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SPEECH STYLE AND IMPRESSION FORMATION IN A COURT SETTING - THE EFFECTS OF 'POWERFUL' AND 'POWERLESS' SPEECH

NCJ Number
50921
Journal
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY Volume: 14 Issue: 2 Dated: (MAY 1978) Pages: 266-279
Author(s)
B ERICKSON; E A LIND; B C JOHNSON; W M O'BARR
Date Published
1978
Length
14 pages
Annotation
ON THE BASIS OF A PREVIOUS EMPIRICAL ANALYSIS OF SPEECH PATTERNS IN COURT TRIALS, SPEECH STYLES WERE IDENTIFIED THAT VARIED WITH SPEAKER SOCIAL STATUS AND POWER. THE EFFECT OF THESE SPEECH STYLES ON OTHERS IS TESTED.
Abstract
THIS STUDY PREPARED TAPED SIMULATIONS OF COURTROOM TESTIMONY AND TRANSCRIPTIONS OF SIMILAR TESTIMONY, USING BOTH 'POWERLESS' AND 'POWERFUL' SPEECH STYLES. THE 'POWERLESS' STYLE IS CHARACTERIZED BY THE FREQUENT USE OF INTENSIFIERS, HEDGES, HESITATION FORMS, AND QUESTIONING INTONATIONS, WHEREAS THE 'POWERFUL' STYLE IS MARKED BY LESS FREQUENT USE OF THESE FEATURES. A SAMPLE OF 152 UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS (73 MALE AND 79 FEMALE) WERE ASKED TO RATE THE WITNESSES ON THE BASIS OF AN 11-POINT SEMANTIC DIFFERENTIAL-TYPE RATING SCALE. THE TESTIMONY CONCERNED AN AUTO ACCIDENT, AND THE STUDENTS WERE ASKED TO INDICATE THE AMOUNT OF DAMAGES THAT THEY FELT THE PLAINTIFF SHOULD RECEIVE. SPEECH STYLE DID NOT AFFECT PERCEPTIONS OF RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ACCIDENT, BUT WHEN THE TESTIMONY WAS TAPED, SUBJECTS RECOMMENDED HIGHER DAMAGES IF THE WITNESS USED A POWERFUL SPEECH STYLE. THIS HELD TRUE FOR BOTH FEMALE AND MALE WITNESSES. THIS EFFECT WAS LACKING, HOWEVER, WHEN THE SUBJECTS READ TRANSCRIBED TESTIMONY. THE FEMALE SPEAKER WAS SEEN AS MORE ATTRACTIVE IN THE ORAL PRESENTATION WHILE MALE SPEAKER WAS SEEN AS MORE ATTRACTIVE IN THE WRITTEN PRESENTATION. A BIAS IN FAVOR OF THE MORE POWERFUL SPEECH PATTERNS WAS SEEN IN BOTH THE ORAL AND WRITTEN FORMS, AND BOTH FEMALE AND MALE STUDENTS SAW THE POWERFUL WITNESS AS MORE ATTRACTIVE AND CREDIBLE. THE EFFECTS OF THIS POSSIBLE BIAS ON LEGAL PROCEEDINGS IS DISCUSSED. REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED. (GLR)

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