Understanding the effect of vocal behaviors in high-conflict situations in personal relationships.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore the effect of vocalic behavior in resolving high-conflict situations. A quantitative study was employed using 277 university students from California and Florida. We experimentally tested a vocal coding system using passive, aggressive, and assertive audio clips presented to research subjects, which included volume, pitch, rate, pausing, and vocal variety. Participants rated these audio clips based on vocal qualities, relational outcomes, appropriateness, and resolving conflict. Results revealed that the assertive vocal style was associated with higher ratings to resolve conflict and perceptions of verbal assertiveness and appropriateness than were passive or aggressive vocal styles. Implications and applications are discussed to stimulate future research among researchers and practitioners when addressing conflict situations.