Interpersonal Traits Research Articles

Psychopathy and Gender in Three Faces of Homicide

ABSTRACT Few existing studies have explored the relationship between facet-levels of psychopathy and different types of homicide. This study analyzed Korean homicide offenders’ psychopathic traits that were assessed by the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) and compared family homicide offenders to those who killed complete strangers, and to those who killed nonfamily acquaintance victims. The study used the four psychopathy facet scores, age, education, and gender as predictors to postdict the three types of homicide. Multinomial logistic regression as well as Somer’s d tests revealed that psychopathic traits differentially contributed to the different forms of deadly violence. Compared to family homicide, stranger homicide scored higher on facet 2 (affective), facet 3 (lifestyle), and facet 4 (antisocial), but lower on facet 1 (interpersonal). In the similar sense, nonfamily homicide scored higher on facets 3 and 4, but lower on facet 1, when compared to family homicide. Family homicide offenders’ higher deficit in interpersonal traits (higher scores on facet 1) has been discussed, but merits further analysis. In addition, homicides by men tended to be extrafamilial, whereas killings by women were more likely to be intrafamilial. The study suggests interesting insights on differences in psychopathy and gender in the typology of homicide.

Psychopathic Traits in Adult versus Adolescent Males: Measurement Invariance across the PCL-R and PCL:YV.

Both the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) and the Psychopathy Checklist: Youth Version (PCL:YV), respectively, are established instruments for assessment of psychopathy and development of psychopathic propensity. To reliably compare scores from both instruments, measurement invariance must be established. The current study involved a combined sample of 1091 male participants (adults = 813; adolescents = 278) from correctional facilities in New Mexico. An exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM) framework was used to test for measurement invariance. The four-factor ESEM model demonstrated good fit for the combined and individual samples. Results from the multiple group ESEM provide evidence for generally strong invariance, with equivalent factor loadings and thresholds. Adolescents exhibited decreased latent interpersonal traits but increased latent features on other PCL factors (affective, lifestyle, and antisocial) compared to adults. Findings suggest that the four-factor model and the measurement of psychopathic traits remain consistent across age groups. Implications of the findings within research and clinical contexts are discussed.

Construct Validity of the Comprehensive Assessment of Psychopathic Personality – Self-Report Form (CAPP-SR)

The Comprehensive Assessment of Psychopathic Personality (CAPP) is a concept map developed to consolidate research on psychopathy. Recently, the CAPP – Self Report form (CAPP-SR) was developed, but its psychometric properties have not been extensively or independently investigated. The current study evaluated the internal consistency, factorial structure, and construct validity of the CAPP-SR in a large sample of undergraduate and community participants. No organizational structure was superior, but a theoretically supported three factor solution representing behavioral, affective, and interpersonal traits appeared to be the optimal solution. The CAPP-SR demonstrated overlap with other preexisting psychopathy measures and the three-factor solution evinced relatively good convergent and discriminant associations with external criteria. The CAPP-SR seems to measure a similar construct to psychopathy measures, though it remains unclear whether the new measure captures meaningful information neglected by other models or outperforms them in prediction of important outcomes.

Clarifying Relations Between Core Features of Psychopathy and Substance (Mis)use: A Replication and Extension in Two Large Independent Samples.

Two studies examined the consistency of associations between specific components of psychopathy and two indices of drug use: (a) abstinence and (b) severity (i.e., counts) of lifetime substance use disorder (SUD) symptoms. Participants were 418 male county jail inmates in Illinois (Study One) and 354 male state prison inmates in New Mexico (Study Two). Across samples, lifestyle and antisocial trait ratings were associated with a reduced likelihood of abstinence from most substances. Lifestyle traits were also uniquely associated with severity of substance dependence ratings. Consistent with prior research, interpersonal traits were uniquely related to cocaine indices in both samples. Furthermore, analyses revealed negative associations between the affective features of psychopathy and alcohol dependence in one sample (Study Two), and illicit substance use across samples. These findings demonstrate the robustness of the associations between the interpersonal and affective features of psychopathy and specific aspects of substance (mis)use.

Psychometric and Circumplex Properties Evaluation of the International Personality Item Pool-Interpersonal Circumplex (IPIP-IPC) in Chinese People Living with HIV (PLWH).

With the improved life expectancy of people living with HIV (PLWH) due to widespread use of antiretroviral therapy (ART), there is a greater emphasis on enhancing long-term well-being and overall quality of life for PLWH. Understanding interpersonal personalities of PLWH can gain further insight into how to improve the overall quality of life in this population. The International Personality Item Pool-Interpersonal Circumplex (IPIP-IPC) scale has been developed to assess interpersonal personalities of individuals, and this scale has been translated into Chinese. However, the Chinese version of IPIP-IPC has not been tested among PLWH in China. In this study, we aimed to test the psychometric properties and circumplex structure of this scale. This study was based on cross-sectional, multi-center, large sample data. We employed the Chinese version of IPIP-IPC scale on 3040 PLWH from April 2022 to April 2023 in China to test its psychometric as well as circumplex properties. The structural summary method (SSM) was employed to analyze the circumplex structure of the scale. The total scale exhibited a Cronbach's alpha of 0.85 and McDonald's omega of 0.91. Out of the 288 possible relationships, 275 relationships satisfy the circular properties hypothesis. The scale demonstrates good reliability and validity, meeting the requirements of psychometrics. Our findings demonstrate that the Chinese version of the IPIP-IPC scale is a reliable tool for evaluating interpersonal personalities in this population. These results highlight the validity and applicability of the IPIP-IPC scale specifically in the Chinese context, providing valuable insights into the intricacies of interpersonal traits among PLWH.

Do Psychopathic Traits, Sexual Victimisation Experiences and Emotional Intelligence Predict Attitudes Towards Rape? Examining the Psychosocial correlates of Rape Myth Beliefs among a cross-sectional community sample

Vast research has sought to better understand the origins and development of rape myth beliefs given the problematic influence of such misconceptions throughout global societies and criminal justice pathways. The current research aims to build on this body of literature by examining the contribution that psychopathic personality traits (affective responsiveness, cognitive responsiveness, interpersonal manipulation, egocentricity) and emotional intelligence may have upon rape myth beliefs. Furthermore, this study will investigate the extent to which sociodemographic characteristics (age, gender, ethnicity, education), and prior experience of sexual victimisation, contribute to variance in rape myth acceptance scores. In total 251 participants (M Age = 31.66) completed an online, self-report questionnaire which included contemporary measures of psychopathy and rape myth acceptance, never previously tested in combination. Results of a hierarchical multiple regression analysis indicate that egocentricity, age, and gender were significantly associated with rape myth beliefs. Emotional intelligence, as well as affective and interpersonal traits of psychopathy, were not directly related with rape mythology. Findings are interpreted alongside previous research, where we suggest there is an urgent need for larger, nationally representative samples, systematically recruited from the general population to help clarify uncertainty in existing literature emerging from small-scale opportunistic datasets.

Characteristics and associated factors of health information-seeking behaviour among patients with inflammatory bowel disease in the digital era: a scoping review

BackgroundHealth Information-Seeking Behaviour (HISB) is necessary for self-management and medical decision-making among patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). With the advancement of information technology, health information needs and seeking are reshaped among patients with IBD. This scoping review aims to gain a comprehensive understanding of HISB of people with IBD in the digital age.MethodsThis scoping review adhered to Arksey and O'Malley's framework and Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews frameworks (PRISMA-ScR). A comprehensive literature search was conducted in PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, PsycINFO, CINAHL, and three Chinese databases from January 1, 2010 to April 10, 2023. Employing both deductive and inductive content analysis, we scrutinized studies using Wilson's model.ResultsIn total, 56 articles were selected. Within the information dimension of HISB among patients with IBD, treatment-related information, particularly medication-related information, was identified as the most critical information need. Other information requirements included basic IBD-related information, daily life and self-management, sexual and reproductive health, and other needs. In the sources dimension, of the eight common sources of information, the internet was the most frequently mentioned source of information, while face-to-face communication with healthcare professionals was the preferred source. Associated factors were categorized into six categories: demographic characteristics, psychological aspects, role-related or interpersonal traits, environmental aspects, source-related characteristics, and disease-related factors. Moreover, the results showed five types of HISB among people with IBD, including active searching, ongoing searching, passive attention, passive searching, and avoid seeking. Notably, active searching, especially social information seeking, appeared to be the predominant common type of HISB among people with IBD in the digital era.ConclusionInformation needs and sources for patients with IBD exhibit variability, and their health information-seeking behaviour is influenced by a combination of diverse factors, including resource-related and individual factors. Future research should focus on the longitudinal changes in HISB among patients with IBD. Moreover, efforts should be made to develop information resources that are both convenient and provide credible information services, although the development of such resources requires further investigation and evaluation.

Trait emotional intelligence and resilience: gender differences among university students.

Previous studies have reported strong correlations of emotional intelligence (EI) with mental health and wellbeing; it is also apowerful predictor of social functioning and personal adaption. Resilience is the ability to adapt to significant life stressors and is also crucial for maintaining and restoring physical and mental health. The aim of this study was to investigate EI and resilience in healthy university students, with afocus on gender differences in EI and resilience components. A total of 277datasets collected via online questionnaire were analyzed. The questionnaire comprised the Self-Report Emotional Ability Scale (SEAS) developed by Freudenthaler and Neubauer for assessing trait EI facets and the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC). Regarding trait EI, females scored significantly higher in the total score for interpersonal emotional skills and in the subscale "Perception of the emotions of others" than males. Men showed significantly higher total scores in intrapersonal emotion-related abilities than women, and in the subscales "Regulation of one's own emotions" and "Control over the expression of one's own emotions." Concerning resilience, female students had significantly higher scores in the CD-RISC subscales "Personal competence and tenacity," "Control," and "Spiritual influence." The intrapersonal trait EI (SEAS) sum score showed asignificant positive correlation with the total scores of the CD-RISC (rs = 0.445, p < 0.001). There were also positive correlations between the interpersonal trait EI sum score and the CD-RISC total score (rs = 0.438, p < 0.001). The results indicate gender differences in specific facets of trait EI and resilience, and an interaction between the two psychological constructs was demonstrated regardless of gender. For prevention of mental disorders and to foster wellbeing, it might be helpful to focus on improvement of self-perception in girls and women, and on supporting emotional awareness towards other people's emotions in boys and men. Further studies in the field should address other populations.

Assessing Leadership Capacity in the Food System: The Issue Leadership Scale.

The food system represents a complex, interrelated, and interdependent network of individuals and organizations. Despite the unique characteristics of the food system domain, there has never been a comprehensive analysis of leadership capacity amongst food system professionals. The present study provides an empirical assessment of food system leadership capacity using many leadership instruments. The study included pilot (n = 125) and primary (n = 4185) data collection across 27 food system-related leadership development programs. The results validate the Issue Leadership scale, which comprises seven capacity areas: action, change, communication, critical thinking, strategic planning and visioning, interpersonal traits and characteristics, leadership process, and leadership skills. The Issue Leadership scale captures both perception of importance and current skill level. The study results indicate that food system professionals perceived communication and critical thinking, strategic planning and visioning as the most important leadership capacity areas. Furthermore, respondents indicated the highest level of self-perceived skill in critical thinking, strategic planning and visioning, and interpersonal traits and characteristics. Overall, respondents had higher perceived importance levels (m = 4.17) than skill (m = 3.44), indicating the need for additional leadership capacity development amongst food system professionals. Respondents also indicated similar levels of opinion leadership (m = 3.92), servant leadership (m = 3.82), transformational leadership (m = 3.78), and transactional leadership (m = 3.70), providing an additional empirical assessment of food system professional leadership capacity.

Uncovering the Social-Cognitive Contributors to Social Dysfunction in Borderline Personality Disorder Through Language Analysis.

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is characterized by severe interpersonal dysfunction, yet the underlying nature of such dysfunction remains poorly understood. The present study adopted a behavioral approach to more objectively describe the social-cognitive contributors to interpersonal dysfunction in BPD. Participants (N = 530) completed an online survey comprising validated measures of BPD features and other problematic interpersonal traits (e.g., narcissism), as well as a writing prompt where they were asked to share their personal thoughts about relationships. Computerized language analysis methods were used to quantify various psychosocial dimensions of participants' writing, which were incorporated into a principal component analysis. Analyses revealed four core social dimensions of thought: (1) Connectedness/Intimacy; (2) Immediacy; (3) Social Rumination; (4) Negative Affect. All four dimensions correlated with BPD features in intuitive ways, some of which were specific to BPD. This study highlights the value of natural language analysis to explore fundamental dimensions of personality disorder.

Issue Leadership: Establishing a Domain for a Food Systems Leadership Model.

A sustainable food system is a fundamental requirement for the ongoing functioning and growth of society. However, despite the critical importance of the food system from both economic and social perspectives, there are several political, environmental, and human capital issues which represent barriers to sustainable production. For example, in the United States, the need for more production capacity to feed a growing population is juxtaposed with a shrinking and aging food system workforce. The nexus of such fundamentally opposed issues represents a situation in which technical solutions may be insufficient. Using a three-round Delphi process with an expert panel, a total of 106 unique leadership competencies or behaviors were identified. The resulting behaviors and competencies were then thematically analyzed using the constant comparative method. The proposed food systems leadership model, named Issue Leadership, includes 39 subthemes and 7 primary themes. The primary themes include action; change; communication; critical thinking, strategic planning and visioning; interpersonal traits and characteristics; leadership skills; and leadership processes. This study establishes the unique context that agriculture and food systems represent and the necessity for leadership models that are competency- and practice-based.

Criterion a of the alternative model of personality disorders: Structure and validity in a community sample.

The alternative model of personality disorders were designed to represent the presence of personality dysfunction (Criterion A) and pathological personality traits (Criterion B). Much of the empirical attention toward this model has been directed toward testing the performance of Criterion B. However, the development of the Levels of Personality Functioning Scale-Self-Report (LPFS-SR) has sparked a growing amount of interest and debate around Criterion A. Specifically, there is significant disagreement in the research examining the validity of the LPFS-SR, with ongoing discrepancies regarding the measure's underlying structure and measurement of Criterion A. The present study aimed to compare four models (one-factor, four-factor, higher order, and bifactor models) in a sample of 416 adults (49.5% women, 63.5% White) to better understand the structure of the LPFS-SR. This study also built on existing efforts to establish convergent and divergent validity of the LPFS-SR by examining how criteria are related to independent measures of both self and interpersonal pathology. The results from the present study supported a bifactor model. Additionally, the four subscales of the LPFS-SR each captured unique variance above and beyond the general factor. Structural equation models predicting identity disturbance and interpersonal traits demonstrated that while the strongest relationships were found between the general factor and the scales, some support was found for the convergent and discriminant validity of the four factors. This work advances our understanding of the LPFS-SR and provides support for the LPFS-SR as a valid marker of personality pathology in clinical and research settings. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Cognitive and Interpersonal Factors in Adolescent Inpatients with Anorexia Nervosa: A Network Analysis

The cognitive-interpersonal model of anorexia nervosa (AN) posits that cognitive and interpersonal traits contribute to the development and maintenance of AN. We investigated cognitive and interpersonal factors put forward by the model in a sample of 145 adolescent inpatients with AN using network analysis. Our main outcomes included core eating disorder symptoms, cognitive style, socio-affective factors, and mood symptoms. We estimated a cross-sectional network using graphical LASSO. Core and bridge symptoms were identified using strength centrality. Goldbricker was used to reduce topological overlap. The node with the highest strength centrality was Concern over Mistakes, followed by Eating Preoccupation, Social Fear, and Overvaluation of Weight and Shape. The nodes with the highest bridge strength were Concern over Mistakes, Doubt about Actions, Overvaluation of Weight and Shape, and Depression. Notably, both performance on a cognitive flexibility task and BMI were not connected to any other nodes and were subsequently removed from the final network. We provide partial support for the cognitive-interpersonal model while also supporting certain premises put forward by the transdiagnostic cognitive-behavioral model. The high centrality of Concern over Mistakes and Social Fear supports the theory that both cognitive and interpersonal difficulties contribute to AN, particularly in adolescence.

Gender Differences in Letters of Recommendation for Gynecology Surgical Fellowship Applicants: Analysis of One Program's Recruitment Cycle

To evaluate if there are gender differences in the letters of recommendation (LOR) written for residents applying to gynecology surgical fellowships. Retrospective study. Single, academic institution. LOR for applicants to gynecology oncology, urogynecology, and minimally invasive gynecology fellowships during the 2019-2020 application cycle. Not applicable. We analyzed the linguistic content of the letters for the presence of 4 summary variables and 21-word categories based on previous studies using a validated computerized text analysis software. We used multivariable analysis using linear mixed models to compare letter linguistic characteristics by applicant gender. We performed qualitative content on letters and compared the frequency of code themes by gender. The mixed-method design was planned to analyze domains not captured in text analysis. Among 680 letters written for 186 applicants, 124(18.2%) were written for men and 556 (81.8%) were written for women. There were no differences in the least square mean (SE) word counts for LOR written for men and women applicants, 465(20.0) v. 458(9.4) words, p=.74. On multivariable analysis, LOR written for men had higher authentic tone and more risk words (p=.005 and p=.03, respectively). LOR written for women contained more communal (relationship-oriented) words (p=.006). The qualitative analysis demonstrated ability, interpersonal traits, surgical skills, and research were the most mentioned themes. Comments about compassion/empathy, leadership potential, teaching, interpersonal skills, and patient rapport were found more in letters for men. More doubt raisers (words that raise doubt or concern) were present in letters for men, but letters for both genders had similar levels of negative criticism. In contrast, comments on ability, being "drama-free", and self-awareness were found more in letters for women. There were gender differences in LOR written for obstetrics and gynecology surgical sub-specialty fellowship applicants indicating presence of gender bias.

Intentional noncompliance: influencing employees' compliance decision in healthcare services

Ensuring service execution compliance with the requisites of day-today operational tasks continues to be a major managerial challenge for service systems, particularly in the healthcare context where patients' safety is at stake. In this qualitative inquiry, we use the data collected from a nursing care organisation to report on one underexplored category of employee failures: intentional noncompliance at the service execution stage. This specific category of failures happens when employees knowingly choose to deviate from the standards of the planned care, yet they have no malicious intention for sabotaging the organisation and/or its stakeholders. Based on our findings, preventing employees' intentional noncompliance requires designing compliance enablers that dampen the negative impact of socio-psychological inhibitors, which manifest in the form of personal and interpersonal traits and legitimise the employees' choice of deviation from the requirements.

Not Good Enough? Exploring Relationships Between Novice Designers’ Trait Empathy, Their Beliefs, Attitudes, and Intentions Toward Sustainability, and the Self-Evaluated Sustainability of Their Solutions

Abstract Designers’ empathy plays an important role in supporting socially conscious design. Although widely studied in engineering design, a majority of the research on empathy focuses on designers’ ability to empathize with primary users; little attention is given to empathizing with those affected in a secondary or tertiary capacity—an important consideration when evaluating the broader impacts of design decisions in the context of environmental sustainability. Moreover, little research has investigated the influence of designers’ internal traits (e.g., beliefs, attitudes, and intentions) on their emphasis on environmental sustainability. Such an investigation could reveal the role of developing internal and interpersonal traits in sustainable design education. In this paper, we explore this gap by introducing student designers to a hands-on sustainable design workshop. We compared changes in their trait empathy and their beliefs, attitudes, and intentions toward sustainability from before to after the workshop. We also compared the relationship between these individual differences and participants’ self-evaluated sustainability of their solutions. We see that participants reported an increase in their beliefs and intentions toward sustainability and a decrease in personal distress from before to after the workshop. Furthermore, participants who received the sustainable design lecture reported that their solutions were more sustainable in terms of disposal, salvaging, and recycling. Finally, trait empathy significantly predicted the self-evaluated sustainability of solutions on the following dimensions of sustainable design: disposal, recycling, and finding wholesome alternatives. These findings call for future work into the influence of designers’ individual differences on their approach to sustainable design.

Interpersonal Intellectual Virtues

Due to the hyperspecialization so prevalent nowadays, interdisciplinary research is a demanding kind of epistemic activity. The concept of intellectual virtue as presented by responsibilist approaches of virtue epistemology could offer an effective counterweight to this challenge but raises the question of what epistemic virtues are necessary for interdisciplinarity.&#x0D; Based on a qualitative study, we identify and heuristically conceptualize a relevant subset of epistemic virtues required by interdisciplinarity that we call interpersonal intellectual virtues. These virtues are personal character traits that facilitate the reciprocal acquisition and distribution of knowledge with and through other people. By their very nature, they are only exercised in an interpersonal relationship that seeks an epistemic good, so in some sense, they are at the intersection of social virtues and intellectual virtues.&#x0D; We use Jason Baehr’s four-dimensional proposal for the essential components of intellectual virtues (motivational, affective, skill, and judgment) to show that these interpersonal traits are indeed epistemic virtues. Some examples of interpersonal intellectual virtues are intellectual empathy, intellectual respect, and intellectual trust, among others. Intellectual empathy is a paradigmatic case that we analyze in more detail.&#x0D; Finally, we suggest that interpersonal intellectual virtues are the key character traits of people involved in any successful collective epistemic endeavor, interdisciplinary research being a privileged context in which we can clearly see their manifestation.

Evaluation of Participation Level of Adolescents with Cerebral Palsy

Background: Adolescence is a time of rapid development in many facets of an individual’s physiological, cognitive, and interpersonal traits, but it also comes with some complexities. Aim: To evaluate the level of participation in different domains of life situations in adolescents with Cerebral Palsy. Study design: Cross-sectional study. Methodology: Study conducted in adolescents with Cerebral Palsy between age 10 – 19, with motor impairment level I, II and level III on GMFCS. Sample size was 84 participants. Questionnaire of Young People’s Participation (QYPP) was used to evaluate participation in different activities and domains of life. Statistical analysis: Analysis of data was done by SPSS v.26. Results: The highest percentage score was observed for Autonomy followed by Getting on with other people, Home life, Reception and Leisure and School or College life. The least percentage score was seen for two domains i.e., Work life and Preparing for the future. It was observed that participants in higher age category had higher score except school or college life domain but no significant difference was evident as per p-value. Conclusion: It was concluded that overall frequency of participation levels proved inadequate in adolescents with CP in all the domains tested. Keywords: Adolescents, Cerebral Palsy, Personal Autonomy and Social Participation.

“See One, Do One, Perceive One”: Analyzing the Role of the Third-Year Surgery Clerkship on Students’ Perceptions of Surgeons and Their Lifestyles Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic

INTRODUCTION: Long hours, poor work-life balance, pessimism, and cynicism are the notorious perceptions of surgeons thought to be held by medical students. The impact that the third-year surgery clerkship has on these perceptions has been discussed, but it’s unclear whether changes to the clinical environments due to COVID-19 hamper such impacts. We sought to provide updated analysis on this common question. METHODS: Identical survey questions were given to third-year medical students before and after their surgery clerkship. Students were asked whether they strongly agreed, agreed, neither agreed nor disagreed, disagreed, or strongly disagreed with multiple statements about surgeons. A p-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: 91 students responded to the pre-clerkship survey (82.7% response rate) and 34 students to the post-clerkship survey (38.6% response rate). Compared to pre-clerkship responses, post-clerkship responses demonstrated a significant increase in the percentage of students who believe that surgeons are good teachers (p = 0.00092), respect medical students (p=0.00326) encourage students to pursue surgery (p = 0.0114) and are compassionate physicians (p = 0.00429), and a significant decrease in the percentage of students who believe that surgeons are mean (p = 0.0394) or pessimistic (p = 0.0161). There was no change seen with respect to students’ perceptions of surgeons’ workload (p = 0.304)/lifestyle (p = 0.0796), reputation (p = 0.0873)/respect received (p = 0.750), contentment with career choice (p = 0.268) or respect for other physicians (p = 0.151). CONCLUSION: The third-year surgery clerkship appeared to have improved students’ perception of surgeons’ personality traits and role as educators but did not appear to affect students’ perceptions of surgeons’ lifestyle, inter-personal traits, or reputation.

Emergence and assessment of interpersonal experience and behavior in a nonverbal, generative, game-like paradigm

Dominance, hostility and autonomy are interpersonal phenomena that emerge from the complex dyadic interplay of two individuals reciprocally influencing each other. Assessing the complexity of interpersonal interactions usually involves its reduction, for example with self-report and observer-rated measures informed by the structural analysis of social behavior (SASB). In contrast, letting individuals generate a complex stream of interpersonal experience and behavior from moment to moment is an empirical approach not yet usual in interpersonal theory. In the present study, we developed and evaluated an interpersonal, generative paradigm that allows participants to interact nonverbally and spontaneously with a computer-controlled other player in real-time without the need for introspection or the capacity to verbalize potentially implicit interpersonal processes. In the game-like paradigm, participants use the keyboard to take over objects such as a handcar to move autonomously around and encounter interfering or freedom granting artificial other players. We expected that participants (1) experience the nonverbal so-called game mechanics of the paradigm as interpersonal in nature, (2) behave towards the other players in an interpersonally complementary way, and (3) are influenced by their own trait interpersonal expectations. During the paradigm, 40 participants appraised the majority of the game mechanics and computer-controlled other players as intended. Also, interpersonal traits affected the spontaneous behavior towards artificial characters. These findings corroborate the feasibility and validity of a generative assessment of interpersonal dynamics beyond self-reports and observer ratings. The paradigm paves the way for the empirical testing of formal, computational models of dyadic interaction.