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Celerity and Cajolery: Rapid Speech May Promote or Inhibit Persuasion through its Impact on Message Elaboration
Abstract
The present experiment tests credibility-cue and elaboration likelihood (ELM) hypotheses about the effect of compressed speech on message-based persuasion. Participants heard either a proattitudinal or a counterattitudinal message on an involving topic, delivered at a slow (144 words per minute), an intermediate (182 wpm), or a rapid (214 wpm) rate of speech. Consistent with the ELM predictions, rapid speech suppressed the tendency to rebut the counterattitudinal message and enhanced persuasion, whereas the same rapid speech rate inhibited favorable elaboration of the proattitudinal message while undermining its persuasive impact. Thus, a distinctly faster than normal rate of speech on an involving topic can either promote or inhibit persuasion by its impact on message elaboration. The generality of these speech rate effects and the conditions under which rapid speech might serve as a peripheral (i.e., credibility) cue are discussed.
... te increases it becomes more difficult for people to carefully consider the merits of the arguments being presented (i.e., to cognitively elaborate the message). Supporting this view, several studies have found that at comparatively fast rates of speech, people's ability to cognitively elaborate persuasive messages is undermined Moore et al., 1986;S. M. Smith & Shaffer, 1991. ...
... A second explanation for the effect of speech rate on persuasion is that people tend to perceive fast speakers as more credible than slow speakers (Miller et al., 1976). Evidence for this mechanism has been mixed. Some studies have failed to find clear evidence that speech rate affects persuasion via perceived speaker credibility S. M. Smith & Shaffer, 1991;Woodall & Burgoon, 1983), whereas other studies have reported evidence consistent with this explanation (Miller et al., 1976). Some studies have suggested credibility might only explain speech rate effects when motivation to elaborate messages is low and thus people use credibility as a cue to infer their attitudes (S. M. Smith & Shaffer ...
... d to manipulate speech rate present interpretational ambiguities. Typically, speech rate has been manipulated either by instructing speakers to talk fast or slow (e.g., Miller et al., 1976;Woodall & Burgoon, 1983) or forcibly increasing speech rate by compressing an analog audio file through rerecording the original track (e.g., Moore et al., 1986;S. M. Smith & Shaffer, 1991. Problematically, by instructing a person to speak fast or slow, this may inadvertently introduce changes to multiple properties of voice (e.g., volume, pitch), which may confound the manipulation. Similarly, forcibly compressing an audio file could potentially alter other parameters of voice. ...
Three experiments were designed to investigate the effects and psychological mechanisms of three vocal qualities on
persuasion. Experiment 1 (N = 394) employed a 2 (elaboration: high vs. low) × 2 (vocal speed: fast vs. slow) × 2 (vocal
intonation: falling vs. rising) between-participants factorial design. As predicted, vocal speed and vocal intonation influenced
global perceptions of speaker confidence. Under high-elaboration, vocal confidence biased thought-favorability, which
influenced attitudes. Under low-elaboration, vocal confidence directly influenced attitudes as a peripheral cue. Experiments
2 (N = 412) and 3 (N = 397) conceptually replicated the bias and cue effects in Experiment 1, using a 2 (elaboration: high vs.
low) × 2 (vocal pitch: raised vs. lowered) between-participants factorial design. Vocal pitch influenced perceptions of speaker
confidence as predicted. These studies demonstrate that changes in three vocal properties influence global perceptions of
speaker confidence, influencing attitudes via different mediating processes moderated by amount of thought. Evaluation of
alternative mediators in Experiments 2 and 3 failed to support these alternatives to global perceptions of speaker confidence.
... We find evidence suggesting that a/p features of the synthesized statements affect response times (a well-known proxy for cognitive load). In line with literature exploring conflict between the verbal and the vocal channels as well as with literature on persuasiveness and prosody [13], our results indicate that the same configurations of a/p features associated with faster response times when subjects believe the statements to be true are also associated with slower response times when they do not hold this belief. These results suggest that prosody in synthesized speech may play a role of either facilitation or interference when subjects judge the truthfulness of statements, and that this effect might depend on their prior beliefs. ...
... The fact that even for women low pitch is associated to dominance [28,29], goes in hand with our finding that pitch has an already significant effect even when it is not measured relative to the listeners' voices. On speech rate, our results go in hand with Smith and Shaffer's [13] results, which state that persuasion depends on the message being delivered, finding that for pro-attitudinal/counter-attitudinal messages, slowing down speech seems to improve/lessen persuasion. Finally, regarding intensity, a less studied feature, for which there is not a clear consensus on its effect on trustworthiness and persuasion (see [30]); our results suggest again that the effect depends on subjects' prior beliefs, where high intensity interferes with judgement when subjects' regard the statements to be true and facilitates it when they do not. ...
... Suppose we present the same oral message to two groups, with one group having the message presented in a slow voice and the other in a fast voice (cf. Smith & Shaffer, 1991). Using this method, we can see not only the changes expected on a focal dependent variable (such as speaker credibility), but we can also see the changes on other concepts that may be "linked to"-or associated with-the focal concept (such as support for a message counterargument). ...
Galileo multidimensional scaling (MDS) provides a way of mapping conceptual configurations of attitudes, beliefs, behaviors, and emotions in individuals, groups, and cultures, as well as a way to compare such configurations to predict and observe their change over time. Given this analytical power, Galileo MDS is well suited for studying media psychology regarding how media and the changing media environment relate to human cognition, emotion, and behavior. This entry explains the assumptions related to Galileo MDS as well as the steps needed to use this model effectively. Finally, it provides examples that elucidate the analytical potential of this approach.
... One is to measure naturalistic variation in speakers' acoustic features and explore correlations between speakers' cues and some measure of persuasion (e.g., Burgoon, Birk, & Pfau, 1990;Oksenberg, Coleman, & Cannell, 1986;Packwood, 1974). The other approach is to manipulate the magnitude of specific cues of interest (i.e., "high" vs. "low" levels of the cue) through either the use of trained actors (e.g., Miller, Maruyama, Beaber, & Vallone, 1976;Woodall & Burgoon, 1983) or the electronic modification of recordings (e.g., Guyer, Fabrigar, & Vaughan-Johnston, 2019;Moore, Hausknecht, & Thamodaran, 1986;Smith & Shaffer, 1991, 1995. ...
Contributions: Brunswik Society Newsletter 2019
Cette recherche vise à étudier les préférences des auditeurs concernant les voix des livres audio. Des échantillons de 8 voix masculines et 7 voix féminines ont été extraits de différents livres audio et analysés. Une enquête a été réalisée pour obtenir le point de vue de 69 auditeurs en répondant à des questions sur les caractéristiques vocales. Les résultats montrent que les choix des participants dépendent du genre littéraire. En effet, les voix masculines sont préférées pour les romans de science-fiction et les voix féminines pour la littérature pour enfants et les romans contemporains. Néanmoins, les autres genres littéraires testés ne correspondent pas à une voix spécifique. Concernant le débit, une préférence a été notée pour des essais lus avec un débit de parole plus lent, alors que les auditeurs préfèrent un débit de parole plus rapide pour les romans érotiques.
This article unpacks the basic mechanisms by which paralinguistic features communicated through the voice can affect evaluative judgments and persuasion. Special emphasis is placed on exploring the rapidly emerging literature on vocal features linked to appraisals of confidence (e.g., vocal pitch, intonation, speech rate, loudness, etc.), and their subsequent impact on information processing and meta-cognitive processes of attitude change. The main goal of this review is to advance understanding of the different psychological processes by which paralinguistic markers of confidence can affect attitude change, specifying the conditions under which they are more likely to operate. In sum, we highlight the importance of considering basic mechanisms of attitude change to predict when and why appraisals of paralinguistic markers of confidence can lead to more or less persuasion.
Asking questions fluently, exactly as worded, and at a reasonable pace is a fundamental part of a survey interviewer’s role. Doing so allows the question to be asked as intended by the researcher and may decrease the risk of measurement error and contribute to rapport. Despite the central importance placed on reading questions exactly as worded, interviewers commonly misread questions, and it is not always clear why. Thus, understanding the risk of measurement error requires understanding how different interviewers, respondents, and question features may trigger question reading problems. In this article, we evaluate the effects of question features on question asking behaviors, controlling for interviewer and respondent characteristics. We also examine how question asking behaviors are related to question-asking time. Using two nationally representative telephone surveys in the United States, we find that longer questions and questions with transition statements are less likely to be read exactly and fluently, that questions with higher reading levels and parentheticals are less likely to be read exactly across both surveys and that disfluent readings decrease as interviewers gain experience across the field period. Other question characteristics vary in their associations with the outcomes across the two surveys. We also find that inexact and disfluent question readings are longer, but read at a faster pace, than exact and fluent question reading. We conclude with implications for interviewer training and questionnaire design.
em>For five decades researchers investigated whether increasing the speed of the delivery of a persuasive message produces more message comprehension and attitude change. The experimental literature on this issue appears inconsistent, with many mediating variables introduced in an effort to reconcile disparate findings. This meta-analysis seeks to determine how persuasion is influenced by the rate of message delivery. The data provide support for a curvilinear model, indicating that persuasion is maximal for moderate speech rates. Results are discussed in terms of source credibility and mechanisms of message processing.</em
This chapter outlines the two basic routes to persuasion. One route is based on the thoughtful consideration of arguments central to the issue, whereas the other is based on the affective associations or simple inferences tied to peripheral cues in the persuasion context. This chapter discusses a wide variety of variables that proved instrumental in affecting the elaboration likelihood, and thus the route to persuasion. One of the basic postulates of the Elaboration Likelihood Model—that variables may affect persuasion by increasing or decreasing scrutiny of message arguments—has been highly useful in accounting for the effects of a seemingly diverse list of variables. The reviewers of the attitude change literature have been disappointed with the many conflicting effects observed, even for ostensibly simple variables. The Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) attempts to place these many conflicting results and theories under one conceptual umbrella by specifying the major processes underlying persuasion and indicating the way many of the traditionally studied variables and theories relate to these basic processes. The ELM may prove useful in providing a guiding set of postulates from which to interpret previous work and in suggesting new hypotheses to be explored in future research.
Copyright © 1986 Academic Press Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
The relationship between speaking rate and attitude change was investigated in 2 field experiments with 449 Ss. Manipulations of speech rate were crossed with (a) credibility of the speaker and (b) complexity of the spoken message. Results suggest that speech rate functions as a general cue that augments credibility; rapid speech enhances persuasion, and therefore argues against information-processing interpretations of the effects of a fast speaking rate. When novel speech content was used in Exp II to prevent simple retrieval of stock counterarguments, it was observed that increased persuasion produced by fast speech could not be attributed to disruption of effective counterarguing. It is concluded that findings emphasize the importance of perceptual and evaluative factors in the persuasion process at the expense of a more rationalistic information-processing view of how man responds when confronted with an influence attempt. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Two experiments were conducted to test competing accounts of the distraction-persuasion relationship, thought disruption and effort justification, and also to show that the relationship is not limited to counterattitudinal communication. Exp I, with 132 undergraduates, varied distraction and employed 2 discrepant messages differing in how easy they were to counterargue. In accord with the thought disruption account, increasing distraction enhanced persuasion for a message that was readily counterarguable, but reduced persuasion for a message that was difficult to counter-argue. The effort notion implied no interaction with message counterarguability. Exp II, with 54 undergraduates, again varied distraction but the 2 messages took a nondiscrepant position. One message elicited primarily favorable thoughts, and the effect of distraction was to reduce the number of favorable thoughts generated; the other, less convincing message elicited primarily counterarguments, and the effect of distraction was to reduce counterarguments. A Message * Distraction interaction indicated that distraction tended to enhance persuasion for the counterarguable message but reduce persuasion for the message that elicited primarily favorable thoughts. The experiments together support the principle that distraction works by inhibiting the dominant cognitive response to persuasive communication and, therefore, it can result in either enhanced or reduced acceptance. (28 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Previous research on the effects of vocal rate on credibility and persuasion has not carefully considered several methodological and theoretical issues. An investigation was conducted that controlled for a number of methodological factors, and considered different explanatory possibilities. Results indicated more complex and constrained relationships between rate of vocalization, credibility, and persuasion than some previous research had found, and were consistent with research in the person perception literature. Support for a straightforward credibility bolstering explanation was not found, and other explanatory rationales were considered.
It is now possible, using electronic techniques, to speed up a radio commercial without a perceptible change in general voice quality. Results of experiments reported here suggest that radio advertisers might achieve a heightened impact, and require less time for their messages, if they use electronic speech compression.
A paired comparison paradigm was employed to compare the listening rate preferences of 26 adult subjects for oral reading and impromptu speaking tasks. Recordings of a reading and speech were time-altered by means of a speech compressor to yield nine rates: 100, 125, 150, 175, 200, 225, 250, 275, and 300 wpm. Two master tapes were constructed, one for each of the two tasks investigated. The tapes were presented to each subject for listening rate preference judgments. Results of subjects'evaluations indicate that preferred listening rates are very similar for both oral reading and impromptu speaking tasks. The most preferred rate for both tasks was 175 wpm, and the least preferred rate for both tasks was 100 wpm. Comparison of the present findings with previous research and suggestions for future investigations are provided.
Our study investigates the overall effects of in-store displays (ISD) on category sales and brand market share in an online shopping context, and compares the differences in effectiveness between ISD types. Using data from an online grocer, we examine three online ISD types that match with traditional ones: first screen (entrance), banner (end-of-aisle) and shelf tag (in-aisle) displays. Empirical results for 10 categories confirm that online ISD may substantially increase brand market share and to a lesser extent, category sales. Our results also demonstrate that not all types are equally effective. First screen displays clearly have the strongest effect on market share: they benefit from their placement on the ‘entrance’ location, central on-screen position and direct purchase link. While they only feature 1 SKU, banner displays typically feature all SKUs of a brand, yet, are placed on border-screen positions on traveling-zone pages without a direct purchase link. Based on our results, the advantage of banner displays does not weigh up against the advantages of first screen displays in most cases. Shelf tags, finally, may be very useful in attracting attention to interesting promotions, but appear to have no or at most a limited effect on their own.
Explored the hypothesis that the degree of liking which is nonverbally communicated to an addressee is a direct correlate of the intended persuasiveness of a communicator and the perceived persuasiveness of his communication. The nonverbal attitude-communication literature provided a basis for several derivative hypotheses relating to specific position, posture, facial, movement, and verbal cues. Findings supported the hypotheses and indicated that the intended persuasiveness of a communicator and the judged or perceived persuasiveness of his communication were correlated. Interpretations were provided for some movement cues whose referents were previously unclear and suggested a grouping of postural cues which together define total bodily relaxation. (31 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)