Experimental results on the effect of politeness strategies on perceptions of police

Abstract

Recent confrontations between citizens and police in the United States have led to calls to improve police-community relations. One theory gaining prominence is procedural justice theory, which states that respectful and fair treatment improves perceptions of police, regardless of the interaction's material outcome. Yet “respect” in the policing literature is defined in myriad ways. This experiment tests the effects of three speech styles derived from politeness theory on perceptions of an officer in a simulated traffic stop video and of the police in general. Participants in the informal speech condition had overall more positive perceptions of the officer in the video. These results are discussed in the context of police training and the theoretical operationalization of respect.