Is “Neutral” Really Neutral? Mid-point Ratings in the Affective Norms English Words (ANEW) May Mask Ambivalence

The Affective Norms for English Words (ANEW) is a stimulus set that provides researchers with language words have been pre-rated on bipolar scales valence, dominance, and arousal. Researchers rely these pre-ratings to ensure the they select accurately reflect affective responses elicit. Each word has valence rating reflecting degree which people experience as positive or negative, midpoint ratings this scale presumably neutrality. However, neutral tend vary substantially in arousal, suggesting not all are same. Some account by using conjunction arousal ratings, selecting low-arousal when neutrality what seek. We argue varying levels of due ambivalence. idea ANEW stimuli may hide ambivalence yet examined. This article evidence appear actually markedly elicit related their These findings relevant research, past present, use because different psychological consequences than neutrality, therefore complicates ability draw clear inferences maintain experimental control.