Nonverbal behavior in clinician-patient interaction

Empirical studies on nonverbal communication in clinician-patient interaction are reviewed for both the psychotherapeutic and medical settings. Nonverbal behavior is considered both as the consequence of antecedent variables, such as individual or relationship characteristics, and as a predictor of clinical effectiveness and patient outcomes. The concept of rapport is considered in relation to nonverbal behavior, both theoretically and empirically. Also, the relevance of a patient's nonverbal behavior to the diagnostic goals of the clinical visit is demonstrated by research on nonverbal cues to psychopathology, Type A/B personality, and pain. Although the topic of nonverbal behavior and clinician-patient interaction has had a promising start, much research is still needed, especially that which experimentally manipulates either antecedent variables or nonverbal behavior itself to demonstrate cause and effect relations.