Lecture 5: Communication Accommodation Theory

Question 1

Similarity-attraction theory

Answer 1

Reducing dissimilarities – may lead to more favourable evaluation.

Question 2

Speech Accommodation Theory (SAT).

Answer 2

Initially concerned with accent.

Accent affects how people are perceived.

Question 3

Bourhis and Giles 1977

Answer 3

Aim: Compared integrative and instrumental
learners of Welsh:
Methods: Pre-experimental phase, Neutral phase, Nationally-salient phase, Post-experiment questionnaire
Accents rated on 11-point scale.
Results: Phase 3: English-sounding speaker challenged their reasons for studying
Integrative language learners – broadened Welsh accents
Instrumental learners – softened Welsh accents.

Question 4

Willemyns et al 1997

Answer 4

Aim: Study of Australian job interviews
Methods: 8 interviewers (4 male, 4 female)
Broad and cultivated accents (divided equally).
Half interviewees with same sex interviewer, half with opposite sex.
Results: Convergence & divergence:
Convergence – females broadened accents when interviewed by broad-accented interviewers.
Divergence – males broadened accents when interviewed by cultivated accented interviewers.
Unaware of accent change.

Question 5

Giles and Smith 1979

Answer 5

Optimal Convergence.
Methods: Canadian man describes education system in Ontario; accommodates in 3 ways (2 x 2 x 2
design): Content, Pronunciation and Speech rate
Results: Sig. 3-way interactions on ratings of
likeability, & speaker view of the audience
Most favourable evaluation - when speaker converged on speech rate and either content or pronunciation.
Less favourable evaluation when speaker converged on all 3 dimensions.

Question 6

Gould and Dixon 1997

Answer 6

Methods: Actor presents medical instructions in an over-accommodative speaking style
Results: Over-accommodative condition:
Recall of medical instructions sig. better for elderly women (with higher working memory) in over-accommodative condition.
Rated sig. clearer, simpler & slower by both young & elderly women.
But the doctor who used neutral speech was preferred.

Question 7

Castro et al 2007

Answer 7

Methods: Audiotaped 74 diabetic outpatients – ethnically diverse (spoke English)
Health literacy limited
Coded unclarified jargon – clinical or technical terms, e.g. haemoglobin
Follow-up telephone interviews (n=19, 25% of sample)
Results: Audiotaped interviews
81% encounters included at least one unclarified jargon term (mean 4) Patient comprehension of 19 diabetes-related terms never exceeded 40%. Clear example of underaccommodation.

Question 8

NG et al 2004

Answer 8

Communication brokering
Study of 3 generations of Chinese immigrant families in New Zealand.
Grandparents may be proficient only in Chinese, grandchildren in English.
“Communication brokers” – (middle-aged parents) act as intermediaries.
35 cases of brokering identified.
Broker converges in two directions – double accommodation

Question 9

Hargie 2014

Answer 9

Northern Ireland:
60 freshers (30 Catholic, 30 Protestant)
P dyad, C dyad or inter-group dyad
All strangers: Poster :“Same religious background” or “Different religious background”. 10 min video-recorded discussion.
Same-religion dyads: fewer topics, greater use of collective pronouns, higher levels of agreement.
Mixed-religion dyads: neutral topics, reduced references to ingroup identity.
Form of equivocation?