The meaning of silent pauses in the initial interview.

It is usually assumed that anxiety arousal has a disruptive effect on speech and that it is associated with an increase in the frequency and the duration of silent pauses. Evidence is presented that anxiety arousal per se is associated with a reduction in silent pauses and an acceleration of speech rate, unless the speech task involves complex decision making. It is proposed that silent pauses in speech, including those pauses which are a result of anxiety-related defensiveness, are most parsimoniously explained in terms of information processing which is taking place at the time of the pauses.