The effect of listenability factors on the comprehension of police cautions.
We examined the extent to which modifying a police caution using three listenability factors (Instructions, Listing, and Explanations) improved comprehension. A 2 (Instructions vs. No Instructions) × 2 (Listing vs. No Listing) × 2 (Explanations vs. No Explanations) between-participants design was used. Participants (N = 160) were presented verbally with one of eight cautions and asked to record their understanding of the legal rights contained in the caution. Results showed a main effect of Explanations, thus suggesting that repeating the information contained in the caution in different terms increased comprehension. Partial support was also found for the hypothesized additive interactions of modifications, as the caution containing all three modifications resulted in the highest level of comprehension. The implications of these findings for the comprehension of police cautions, and verbally delivered information in general, are discussed.
Department of Psychology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada.
Joseph
J
Eastwood
Brent
B
Snook
D000328:Adult; D002170:Canada; D002961:Civil Rights; D003142:Communication; D032882:Comprehension; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D035846:Law Enforcement; D008297:Male; D016037:Single-Blind Method