31 Communication Accommodation Theory of Howard Giles

A Simple Notion Becomes a Comprehensive Communication Theory Slide 2 A Simple Notion Becomes a Comprehensive Communication Theory Giles launched program of lab and field research on speech accommodation When don’t we adjust our speech style? What is our motive for not accommodating? Is accommodation always conscious? Do others accurately perceive our intent? Do we adjust what we say, the way we say it? What social consequences exist for overaccommdating?

A Simple Notion Becomes a Comprehensive Communication Theory Slide 3 A Simple Notion Becomes a Comprehensive Communication Theory Giles offered Communication Accommodation Theory (CAT) as “theory of intercultural communication that actually attends to communication” Accommodation – constant movement toward and away from others by changing communicative behavior

Communication Accommodation Strategies Slide 4 Communication Accommodation Strategies Convergence – strategy through which you adapt communication behavior to become more similar to another person Adopt sound and cadence of other person Talk in a way that is easier for the other person to grasp what you are saying Discourse management Satisfy other person’s emotional needs

Communication Accommodation Strategies Slide 5 Communication Accommodation Strategies Divergence – strategy of accentuating the difference between yourself and another person Divergence from the norm Speakers may persist in their original communication style regardless of the other person or overaccomodate to patronize other person

Different Motivations for Convergence and Divergence Slide 6 Different Motivations for Convergence and Divergence Desire for social approval main motivation for convergence Does not explain why we frequently communicate in a divergent way Does not account for fact that we often act as representative of a group

Different Motivations for Convergence and Divergence Slide 7 Different Motivations for Convergence and Divergence Social identity – group memberships and social categories that we use to define who we are Tajfel and Turner: motivational continuum with personal identity on one end of the scale and social identity at the other end Communication will likely become divergent because of their need to emphasize their distinctiveness

Social Identity Theory GUY TASED IN A COURTROOM Divergent communication motivated by a need for distinctiveness

Different Motivations for Convergence and Divergence Slide 9 Different Motivations for Convergence and Divergence Initial orientation – communicator’s predisposition to focus on either their individual identity or group identity during a conversation Collectivistic cultural context We-centered focus emphasizes similarity and mutual concern within the culture Communication to outgroup often divergent

Different Motivations for Convergence and Divergence Slide 10 Different Motivations for Convergence and Divergence Initial orientation (continued) Distressing history of interaction If previous interaction is uncomfortable, competitive or hostile, both interactants will tend to ascribe outcome to other person’s social identity

Different Motivations for Convergence and Divergence Slide 11 Different Motivations for Convergence and Divergence Initial orientation (continued) Stereotypes The more specific and negative images people have of an outgroup, the more likely they are to think in terms of social identity and resort to divergent communication Norms for treatment of groups Norms – expectations about behavior that members of a community should (or should not) occur in particular situations

Different Motivations for Convergence and Divergence Slide 12 Different Motivations for Convergence and Divergence Initial orientation (continued) High group solidarity/ high group dependence Communicators have an initial intergroup orientation when they have strong identification with the group and high dependence on it for relational warmth and sense of worth

Initial Orientation BLACK WOMAN GETS TASED Divergent communication motivated by distressing history of interaction, stereotypes and norms or expectations for treatment

Critique: Enormous Scope at the Cost of Clarity Slide 14 Critique: Enormous Scope at the Cost of Clarity Communication accommodation theory morphed into a theory of enormous scope Explanation of data Prediction of the future Quantitative research Practical utility

Critique: Enormous Scope at the Cost of Clarity Slide 15 Critique: Enormous Scope at the Cost of Clarity CAT (continued) Relative simplicity – “structure and underlying terminology are not always represented consistently in texts and propositions” (Gallois, Ogay, and Giles) Testable hypothesis – “the theory as a whole probably cannot be tested at one time” (Gallois and Giles)

Recipient Evaluation of Convergence and Divergence Slide 16 Recipient Evaluation of Convergence and Divergence Listeners regard convergence as positive and divergence as negative It is not important how the communicator converged or diverged, but how the other perceived the communicator’s behavior

Recipient Evaluation of Convergence and Divergence Slide 17 Recipient Evaluation of Convergence and Divergence Objective versus subjective accommodation Disconnect between what researchers observed and what participants heard and saw Giles: one does not converge toward (or diverge from) the actual speech of the recipient, but toward (from) one’s stereotype about the recipient’s speech”

Recipient Evaluation of Convergence and Divergence Slide 18 Recipient Evaluation of Convergence and Divergence Attribution theory Our response to others’ communication hinges on the behavior we perceive and the intention or motive we ascribe to them for speaking that way Attribution – perceptual process by which we observe what people do and then try to figure out their intent or disposition

Recipient Evaluation of Convergence and Divergence Slide 19 Recipient Evaluation of Convergence and Divergence Attribution theory (continued) Listeners who interpret convergence as a speaker’s desire to break down cultural barriers react favorably Benefits and costs to both convergent and divergent strategies

Communication Accomodation Theory “Why Do I Like/Dislike This Person?” The Accent Game

Like/Dislike based on …. Environment/context of speech Status, physical environment, communication climate Speaker’s speech style Accent, formality, expressiveness Speaker’s physical ability/competence Content knowledge and motor skills Speaker’s effort to communicate Adaptation/compensation for all of the above

Voice Only Perceptions NORTH CAROLINA WOMAN TEXAS MAN TRINIDAD WOMAN SCOTLAND MAN

Voice and Image Perceptions BARACK OBAMA SARAH PALIN DONALD TRUMP