The role of interpersonal touch has been studied in communication fields, demonstrating a handshake or other form of appropriate interpersonal touch (AIT) has rendered favorable results in rapport building with an audience as well as developing audience comfort and receptivity to messaging. This study aimed to determine if the use of a handshake prior to interpretive programming would increase the positivity of perception of a visitor toward interpreters and/or the message shared by interpreters. Researchers also sought the viewpoints of professionals in the field of interpretation about the current use and perception of touch. Finally, a post-survey interview was conducted with each interpreter involved the study. Through three angles, the research demonstrated that AIT positively affects a visitor’s perception of the interpreter and the message shared. The research also provides boundaries and next steps toward researching AIT’s role in the field of interpretation.
","abstract_html":"<p>The role of interpersonal touch has been studied in communication fields, demonstrating a handshake or other form of appropriate interpersonal touch (AIT) has rendered favorable results in rapport building with an audience as well as developing audience comfort and receptivity to messaging. This study aimed to determine if the use of a handshake prior to interpretive programming would increase the positivity of perception of a visitor toward interpreters and/or the message shared by interpreters. Researchers also sought the viewpoints of professionals in the field of interpretation about the current use and perception of touch. Finally, a post-survey interview was conducted with each interpreter involved the study. Through three angles, the research demonstrated that AIT positively affects a visitor’s perception of the interpreter and the message shared. The research also provides boundaries and next steps toward researching AIT’s role in the field of interpretation.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Shortt, Mickey, Jr."],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Science - Resource Interpretation","degree_level":"Thesis","degree_discipline":"Forestry","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Dr. Shelby Laird","Dr. Pat Stephens Williams","Dr. Ray Darville"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2017,"date_issued":"2017-05-12T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2017-05-12T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T04:30:03Z","subjects":["Interpretation","Audience","Immediacy Behaviors","Handshake","Credibility","Rapport","Outdoor Education"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/etds/95","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Dr. Shelby Laird","Dr. Pat Stephens Williams","Dr. Ray Darville"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Shortt, Mickey, Jr."]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2018-05-11T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Forestry"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Science - Resource Interpretation"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Interpretation","Audience","Immediacy Behaviors","Handshake","Credibility","Rapport","Outdoor Education"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/etds/95"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["The role of interpersonal touch has been studied in communication fields, demonstrating a handshake or other form of appropriate interpersonal touch (AIT) has rendered favorable results in rapport building with an audience as well as developing audience comfort and receptivity to messaging. This study aimed to determine if the use of a handshake prior to interpretive programming would increase the positivity of perception of a visitor toward interpreters and/or the message shared by interpreters. Researchers also sought the viewpoints of professionals in the field of interpretation about the current use and perception of touch. Finally, a post-survey interview was conducted with each interpreter involved the study. Through three angles, the research demonstrated that AIT positively affects a visitor’s perception of the interpreter and the message shared. The research also provides boundaries and next steps toward researching AIT’s role in the field of interpretation.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["DOES TOUCH HAVE A PLACE IN INTERPRETATION? RESEARCHING THE ROLE OF APPROPRIATE INTERPERSONAL TOUCH (AIT) IN INTERPRETIVE PROGRAMS"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Dr. Shelby Laird","Dr. Pat Stephens Williams","Dr. Ray Darville"],"dc:creator":["Shortt, Mickey, Jr."],"dc:date.available":["2018-05-11T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["The role of interpersonal touch has been studied in communication fields, demonstrating a handshake or other form of appropriate interpersonal touch (AIT) has rendered favorable results in rapport building with an audience as well as developing audience comfort and receptivity to messaging. This study aimed to determine if the use of a handshake prior to interpretive programming would increase the positivity of perception of a visitor toward interpreters and/or the message shared by interpreters. Researchers also sought the viewpoints of professionals in the field of interpretation about the current use and perception of touch. Finally, a post-survey interview was conducted with each interpreter involved the study. Through three angles, the research demonstrated that AIT positively affects a visitor’s perception of the interpreter and the message shared. The research also provides boundaries and next steps toward researching AIT’s role in the field of interpretation.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/etds/95"],"dc:subject":["Interpretation","Audience","Immediacy Behaviors","Handshake","Credibility","Rapport","Outdoor Education"],"dc:title":["DOES TOUCH HAVE A PLACE IN INTERPRETATION? RESEARCHING THE ROLE OF APPROPRIATE INTERPERSONAL TOUCH (AIT) IN INTERPRETIVE PROGRAMS"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Forestry"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Science - Resource Interpretation"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T04:30:03Z"}