Nowadays people use different ways to communicate with each other. And does one always tell the truth when he or she talks with the other on the phone? Or does one sometimes tell a lie when writing an e-mail or giving an instant message? Recent research has found that communications technologies are far from equal when it comes to conveying the truth. The first study, made by Jeff Hancock of Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, to compare honesty across a range of communications media has found that people are twice as likely to tell lies in phone conversations as they are in e-mails. The fact that e-mails are automatically recorded—and can come back to trouble you—appears to be the key to the finding.
Jeff Hancock made an investigation by asking 30 students to keep a communications diary for a week. In it they noted the number of conversations or e-mail exchanges they had lasting more than 10 minutes, and how many lies they told. Hancock then worked out the number of lies per conversation for each medium. He found that lies made up 14 per cent of e-mails, 21 per cent of instant messages, 27 per cent of face-to-face interactions and an astonishing 37 per cent of phone calls.
His results, to be presented at the conference on human computer interaction in Vienna, Austria, in April, have surprised psychologists. Some expected e-mailers to be the biggest liars, reasoning that because the unreal condition makes people uncomfortable, the detachment (非直接接触) of e-mailing would make it easier to lie. Others expected people to lie more in face-to-face exchanges because people are more practiced at that form of communication.
But Hancock says it is also very important and effective whether a conversation is being recorded and could be reread, and whether it occurs in real time. People appear to be afraid to lie when they know that they will be responsible for what they have said in the conversation, he says. This is why fewer lies appear in e-mail than on the phone.
People are also more likely to lie in real time—in an instant message or phone call, say—than if they have time to think of a response, says Hancock. He found many lies are sudden or immediate responses to demands that they don’t expect, such as: “Do you like my dress?”
Hancock hopes his research will help business companies work out the best ways for their employees to communicate. For instance, the phone might be the best medium for selling their products where employees are encouraged to stretch the truth. But given his results, work assessment, where honesty is regarded as more important than others, might be best done using e-mail.
| Jeff Hancock’s study on lying in different ways of communications | |
| The (71) p from the statistics of the investigation | Lies become (72) p when the communicating ways change form (73) p to instant messages to face-to-face interactions to phone calls. |
| The reasons why people lie/don’t lie | · People won’t lie when their conversations will be recorded and can be reread, or when they know they should be (74) p for what they have (75) p . · People lie in real time mostly because they have to answer (76) p questions without hesitation. |
| The (77) p that business companies can have from the study | · Using telephones for (78) p because their employees can stretch the truth. · Using e-mails for work assessment because their employees must tell what they’ve done (79) p . |
| The inference from the study | Suitable media should be chosen for different (80) p purposes. |
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When their parents were children, they imagined a future standing in front of a class of pupils or doing the rounds (巡诊) as a doctor. But today’s British teenagers, a survey suggests, seem to have set their sights only on becoming the next Leona Lewis or Wayne Rooney. Researchers questioned 3,000 teenagers about their ambitions (strong desire to achieve sth.) and also asked parents about their youthful career hopes. According to the survey, youngsters dream of a celebrity (明星) lifestyle, perhaps after finding fame through shows such as the X Factor, and of being actors or sports stars. Copying the likes of Rooney and David Beckham was the top career ambition of today’s teenagers, cited (说到) by 12 percent. Almost as many, 11 percent, wanted to be pop stars, and the same proportion (比例) dreamed of being actors. The success of celebrity chefs such as Jamie Oliver and Gordon Ramsay is likely to explain why becoming a chef is now the dream of 5 percent, a career ambition which did not figure in the list of 25 years ago. A quarter of a century back teaching was the top career choice, cited by 15 percent. These days the job is chosen by only 4 percent. Of the traditional professions (职业), only law has risen in popularity. The survey also suggests that more girls dream of becoming doctors and boys want careers as astronauts or firefighters. Child psychologist Laverne Antrobus said the findings reflect（反映）today's celebrity culture and warned children against unrealistic dreams. “Children see footballers, pop stars and actors on TV and their lives look exciting, glamorous (光鲜的) and fun,” she said. “It is hard for them to realize that they are the end product of a lot of ingredients including talent, determination and years of hard work. Wayne Rooney is not on the pitch (球场) by chance.” As Antrobus pointed out, there is absolutely nothing wrong with children having big dreams, but “these have to be based on reality,” she said. UK career ambitions of two generations Today % citing 1. sports star 12 2. pop star 11 3. actor 11 4. astronaut 9 5. lawyer 9 6. emergency services worker7 7. medicine 6 8. chef 5 9. teacher 4 10. vet 3 25 years ago % citing 1. teacher 15 2. banking/ finance 9 3. medicine 7 4. scientist 6 5. vet 6 6. lawyer 6 7. sports star 5 8. astronaut 4 9. hairdresser 4 10. archaeologist 3 56. The study suggests that today's British teenagers want to ______ sports stars, pop stars and actors. A. have the talent of B. work as hard as C. enjoy the celebrity lifestyles of D. become successful by chance like 57.Which of the following statements is TRUE? A. 12 percent of British teenagers surveyed wanted to become chefs. B. 22 percent of British teenagers surveyed wanted to be pop stars or actors. C. None of the traditional professions are favored by today's British teenagers, the survey suggests. D. Teaching, though less popular, seems to remain one of the top career choices on the list. 58. What does the underlined sentence “Wayne Rooney is not on the pitch by chance.” mean? A. Wayne Rooney does not get to play much today. B. Wayne Rooney didn't get into sport by chance. C. Wayne Rooney doesn't believe in luck when he is playing. D. Wayne Rooney didn't become successful by luck. 59. The expert quoted in the article believes ______. A. there's no point in teenagers having dreams B. it is wrong to desire to live the life of a celebrity C. young Britons have the same ambitions as their parents D. children should set practical goals when they think of their career 0 36043 36051 36057 36061 36067 36069 36073 36079 36081 36087 36093 36097 36099 36103 36109 36111 36117 36121 36123 36127 36129 36133 36135 36137 36138 36139 36141 36142 36143 36145 36147 36151 36153 36157 36159 36163 36169 36171 36177 36181 36183 36187 36193 36199 36201 36207 36211 36213 36219 36223 36229 36237 151629 |
