

This research programme focuses on the pragmatic processes involved in communicating uncertainties, quantities and risk as well as in logical reasoning. It includes experimental studies examining pragmatic influences on how people interpret verbal probabilities and quantifiers and how they draw inferences.

Social cognition Conversational pragmatics Judgement & Decision-making Risk communication Problem-solving Reasoning
Gaëlle Vallée-Tourangeau
Gaëlle Vallée-Tourangeau
Professor of Behavioural Science

I am an experimental psychologist by training, and my research expertise lies in applied behavioural science, judgement and decision-making, and creative cognition.

Publications

Can membership-functions capture the directionality of verbal probabilities?
Verbal probabilities are a common mean for communicating risk and uncertainties in many decision-making settings (e.g., finance, …
Marie Juanchich, Miroslav Sirota, Tzur M. Karelitz, Gaëlle Villejoubert
PDF Project DOI
Is guilt ‘likely’ or ‘not certain’?: Contrast with previous probabilities determines choice of verbal terms
This research focuses on what determines speakers’ choice of positive and negative probability phrases (e.g., “a chance” vs. “not …
Marie Juanchich, Karl Teigen, Gaëlle Villejoubert
Project DOI
When some is actually all: Scalar inferences in face-threatening contexts
Accounts of the scalar inference from ‘some X-ed’ to ‘not all X-ed’ are central to the debate between contemporary theories of …
Jean-François Bonnefon, Aidan Feeney, Gaëlle Villejoubert
Project DOI
Interpreting claims in offender profiles: the role of probability phrases, base‐rates and perceived dangerousness
Offender profilers use verbal and numerical probability expressions to convey uncertainty surrounding claims made about …
Gaëlle Villejoubert, Louise Almond, Laurence Alison
Project DOI
Modus Tollens, Modus Shmollens: Contrapositive reasoning and the pragmatics of negation
The utterance of a negative statement invites the pragmatic inference that some reason exists for the proposition it negates to be …
Jean-François Bonnefon, Gaëlle Villejoubert
Project DOI
Tactful or doubtful?: Expectations of politeness explain the severity bias in the interpretation of probability phrases
When a statement about the occurrence of a medical condition is qualified by an expression of probability, such as the word possible, …
Jean-François Bonnefon, Gaëlle Villejoubert
Project DOI
How to do things with logical expressions: Creating collective value through co-ordinated reasoning
We argue that logical expressions in human language enable speakers to perform particular acts as well as stating propositions which …
Denis Hilton, Gaëlle Villejoubert, Jean-François Bonnefon
PDF Project DOI