Chapter 6: Non-verbal communication

Question 1

Characteristics of non-verbal communication

Answer 1

• Non-verbal cues can be both innate and learnt.
• Operates on a subconscious level
• Shows our feelings and attitudes
• Verbal and non-verbal msgs may be in conflict with one another (mixed msgs)

Question 2

Functions of non-verbal communication

Answer 2

• Complement
• Accent
• Substitute
• Contradict
• Regulate and manage conversations

Question 3

Kinesics

Answer 3

Emblems (bodily movements)
Illustrators (describe or emphasise words)
Adaptors (adjusting to physic/psychological stress)
Height- indicative of power
Affect display- feeling subconsciously

Question 4

Paralanguage

Answer 4

vocal qualities that can be in two categories:

1. voice qualities (e.g: Pitch, rhythm, tempo)
2. vocalisations (e.g: laughing, crying, sighing)

+nonfluencies (e.g: um, ah, uh)

Question 5

Proxemics

Answer 5

-Perception and use of space.

• Diff in need of space and privacy depends on:
  1. Cultural leaning
  2. Upbringing
  3. Specific situation
  4. r/s with ppl we r communicating with.

Question 6

Haptics

Answer 6

• Use of touch in communication
• Contact and non contact cultures

-High contact cultures include many South American cultures

Question 7

Olfactics

Answer 7

• Sense of smell.

- Can also be used to distinguish social classes.

Question 8

Physical appearance and dress (Artefactual communication)

Answer 8

Attractiveness, clothing.

Question 9

Chronemics

Answer 9

Cultures use TIME as a key component of non-verbal communication

M-Time
P-Time

Question 10

M-Time

Answer 10

• Emphasizes schedules and compartmentalisation.
• Time can be “saved, spent, wasted, lost”
• Focuses on one thing at a time.
• Concentration on the job at hand, deadlines as impt.
• Punctality as impt.
• Low context cultures (e.g: US, Ep, Germany, Fr, CA)

Question 11

P-time

Answer 11

• Time as less tangible and stress involvement of ppl.
• Time is seldom “wasted”.
• Many things done at once.
• No strict division btw diff activities
• Highly distractible people.
• Changes plans often and easily.
• High context cultures (Southern Ep, Latin America, Middle East)

Question 12

Individualism-Collectivism

Answer 12

Collectivistic societies:

• tend to work, play, live, and sleep in close proximity.
• Body mvts tend to be more synchronised.
• More likely to suppress emotional displays because maintaining group harmony is impt.
• Less nonverbally affiliative (i.e: nonverbal behaviours that bring ppl closer tgt physically and psychologically).

Question 13

Power Distance

Answer 13

Large power distance:

• People without power expected to express only positive emotional displays when interacting with those of higher power.
• More aware of vocalics (e.g: volume intensity)
• Avoid direct eye contact to show respect.

Question 14

High and Low Context

Answer 14

High context cultures:

• Focuses more on the social or physical context
• Focuses less on the explicit verbal code.
• Shy, quiet, and even sneaky.
• Great attention to nonverbal behaviour during interaction.

Question 15

Nonverbal Expectancy Violations Theory

Answer 15

• ppl hold expectancies about the appropriateness of the nonverbal behaviours of others.
• Such expectancies are learned and culturally driven.
• E.g: Shaking hands in the US when introduced.
• When such expectancies are violated, the recipient evaluates the violation and the violator.
• The evaluation depends on:
  1. the communicator
  2. implicit msgs associated with the violation
  3. evaluation of the act itself.

Question 16

Gender diffs in non-verbal communication

Answer 16

Could it be:

1. Dominance/submission thesis?
2. Sex role socialisation thesis (women as primary caregivers, so expected to be more nurturing)
3. Biological cause thesis (absence of innate physiological diff –> need nonverbal cues.)