Accent Facts
At what age do infants start showing a preference for familiar accents?
5 months old
What kind of test was used to measure the children’s brain responses?
An EEG (electroencephalogram)
In previous US studies, which accent was associated with being "nice"?
The southern accent
The ability to read, write, and speak well was associated with this word.
Clever
Which accent did children surprisingly associate with intelligence?
The Essex accent (their local accent)
Which accent did children most strongly associate with intelligence?
Standard southern English accent (Received Pronunciation)
How many children participated in the study?
27
What type of bias operates without people being aware of it?
Implicit bias
A fixed idea about a group that may not be true is called a...?
Stereotype
What does the “familiarity effect” suggest about accent bias?
Children may prefer accents they hear often
What term describes unfair treatment based on how someone speaks?
Accent discrimination (accentism)
Why was the narrator’s accent not included in the main experiment?
To avoid influencing the results (it was neutral to the experiment)
At what age did earlier US studies find accent stereotypes start?
Nine or ten years old
The brain’s electrical activity is measured with a/an...?
Electroencephalogram (EEG)
What factor made children more open-minded about different accents?
Exposure to a variety of accents at home
Which UK region’s accent did children associate with unintelligence?
Yorkshire
What did a faster reaction time in the task indicate?
A stronger mental association between the accent and the character
What social process teaches children how to think about accents?
Socialisation
Give another word for "unreasonable dislike."
Prejudice
What does the study suggest is not innate but learned?
Judging someone’s intelligence based on their accent
What is the formal term for the “standard southern English accent” often linked to intelligence?
Received Pronunciation (RP)
the Queen’s English
Describe one reason why the researchers used a computer-based matching task instead of asking children direct questions.
To avoid social desirability bias
Children may say what they think adults want to hear rather than their true beliefs
Why is it concerning that children associated the Yorkshire accent with unintelligence, according to the study?
Because it shows that regional accent prejudice may already be embedded by age five, even before formal schooling
What is the term for ideas or behaviors that are “deeply embedded and automatic, rather than consciously chosen”?
Implicit bias
Unconscious bias
How did having parents from outside Essex affect children’s attitudes toward accents, according to the study?
It made them more positive toward different accents and less likely to link any accent with unintelligence