An Investigation of Individuals’ Responses to Death-Related Information

Abstract

Death rituals serve essential cultural functions. They not only commemorate those who have passed away but also reflect the attitudes of the living towards death. Different countries have developed diverse cultural norms regarding death. In ancient China, death was seriously regarded, leading to complex funeral ceremonies and traditions within traditional Chinese culture. This study aims to investigate the attitudes of contemporary Chinese individuals towards death-related messages. Stimuli for the study consisted of images featuring tombstones of well-known figures, encompassing both Chinese and foreign celebrities. Participants were randomly assigned to one of two experimental groups: Group 1 and Group 2. Both groups were exposed to the same series of images. However, Group A received explicit instruction highlighting the death or funeral of the celebrity associated with each tombstone, with the images labeled as “The Tomb of XYZ.”Conversely, Group 2 was not given specific emphasis on death-related information but was introduced to the carving art of the monuments, with the images labeled as “The Chinese/ Western Monument.” An eye-tracking device was employed throughout the experiment to track participants’ gaze patterns and collect quantitative data. The results revealed that participants in Group 1 exhibited longer fixation durations on labeling information than Group 2, indicating that individuals are responsive to death-related information. Furthermore, participants in Group 1 demonstrated shorter average fixation durations when observing Chinese tombstones compared to Western tombstones, suggesting that participants experienced a higher cognitive load when interpreting Chinese tombstones. This finding implies that participants may harbor greater unease regarding death-related information rooted in Chinese cultural backgrounds. These research findings contribute to a deeper understanding of how people perceive death and offer insights that can be applied in death education.