The purpose of this research was to refine the concepts of powerful and powerless speech styles by investigating evaluative reactions to hedges and hesitations in a simulated trial context. We asked whether hedges, hesitations, and respondent sex would interact to affect listeners’ evaluations of a speaker. We also asked whether these language variables affected perceptions of guilt. We found that a low level of hedges and hesitations produced the most positive evaluations of authoritativeness and attractiveness. The study also revealed that these variables affected perceptions of guilt.
The effects of hedges and hesitations on impression formation in a simulated courtroom context
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