Darwins Evolutionary Theory Of Communication Flashcards
Three types of non verbal communication
Eye contact
Personal space
Body language
Darwin’s evolutionary theory
Darwin believed that non verbal behaviour serves a function that helps us to survive and therefore this is a trait that we have evolved to have. Darwin theory proposed that non verbal behaviour is innate.
What is a serviceable habits
A serviceable habit is a behaviour that one has for a survival purpose. A serviceable habit happens when behaviour regularly occurs when we feel a certain way or in a certain situation
Examples of serviceable habits
Happy = smile
Smelling something gross = scrunch up your face = communicates to other people that this is bad don’t eat it
People expose their teeth when having an angry facial expression= originally, humans may have used biting as a form of self-defence, so just like animals they may have exposed their teeth as a way of saying ‘back off’
What was Darwin’s other theory for non verbal communication
Non verbal communication is caused by our nervous system to aid survival. For example fight or flight response which produces the following behaviour
Dilated pupils - improve vision
Faster breathing - increase oxygen intake which can be used for the muscles to fight or runaway
What is a neonates
A newborn baby
Evidence in neonates of Darwin’s theory of non verbal communication
Neonates use a pre-cry expression that suggests sadness as well as smile and facial expression that shows disgust, pain and surprise.
Neonates haven’t had time to learn non-verbal behaviour so any non-verbal behaviour must be innate. The younger a baby is, the less likely that any expressions they display is learned through observation
Evidence in neonates with social releasers
Psychologist believe babies are born with social releasers- non verbal behaviours like smiling and making eye contact that adults instinctively find cute
These have evolved and are important for survival because if adults were not attracted to their babies they would feel no desire to look after them
Evidence in the sensory deprived for non verbal communication
Babies who are born blind have smiling behaviours that are similar to that found in babies with normal vision.
Babies who are blind cannot had learnt smiling behaviours as they cannot see it, therefore this behaviour must be innate.
State 2 strengths of Darwin’s theory of non verbal communication
Some research suggests that at least some non verbal behaviours are genetic or innate
For example with the research into neonates ……. And research into the sensory deprived
Therefore this research increases the validly of Darwin’s evolutionary theory. It supports the theory because it suggests non verbal communication can’t have been learnt and therefore it must be innate
Another strength comes from research into facial expressions
Ekman identified 6 primary emotions- surprise, fear, disgust, anger, happiness and sadness. These emotions are associated with the same facial expression in every culture
This supports Darwin’s theory because if these expressions are universal it suggests that they have a genetic basis
State one weakness of Darwin’s non verbal communication theory
There are cultural differences in non verbal communication
If a behaviour is genetically determined. It should be the same across all cultures but research shows there are cultural differences in the amount of personal space people prefer or certain gestures like pointing in Thailand
This challenges Darwin’s theory because it suggests some non verbal communication are learned from the people around us.
