The effect of similar counselor-client sense modality preference on counselor attractiveness

The purpose of this study was to determine whether similar counselor-client sense modality preference would enhance counselor attractiveness, a concept developed out of the Bandler and Grinder (1975) model of sense modality similarity. The model suggests that if a counselor uses the same predicates as a client, the client will perceive the counselor as a more responsive person;Three methods of sense modality preference identification were employed: a sense modality preference interview, a sense modality preference inventory, and a self-report indication of sense modality preference. One hundred and seventy-nine undergraduate students at Texas A&M University participated, with each receiving credit toward their final grade in an introductory psychology class for the time spent in the study;Subjects were assigned to one of six groups depending upon their sense modality preference. In each group, subjects were instructed to listen to a series of audio tape recordings which contained predicates identified as either visual, auditory, or kinesthetic. After each recording, subjects were instructed to complete an adjusted form of the Interpersonal Judgement Scale;Analysis of variance was used to determine differences among subjects. Since a low rate of agreement among methods of identifying sense modality preference in subjects was obtained, four separate analyses were conducted;Results indicated that with the exception of two minor null hypotheses in the interview analysis, all sixteen null hypotheses should be accepted under all four assessment procedures. The one exception indicated that when subjects were assessed with the interview technique, visual clients rated visual and kinesthetic counselors significantly more attractive than did kinesthetic clients. The results of this study have an important bearing on the Bandler and Grinder (1975) model of sense modality similarity