Investigating the Role of Conceptual Vagueness in Interactive Dynamics

This work explores the social dynamics triggered by abstract and concrete concepts (e.g., fantasy vs. bottle) integrating traditional research methods with an interactive paradigm. It introduces Vagueness, a novel semantic dimension that distinguishes between determinate and vague concepts (e.g., subtraction vs. freedom). A preliminary norming study reveals that while Vagueness is partially predicted by Abstractness, it represents a distinct and meaningful semantic component. The main study further demonstrates that Abstractness and Vagueness uniquely shape how dyads evaluate the quality of their collaborative interactions.