Dr. Charles Zhang is an Assistant Professor of Marketing at UC Riverside. His research is primarily focused on the role of linguistics in numerical communication. Specifically, he investigates how the pragmatics in the framing of a quantity affects information recipients' judgment and, consequently, the outcome of marketing communication. Dr. Zhang graduated from Fudan University and earned his PhD from the University of Michigan.
讲座摘要：
Quantity modifiers (QMs), such as "almost," "only," and "as many as" convey whether the communicator considers a quantity as large or small. The present research documents a counter-normative consequence of using QMs: QMs that convey high (vs. low) subjective magnitudes also lead to more (vs. less) extreme evaluative judgments of the target. For example, if a cafeteria is said to offer "almost 10 dishes," the taste of the dishes will be considered as tastier compared to if it offers "only 10 dishes." Notably, such judgments are not a halo effect in which the judgment of one attribute (quantity) drives the judgment of another attribute (quality). Instead, this effect is driven by recipients drawing inferences based on the conversational logic: the fact that the communicator conveys a positive (vs. negative) judgment toward quantity without disclaiming the quality implicature suggests that the quality is also positive (vs. negative). Supporting this mechanism, the effect is eliminated when a communicator uses an QM not entirely on his/her own volition, and when the context of the exchange clearly negates an evaluative purpose. This research highlights that expressions with subtle differences can lead to opposite interpretations.
黄文礼，浙江财经大学中国金融研究院研究员，浙江大学互联网金融研究院数学与互联网金融研究中心研究员，研究领域：资产定价、公司金融、金融风险管理以及金融科技等。在国内权威学术杂志《系统工程理论与实践》、《应用数学学报》、《数学物理学报》、《数学学报》以及国际学术杂志Economic Modelling,Applied Mathematics and Mechanics,Applied Stochastic Models in Business & Industry,International Review of Economics and Finance等发表论文三十余篇。