The Role of Verbal Behavior in the Encoding and Decoding of Interpersonal Dispositions

Abstract

The role of verbal behavior in the encoding and decoding of eight interpersonal dispositions was investigated using the lens-mapping approach (Brunswik, 1956; Gifford, 1991). Sixty participants provided self-ratings on eight dispositional scales and, in groups of three, were videotaped in conversation. The conversations were transcribed and 10 verbal behaviors were scored from the transcripts. Observers read the transcripts and rated each of the original participants on the same eight dispositions. Encoding, analyzed conservatively, tended to be weaker than decoding but did account for up to 20 % of the variance in self-reported dispositions. Ten matched links were associated with self–other agreement correlations for extraversion and aloofness. The results suggest that the lens-mapping approach is a promising method for specifying the observable behaviors that underlie self–other agreement.