{"schema":"https://ver.cy/schemas/card/1.0.0","id":"vr.tr.exaggeration","code":"thing-q113883828","url":"https://ver.cy/models/thing/q113883828/","name":"exaggeration","alternateNames":["catastrophizing","puffery","pain catastrophizing"],"kind":"thing","status":"published","version":"0.1.0-research.1","language":"en","classifiers":{"family":"Thing Registry","category":"Information and virtual systems","entryKind":"thing","plane":"INF","domain":["INF.MED"],"industry":[],"navPath":"","tags":[],"facets":{}},"whatItIs":"Exaggeration is a communicative representation that makes a quality, quantity, event or condition appear greater, more extreme or more significant than a relevant factual or contextually warranted baseline supports.","purpose":"Enable an agent to recognise exaggeration, assess how a representation exceeds a defensible reference point, and choose a response appropriate to its context and consequences.","scope":{"in":["The specific words, images, sounds, or presentation choices that perform amplification","The dimension being amplified and the reference point against which excess is assessed","Literal, figurative, and unresolved interpretations of the representation","Evidence about communicative purpose and audience recognition","Consequences of amplification and proportionate ways to annotate, clarify, or correct it"],"out":["Understatement that diminishes rather than amplifies its subject","Falsehood or fabrication without an identifiable amplification relationship","Deception strategies beyond the particular exaggerated representation","Complete works, editions, files, and physical carriers containing exaggeration","General personality traits or diagnoses inferred from a person's speech","The underlying event or quantity independently of how it is represented"],"boundaries":[]},"distinguishingFeatures":["An exaggeration candidate identifies both something represented and a dimension made greater; inaccuracy alone does not establish exaggeration.","Hyperbole is a rhetorical case in which an amplified expression invites a nonliteral reading; exaggeration need not be intentional or recognised as figurative.","A metaphor qualifies only when its contextual interpretation also amplifies a dimension; figurative substitution alone is insufficient.","A superlative, extreme number, or emphatic image is not sufficient evidence: it may accurately describe an extreme case.","A mistaken statement can be exaggerated without being a lie; classifying it as deception requires separate evidence about knowledge and intent."],"structure":{"bundles":[{"id":"amplification-and-reference","name":"Amplification and reference","description":"Establishes what is being enlarged and whether a defensible comparison supports that judgement.","layers":[{"id":"target-and-dimension","name":"Target and dimension","description":"Separates the represented subject from the property being amplified.","findings":[{"id":"locate-amplified-property","name":"Locate the amplified property","description":"Record the proposition or depiction and the particular dimension claimed to exceed its reference point.","questions":[{"text":"What subject is represented, and what magnitude, frequency, intensity, certainty, or scope is made greater?","id":"locate-amplified-property-q01","kind":"definition"},{"text":"Does the expression actually amplify a property, or does it merely express enthusiasm, disagreement, or a different description?","id":"locate-amplified-property-q02","kind":"boundary"}]}]},{"id":"baseline-and-discrepancy","name":"Baseline and discrepancy","description":"Records the comparison evidence and the limits of estimating excess.","findings":[{"id":"justify-reference-comparison","name":"Justify the reference comparison","description":"Keep observed values, estimated ranges, contextual norms, and evaluator expectations distinct when judging amplification.","questions":[{"text":"What evidence supplies the reference point, and does it match the claim's time period, population, and conditions?","id":"justify-reference-comparison-q01","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Can the excess be expressed as a meaningful difference or ratio, or is only a qualitative judgement warranted?","id":"justify-reference-comparison-q02","kind":"measurement"},{"text":"Would another defensible reference point change whether the expression counts as exaggerated?","id":"justify-reference-comparison-q03","kind":"boundary"}]}]}]},{"id":"expression-and-interpretation","name":"Expression and interpretation","description":"Connects amplification to observable linguistic or audiovisual choices and their possible readings.","layers":[{"id":"amplification-mechanism","name":"Amplification mechanism","description":"Identifies how the representation produces an enlarged impression.","findings":[{"id":"identify-operative-cues","name":"Identify operative cues","description":"Locate inflated figures, absolutes, superlatives, extreme comparisons, or presentation distortions without assuming that every such cue is exaggeration.","questions":[{"text":"Which exact words, image features, sound choices, or chart properties create the amplified impression?","id":"identify-operative-cues-q01","kind":"definition"},{"text":"Could the same feature be an accurate extreme description or a conventional emphasis marker in this context?","id":"identify-operative-cues-q02","kind":"boundary"}]}]},{"id":"literal-and-figurative-readings","name":"Literal and figurative readings","description":"Keeps factual commitment separate from a plausible rhetorical interpretation.","findings":[{"id":"resolve-hyperbolic-reading","name":"Resolve the hyperbolic reading","description":"Record contextual support for hyperbole and a possible intended meaning while retaining competing interpretations.","questions":[{"text":"What contextual cues support interpreting the expression as deliberate nonliteral overstatement?","id":"resolve-hyperbolic-reading-q01","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"What restrained paraphrase preserves the apparent meaning, and what meaning would that paraphrase lose?","id":"resolve-hyperbolic-reading-q02","kind":"definition"},{"text":"Which part, if any, remains a factual assertion requiring verification under the figurative reading?","id":"resolve-hyperbolic-reading-q03","kind":"boundary"}]}]}]},{"id":"purpose-audience-and-circulation","name":"Purpose, audience, and circulation","description":"Records supported purpose, audience interpretation, and changes introduced by quotation or reuse.","layers":[{"id":"purpose-and-recognition","name":"Purpose and recognition","description":"Separates the communicator's evidenced purpose from the audience's observed understanding.","findings":[{"id":"separate-intent-from-reception","name":"Separate intent from reception","description":"Assess possible emphasis, humour, emotional expression, persuasion, or misleading intent without treating any purpose as established by wording alone.","questions":[{"text":"What evidence supports a particular purpose for this amplification rather than merely suggesting one?","id":"separate-intent-from-reception-q01","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which audience recognised the exaggeration, and which audience treated it literally or disputed it?","id":"separate-intent-from-reception-q02","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Is deceptive intent independently supported, or is only the presence of amplification established?","id":"separate-intent-from-reception-q03","kind":"boundary"}]}]},{"id":"context-transfer","name":"Context transfer","description":"Tracks whether editing, translation, quotation, or redistribution changes the amplification or its recognisability.","findings":[{"id":"trace-context-dependent-changes","name":"Trace context-dependent changes","description":"Distinguish exaggeration present in the original expression from amplification introduced by a later representation.","questions":[{"text":"What original wording, image, or recording is available, and which qualifications or tone cues were removed in this version?","id":"trace-context-dependent-changes-q01","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Did quotation, translation, cropping, or headline writing introduce stronger magnitude, certainty, or scope?","id":"trace-context-dependent-changes-q02","kind":"boundary"}]}]}]},{"id":"assessment-and-response","name":"Assessment and response","description":"Turns the evidence about amplification into a qualified assessment and an appropriate intervention.","layers":[{"id":"confidence-and-consequences","name":"Confidence and consequences","description":"Records what supports the exaggeration label and whether a literal reading matters for a concrete decision.","findings":[{"id":"qualify-exaggeration-assessment","name":"Qualify the exaggeration assessment","description":"Keep uncertainty about the baseline, interpretation, intent, and effects visible rather than merging them into one confident judgement.","questions":[{"text":"Which evidence supports or challenges the exaggeration label, and what missing evidence could reverse it?","id":"qualify-exaggeration-assessment-q01","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"What specific decision could change if an audience accepted the amplified representation literally?","id":"qualify-exaggeration-assessment-q02","kind":"action"}]}]},{"id":"calibration-and-correction","name":"Calibration and correction","description":"Selects and records a response that addresses unsupported amplification while respecting the expression's communicative function.","findings":[{"id":"choose-proportionate-response","name":"Choose a proportionate response","description":"Support preserving recognisable rhetoric, requesting clarification, adding context, or correcting an overstated claim according to the evidence and intended use.","questions":[{"text":"Should the agent preserve the expression, explain its figurative meaning, request a reference, or correct a factual overstatement?","id":"choose-proportionate-response-q01","kind":"action"},{"text":"What revised wording or presentation reduces the unsupported excess while preserving the supported claim and its uncertainty?","id":"choose-proportionate-response-q02","kind":"action"},{"text":"How will the response remain linked to the original expression and the evidence used to assess it?","id":"choose-proportionate-response-q03","kind":"provenance"}]}]}]},{"id":"evidence-and-external-alignment","name":"Evidence and external alignment","description":"What the world already says about this thing, gathered so the model can be checked against it.","layers":[{"id":"reported-evidence","name":"Reported evidence","description":"Findings from the breadth pass, kept separate from the structural claims.","findings":[{"id":"evidence-confidence-notes","name":"Check these first","description":"Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.","questions":[{"text":"Which of these check these first hold for the sense of exaggeration this model covers, and on what evidence?","id":"evidence-confidence-notes-q01","kind":"provenance"}]},{"id":"evidence-kinds","name":"Kinds and varieties","description":"Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.","questions":[{"text":"Which of these kinds and varieties hold for the sense of exaggeration this model covers, and on what evidence?","id":"evidence-kinds-q01","kind":"provenance"}]},{"id":"evidence-real-world-use","name":"Real-world use","description":"Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.","questions":[{"text":"Which of these real-world use hold for the sense of exaggeration this model covers, and on what evidence?","id":"evidence-real-world-use-q01","kind":"provenance"}]},{"id":"evidence-failure-modes-and-hazards","name":"Failure modes and hazards","description":"Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.","questions":[{"text":"Which of these failure modes and hazards hold for the sense of exaggeration this model covers, and on what evidence?","id":"evidence-failure-modes-and-hazards-q01","kind":"provenance"}]},{"id":"evidence-regional-variation","name":"Regional variation","description":"Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.","questions":[{"text":"Which of these regional variation hold for the sense of exaggeration this model covers, and on what evidence?","id":"evidence-regional-variation-q01","kind":"provenance"}]},{"id":"evidence-neighbours","name":"Neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart","description":"Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.","questions":[{"text":"Which of these neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart hold for the sense of exaggeration this model covers, and on what evidence?","id":"evidence-neighbours-q01","kind":"provenance"}]}]}]}]},"agentConduct":{"may":["Explain exaggeration and recognize it in rhetoric, humour, advertising and reporting.","Point out where a claim overstates its evidence when asked to check a text."],"mustNot":["Exaggerate risks, benefits or results in its own outputs.","Exaggerate product claims or a person's qualifications to persuade an audience.","Write overstated claims for others that deceive consumers, voters or investors.","Label a person's account of their own suffering as exaggerated without evidence."],"requiresHuman":["Publicly calling a named person's statement an exaggeration."]},"ethics":{"considerations":["Overstatement can mislead decisions on health, money and safety.","Dismissing real complaints as exaggeration silences people who need help."],"affectedParties":["Consumers and readers","People reporting harm","The public"]},"owners":{"steward":"Nobody owns it; the speaker or author answers for each statement.","roles":[],"masterSystems":[]},"relations":[{"target":"Q2914540","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"}],"interaction":{"identity":{"applicability":"required","items":["Vercy registry: vr.tr.exaggeration","Wikidata: Q113883828 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q113883828)"]},"properties":{"applicability":"not-applicable","items":["Amplified dimension: magnitude | frequency | duration | intensity | importance | certainty | scope | other specified dimension","Reference point: Link to an observation, estimate, comparison class, contextual expectation, or unresolved baseline","Represented-to-reference discrepancy: Difference or ratio in compatible units when meaningful; otherwise a documented qualitative comparison or not quantifiable","Expression mechanism: inflated quantity | universal quantifier | superlative | intensifier | extreme comparison | visual distortion | acoustic emphasis | combination","Interpretation status: literal | figurative | mixed | disputed | unresolved","Intent evidence: deliberate amplification supported | inadvertent amplification supported | conflicting evidence | unknown","Audience recognition: Audience-specific evidence of recognising, misunderstanding, or disputing the amplification","Assessment status: candidate | supported | contested | unsupported | insufficient evidence"]},"recognition":{"applicability":"not-applicable","items":[]},"capabilities":{"applicability":"required","items":["Mark the exact expression and identify the dimension it appears to amplify.","Compare a literal claim with a cited reference range while preserving uncertainty.","Offer separate literal and figurative readings when context supports both.","Explain how framing or removal of context changes the apparent strength of a claim.","Produce a calibrated paraphrase that preserves the communicative point while reducing unsupported amplification.","Request clarification or attach an evidence-based qualification when amplification could affect a decision."]},"hazards":{"applicability":"required","items":["Exaggerated health or safety claims can lead people to harmful choices.","Repeated overstatement erodes trust in genuine warnings."]},"interfaces":{"applicability":"not-applicable","items":[]},"context":{"applicability":"required","items":["Exaggeration occurs in everyday conversation, storytelling, humor, advertising and public argument.","It can emphasize an experience or create a rhetorical effect, while factual assessment requires comparison with an appropriate evidential baseline.","Interpretation depends on whether the audience is expected to understand the statement as figurative expression or a literal claim."]}},"sources":[{"title":"Wikidata item Q113883828: exaggeration","url":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q113883828","note":"identity and sense of the item"},{"title":"Wikipedia: Exaggeration","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exaggeration","note":"general description of the item"}],"openQuestions":["Does the registry intend exaggeration to cover all amplifying representations, including inadvertent overstatement, or primarily rhetorical hyperbole?","Which existing Vercy models cover hyperbole, overstatement, misinformation, and deception, and should this entry link to any of them as its source of truth?","What evidence standards should establish a reference point for subjective intensity, importance, or emotional experience?","How should cultural, linguistic, and genre differences in recognising conventional exaggeration be represented without assuming a uniform audience?","Where should the boundary lie between exaggeration and selective framing that creates an enlarged impression without making an explicitly amplified assertion?"],"resources":{"spec":"/models/things/publications/thing-q113883828/spec.json"},"provenance":{"origin":"thing registry research (pass 2)","builtFrom":["models/things/publications/thing-q113883828/spec.json"],"providers":["Codex"],"researchStatus":"unreviewed","generatedAt":"2026-09-12T09:34:45Z","builder":"tools/build_cards.py@1.0.0"},"completeness":{"sections":{"classifiers":"filled","whatItIs":"filled","purpose":"filled","distinguishingFeatures":"filled","structure":"filled","agentConduct":"filled","ethics":"filled","owners":"filled","relations":"filled","interaction.identity":"filled","interaction.properties":"not-applicable","interaction.recognition":"not-applicable","interaction.capabilities":"filled","interaction.hazards":"filled","interaction.interfaces":"not-applicable","interaction.context":"filled","sources":"filled"},"notes":{"_gate":"Published through the thing publication gate 1.0 on 2026-10-07T10:10:25+00:00: completeness 1.00; sense: Wikidata description; 2 live sources; review by codex: pass","interaction.properties":"Plane INF: no invented physical properties.","interaction.interfaces":"No universal standard or official classification governs exaggeration as a general communicative category independently of its context.","interaction.recognition":"Exaggeration is a relationship between a representation and a contextual baseline rather than a visually identifiable object."},"score":1.0}}