Social Perception Flashcards
social perception
study of how we form impressions of other people and make inferences about them
nonverbal communication
way in which people communicate (intentionally or unintentionally), without words
nonverbal cues
- body position/movement
- eye gaze
- facial expression
- gestures
- tones of voice
- touch
nonverbal communication: encode
to express or emit nonverbal communication
- smiling
- patting someone on the shoulder
nonverbla communication: decode
to interpret meaning of the nonveral communication others express
- deciding that a pat on the back is an expression of condescension and not kindness
nonverbal communication: faces
- facial expressions = most significant channel of nonverbal communication
- Charles Darwin believed that primary emotions conveyed by face = universal
- This is somewhat confirmed by Ekman
Ekman’s study
- determined universality of at least 6 facial expressions
- context and culture influence how facial expression = interpreted
Ekman’s study: the 6 universal facial expressions
- anger
- sadness
- surprise
- fear
- disgust
- happiness
- (contempt)
affect blends
- 1/2 face registers one emotion, 1/2 face registers another
- reason why it may be difficult to interpret facial expressions
display rules
- cultural norms can influence display of emotion
- culturally determined rules about which nonverbal B = appropriate
- i.e. some people believe it is more acceptable for men to get angry than women
cultures and influences: individualistic
more likely that expression of emotions is encouraged
cultures and influences: collectivistic
expression of strong negative emotions = discouraged because it can disrupt group harmony
cultures and influences: other nonverbal cues influenced by culture
- eye contact and gaze
- hand head gestures
- personal space and touching
emblems
- nonverbal gestures that have well-understood definitions within a given culture
- usually have direct verbal translations
- not universal (each culture has their own emblems)
first impressions
- can usually form impressions of others within milliseconds (usually from facial expression)
- tendency to inder what people are like solely on facial appearance emerges around 3y
- can be wrong, can be very accurate
- can be influenced by schemas about certain features