Evaluation of an Interviewer as a Function of Interviewer Gaze, Reinforcement of Subject Gaze, and Interviewer Attractiveness
Document Type
Article
Department
Behavioral and Organizational Sciences (CGU)
Publication Date
1975
Disciplines
Cognitive Psychology | Psychology | Social and Behavioral Sciences
Abstract
54 male undergraduates were interviewed by female interviewers who gazed constantly, intermittently, or not at all. Experimental Ss were reinforced with green light feedback whenever they gazed at the interviewers and were punished with red light feedback when they averted gaze for more than 6 sec. Control Ss received noncontingent green and red light feedback. Although gaze of experimental Ss toward the interviewers was increased significantly, their attitudes toward the interviewers remained the same. This was probably because the Ss did not discriminate that their gazing behavior had changed. Ss gave the most unfavorable reactions to the nongazing interviewers, rating them as least attractive, giving them the shortest answers, and sitting farthest from them during the debriefing session. Ss did not discriminate between high- and low-attractive interviewers, except that the latter were rated disproportionately low on attentiveness if they did not gaze. Interviewers with high rates of talking were preferred over interviewers with low rates of talking.
Rights Information
© 1975 American Psychological Association
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Recommended Citation
Kleinke, C., Staneski, R., and Berger, D. E. (1975). Evaluation of an Interviewer as a Function of Interviewer Gaze, Reinforcement of Subject Gaze, and Interviewer Attractiveness. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 31, 115-122.
