Nonverbal Influence During Televised Debates

Abstract

Experimental studies find a strong influence of nonverbal signals on the evaluation of political candidates when raters are asked to judge unknown candidates from short-duration exposures. Yet when viewers are exposed to candidates’ verbal and nonverbal communication in a more naturally occurring context, the presence of verbal communication can make the influence of nonverbal communication seem attenuated. To link these findings, the present study uses continuous response measurement to uncover the relative influence of verbal and nonverbal communication on political opinion formation during a debate clip lasting about 9 minutes. The analysis suggests that nonverbal communication influences candidate evaluations especially during the beginning of the presentation. Verbal communication seems influential for the remaining time. Consistent with this trend, study participants’ post-exposure opinions were influenced by both verbal and nonverbal communication.