Perceptions of public mobile phone conversations and conversationalists

This research examined perceptions of public mobile phone conversations and conversationalists. Participants viewed a staged video of a public conversation and later rated their perceptions of the conversation and target speaker. Two variables were manipulated: whether the conversation took place over a mobile phone or was face-to-face, and whether participants could hear both sides or only one side of the conversation. In general, participants rated the one side mobile phone conversation as more noticeable, intrusive, and annoying than the other conditions. Additionally, the target speaker in this condition was less well-liked than the speaker in the other conditions. Perceptions of the target’s extraversion varied as a function of whether the conversation occurred on a mobile phone or not. Overall, the results suggest the existence of negative views toward mobile phones and exposure to one side of a conversation.

► Participants viewed a speaker talking live or over a mobile phone with a friend.
► Participants then indicated their perceptions of the conversation and speakers.
► The conversation was perceived more negatively when heard over a mobile phone.
► The speaker was liked less well when the conversation occurred over a mobile phone.
► Negative perceptions of speakers and conversations occurred for multiple reasons.