Key research - Dixon

• What were the aims?

  • To further document evaluative consequences of accent in a legal context by investigating the influence of the Birmingham or “Brummie” accent on listener’s attributions of guilt toward a criminal suspect
  • To examine the effects of two contextual variables on the attribution of guilt, suspect’s race and the type of crime
• What was the method?

  • Lab experiment
  • 2 x 2 x 2 factorial design (3x IVs)
  • IVs:

  Accent type – Brummie / standard

  Race of suspect – Black / white

  Type of crime – blue collar / white collar

  • DV – Participant’s attributions of guilt by using 7 point scale (guilty – innocent) and Speech Evaluation instrument (SEI) on language attitudes
  • Independent measures
• What was the sample?

  • Took place in Department of Psychology at the University College – Worcester
  • 119 white undergraduate psychology students 24m 95f
  • Mean age of 25.2 years
  • Participated as part of their course requirements
  • Participants who grew up in Birmingham excluded from sample as focus on reactions of individuals who did not have Brummie accent – control of ppt variables
• PROCEDURE - Interview

  • Ppts listened to 2 minute recording of a mock interview held in a British police station in 1995
  • Standard accented student in mid 40s played role of inspector
  • Suspect played by student in mid 20s and remained the same as a “code switcher” – could change between standard and Brummie accent
  • Suspect pleading innocent on interrogation
  • 1 tape arrested for white collar crime (fraud) and other for blue collar (burglary)
  • Description of suspect by police inspector altered to black or white
• PROCEDURE - DV

  • Listened to 1 version of tape and ppts completed 2 sets of rating scales:

  1. Suspect guilt on 7 pt scale

  2. Language attitudes SEI – 3 dimensions – Superiority / Attractiveness / Dynamism
• What were the findings?

  • IV 1 Accent – Brummie accent rated higher on guilt than standard accent
  • IV 2 Race – Black ppts not significantly rated more guilty than white ppts
  • IV 3 Type of crime – Blue collar not rated significantly more guilty than white collar
  • Interaction between IVs – Ppts in black / Brummie accent / blue collar crime received highest guilt rating
  • SEI – Brummie suspect rated lower in superiority than standard accent suspect. Further analysis showed superiority and attractiveness predicted guilt but not dynamism
• What were the conclusions?

  • Attributions of guilt may be affected by accent in a British context
  • Nonstandard (English) speakers are perceived as guiltier than standard speakers
  • Suspects speaking with a Brummie accent are more likely to be perceived as guilty of an offence than RP suspects
  • Suspects accused of a blue-collar crime who are black and speak with a Brummie accent are more likely to be perceived as guilty
  • A suspect’s perceived Superiority and Attractiveness may predict whether they are guilty or not guilty