A questionnaire presenting examples of doctor-patient communication was used to determine which of 5 response styles were preferred by 93 medical students not trained in communication. The students' psychobehavioral traits were also assessed with four scales. The results show that many medical students have their own way of communicating. Preferred response styles correlated with specific psychobehavioral traits. These results suggest that communication instructors should attempt to understand each student's communication level and guide students to learn useful communication styles in the medical setting.