Abstract
Nine categories of nonverbal behavior (extremity movements, self-manipulations, facial expression, posture, orienting, gestures, voice quality/tone, speech rate/pressure, and sense of timing) were tested in a standardized role play situation of social skills. Each category was judged using a new “midi-level” system of assessment which permitted specification of component behaviors but allowed observers to make single ratings at the ends of videotaped episodes. The midi-level measurements were as reliable and practical as more traditional global measures of social skill and social anxiety. Midis were superior to globals (i.e., single overall ratings of skill and anxiety) in terms of predicting physiological indices of social anxiety. Voice quality/tone and sense of timing appeared to be the best predictors of criterion social skill measures and self-manipulations, extremity movements, and gestures had the highest weights in predicting criterion measures of social anxiety.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Abrams, D.B. & Wilson, G.T. Effects of alcohol on social anxiety in women: Cognitive versus physiological processes.Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 1979,88, 161–173.
Argyle, M.Bodily communication. London: Methuen, 1975.
Barlow, D.H. On the relation of clinical research to clinical practice: Current issues, new directions.Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 1981,49, 145–155.
Bellack, A.S. Anxiety and neurotic disorders. In A.E. Kazdin, A.S. Bellack, & M. Hersen (Eds.),New perspectives in abnormal psychology, New York: Oxford University Press, 1980.
Boice, R. Ethological perspectives on social skills research. In J.P. Curran & P.M. Monti (Eds.),Social skills training: A practical handbook for assessment and treatment. New York: Guilford, 1982a.
Boice, R.Human ethology. New York: Plenum, 1982b.
Boice, R. Observational Skills.Psychological Bulletin, 1982, in press c.
Boice, R. & Kraemer, E.A. Stereotypies as behavioral indices in mental patients.Journal of Nonverbal Behavior, 1981,6, 30–45.
Borkovec, T.D., Stone, N.M., O'Brien, G.T., & Kaloupek, D.G. Evaluation of a clinically relevant target behavior for analogue outcome research.Behavior Therapy, 1974,5, 503–513.
Conger, J.C. & Conger, A.J. Components of heterosocial competence. In J.P. Curran & P.M. Monti (Eds.),Social skills training: A practical handbook for assessment and treatment. New York: Guilford Press, 1982.
Conger, J.C. & Farrell, A.D. Behavioral components of hetero-social skills.Behavior Therapy, 1981,12, 41–55.
Cronbach, L.J., Glesser, G.C., Nanda, A., & Rajaratnam, N.The dependability of behavioral measures. New York: Wiley, 1972.
Curran, J.P. & Monti, P.M. (Eds.)Social skills training: A practical handbook for assessment and treatment. New York: Guilford, 1982.
Ekman, P. About brows—emotional and conversational signals. In M. Von Cranach, K. Foppa, W. Lepenies, & D. Ploog (Eds.),Human ethology. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1979.
Friedman, H.S. The concept of skill in nonverbal communication: Implications for understanding social interaction. In R. Rosenthal (Ed.),Skill in nonverbal communication. Cambridge, Mass.: Oelgeschlager, Gunn & Hain, 1979.
Gatewood, J.B. & Rosenwein, R. Interactional synchrony: Genuine or spurious? A critique of recent research.Journal of Nonverbal Behavior, 1981,6, 12–29.
Harper, R.G., Weins, A.N., & Matarazzo, J.D.Nonverbal communication. New York: Wiley, 1978.
Hersen, M., Bellack, A.S., & Turner, S.M. Assessment of assertiveness in female psychiatric patients: Motor and autonomic measures.Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 1978,9, 11–16.
Jennings, J.R., Berg, W.K., Hutcheson, J.S., Obrist, P., Porges, S., & Turpin, G. Publication guidelines for heart rate studies in man.Psychophysiology, 1981,18, 226–231.
Kazdin, A.E. Assessing the clinical or applied importance of behavior change through social validation.Behavior Modification, 1977,1, 427–451.
Kupke, T.E., Calhoun, K.S., & Hobbs, S.A. Selection of heterosocial skills: II. Experimental validity.Behavioral Therapy, 1979,10, 336–346.
Lawler, K. Cardiovascular and electrodermal response patterns in heart-rate reactive individuals during psychological stress.Psychophysiology, 1980,17, 464–470.
Leelarthaepin, B., Gray, W., & Chesworth, E. Exersentry©: An evaluation of its cardiac frequency monitoring accuracy.Australian Journal of Sports Science, 1980.
Lykken, D.T. The role of individual differences in psychophysiological research. In P. Venables and M. Christie (Eds.),Research in Psychophysiology, New York: John Wiley and Sons, 1975.
McFall, R. A review and reformulation of the concept of social skills.Behavioral Assessment, 1982,4, 1–33.
McGuire, M.T. & Polsky, R.H. Ethological assessment of stable and labile social behaviors during acute psychiatric disorders: Clinical applications.Psychiatry Research, 1980,3, 291–306.
Monti, P.M., Corriveau, D.P., Curran, J.P. Social skills training for psychiatric patients: Treatment and outcome. In J.P. Curran and P.M. Monti (Eds.),Social skills training: A practical handbook for assessment and treatment. New York: Guilford Press, 1982.
Monti, P.M., Durran, J.P., Corriveau, D., DeLancey, A.L., & Hagerman, S.M. Effects of social skills training groups and sensitivity training groups with psychiatric patients.Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 1980,48, 241–248.
Monti, P.M., Fink, E., Norman, W., Curran, J.P., Hayes, S., & Caldwell, A. Effects of social skills bibliotherapy with psychiatric patients.Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 1979,47, 189–191.
Trower, P. Statistical analysis of the components and processes of the behavior of socially skilled and unskilled patients.Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 1980,48, 327–339.
Twentyman, C.T. & McFall, R.M. Behavioral training of social skills in shy males.Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 1975,43, 384–395.
Wallander, J.L., Conger, A.J., & Conger, J.C. Development and evaluation of a behaviorally referenced rating system for heterosocial skills.Behavioral Assessment, 1982, in press.
Waxer, P. Nonverbal cues for anxiety: An examination of emotional leakage.Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 1977,86, 306–314.
Wilson, G.T. Alcohol and anxiety: Recent evidence on the tension reduction theory of alcohol use and abuse. In J. Polivy and K. Blankstein (Eds.),Self-control and emotional behavior. Plenum Press, in press.
Woolfolk, A.E., Abrams, L.M., Abrams, D.B., & Wilson, G.T. Effects of alcohol on the nonverbal communication of anxiety: The impact of beliefs on nonverbal behavior.Environmental Psychology and Nonverbal Behavior, 1979,2, 205–218.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Boice, R., Monti, P.M. Specification of nonverbal behaviors for clinical assessment. J Nonverbal Behav 7, 79–94 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00986870
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00986870