Nonverbal behavior in clinician—patient interaction

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Abstract

Empirical studies on nonverbal communication in clinician—patient interaction are reviewed for both the psychotherapeutic and medical settings. Nonverbal behavior is considered both as the consequence of antecedent variables, such as individual or relationship characteristics, and as a predictor of clinical effectiveness and patient outcomes. The concept of rapport is considered in relation to nonverbal behavior, both theoretically and empirically. Also, the relevance of a patient's nonverbal behavior to the diagnostic goals of the clinical visit is demonstrated by research on nonverbal cues to psychopathology, Type A/B personality, and pain. Although the topic of nonverbal behavior and clinician—patient interaction has had a promising start, much research is still needed, especially that which experimentally manipulates either antecedent variables or nonverbal behavior itself to demonstrate cause and effect relations.

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    Preparation of this paper was supported in part by the Spencer Foundation; its content is solely the responsibility of the authors.

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