Personality Attributions Based on Speech Samples of Children with Repaired Cleft Palates

Abstract

Objective:

This study examined whether or not assumptions made about personality characteristics based on speech samples differed for children with repaired cleft palates (CP) versus unaffected children.

Design:

Audiotapes of speech samples were presented in random order to blind raters.

Patients/Participants:

The subjects were 20 children (10 females, 10 males) with repaired CP and 16 control (i.e., unaffected) children (8 females, 8 males). All children were 8 to 12 years of age, Caucasian, living in the St. Louis area, and lower-middle to upper-middle class. The raters were 20 (13 females, 7 males) 6th grade Caucasian students who attend a private school in the area.

Setting:

Raters heard tapes in a group setting, but with individual headphones, in their school's cafeteria.

Main Outcome Measure:

Each speech sample was rated (7-point Likert scale) by each student rater on a variety of personality characteristics based on the “Big Five” personality factors.

Results:

A factor analysis of the items revealed a two-factor solution, although the factors were highly negatively correlated. No significant differences were found between ratings for the CP sample and the control sample for either factor scale (ANOVA, p = .93; p = .67). Similarly, when the two factors were combined to form a single factor, no significant differences were found between the ratings for the CP sample and the control sample (ANOVA, p = .79).

Conclusions:

Overall, it does not appear that children differentially associated personality characteristics based on speech to children with repaired CP versus unaffected children, in the absence of visual input.