Physicians' H]ead and Body Positions as Determinants of Perceived Rapport

Significant effects were found for trunk angle, head attitude, and arm posture; physicians who leaned forward with open arm positions and nodded their head were judged more positively.

Abstract

The relationship between physicians' b]ody movement and judgments of rapport was examined in this study. One‐hundred eighteen observers rated physicians' b]ehavior on 14 bipolar scales assessing dimensions of empathy. Physicians' n]onverbal behavior was manipulated so that there were three levels of trunk angle (forward, straight, backward), two levels of arm position (open, folded), two levels of leg position (open, crossed), and two levels of head attitude (nodding, not‐nodding). Significant effects were found for trunk angle, head attitude, and arm posture; physicians who leaned forward with open arm positions and nodded their head were judged more positively. Discussion focuses on the reinforcing valuc of nodding, judges' p]erceptions of physicians' a]ccessibility conveyed by trunk and arm postures, and expressions of dominance in physician‐patient encounters.