Coordinated Interpersonal Timing of Vision and Voice as a Function of interpersonal Attraction

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the interpersonal coordination of vocal and visual timing within the conversational interactions of dyad members who liked each other, who disliked each other, and who did not know each other. Time series regression analyses were used to provide an estimate of the temporal coordination of each dyad. Pairs of women were selected for participation in one of the three conditions of 'like', 'dislike', and 'unacquainted' on the basis of their ratings of each other on a sociogram. Each pair was videotaped while engaging in a 30-minute, relatively unconstrained conversation. The videotapes were coded electronically to determine the vocal characteristics of the conversations and by trained coders to determine the pattern of direct and averted gaze of the interactants. The results indicated a high degree of coordinated interpersonal timing across dyads. Furthermore, the initial dyadic categorisation of interpersonal attraction was differentiated by the magnitude and type of the temporal coordination of the visual and vocal behaviours of the dyads.