Effects of speech rate and hand gesture on attitude change and impression formation

Abstract

The relationship of speech rate and hand gesture to attitude change and impression formation was investigated in two experiments. In the first experiment, persuasive communication was presented to 62 subjects by a tape recorder. The results indicated that slow speech was more persuasive and slow speaker was perceived less active, more reliable and more calm. In the second experiment, same persuasive communication was presented to 162 subjects by a videotape recorder. Manipulations of speech rate were crossed with hand gesture in the second experiment. The results suggested that fast speaker was judged more active. Hand gesture had no main effects on persuasion. But significant interaction between speech rate and hand gesture indicated that slow speech with hand gesture was perceived more intelligent and more confident.