[257] COMMUNICATOR STYLE AS AN EFFECT DETERMINANT OF ATTRACTION ROBERT W. NORTON LOYD S. PETTEGREW University of Michigan This research reports the results of three independent studies which investigate the relationship between attraction and communicator style (the way a person communicates). Study 1 compares the communicator styles of "best liked" and "least liked" friends. The "best liked" friend’s style differed significantly from that of the "least liked" friend, scoring higher on attraction, communicator image, open, attentive relaxed. and dramatic/animated. In study 2, four specific styles were studied in relation to attraction. The dominant/open style was seen by subjects as the most attractive; the not-dominant/not-relaxed style was seen as least attractive. In study 3, teachers rated students representing the four styles investigated in study 2 on a nine-item attraction measure entailing physical, personality, and liking dimensions. Again, the dominant/open style emerged as most attractive. The three studies provide strong evidence that communicator style is an important effect determinant of attraction. Every person has a particular style of communication- that is, the way one communicates. Since one’s style of communication is a pervasive part of one’s behavior, it is reasonable to expect that it affects how attractive a person appears to be. It can also be posited that some communica- tor styles are stronger covariates of attraction than other styles. It is relatively easy to guess how attraction relates to styles of communication that are definitely visable. An ornery, contentious style tends to be offensive; a friendly, soft-spoken style tends to be appealing. When style-related components do not entail obviously positive or negative valences, it becomes increasingly difficult to anticipate which combination of communicator style variables best predict attraction. ’ No research in the literature directly investigates attrac- tion as a function of communicator style. This paper reports