The cognitive stereotype bitter in Polish, English and Ukrainian speakers based on the results of associative tests

Abstract

The article deals with the cognitive stereotype “N is bitter” in the minds of native speakers of Ukrainian, English, and Polish. To establish the range of objects that serve as typical markers of bitter taste, we can use data obtained directly from native speakers in association tests. A directed association test was recently conducted to identify the objects that respondents consider standards of bitter taste. Only grapefruit turned out to be such a standard, common to all respondents. Comparison with the data of free association experiments conducted during the 20^th century showed that stereotypes of bitter taste have undergone significant changes. The tendency to change the stereotype 'N is bitter' is most clearly represented in American respondents. Instead, Ukrainian speakers were the most conservative in their ideas about bitter taste stereotypes.