Document Type

Honors Paper

Advisor

Jason Nier

Publication Date

2026

Abstract

Accent serves as a highly salient social cue that influences how speakers are perceived, particularly in multicultural contexts where linguistic diversity is increasing. The present study examined how English accent affects evaluations of speaker warmth and competence, and how individual differences in cultural intelligence and colour-blind racial attitudes shape these perceptions. Using a between-subjects experimental design, participants (N = 225) were randomly assigned to listen to a standardised speech passage presented in one of five accents: General American English (GAE; control), Spanish-accented English, Chinese-accented English, Hindi-accented English, or Filipino-accented English. Participants then completed measures of speaker evaluation based on the Stereotype Content Model, as well as self-report measures of cultural intelligence (CQS) and colour-blind racial attitudes (CoBRAS).

Results indicated that accent significantly influenced competence ratings, with immigrant-accented speakers generally evaluated as less competent than the GAE speaker, while no significant differences emerged for warmth. Cultural intelligence was positively associated with both warmth and competence ratings, suggesting that higher intercultural awareness may reduce reliance on biased evaluations. In contrast, colour-blind racial attitudes were associated with more negative evaluations in some conditions. Ultimately, these findings highlight the role of accent as a socially constructed signal embedded within broader systems of social categorisation and bias.

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The views expressed in this paper are solely those of the author.