Language-dependent classification: The mental representation of classifiers in cognition, memory, and ad evaluations

Classifiers are lexico-syntactic structures that are common in Chinese but not in English. In 3 studies, the authors demonstrated that classifiers provide a language-inherent classification of objects (affecting perceived similarity and memory) and, more importantly, guide individuals' judgments in a practically relevant context (e.g., in the evaluation of advertisements). Chinese speaking participants, relative to English speaking participants, judged objects sharing a classifier as more similar than objects not sharing a classifier and were more likely to recall them in clusters. Moreover, objects, presented as consumer products in an advertising context, were evaluated more positively when cued with a visual stimulus that triggers classifier-related associations. Results are discussed in the context of the recent reformulation of the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis.