The effect of the look-speak to look-listen ratio on power dominance attributions

Abstract

The effect of visual dominance behavior defined by the ratio of the proportion of time spent looking while speaking to the proportion of time spent looking while listening (Exline, 1975) on power dominance attributions has been the subject of extensive research, especially in the United States. Results of these studies have revealed that when stimulus persons exibited the high look-speak to look-listen ratio they were evaluated as more powerful than when they exhibited the moderate ratio, when stimulus persons eshibited the the moderate ratio they were evaluated as more powerful then when they displayed the low look-speak to look-listen ratio. The purpose of this thesis was to find out whether different patterns of visual dominance behavior influences subjects' power dominance attributions in the Turkish culture as well. Each subject saw three different videotape segments in which three different stimulus persons displayed three different levels of the look-speak to look-listen ratio. Subjects' power dominance attributions were measured by responses to a questionnaire of 16 items. Finding of our study revealed the existence of the effect of visual dominance behavior in Turkish culture. The results showed that, subjects who saw different patterns of visual behavior, had a strong tendency to attribute more power to the higher levels of the look-speak to look-listen ratio.