Imitate Accent to Understand

Research finds that imitating a foreign accent increased understanding vs. simply listening to those with a foreign accent. In the study, psychologists spoke to volunteers in an invented accent. Subjects who imitated the odd sounds had a better understanding of what was said vs. those who listened or repeated the sentence in their normal voice.

Accent Affects Trust

The Journal of Experimental Social Psychology reports that listeners were less likely to believe speakers with foreign accents. The heavier the accent, the less the trust.