Within the linguistic field, structural or syntactic priming has been investigated for L1 and L2 speakers. Studies show mixed results for the role of the mother language and the duration of the...Show moreWithin the linguistic field, structural or syntactic priming has been investigated for L1 and L2 speakers. Studies show mixed results for the role of the mother language and the duration of the priming effect. This thesis carried out an experiment with English and German L2 speakers of Dutch in comparison to native speakers of Dutch in a two-day structural priming task for relative clauses and prepositional phrases. The results show that priming works among English L2 speak-ers of Dutch, but not among the other two language groups. The priming effects for the English participants lasted at least one day, which indicates implicit learning as a result of long-term priming. A time-pressure component did not impact the effect of priming among the native speakers. The study adds to the existing body of knowledge of structural priming and confirms the existence of a difference in priming effects for familiar or unfamiliar syntactic structures in the L1 of the participant.Show less
In recent years, there have been a number of journalistic accounts of an increase in the demonization of the working class in Britain, with people who claim state benefit payments apparently...Show moreIn recent years, there have been a number of journalistic accounts of an increase in the demonization of the working class in Britain, with people who claim state benefit payments apparently bearing the brunt of this media assault. This study aims to look into the effects that negative portrayals of those receiving government payments has on attitudes to government welfare policy. The theoretical framework for this piece is based on framing, specifically thematic, equivalency frames. In order to investigate this, an experiment was employed in which a sample of undergraduate students were presented with one of five versions of an article followed by a survey regarding welfare policy. This allowed a comparison between the answers given by participants that received different versions of the article. The results of this study are largely inconclusive, suggesting that framing effects are not present in a manipulation so subtle.Show less
