ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on how rapport between interactants can be assessed. Rapport is a social construct that must be assessed at the group or dyad level. The challenge for rapport researchers involves the operationalization of relational components that may transcend the individuals contributing to them. Self-report scales based on verbal reports conceptualization of rapport appeared in studies that validated the importance of interpersonal coordination to the construct of rapport. The predictive relationship between the nonverbal expression of rapport and its self-report is now known to differ across contexts. As the relationship progresses, however, it becomes possible for an unstable and temporary state of rapport to diverge from the more stable and chronic tone of the underlying relationship. Thus, researchers interested in assessing rapport are advised that they will find no definitive 'rapport movement' that provides an unbiased objective assessment within any particular setting.
