Non-Verbal Communication Basic Concepts

Examples of Arbitrary Code

"Knock on wood" "Peace Sign" "yes/no" head nods Waving Hello and goodbye

The Golden Ratio

1.618:1 (we're attracted to this)

Body Movement and Position

Dynamic body movement and positioning (the furrow of the brow, the slump of a shoulder, and the tile of a head)

Three dimensions people use to interpret nonverbal communication

Immediacy Status Responsiveness

Ectomorph

a person with a lean and delicate body build.

Examples of Intrinsic Code

pointing, moving closer to someone, hitting a person, "put your dukes up"

Relationship between emblems and communicative contexts?

Emblems are not cross cultural. Problems in studying speech-independent gestures across cultures is that they are different across cultures and some that are appropriate in one culture might be obscene and vulgar in another.

Multi-Channeled

Nonverbal cues register on our senses from a variety of sources. Example: Saying something that differs from what their face is saying.

9 types of nonverbal codes

Physical Environment Spatial Environment Artifacts Gestures/posture Proxemics Tactile communication Facial Expressions Eye behavior Vocal behavior

Communication Enviroment

Physical Environment: The non human factors that influence on human transactions. Spatial Environment: (Proxemics, personal space and territory)

Rule-Governed

We develop rules or expectations for appropriate nonverbal behavior in ourselves and others.

Immediacy

We react to things by evaluating them as positive or negative. Evaluative component Subjective - High- eye contact - Low- condescending - avoiding

subcategories of personal space

intimate public social-consultative casual personal

Equilibrium Theory

there is an equilibrium point for every relationship. You will always compensate to keep equilibrium unless... if you reciprocate, you have to redefine the equilibrium/relationship.

Arousal Model

tries to decide when a person would choose to reciprocate or compensate. Negative: compensate; positive: reciprocate. PROBLEM: people do not always compensate when they have a negative arousal.

back-channel cues

vocalizations that signal vocally but nonverbally that you do or don't want to talk Example "ah"

Repeat

with non verbal signals has a delay between the verbal and nonverbal communication. This acts as a form of emphasis. Examples: you're dead (finger across throat) / Nodding yes or no.

Illustrators

gestures that are used to augment what is being said and to reinforce/deintensify the perceived strengths of emotions

Affect Displays

gestures that indicates the speakers' affect state hug/caring ; crossing arms/anger.

Adaptors

gestures used to manage emotions Self adaptor (bitting your nails) other adaptor (monkeys looking over shoulder) Object adaptor (messing with keys)

Substitute

(whatever you can do with repeat, you can do with this) BUT it is the replacement of words with nonverbal. Sometimes "things are better left unsaid". Example: Raising of an eyebrow; raising fists to indicate you're ready to fight

Characteristics of Arbitrary Code

- Greatest distance between code used and referent. - No rhyme or reason - Verbal languages are primarily

Characteristics of Intrinsic Code

- Least distance between code used and referent.

What are two competing theories on motor mimicry?

- Motor mimicry is an individual act - empathy for the person that you are mimicking - Motor mimicry is a communicative act - communicate with that person. - Research shows that is a result of trying to communicate.

Characteristics of Iconic Code

- Preserves some aspects of the referent - Some sort of resemblence

6 functions of gestures

- Replace speech - Waving goodbye - Regulate the flow and rhythm of interaction - Maintain attention - Add emphasis or clarity to speech - Help to characterize and make memorable content of speech - Help speaker access and formulate speech

What are two essential conditions for emotional contagion?

- Strongly felt emotions - Skilled en/decoders

what are the types of turn taking behaviors that can be adopted by the speaker and listener

- Turn-yielding cues: cues to signal others to take the floor (relaxed body position) - Turn-maintaining cues: cues used by the speaker to keep their turn and to suppress others' claim to the floor (hand gestures) - turn-requesting cues: cues used by the listener to claim the floor (upraised index finger) - Turn-denying cues: cues used by the listener to show that he/she has no interest to take the floor (avoid eye contact) - Back-channel cues: "ahh" "mhmm" to show you're listening

Density and Crowding

-Density: the number of people per unit of space -Crowding: feeling state that may develop in high or low-density situations -Perception of crowding may increase by the following factors: -Environmental -Personal -Social -Goal- related -Airline seat design -Curved shapes feel safer -Give planes idea of friendlier -Safe colors -Cabin wall patterns

Territorial Defense

-Prevention (ex: office, locker, home, OU Stadium, National territory) -Reaction -models for immediacy violation -Violation of territory or personal space does not necessarily lead to negative results.

3 types of territories

-Primary Territory: Your absolute space. (bedroom) -Secondary Territory: Yours when you're using it, not yours when you're not using it. (Chair in class) -Public Territory: Nobody "owns" anything.

Examples of Iconic Code

-Putting a gun to your head when talking about someone committing suicide. -Slitting your throat motion after saying you're dead.

How are seating behavior and spatial positioning related to leadership, dominance, and task?

-Seating behavior and leadership -Do they act differently -Task oriented leader: get shit done, head of table. (Seats 1 & 5) Vs -Socioemotional leader: Those concerned about group relationships and getting everyone to participate; everyone feels like they belong. (Seat 3)

Differences between territory and personal space

-Territory: Ownership or control of a geographical area -Demarcated and defended -Personal Space: The informal space for each individual expands and contracts under varying circumstances. -Influenced by various factors and is constantly negotiated through interaction dynamics. -Four subcategories of personal space: -Intimate: Physical contact to 18 inches. -Casual-personal: 18 inches to 4 feet away -Social-consultative: 4 to 12 feet away -Public: 12 to 25 feet away

What factors influence conversational distance?

-sex -age -cultural and ethnic background -topic or subject matter -setting for the interpretation -Physical characteristics -Attitudinal and emotional orientation -characteristics of the interpersonal relationship -personality characteristics

4 characteristics of nonverbal communication/challenges to interpret nonverbal

1. Multi-Channeled: 2. Context Dependent: 3. Rule-governed: 4. Cultural Specific:

7 types of functions Nonverbal communication serves

1. Provide information - Pointing in direction 2. Regulate Interaction - Turn by turn interaction - Raising hand in class - Wrap it up hand motion 3. Express emotion - Smiling - Body language 4. Exercise social control (power and dominance) - Using space around you - Standing tall - Heels and a suit 5. Facilitate service/task goals - Physical push patients back to lean forward - Photographers hand signals 6. Meta-communication - Tone of voice - Slamming hand on desk 7. Present self-image - Turn by turn interaction

Expectancy Violations Theory

1st step: a theory that suggests that we develop rules or expectations for appropriate nonverbal behavior and react when those expectations are violated 2nd step: is a cognitive assessment is it more beneficial to compensate or to reciprocate.

Kinesic markers

7% verbal, 93% nonverbal.

Intrinsic Code

A biologically shared, innate signaling system in which a particular species uses symptoms for its communication with other members of the species.

Tactile communication

Also known as touching behavior may be self focused or other focused or object focused. the study of touching behaviors.

3 types of coding

Arbitrary Iconic Intrinsic

Factors that influence our perception of physical attractiveness

Bilateral Symmetry Size of facial features "Neonate features" for females strong jaw for men Examples of why a person could not achieve global attractiveness. Flower boy and the women in African cultures eating lard to gain weight before their weddings.

Regulate

Can be used to send signals about speaking. A typical use is around starting and ending speech. It can also be used to regulate the speech of others, indicating you want them to stop so you can speak (or perhaps you want them to respond). Examples: Breaking (or making) eye contact during a convo; giving a firm nod when you are done speaking; raising eyebrows when you are about to start speaking.

3 types of meanings that are frequently communicated non verbally

Communication Environment The Communicators Physical Appearance Body Movement and Position

Vocal Behavior

Deals with how something is said, not what is said. It deals with a range of nonverbal vocal cues surrounding common speech behavior. Sound variations (pitch, tone, loudness) Physiological mechanism other than vocal cords (oral/nasal cavities) Silience is a non verbal code. Back channel cues, as well as turn taking.

3 models of Immediacy Violation

Equilibrium Theory Arousal Model Expectancy Violation Model

Factors that would influence whether a person would compensate or reciprocate the other persons nonverbal communication?

Equilibrium theory: how does this theory predict compensation/reciprocate? - Every relationship has an equilibrium, if one person acts, the other one can compensate; however, they can reciprocate and redefine the relationship. - EX: If someone stops calling you, you call them more Arousal Model: actually predicts whether someone will change the relationship. - Whenever someone enjoys the arousal, they will reciprocate. If they do not like it, they will compensate. - But, there are situations where people reciprocate when they have a negative arousal (that's why we have expectancy violation). Expectancy violation theory: - 2 step process: - First, there are noticeable differences. - Cognitive evaluation: do I want to compensate? Or, do I want to reciprocate?

immediacy violation

a noticeable change in immediacy behaviors (intimacy), most studied are gaze and distance - Immediacy- subjective evaluation

Elements that can be used to judge attractiveness of facial features

Golden Ratio Male attractiveness: strong jaw Female attractiveness: - neonate features: baby features (large widely-spaced eyes, small nose area small chin) - Mature features: wide cheekbones, narrow cheeks - Expressive features

How is height related to social status, attractiveness, and competence?

Height = power, attractiveness, competence

matching hypothesis

Individuals are likely to be attracted to other individuals who are similar to them in body build or type, dress, facial and body features, and overall physical attraction. HOWEVER, self esteem, wealth, compensating virtue, and goal of the relationship play a part.

Complement

It ensures that all speech is paralleled by non-verbal communication that aligns with what's being said. Modify or elaborate nonverbal messages. Examples: When talking about sad things, lowering your head and using a sad tone; when seeking to excite, being animated in body and voice; saying hi and waving.

Accent/Moderate

Making whatever you're saying more intense or doling down intensity of a message. Much like an underlining Examples: volume, rate, pitch, mad = slamming hand down on the table; moving forward

Gestures

Movements of the body (or some part of it) used to communicate an idea, intention, or feeling

Context-Dependent

Nonverbal behavior is difficult to interpret accurately because the meanings for different actions vary from person to person (Ambiguous). Unlike the stop-start nature of verbal communication, nonverbal messages flow from one situation to the next (Continuous). Example: Doctor smiling means something different than a guy at the bar smiling at you.

Culturally specific

Nonverbal behaviors vary widely across cultural and co-cultural groups. Interpret nonverbal cues, can also be between genders or workplace roles.

6 ways verbal and non verbal communication are related

Repeat Conflict/Contradiction Complement Substitute Accent/Moderate Regulate

Conflict/Contradiction

Sending a nonverbal message that disagrees with what is being said. This can be done deliberately in order to confuse. It might also happen subconsciously when lying. Examples: Sarcasm/Teasing

Arbitrary Code

Socially constructed, learned signaling system that uses symbols to convey messages.

Status

Sometimes we enact or perceive behaviors that indicate various aspects of status to us such as strong or weak. power and dominance - Take up space

Facial Expressions

Studies concerned with the configurations that display various emotional states. (anger, sadness, surprise, happiness, fear, and disgust).

How would you determine whether some nonverbal action you have observed was intended by the actor as communication not just behavior?

The difference between communication and behavior is that communication has meaning.

compensation

The direction of immediacy in one channel is the opposite direction of the other channel. - Can't hear very well so I'll get closer, or have the other speak louder.

Kinesics

The study of observable, isolable, and meaningful movement in interpersonal communication

Gestures/Posture

There are two types of gestures Speech independent and Speech related. Speech Independent are gestures that have a well known verbal tranlation in a specific culture or community...the use of the "peace" sign in the US. Speech related are gestures directly tied speech and often serve to illustrate what is being said verbally (pointing to a present object) Posture is normally studied in conjunction with other non verbal signals to determine the degree of attention or involvement, the degree of status relative to the other interactive partner. (forward leaning posture higher involvement.)

Eye Behavior

Where we look, when we look, and how long we look during an interaction. Gaze refers to the eye movement we make in the general direction of another face. The dilation and constriction of the pupils can be an indicator of interest, attention/involvement, or deception.

How does physical appearance influence our lives and behaviors.

a. Higher self-esteem: attractive people, less critical of self and others, little anxiety when being evaluated. Women who perceive themselves to be physically attractive also perceive greater happiness, self-esteem, and less neuroticism. Attractive people more independent, more ability to resist conformity pressure, more self-disclosure. b. Interpersonal Interactions: attractive people have more dates and superior quality of social interactions with the opposite sex. (more dates, parties, conversational times), less time on nonsocial/task-oriented activities, less worry about their partners' interactions with the opposite sex. Matching hypothesis: individuals are more likely to be attracted to other individuals who are similar to them in body type, dress, facial and body features. However, self-esteem, wealth, compensating virtue, goal or the relationship play a part. Persuasion = credibility. c. Perceptual effects: self perception: attractive people are more satisfied with their opposite sex relationships over an extended period of time. Height = power, attractiveness, competence. Other-perception: advantages in comm situation, 'others' desire to identify w attractive individuals d. Interpersonal communicative behaviors: attractive individuals are more self-confident and are more assertive to achieve goals, independent of thought and action, ability to resist conformity pressures.

meshing hypothesis

alignment between learning style and instruction will produce the optimal learning outcome

emotional contagion

an emotional experience is triggered as a result of mimicking someone else's behavior

Regulators

bodily cues used by interactants to exercise a mutual influence over the initiation, length, and termination of spoken messages

Mesomorph

bony and athletic

Physical Characteristics

covers things that remain relatively unchanged during the period of the interaction. (Persons physique, height, weight) Objects associated with interactants also may affect the physical appearance these are called artifacts.

Reciprocation

direction of immediacy in one channel is in the same direction as another - Can be performed by the same individual - smile and wave back - occur in same channel - across channels

factors used to judge facial attractiveness

fair skin innate perception biological drive the golden ratio

emblems

non-verbal acts that have a direct verbal translation and dictionary definition, usually consisting of a word or two or a phrase. Speech Independent gesture. Ex// sign language is the largest system of emblem.

Chameleon effect

nonconscious mimicry of the postures, mannerisms, facial expressions, and other behaviors of one's interaction partners

motor mimicry

overt action by an observer that does not fit the observer's own situation but fits the situatio of another person. ex// when someone drops a box on their foot and you wince even though you didn't drop a box on your foot

Responsiveness

reaction - Slow v fast - Active v passive - High- energy High responsiveness (infomercial people) Low responsiveness (Roommate on weed)

nonverbal communication

refers to communication affected by means other than words, assuming words are the verbal element

interaction synchrony

refers to when someone mirrors the action of another

Iconic Code

represents a signal system, either learned or inherited, in which semblances are used to communicate with others.

Endomorph

round and soft physical body form

Proxemics

study of the use and perception of social and personal space. (personal space orientation in the context of conversation distance)

Mirroring

subconscious replication of another person's nonverbal signals.