Week 2 - Nonverbal communication and embodiment Flashcards
Definition nonverbal communication
Behaviors other than words that form a socially shared coding system.
- Verbal vs nonverbal
- Digital vs analogue
- Explicit vs implicit
- Symbols vs signs
- Controlled vs automatic
- Content vs relationship
Types of nonverbal communication
Vocalics: temper, pitch
Kinesics: movement
Haptics: touch
Proxemics: space
Physical characteristics: appearance and adornment
Environmental factors
Functions of nonverbal communication
To replace verbal communication
To modify a spoken word
To regulate conversation
To negotiate relationships
Proxemics
Intimate distance
Personal distance
Public distance
Kinesics - gestures
Words
Sign language
Illustration
Regulators
Adaptors
Interpersonal unconscious mimicry
Imitating facial expressions
Emotional mimicry
Behavior matching (chameleon effect)
Accommodation theory
A speaker may adapt all aspects of speech
The major determinant is the “other” and the relationship
Interpersonal functions of nonverbal communication
Impression formation
Relationship development and maintenance
Establishing dominance
Expressing emotion
Nonverbal behavior mimicry
Mimicry is automatic and unconscious and it makes the interaction more pleasant.
What happens in power-related nonverbal behavior?
In power-related nonverbal behavior, there tends to be assuming of opposite posture instead of mimicry.
A dominant posture yields a submissive posture and vice versa.
Nonverbal synchrony
The interactional state of coordinated nonverbal behaviors between individuals
Effects of synchrony
Liking
Rapport
Smoothness of interaction
Social Identity
Cooperation
Coordination
Embodied effects on nonverbal displays
Refers to how our body posture reflects and influences feelings of power.
When we feel powerful, we adopt a dominant posture
Definition of nonverbal communication - message perspective
Behaviors other than words that form a socially shared coding system and are sent with intent.
Definition nonverbal communication - process-based approach/complementary perspective
Any behaviors that are sent with intent
Code
Channel or systematic means through which meanings are encoded and decoded
Forming impressions
A decoding activity that involved making judgments about a person based on appearance or behavior.
Static cues when forming impression
Physical attractiveness
Voice
Dynamic cues
How behavior and interaction shape impression over time
Some theories/examples for dynamic cues?
Interaction appearance theory = First impressions can change how attractive we find someone based on how they interact (friendliness).
Lens model = The way we display or “encode” our personality through behavior, and how others “decode” it to make judgments about us.
Thin slice impressions = when people base initial judgments about a person based on facial expressions
Some theories for static cues?
“What is beautiful is good” hypothesis = Attractive people are often assumed to have positive qualities.
Matching hypothesis = People tend to date or pair with others who are similarly attractive.
“What sounds beautiful is good” hypothesis = People with nice voices are judged more positively.
Social penetration theory
Relationships become closer as the depth of self-disclosure increases
Uncertainty reduction theory
The need to predict and explain the behavior of others to reduce uncertainty.
Importance of positive involvement behaviors
They facilitate cues that produce intimate interactions and increase reciprocity from receivers (nonverbal immediacy and positive involvement)
Principle of nonverbal escalations
Nonverbal immediacy cues tend to increase as a romantic relationship escalates toward commitment.
The bright side of nonverbal dominance
Dominant cues that gain compliance, solving problems, and long-term change (poise, dynamism, skills in interaction)
The dark side of nonverbal dominance
Dominance cues that reflect intimidation and control.
Some examples of dominance cues that reflect intimidation.
The chilling effect = less powerful person withholds complaints
Intimate terrorism = threats and violence to control partner
Dyadic power theory = people with more power in the relationship do not need to display dominant behavior because they already have control.
What influences emotions?
Action tendencies: biological impulses that are emotion-specific and have evolved to be adaptive in particular situations
Display rules: cultural prescriptions for how people should manage their emotional expression in socially appropriate ways
Facial feedback hypothesis
Movement of facial muscles can cause people to experience emotions consistent with the expression formed by muscles
Motor mimicry
Occurs when a receiver reacts nonverbally to something that happens to a sender as if he or she is experiencing it
Emotion contagion effect
People catch the emotions of those around them
Behavioral mimicry
When two or more people engage in the same behavior at the same time
Stimulus compatibility effects
Phenomena that responses are faster (and often more accurate) when stimulus and response correspond than when they do not
Facilitators of behavioral mimicry
Pre-existing rapport
Goal to affiliate
Individual differences
Similarity
Inhibitors to behavioral mimicry
Goals to disaffiliate
Consequences of behavioral mimicry for individual
Cognitive processing: can change the way people think
Persuasion: increases persuasion
Self-regulatory ability: People have unconscious expectations about how much others will mimic their behavior. When these expectations are unmet, it can impair their self-control and focus.
Social consequences of mimicry
Liking and empathy
Helping behavior
Interdependence and feelings of closeness
Accuracy in emotion perception
Reducing prejudice
Interactional synchrony
Involves matching timing, not always behavior
Difference between mimicry and synchrony
Timing is crucial for synchrony but not mimicry
Mimicry yields behaviors that are similar in form, but not always in synchrony
Social embodiment
How social thought and judgment can be affected by bodily states, emotions, actions, and motivations
4 forms of embodiment effects
- Social stimuli generate both cognitive and bodily responses (seeing someone smile can make us feel happier inside)
- Observing others’ bodily states leads to mimicry.
- One’s own bodily states create affective responses.
- The alignment of bodily and cognitive states enhances performance (if our body feels tense, it might be harder to think straight)
4 functions of the body during social interaction
- Body functions as a resonance mechanism
- Body functions as a means to ending social interaction
- Body functions as a representational device
- Body is used to express and shape emotions
Give one phenomenological explanation for embodiment
Intercorporeality : our own body is the center of our shared experiences with others, and this is connected to how we see things, feel our body moving, and act.
Ex: When you’re on the field, you not only move your own body but also pay attention to how your teammates move. You can predict where they’ll go or what they’ll do next based on shared experiences and how your body naturally responds to their actions.
Embodied simulations theories
Theory theories: behavor is understood based on the mind’s structure
Simulation theories: ability to project oneself into another person’s point of view; simulating what is such as to be in the other person’s situation.
Gallagher (mirror neurons)
Argues that the divide between body and mind might be blurred.
Mirror neurons help us understand actions by imagining doing them ourselves, allowing us to imitate others and grasp their thoughts and feelings.
Embodied lingustics
Language and movement are closely tied in the brain. Gestures are key to communication and work in tandem with speech to convey meaning.
