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Language attitudes are often inferred from hearers' evaluative reactions to speech variations. However, the study of information processing suggests that speaker evaluations may also be sensitive to the conditions under which hearers develop impressions of speakers. If so, even greater caution should be exercised in the use of such evaluations as a measure of language attitudes. In order to test the potential effect of information processing on speaker evaluations, an experiment was conducted in which hearers evaluated speakers under a condition of time constraint, and again under a condition representative of a typical language attitude study. Results indicated that evaluations of a female African-American Vernacular English speaker were affected. A subsequent experiment provides evidence regarding the likelihood of an alternative explanation for these results.
