An experiment was designed to replicate and confirm previous research findings which suggest that the way a person communicates is related to perception of communication behavior. The experiment was successful. Subjects with low Communicator Style Measure (CSM) scores do not report perceiving any appreciable difference between their communicator style and that of subjects with high CSM scores. In contrast, subjects with high CSM scores report perceiving a significant difference. Three raters evaluated the videotaped interactions and confirm that a significant difference exists between the way in which low and high CSM scorers communicate. Analysis of who actually dominated the interactions in terms of amount of talk and who controlled the outcome in terms of success at the task also confirms the presence of significant differences. Two explanations are posited and discussed: (1) social desirability and (2) perceptual deficiency.
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