The use of computer-mediated interaction in exploring affective influences on strategic interpersonal behaviours

What role can computers play in the study of strategic interpersonal behaviours, and research on affective influences on social behaviour in particular? Despite intense recent interest in affective phenomena, the role of affect in social interaction has rarely been studied. This paper reviews past work on affective influences on interpersonal behaviour, with special emphasis on Michael Argyle’s pioneering studies in this field. We then discuss historical and contemporary theories of affective influences on social behaviour. A series of experiments using computer-mediated interaction tasks are described, investigating affective influences on interpersonal behaviours such as self-disclosure strategies and the production of persuasive arguments. It is suggested that computer-mediated interaction offers a reliable and valid technique for studying the cognitive, information processing variables that facilitate or inhibit affective influences on interpersonal behaviour. These studies show that mild affective states produce significant differences in the way people perform in interpersonal situations, and can accentuate or attenuate (through affective priming) self-disclosure intimacy or persuasive argument quality. The implications of these studies for recent theories and affect-cognition models, and for our understanding of people’s everyday interpersonal strategies are discussed.