Responses to interpersonal confrontation: interactions with human movement and color perception

Two videotapes designed to present varying levels of interpersonal confrontation potential were viewed by 48 student volunteer subjects. Verbal responses to the tapes were recorded, and state anxiety in response to each tape was assessed by the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Subjects' experience balances were computed based on the ratio of human movement responses to color responses on the Holtzman Inkblot Technique. It was found that introversive individuals showed increased response latency and state anxiety in response to the increase in interpersonal confrontation, whereas extratensive and ambiequal individuals showed only increased response latency or state anxiety, respectively. Implications are discussed in terms of interpretation of the experience balance itself and more generally in terms of personality-situation interactions and personality assessment research strategies.