The Relationship of Paralinguistic Cues to Impression Formation and the recall of Medical Messages

Abstract

This study investigated the relationship of paralinguistic cues to impression formation and the recall of medical messages. Specifically, we examined listeners' impressions of speakers and their ability to recall an audiotaped medical message presented by a hypothetical physician. The message presented information about diagnosis, symptoms, treatment, and prognosis for either a low-serious (strep throat) or high-serious (diabetes) illness, with rate of speech and pitch variation altered by the speaker. The results indicated the presence of three impression factors: Personal Competence, Social Attractiveness, and Professional Competence. Variations in paralinguistic cues and seriousness of illness significantly influenced impressions of the speaker. However, there were few significant relationships between variations in paralanguage and recall. Implications of these findings for future research in health communication are discussed.