Intervening Processes Between Computer-Mediated Communication and Interpersonal Attraction: An Experimental Comparison (TOP 3 Faculty Paper).

The first aim of this study was to investigate the validity of four potential mediators that may account for the effects of CMC on interpersonal attraction (i.e., amount of self-disclosure, depth of self-disclosure, question asking, and reciprocity of self-disclosure). The second aim was to clarify the role of nonverbal cues and visual anonymity in the CMC-interpersonal attraction relationship. Eighty-one unacquainted cross-gender dyads were randomly assigned to three experimental conditions: a face-to-face, a visual CMC (i.e., CMC with a webcam), or a text-only CMC condition. Content analysis of the verbal interactions revealed that text-only CMC interactants liked each other more than face-to-face interactants. However, there was no difference in liking between text-only CMC and visual CMC. Depth of self-disclosure and question asking mediated the CMC-liking relationship. Again, there was no difference between the text-only and visual CMC conditions, suggesting that it is not the visual anonimity of CMC that accounts for the higher levels of interpersonal attraction in CMC. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]