Effects of accent perception on the perception of professionalism​

1 page.This study explores how people’s perceptions of speakers’ accents may be related to their perceptions of speakers’ professional characteristics. In this study, 256 online participants listened to two speakers, one with an accent common for a native Spanish-speaker in Oregon and one with an accent common for a native monolingual English-speaker in Oregon, discussing Mexican history or marine biology. Each speaker was described as an expert or nonexpert in the topic. Participants then rated how they perceived each speaker’s professionalism, confidence, believability, knowledgeability and level of experience. On average, participants rated the speaker with the monolingual accent higher in professionalism and confidence than the speaker with the bilingual accent. However, participants tended to rate the speaker with the bilingual accent higher than the speaker with monolingual accent in knowledgeability and experience when the speakers were presented as nonexperts discussing Mexican history. These results suggest ways that perceptions about accents can affect assumptions made about speakers. Considering that accent perception may influence perceptions of character traits that are prioritized in professional settings, these results highlight the importance of acknowledging and challenging those assumptions in situations where unjust perceptions of a speaker can result in biased and harmful decisions, including in job interviews, classrooms and courtrooms