Chapter 2 - NonVerbal Communication Flashcards
Key terms:
Non-verbal communication
definition: conveying messages that do not require the use of words or vocal sounds
Key term:
Communication
definition: passing information from one person to another
Key term:
Verbal communication
definition: conveying messages using words or vocal sounds
Key term:
Paralinguistics
definition: vocal features that accompany speech
Key term:
Tone of voice
definition: the way words are spoken to convey emotion
Key term:
Emphasis
definition: giving prominence to some words more than others
Study:
Argyle, Alkema and Gilmour (1971)
aim: to see what the effect of tone of voice
results: tone of voice had about five times the effect of the message itself.
conclusion: tone of voice is extremely important in how people interpret verbal messages.
Study:
Davitz and Davitz (1961)
aim: to see the effect of paralinguistics on emotion.
method: participants were asked to listen to tape recordings and to assess the speakers’ emotions from the paralinguistic cues: tone of voice, emphasis and intonation.
results: there was a very high level of accuracy in recognising these emotions: affection, amusement, disgust and fear.
conclusion: paralinguistics has great importance when judging emotion.
Key term:
Eye contact
definition: when two people in conversation are looking at each other’s eyes at the same time.
Key term:
Pupil dilation
definition: when the pupils in the eyes and look large.
Study:
Argyle (1968)
aim: to see how interrupting eye contact affects conversation
method: pairs of participants were observed having conversations. in half the conversations, one of the participants wore dark glasses so that the other could not receive eye contact.
results: when one of the participants wore dark glasses, there were more pauses interruptions than when dark glasses were not worn.
conclusion: eye contact is important in ensuring the smooth flow of conversation.
Study:
Hess (1963)
aim: to see the effect of pupil dilation on emotion.
method: participants were shown two nearly identical pictures of the same girl and asked which picture was more attractive. the only difference between the two pictures was that, in one of them, the girl’s pupils were dilated, and in the other picture they were not.
results: the majority of participants said that the picture of the girl with dilated pupils was more attractive. strangely though, they could not say why they thought that.
conclusion: pupil dilation had an unconscious but powerful effect on emotion.
Study:
Sackeim (1978)
aim: to look at the relationship between facial expressions and the hemispheres of the brain.
method: pictures of people’s faces showing different emotions were cut down the middle. new pictures were created with each half face and it’s mirror image. then each pair of new faces was shown to participants. they were asked which picture they liked better.
results: the majority of participants said they preferred the picture of the left half face and it’s reflection. when asked why, they said the person in the picture looked ‘warmer’.
conclusion: the left side of the save seems to express emotion much more than the right side.
Key term:
Hemispheres of the brain
definition: the human brain is divided into two halves, called the left and right hemispheres.
Key term:
Practical implications
definition: suggestion ma about behaviour in the real world beyond the research study, based upon what psychologists have discovered.
Key term:
Intonation
definition: inflection in the voice when speaking
