In interviews involving anxiety and uncertainty, individuals might perform displacement activities that reduce nervousness. These types of displacement activities are known as:

Displacement activities are behaviors that individuals often engage in to cope with anxiety or uncertainty during interviews or stressful situations. These activities can include fidgeting, adjusting clothing, playing with pens, or other repetitive movements that serve to alleviate nervousness.

The correct term for these behaviors, in the context of nonverbal communication, is manipulators. Manipulators are specific types of movements that involve the manipulation of one’s own body or objects and are typically indicative of underlying stress or discomfort. Their purpose is to provide a sense of comfort to the individual, acting as a coping mechanism in potentially high-pressure situations, such as interviews.

In contrast, paralinguistics refers to the aspects of spoken communication that accompany verbal language, such as tone and pitch, which do not directly address displacement activities. Illustrators are also gestures that accompany speech to help convey meaning but are not specifically stress-related behaviors. Norming is a term more associated with group dynamics and establishing norms between team members, rather than an individual response to anxiety in communication settings.

Understanding these categories of nonverbal behavior helps in recognizing and interpreting the cues that may indicate an individual's comfort level or emotional state during communications like interviews.