Accents of guilt? Effects of regional accent, race, and crime type on attributions of guilt

Abstract

This study examined the effect of regional accent on the attribution of guilt. One hundred and nineteen participants listened to a recorded exchange between a British male criminal suspect and a male policeman. Employing the "matched-guise" technique, this exchange was varied to produce a 2 (accent type: Birmingham / standard) × 2 (race of suspect: Black/White) × 2 (crime type: Blue collar / white collar) independent-groups design. The results suggested that the suspect was rated as significantly more guilty when he employed a Birmingham rather than a standard accent and that attributions of guilt were significantly associated with the suspect's perceived superiority and social attractiveness.