The metaphor framing effect: Metaphorical reasoning about text-based dilemmas

We investigated the idea that people use metaphor to help make sense of tex t-based vignettes about everyday dilemmas. First, we found evidence for the metaphor framing hypothesis across 6 experiments in which framing descript ions of dilemmas within various metaphor fi-ames influenced reasoners' deci sions about how to resolve the dilemmas. Second, we found evidence for the metaphor processing termination hypothesis across 3 experiments: When a met aphor was not necessary to increase understanding of a dilemma or when it a ctually increased ambiguity, the metaphor framing effect was attenuated. In particular, when the vignette contained or primed knowledge that could be used to understand the vignette, reasoners were less likely to make decisio ns consistent with the metaphor, were less likely to rate the metaphor as a pt, and were less likely to choose metaphor-consistent responses on a subse quent verbal analogy test. Results are consistent with a constructivist the ory of text comprehension, which specifies the conditions under which learn ers use metaphor to make sense of text vignettes.