Date of Award

Spring 5-2025

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Psychology

Program/Concentration

Human Factors Psychology

Committee Director

Mark Scerbo

Committee Member

Mary Still

Committee Member

Jennifer Styron

Abstract

The rapid rise in interactive video-based communication has raised important questions about how it affects the perception of nonverbal behavior and impression formation. Guided by the Parallel Process Model (PPM), Multiple Resource Theory (MRT), and Working Memory (WM) models, this study investigated the ability of individuals to observe and assess another person’s nonverbal behaviors and form accurate impressions during conversations in live, face-to-face interactions compared to virtual formats. The study employed a 2 (interaction format: live vs. virtual; within-subjects) × 2 (observation type: active vs. passive; between-subjects) × 2 (genuineness: genuine vs. nongenuine behavior; between-subjects) mixed design. Participants either actively engaged in or passively observed job interview interactions and were asked to remember observed nonverbal behaviors and rate the genuineness of the interviewee. It was hypothesized that passive observers would remember more accurate nonverbal behaviors than active participants, as passive observation requires only decoding, whereas active engagement demands both encoding and decoding, thereby increasing cognitive load. Additionally, based on MRT and PPM, face-to-face interactions were expected to facilitate more accurate nonverbal behavior recognition compared to virtual formats, due to the limitations of video to convey subtle nonverbal cues. Consistent with predictions, passive observers recognized significantly more nonverbal behaviors than active participants, supporting the idea that the increased cognitive demand required by active engagement can impair behavioral recognition. Participants also recognized more behaviors and made more accurate impressions in the face-to-face format, aligning with theories that limited visual information in virtual settings diminishes decoding accuracy. Furthermore, genuineness influenced impression ratings: passive observers more accurately detected genuine and nongenuine behavior and adjusted their ratings accordingly. These findings underscore the impact of cognitive load and interaction format constraints on perception during an interaction, with implications for decision-making in virtual assessments, hiring, and remote communication settings that rely on accurate interpretation of interpersonal behaviors.

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DOI

10.25777/sqq3-8n50

ISBN

9798293844166

ORCID

0009-0008-8157-5004

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Psychology Commons

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