Language Attitudes and Cognitive Mediation

Using an independent samples factorial design, this study examined the roles of accent (standard vs. nonstandard), speech rate (fast vs. medium vs. slow), and age of voice (younger vs. older sounding) on British listeners’ social evaluations of audiotaped voices using the matched-guise technique. In addition, listener judges’ level and nature of cognitive responding, their interpretations of the targets’ utterances and the (mediumterm) recognition value of messages were uniquely explored as a function of these three independent variables. In general, standard speakers were upgraded on competencerelated traits but downgraded on solidarity traits irrespective of age, with older speakers being perceived as less hesitant but more benevolent than their younger counterparts. An Age × Accent interaction effect showed that older-sounding standard speakers were judged the most competent and older-sounding nonstandard speakers the least competent. Favorable ratings were afforded speakers with medium rates, and slow-talking, younger-sounding speakers were particularly downgraded. All three independent variables affected ratings of listeners’ interpretations of the (same) text, while speaker age was the only effect on the recognition of message material 2 days later. The cognitive responding data showed that listener judges were most positive about the source when the target was fast talking and older sounding and were most negative to the fast-talking, younger-sounding, and standard-accented speaker. The diverse pattern of findings emerging at different levels of analysis underscores the important roles of cognitive mediation in language attitude studies in ways not explored sufficiently previously.     

ILLUSORY CORRELATION IN COMMUNICATION RESEARCH

The results of this investigation suggests that one memory-based measure of communication style (and perhaps other similar measures) tap conceptually related memory items that are not synonymous with actual communication behavior. In this study, a small number of respondents were able to replicate to a considerable extent, without regard to anyone's communication behavior in particular, the pattern of associations from a previously published investigation. Implications of this and related findings are also discussed.     

EFFECTS OF STANDARD EXTREMITY ON MIXED STANDARD SCALE PERFORMANCE RATINGS1

It was suggested that the extremity of the scale values associated with standards used to represent effective and ineffective performance in Mixed Standard Scales may affect the nature of performance ratings derived from MSS responses and decisions based on MSS ratings. When the extremity of standards was experimentally manipulated, it was found that standard extremity affects both the level of performance ratings and the proportion of logically inconsistent response patterns observed. In addition, standard extremity appears to affect the rankings on performance of ratees. The implications of these observations for the development of Mixed Standard Scales were discussed.     

In Praise of Scholarly Reactions: Thoughts on Tinsley's and Mahoney's Insights

The reactions of Tinsley and Mahoney raise important and challenging points. Such scholarly comments further our common goal of understanding the human capacity for freedom of the will.     

REMARKS ON CHARLES WEI-HSUN FU, 'CONFUCIANISM, MARXISM-LENINISM AND MAO: A CRITICAL STUDY'

Many of Professor Fu's criticisms of Marxism-Leninism are based on a misunderstanding of the world view and method of dialectics. Most of the remarks that follow are efforts to clear up the position of dialectics on the issues raised.     

ANTICIPATED SOCIAL COST AND INTERPERSONAL ACCOMODATION

The paper is concerned with demonstrating the value of social cost—a concept derived from a social psychological theory of prejudice—in analyzing the cognitive processes underlying the encoding of convergent speech acts. A study showed that when speakers anticipate meeting socially significant others immediately, the effect on their perceptual processes is to perceive greater similarity to, and less undesirable traits in, such others. It was argued that this reduction of a perceived linguistic distance between a speaker and the interlocutor, termed perceptual convergence, should facilitate the adoption of convergent speech in the former. Areas for further research were discussed.