Perceptual distortions in cross-cultural interrogations: the impact of skin color, accent, speech style, and spoken fluency on impression formation

Dutch police officers often assess Surinamer citizens more negatively than Dutch citizens. The principle of correspondence offers a possible explanation. According to this principle, a lack of correspondence between White police officers and Surinamer citizens results in a negative assessment of the Surinamer citizens. In this study, the influence of differences in skin color, accent, speech style, and (spoken) fluency on police officers' impression formation was examined. Results revealed a negative influence of Surinamer speech style and fluency on impression formation. However, Black skin color and Surinamer accent resulted in an unexpected positive assessment. It is concluded that the importance of nonverbal behaviors in the formation of negative impressions is substantial.