Conference Program - Abstract

The Triad of Trustworthiness and Expression of Anger Toward an Outgroup
	Tana Nicole Hall		Texas A & M University - Commerce
	Curtis Puryear		Texas A & M University - Commerce
	Stephen M Reysen
Introduction Levine (2003) suggests that the perception that one is an expert, honest, and likable combine to form an impression of the other person as trustworthy (i.e., triad of trustworthiness). Prior research (Hall & Reysen, 2012) has shown that the intensity of a speaker’s emotion influences message recipients’ perception of the speaker’s personality. In the present study, we examine the influence of emotional intensity expressed by a speaker on message recipients’ perception of the trustworthiness (i.e., expertise, honesty, likability) of the speaker. Method Participants (N = 204, 70.1% female; Mage = 23.24, SD = 7.64) were randomly assigned to view a video of a speaker expressing negative attitudes toward an outgroup with none, low, medium, or high intensity of emotion (i.e., anger). Participants then completed measures of perceived expertise (α = .88), honesty (α = .91), and likability (α = .95). Results Results showed that participants perceived the speaker as less expert, honest, and likable as the intensity of expressed anger increased. Additionally, the results highlight the drop of trustworthiness afforded to extremely emotional speakers. Discussion This research shows the importance of the perceived emotional intensity of a person in evaluating trustworthiness. Real world implications for these results are that those who are perceived to be highly emotional are considered to be less trustworthy.