ABSTRACT
This chapter presents two core dimensions, namely warmth and empathy along with their verbal and nonverbal correlates which emerge as important determinants of social reward. Warmth can be evinced towards a person or group of individuals while merely considering the factual content of their problematic situation, whilst empathy concentrates more particularly on the feeling component inherent in such a problem. Truax and Carkhuff, in a comprehensive review of studies which examined the effects of dimensions such as empathy, warmth and genuineness on human behaviour, came to the conclusion that people exposed to interactive episodes typified by these qualities were changed for the better. Previous research has suggested that empathy is communicated in an important way by nonverbal means including eye contact, forward leans, open posture, and proximity. The chapter identifies some of the means by which rewards are administered at global or dimensional levels of social contact.
