道歉策略選用的能力發展研究：道歉對象之社會地位的影響性探討

The Effect of an Interlocutor's Social Status on the Use of Apology Strategies: A Cross-Sectional Study

This study explored the effect of social status on the perception of the severity of offense given and on the use of apology strategies across different age groups. A total of 240 participants took part in the present study, comprising four groups: 3rd grade, 6th grade, 10th grade, and college freshmen. Each age group was composed of 60 participants: 30 males and 30 females. The production data were collected using a discourse completion task (DCT). It was found that participants from each age group gave a higher mean rating to the severity of offense and to the obligation to apologize in situations where the interlocutor was of a higher status. While the 3rd graders gave a higher mean rating for the severity of offense in such situations, they revealed their status sensitivity only via use of an “alerter” strategy in their apology production. The older participants, on the other hand, varied their apology strategies more between high-status situations and equal-status situations than did the younger participants.