Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 12, 2026
09:12
The Resident-intruder Paradigm: A Standardized Test for Aggression, Violence and Social Stress
Published on: July 4, 2013
Correlations among applicants' communication apprehension, argumentativeness, and verbal aggressiveness in selection
Donna Simmons1, Kevin G Lamude, Joseph Scudder
1Department of Communication Studies, California State University, San Bernardino, 92407-2397, USA. dsimmons@csusb.edu
Psychological Reports
|July 5, 2003
Summary
Job interview apprehension negatively impacts argumentativeness but increases verbal aggressiveness. Applicants often feel highly apprehensive before interviews, affecting communication styles and interview outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Communication Studies
- Organizational Psychology
- Social Psychology
Background:
- Selection interviews are critical for career opportunities.
- Applicant apprehension is a common phenomenon in high-stakes communication.
- Understanding communication traits like argumentativeness and aggressiveness is vital for interview success.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between perceived apprehension and self-reported argumentativeness and verbal aggressiveness in job selection interviews.
- To determine how situational apprehension influences an applicant's communication style during interviews.
Main Methods:
- A questionnaire was administered to 51 college students one week before their career-oriented selection interviews.
- Measures included situational apprehension, trait argumentativeness, and trait verbal aggressiveness.
- Correlational analysis was used to examine the relationships between these variables.
Main Results:
- Trait Argumentativeness showed a significant negative correlation with Trait Verbal Aggressiveness.
- Apprehension was significantly positively correlated with Trait Verbal Aggressiveness.
- Apprehension was significantly negatively correlated with Trait Argumentativeness.
- Descriptive statistics revealed that applicants experienced high levels of apprehension prior to interviews.
Conclusions:
- Situational apprehension in selection interviews is linked to increased verbal aggressiveness and decreased argumentativeness.
- High levels of applicant apprehension may hinder effective communication and potentially impact interview performance.
- Further research could explore interventions to manage apprehension and improve communication strategies in selection interviews.
Related Concept Videos
02:16Surveys
Often, psychologists develop surveys as a means of gathering data. Surveys are lists of questions to be answered by research participants, and can be delivered as paper-and-pencil questionnaires, administered electronically, or conducted verbally. Generally, the survey itself can be completed in a short time, and the ease of administering a survey makes it easy to collect data from a large number of people.
02:20Correlations
Correlation means that there is a relationship between two or more variables (such as ice cream consumption and crime), but this relationship does not necessarily imply cause and effect. When two variables are correlated, it simply means that as one variable changes, so does the other. We can measure correlation by calculating a statistic known as a correlation coefficient. A correlation coefficient is a number from -1 to +1 that indicates the strength and direction of the relationship between...
01:20Spearman's Rank Correlation Test
Spearman's rank correlation test, also known as Spearman's rho, is a nonparametric method for assessing the strength and direction of association between two variables. This test is particularly valuable when the data distribution is unknown or when the assumption of normality does not hold. Named after the English psychologist and statistician Dr. Charles Edward Spearman, it serves as the nonparametric counterpart to Pearson's correlation coefficient.
Spearman's test calculates correlation by...
Spearman's test calculates correlation by...
01:15Theory of Attribution I: Correspondent Inference Theory
Correspondent inference theory, proposed by Jones and Davis in 1965, seeks to explain how individuals infer stable personality traits from observed behaviors. It suggests that people attribute actions to underlying dispositions rather than external circumstances, particularly when the behavior appears intentional and socially significant.Voluntary Behavior and Dispositional AttributionAccording to this theory, individuals are more likely to attribute behavior to personal traits when it appears...
01:29Theory of Attribution II: Kelley's Covariation Theory
Attribution theory plays a crucial role in social psychology, helping to explain how individuals interpret the causes of behavior. One prominent model within this field is Harold Kelley's covariation theory, which provides a systematic approach to determining whether internal traits or external circumstances drive a person's actions. The model posits that individuals rely on three key types of information—consensus, consistency, and distinctiveness—to make these judgments.Consensus: Comparing...
01:17Correspondence Bias
Correspondence bias, also referred to as the fundamental attribution error, describes the tendency to attribute another person’s behavior to internal characteristics rather than situational influences. This cognitive bias leads individuals to overlook external factors that may be influencing actions, thereby fostering potentially inaccurate assessments of others’ intentions and dispositions.Empirical Evidence for Correspondence BiasResearch has consistently demonstrated the prevalence of...