Analyzing first impressions of warmth and competence from observable nonverbal cues in expert-novice interactions

In this paper we present an analysis from a corpus of dyadic expert-novice knowledge sharing interactions. The analysis aims at investigating the relationship between observed non-verbal cues and first impressions formation of warmth and competence. We first obtained both discrete and continuous annotations of our data. Discrete descriptors include non-verbal cues such as type of gestures, arms rest poses, head movements and smiles. Continuous descriptors concern annotators' judgments of the expert's warmth and competence during the observed interaction with the novice. Then we computed Odds Ratios between those descriptors. Results highlight the role of smiling in warmth and competence impressions. Smiling is associated with increased levels of warmth and decreasing competence. It also affects the impact of others non-verbal cues (e.g. self-adaptors gestures) on warmth and competence. Moreover, our findings provide interesting insights about the role of rest poses, that are associated with decreased levels of warmth and competence impressions.