Abstract
The compensation process articulated in the equilibrium model of nonverbal behavior has generally been described as an immediate response to an ongoing interaction. The present investigation explored whether a compensatory response can also be delayed from one interaction to another. Subjects interacted with a confederate who gazed at them continuously, avoided gaze, or gazed about 50% of the time. Subject and confederate were then separated. The dependent measure was the distance subjects chose to sit from the confederate after they were reunited for a second interaction. Subjects in the continuous-gaze condition sat significantly farther away from the confederate than those in the natural or averted-gaze conditions. These results suggest that inappropriate nonverbal behavior by one member of a pair can affect the nonverbal approach or avoidance behaviors of the other member of the pair in a subsequent interaction.
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