The effects of interviewer style on patterns of dyadic communication

Abstract

This study examines the influence of interviewer style on the profile, dispersion, and rate of interaction in interview dyads. Statements, coded by content analysis, were mapped onto a two‐dimensional matrix so that antecedent and subsequent statements could be analyzed in pairwise combinations. Interaction profile was defined as the ratio of various subclasses of pairwise statements to all pairwise statements coded. Interaction dispersion was defined as the ratio of different pairwise statements coded in one time interval to the total number possible. Interaction rate was defined as the time in seconds of a given time interval divided by the total number of pairwise statements coded during that interval. This analysis determined patterns of verbal behavior most characteristic of interviews conducted with different styles.