Tone in Communication and the Performance of Children from Two Socioeconomic Groups

It was hypothesized and found that middle- and lower-class children respond differently to words and tone in communication. Using a nonreinforcement paradigm, middle-class children responded similarly to an entire set of instructions presented in a positive, a neutral, or a negative tone of voice, while lower-class children responded differently to the 3 tones of voice, responding best to the positive tone of voice. These results are consistent with findings using a reinforcement paradigm. Implications are discussed.