Intimacy in response to direct gaze

doi:10.1016/0022-1031(75)90010-4

Journal of Experimental Social Psychology

Volume 11, Issue 6, November 1975, Pages 592-613

https://doi.org/10.1016/0022-1031(75)90010-4 Get rights and content

Abstract

Believing that they were participating in a study of encounter groups, male and female subjects were encouraged to deliver a personally revealing monologue to a same-sex listener whose visual behavior had been “programmed” by the experimenter. In the four experimental conditions, designed to explore the role of gaze as a stimulus, as a potential reinforcer, and as a source of feedback, the listener provided (a) continuous direct gaze; (b) direct gaze contingent upon intimate statements; (c) continuous gaze aversion; or (d) gaze aversion contingent upon intimate statements. The intimacy of the speaker's monologue was rated by a “blind” observer, the listener, and the speaker himself. Direct gaze, whether constant or contingent, appeared to promote intimacy between females and reticence between males, while gaze avoidance had the opposite effects. The only raters who disagreed with this assessment were the male speakers, who felt that they had been most intimate in the two direct gaze conditions. Positive feelings including liking for the listener and task satisfaction also were associated both with self-revelation and with direct gaze among females but not among males.

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^☆: This research was supported in part by NSF Grant GS 3195.

¹: The order of authorship is alphabetical, as the two authors have contributed equally.

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Intimacy in response to direct gaze☆

Abstract

Acta Psychologica

Journal of Experimental Social Psychology

Eye contact, distance, and affiliation

Sociometry

The effects of visibility on interaction in a dyad

Human Relations

Effects of eye contact and verbal content on affective response to a dyadic interaction

Journal of Personality and Social Psychology

Eye contact and gaze aversion in an aggressive encounter

Journal of Personality and Social Psychology

The stare as a stimulus to flight in human subjects: A series of field studies

Journal of Personality and Social Psychology

Visual behavior in social interaction

Journal of Communication

Visual interaction: The glances of power and preference

Effects of two patterns of a speaker's visual behavior upon the perception of the authenticity of his verbal message

Visual behavior in a dyad as affected by interview content and sex of respondent

Journal of Personality and Social Psychology