Abstract
"Expressivity halo effect" (Bernieri, Gillis, Davis, & Grahe, 1996) refers to the phenomenon which observers' rapport judgments are influenced by target expressivity regardless of the social context. This study examined expressivity halo effect in conversations about emotional episodes. In study 1, the validity of the expressivity halo effect on a Japanese sample was tested. Study 2 suggested that the scores of observers' judgments of rapport between interactants were higher during conversations about positive emotional episodes in which expressions were facilitated, than for conversations about negative emotional episodes in which expressions were inhibited. In study 3, expressivity halo effect was thought to increase the gaps between interactants and observers' judgments. The accuracy of the observers' judgments was poorer for conversations about negative emotional episodes than for conversations about positive emotional episodes.
