NONVERBAL CORRELATES OF CONFEDERATES TOUCH - CONFOUNDS IN TOUCH RESEARCH

As researchers investigate the effects of touch, it is important to co nsider nonverbal behaviors that may be confounded with touch (e.g., bo dy posture,facial expression, and other gestures). In the present stud y, 130 seconds of an interaction between a female confederate and male and female participants were coded for nonverbal behaviors. This inte raction either involved the confederate touching or nor touching the p articipant on the elbow and forearm. Participants' perceived social su pport was assessed as well as nonverbal behavior of the confederate. I ndividuals who were touched reported more perceived social support com pared to those who were not touched In spite of specific instructions to keep nonverbal behavior consistent, confederates in the couch versu s no touch condition displayed different behaviors. Confederates who t ouched used more nervous gestures and fewer expressive hand gestures c ompared to those who did nor touch. This suggests it is important to a nalyze empirically the nonverbal behaviors of confederates in touch re search since other nonverbal behaviors were related to whether the con federate touched or did not couch the participant. Methodological impl ications of these findings are discussed.