Date of Award
Fall 1982
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Department
Psychology
Program/Concentration
Psychology
Committee Director
Valerian J. Derlega
Committee Member
Barry Gillen
Committee Member
Louis Janda
Call Number for Print
Special Collections LD4331.P65C375
Abstract
The present study investigated the effects of touch, as mediated by the preference for control (PC) of the recipient, upon visual behavior as well as evaluative and affective responses. Subjects were female students at Old Dominion University, selected on the basis of their scores on the Expressed Control subscale of the Fundamental Interpersonal Relations Orientation (FIRO-B) Inventory (Schutz, 1958). Based upon their scores on the subscale, 29 females scoring high and 30 females scoring low were randomly assigned to either touch or no touch conditions. Subjects in the touch condition were touched on the arm by a male confederate after two minutes of conversation, while those in the no touch condition were not touched. After two more minutes, the interview ended and the subject was administered the evaluative and affective measures. Results showed that high PC subjects evaluated the confederate more negatively and experienced less positive affect when touched than when not touched. High PC subjects also looked more while listening (lwl) when touched than did subjects in the other groups. This result was contrary to the hypothesis that high PC subjects would decrease lwl when touched in order to regain control.
Rights
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DOI
10.25777/4cmt-5r05
Recommended Citation
Caudill, Teresa W..
"Influence of Touch and Preferences for Control on Visual Behavior"
(1982). Master of Science (MS), Thesis, Psychology, Old Dominion University, DOI: 10.25777/4cmt-5r05
https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/psychology_etds/497
Included in
Applied Behavior Analysis Commons, Personality and Social Contexts Commons, Social Psychology Commons