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Nonverbal behavior and client state changes during psychotherapy
Author(s) -
Davis Martha,
Hadiks Dean
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
journal of clinical psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.124
H-Index - 119
eISSN - 1097-4679
pISSN - 0021-9762
DOI - 10.1002/1097-4679(199005)46:3<340::aid-jclp2270460315>3.0.co;2-1
Subject(s) - psychology , nonverbal communication , psychotherapist , cognitive psychology , developmental psychology
In an intensive videotape analysis of 10 psychotherapy sessions, the body positions and gesticulation patterns of the client were examined in relation to changes in her verbal behavior. Verbal ratings were obtained on the Experiencing Scale (Klein, Mathieu, Gendlin, & Kiesler, 1970), and nonverbal ratings were obtained on the Davis Nonverbal States Scales (Davis, 1986). Results revealed that the position “accessibility” ratings were related significantly to levels of self‐disclosure and involvement as determined by the verbal ratings. The client's gesticulation ratings were not related significantly to the Experiencing Scale ratings, but clinically interesting relationships between gesticulation patterns and verbal content were noted. While body movement long has been recognized as an important source of clinical information, replicable coding of complex patterns of position and gesture has been very difficult to develop. This study presents data that support a promising, replicable method for coding nonverbal behavior in psychotherapy process research.