Standardization vs. rapport: Respondent laughter and interviewer reaction during telephone surveys

Laughter emerges naturally in interaction. In the context of the telephone survey interview, however, laughter threatens standardization. Consequently , some survey research centers prohibit interviewers from laughing during t he administration of surveys. The data for this study are recorded telephon e interviews from one such survey research center. How interviewers handle the "laughter invitations" of respondents is analyzed Because these intervi ewers are not taught what to do when laughter occurs, they rely on their ta cit knowledge, either accepting the invitation, declining it, or engaging i n "pseudo-laughter": Interviewers most often decline or use a pseudo-laughi ng response. Laughter patterns in a survey research center that does nor pr ohibit interviewer laughter are examined for comparison, and generally much more reciprocation and laughter are observed. Respondent laughter exhibits a central tension in the telephone survey interview: How can interviewers maintain both standardization and an appropriately affiliative social relat ionship with respondents? The differential management of this tension is ex plored in terms of survey methodology, the sociology of (social) scientific knowledge, and the organization of talk in institutional settings.