Final Theoretical Analysis

Final Theoretical Analysis: Nonverbal Behaviors in Romantic RelationshipsSamantha HughesC405: Communication TheoriesKimbra Shoop

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Study TitleTradition(s)Context(s)Metatheoretical ApproachCommunication TheoryPositive and Negative Nonverbal Behaviors in Relationships []Socio-PsychologicalInterpersonalPositivistic/Empirical ApproachExpectancy Violations TheoryAttitudes toward Interpersonal Silence within Dyadic Relationships Socio-PsychologicalInterpersonalPositivistic/Empirical ApproachRelational Messages Associated with[] in Romantic Relationships.Socio-PsychologicalInterpersonalPositivistic/Empirical Approach

Study TitleTradition(s)Positive and Negative Nonverbal Behaviors in Relationships []Socio-Psychological: According to West and Turner (2014), the socio-psychological tradition upholds a cause-effect model (p.30) Attitudes toward Interpersonal Silence within Dyadic Relationships Socio-Psychological: West and Turner (2014) state that the socio-psychological tradition is, examined from a view that holds that someones behavior is influenced by something elsesomething social psychologists call a variable (p. 30). Relational Messages Associated with[] in Romantic Relationships.Socio-Psychological: According to West and Turner (2014), the socio-psychological tradition upholds a cause-effect model (p.30)

In Positive and Negative Nonverbal Behaviors in Relationships Spott, Pyle, and Punyant-carter use the Socio-psychological perspective. West and Turner describe the socio-psychological tradition in part as, uphold[ing] a cause-effect model. The researchers of the article are doing just that. They are looking at the relationship between positive and negative nonverbal behaviors (the cause that west and turner describe) and the longevity and quality of the relationship the effect.

The socio-psychological apporach was also used in the second article listed. In the Attitudes Toward interpersonal silence within Dyadic relationships, the researchers are looking at how the different types of relationships affect the way silence is percieved. In west and Turners explination they state that the socio-psychological tradition is examined from a view that holds that someones behavior is influenced by something else- something social psychologists call a variable. The variable that West and Turner are talking about in their explination, in this research would be the different types of relationships that Damron and Mormon examine. The differing relationships are what influences the silence.

The final article by Le Poire, Duggan, Shepard, and Burgoons is once again the socio-psychological tradition. The study follows a cause and effect model, much like the first article discussed. The researchers cause are different levels of nonverbal behaviors. The effect is the perceived message that came from each nonverbal behavior. West and Turner state that the socio-psychological tradition upholds a cause-effect model and that is exactly what Le Poire, Duggan, Shepard, and Burgoons research is doing!

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Study TitleContext(s)Positive and Negative Nonverbal Behaviors in Relationships []Interpersonal: According to West and Turner, interpersonal communication is face-to-face communication between two people, (p.34).

Attitudes toward Interpersonal Silence within Dyadic Relationships Interpersonal: According to West and Turner, interpersonal communication is face-to-face communication between two people, (p.34). Relational Messages Associated with[] in Romantic Relationships.Interpersonal: According to West and Turner, interpersonal communication is face-to-face communication between two people, (p.34).

Being able to see the tradition and context of each article really helped me understand my topic in a deeper sense. According to our textbook, communication theory can be a really hard thing to make sense of (p. 27) and I found that to be extremely true. But being able to break each research article down and put into specific categories made it much more simplistic. Knowing the tradition of each research study made it feel more catogorized than before. Knowing the context made it more understandable because I could visualize the area or domain in which this research was taking place. 4

Study TitleMatatheoretical Approach(es)Positive and Negative Nonverbal Behaviors in Relationships []Positivistic/Empirical Approach: West and state that the empirical approach is the goal of constructing general laws governing human interactions, (p. 49).

Attitudes toward Interpersonal Silence within Dyadic Relationships Positivistic/Empirical Approach: West and state that the empirical approach is the goal of constructing general laws governing human interactions, (p. 49).Relational Messages Associated with[] in Romantic Relationships.Positivistic/Empirical Approach: West and state that An empirical researcher strives to be objective and works for control, (p. 49).

In Positive and Negative Nonverbal Behaviors in Relationships the researchers take an Empirical approach to knowing. The researchers are trying to construct a general law that governs human interactionsas West and Turner would say (p.49). Spott, Pyle, and Punyant-Carter state their research is important because it could explain the relation between positive body language and the longevity and overall satisfaction with a relationship. This Is the general law that West and Turner are discussing.

Much like the first article, the second article Attitudes toward interpersonal silence within Dyadic relationships uses an Empirical Approach to knowing as well. Once again, West and Turner state (on page 49) that the empirical approach is trying to achieve the the goal of constructing general laws governing human interactions. This is demonstrated in Damron and Mormons work. They state that , the [] research on interpersonal silence is limited at best. Therefore, the researchers are aiming to create general laws that dont currently exist because of the lack of research.

Once again, in the third article Relational Messages Associated with Nonverbal Involvement Pleasantness and Expressiveness in Romantic Couples, we see that the empirical approach is being used by the researchers. According to West and Turner- An empirical researcher strives to be objective and works for control, This is shown in the article by the method in which they performed their research. The article states that the participants (varying couples-all of which were seriously committed) were brought into a room where they were being observed. The couple was asked a series of questions and then were ushered out of the room where they would then complete a survey in which they answered questions over their specific romantic attraction to their partner and a relational messages scale. This can be found on page 200 of the study. This demonstrates West and Turners explanation because the researchers had control. They were separate from the research in an effort to keep the study completely objective. They also seperated the couples during the survey portion in order to obtain objectivity and shy away from partners feeling pressured to answer one way or another in the presence of the other partner.

You probably noticed already that all three of the metaheoretical approaches are the same. This approach helped me understand the theories that the researchers were using because I was able to look at their work through this lense. I knew that they were trying to be objective, as well as creating general laws. It was helpful for me to break down each of these research studies this way because it led me to understand what the researchers were aiming for. 5

Original StudyCommunication TheoryWatch different cultured couples interacting with one another, focusing mainly on the nonverbal behaviors.Expectancy Violations Theory: that people hold expectations about the nonverbal behavior of others. [] unexpected changes in conversational distance between communicators are arousing and frequently ambiguous (West and Turner, 2014, p. 126).

The expectancy Violations theory caught my interest right away. On page 126 of our West and Turner textbook we see that Judee Burgoon created this theory to say that people have certain things that they expect out nonverbal behaviors from one another. When people dont get what they expect, it can be shocking. This led me to thinking about the way that different cultures communicate nonverbally. For example, here in North America, when doing business we expect to shake hands and stand a good distance apart. However, in high-context cultures like the Middle East, Asia, or Africa, hugs or kisses on the cheek might be more standard than a handshake. My idea for an original study would be to watch how different cultured couples interact, focusing mainly on the nonverbals, and see how the expectancy violation theory upholds. Does the fact that the couples nonverbal behaviors differ have an impact on their relationship? When one member of the couple does not get what they expect from their partners nonverbal behavior, how do they react?

I chose this theory because I believe that it could lead to understanding cultural differences in romantic relationships. When doing my research this past semester, there was very little focus on differing cultures. The sample sizes had a very large white majority and there was no reference to any relationships that were of different cultures. I think that focusing on that could be very interesting and eye opening. 6

Concluding Thoughts Importance of TheoryTheory and Research ConnectionValue of Communication Theory

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CitationsDamron, J. H., & Morman, M. T.(2011).Attitudes toward interpersonalsilence within dyadic relationships. Human Communication, 14(3), 183203.Le Poire, B., Duggan, A.,Shepard, C., & Burgoon,J. (2002). Relational messages associated with nonverbal involvement, pleasantness, and expressiveness in romantic couples. Communication Research Reports, 19(3),195206Shepard, then DugganSpott, J., Pyle,C., & PunyanuntCarter, N. (2010). Positive and negative nonverbal behaviors in relationships: A study of relationship satisfaction and longevity. Human Communication,13(1), 2941.West, R. & Turner L. (2014). Introducing communication theory. New York, NY. McGraw-Hill Education.