| dc.description.abstract | Guided by communication accommodation theory (Giles, 1973) and ethnolinguistic identity theory (Giles, Bourhis, Richard, & Taylor, 1977), the current experimental study examined the effect of activation of an outgroup stereotype threat on native English speaking American participants’ (N = 243) perceptions of the native Spanish speaker, and non-English speakers in general. Specifically, this study investigated the effect of activation of an outgroup stereotype threat on the participants’ perceptions of social attractiveness of the speaker, comprehensibility and intergroup anxiety about communicating with the speaker, accentedness of non-native English speakers in general, willingness to accommodate their communication style to non-English speakers, and willingness to communicate with persons whose communication styles were different from their own. Participants were first randomly assigned to one of two conditions: presence or absence of stereotype threat (e.g., an explicit written message indicating difficulties when communicating in English with individuals who speak English as a second language). In both conditions, participants then listened to a recording of a native Spanish speaker reading a paragraph about academic programs in English with a moderate level of accent. Participants then answered questions measuring the major variables in the current study. Results indicated that the stereotype threat condition had a significant negative effect on participants’ perceived social attractiveness of the speaker. Participants rated the speaker as less socially attractive in the stereotype condition (M = 4.77, SD = .99) than in the no-threat condition (M = 4.45, SD = .81), t(241) = 2.627, p < .01. Using Hayes’ (2013) PROCESS for SPSS, results also indicated a significant indirect effect of stereotype threat on intergroup anxiety toward the speaker and willingness to interact with the speaker through social attractiveness. Furthermore, exposure to stereotype threat had a significant indirect effect on perceived comprehensibility of non-native English speakers, intergroup anxiety toward outgroup members in general, and willingness to interact with outgroup members in general through perceived social attractiveness. | |
