Social class differences in verbal communicative accuracy: A question of which question?

Abstract

Reviews the literature to determine which communication task and social class sample variables increase the likelihood of finding social class differences in communicative accuracy. The most critical factors appear to be (a) a communication task sensitive to possible social class differences in vocabulary or perceptual skill, (b) a communication situation that does not reflect normal conversation, (c) differences between the social class samples in IQ or formal education, and (d) a lower-lower-class sample. The drawbacks of focusing only on social class, rather than on possible mediating social processes, are discussed. Social class differences in communicative accuracy were found to be greater than race or sex differences and comparable to small age differences. No clear conclusions could be drawn about how social class differences in communication skills vary as a function of age or about whether within-class communication is more effective than between-class communication. Little support was found for hypothesized social class differences in verbal communicative style. The issue of the representativeness of past studies is discussed. (3 p ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved). © 1976 American Psychological Association.