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That's easy for you to say: action identification and speech fluency
R R Vallacher1, D M Wegner, M P Somoza
1Department of Psychology, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton 33431-0991.
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
|February 1, 1989
Summary
Optimal action identification improves performance. Easy tasks are best identified by their effects, while difficult tasks are best identified by their mechanics for better speech fluency.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Action identification theory suggests actions are perceived differently.
- Optimal identification enhances task performance and maintenance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To test the optimality hypothesis of action identification on speech fluency.
- To determine if matching task difficulty with identification level improves performance.
Main Methods:
- Participants delivered speeches to audiences of varying persuasiveness (easy vs. difficult).
- Participants were prompted to identify the action of speech delivery in high-level (effects) or low-level (mechanics) terms.
Main Results:
- Fewer speech errors occurred when easy tasks were identified at a high level.
- Fewer speech errors occurred when difficult tasks were identified at a low level.
- Participants reported higher satisfaction when optimal identification was employed.
Conclusions:
- Optimal action identification, matching task difficulty with identification level, enhances speech fluency.
- This principle suggests a strategy for improving performance in communication tasks.