The Facilitating Effects of Interviewer Rapport and the Paralinguistics of Intimate Communications

Abstract

Interviewer rapport building increased interviewees' verbal productivity levels in response to intimate interviewer questions, their readiness to disclose intimate information, and their verbal fluency (shorter response latencies and fewer silent pauses in response to intimate questions), but only in female interviewees. The postinter-view ratings of the female interviewees suggest that interviewer rapport building reduced their discomfort and tension, which facilitated their communications. The male interviewees, however, were not uncomfortable or tense even in the absence of rapport building. In addition, the results of this study indicate that both male and female interviewees answer intimate questions with relatively short and hesitantly articulated responses, even when topical focus has been controlled.