Journal of Business and Technical Communication Oct 2020 Open Access

Inductively Versus Deductively Structured Product Descriptions: Effects on Chinese and Western Readers

Qian Li University of Twente ; Joyce Karreman University of Twente ; Menno D. T. de Jong

Abstract

This study examines the effects of inductively versus deductively organized product descriptions on Chinese and Western readers. It uses a 2 × 3 experimental design with text structure (inductive versus deductive) and cultural background (Chinese living in China, Chinese living in the Netherlands, and Westerners) as independent variables and recall, reading time, and readers’ opinions as dependent variables. Participants read a product description that explained two refrigerator types and then recommended which one to purchase. The results showed that Chinese readers rated readability and persuasiveness higher when the text was structured inductively whereas Western readers rated these aspects equally high for the inductively and deductively structured text. The results suggest that culturally preferred organizing principles do not affect readers’ ability to read and understand texts but that these principles might affect their opinions about the texts.

Journal
Journal of Business and Technical Communication
Published
2020-10-01
DOI
10.1177/1050651920932192
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Topics
empirical research affect and writing
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  2. Li et al. (2021)
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