Speech behavior and social evaluation: An examination of medical messages

Abstract

Three levels of speech rate and pitch variation were used in audio‐taped presentations of two medical messages varying in seriousness of illness (high and low). The messages were uttered in natural speech samples which listeners judged according to their perceptions of rate and pitch as well as personality traits. A personality structure emerged which included dynamism, social attractiveness, and professional competence. Rate had its largest effects on dynamism while pitch variation had a greater influence on social attractiveness and professional competence. Seriousness of illness was primarily involved in interaction effects, the most important of which involved interaction between seriousness of illness and rate. High rate was perceived as less professionally competent in the high serious illness condition than the low serious condition, while medium rate yielded the highest ratings of professional competence for the high serious illness. The results are discussed in the framework provided by the dimensional structure and the nature of the message content.

Key concepts:

• Speech rate
• speech variation
• medical messages
• dynamism
• pitch variation
• speech behavior
• message content
• social evaluation