The Humanizing Voice: Speech Reveals, and Text Conceals, a More Thoughtful Mind in the Midst of Disagreement.
Level 2 - randomized trial
Individual randomized laboratory experiments
PubMed 29068763 · doi:10.1177/0956797617713798
What was done
Researchers conducted four experiments evaluating whether hearing a person communicate their beliefs makes them seem more mentally capable and possess more uniquely human mental traits compared with reading the same content in text. Three experiments tested this effect during disagreements on polarizing attitudinal issues and political opinions. A fourth experiment examined specific paralinguistic vocal cues that convey mental capacity.
What was found
The abstract provides no sample sizes, effect sizes, test statistics, or p-values. The authors report that hearing a communicator explain beliefs led evaluators to judge them as more mentally capable and possessing more human mental traits than reading the same content, particularly when disagreeing, and that vocal paralinguistic cues convey basic mental capacities.
Why it matters
Communication medium alters social evaluations during conflict, suggesting that text-based interactions may amplify dehumanization of opponents while spoken communication may temper it.
Limits
The abstract reports no numerical data, sample sizes, confidence intervals, or participant demographics. It is unknown whether these laboratory-based impression effects translate to real-world reductions in political hostility or durable attitude change.
Cited by
- supports When people hear an opposing political partisan's voice rather than reading their text transcript, they evaluate the person as more thoughtful, intelligent, rational, and less dehumanized.