Effects of mutual invisibility and topical intimacy on verbal fluency in dyadic communication

The mutual reduction of visual feedback, which in this study did not interfere with the synchronization of turns, reduced the productivity levels and increased the silent pauses of female speakers, even though it had no effect on their subjective discomfort, anxiety, and ease of communication self-ratings. The same reduction of visual feedback, which was achieved by seating the participants back-to-back rather than face-to-face, caused male speakers to feel anxious and uncomfortable and reduced the duration of their silent pauses, but only in same-gender dyads. These findings are explained in terms of previously noted gender differences in the need for visual feedback and in the anxiety-arousing effects of back-to-back interactions. Intimate communications, on the part of both male and female speakers, were associated with a slow pacing of speech but not with a decrease in productivity level, independently of the seating arrangement. These findings are interpreted in terms of the self-monitoring and self-censoring that is usually associated with the communication of intimate messages.