A disadvantageous effect of lower audioquality on ratings of competence has been reported in literature. This lower audioquality leads to a lower fluency. We investigated, if the negative effects of lower fluency also show in audio-visual communication, as in online conferences.
The influence of video and audio quality during video calls on social judgments is becoming increasingly relevant in the context of ongoing digitalization. Previous research has shown that audio quality can shape how people are perceived. Walter-Terrill et al. (2025) demonstrated that lower auditory signal quality led to less favorable judgments of intelligence, hireability, credibility, and romantic desirability. Similarly, Newman and Schwarz (2018) found that scientific communication was evaluated more positively when recordings were presented in higher audio quality. Extending this line of work to audiovisual communication, Brucks et al. (2025) showed that glitches during video calls can negatively affect interpersonal judgments by disrupting the illusion of face-to-face interaction.
Building on these findings, the present study asks whether effects previously observed fluency in audio quality also extend to video quality. By independently manipulating audio and video quality, we further examine whether the two channels interact in shaping social judgments during video calls.
