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GCSE Psychology Non verbal communication

Student:________________ Tutor:__________________________

Unit 1: Making sense of other people

Non Verbal Communication

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How do we communicate? We are all familiar with the word communication, but how would you define it? Think about how many ways in which we communicate with each other without using words or sounds. Working in a small group, make a list of as many ways in which people communicate with each other without speaking - non-verbally. Do not use the words ‘body language’, be specific. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Non-verbal communication forms ____% of our communication with others. During conversations with others its’ not just what words we use to communicate but how we say them. Other than choice of words, what else

can affect the meaning of the words we use? _____________________________________________________________ This is called paralinguistics and accounts for ____% of communication. Write down a sentence that can have its meaning totally changed by the way in which it is spoken. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ So this means that words form ____% of communication with others. THE FUNCTIONS OF NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION List two of Argyles (1988) five functions of non-verbal bodily behaviour. 1. _________________________________________________________________ 2. _________________________________________________________________

Exam style question  Define the term verbal communication.                                           2 marks 

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Write a definition of the following ways in which the interaction of verbal and non verbal communication assists the way in which we communicate. Substituting_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Regulating_____________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ Eye contact Looking at each others eyes when we talk to them tells us a lot about what they are thinking and how they are feeling. Turn to the person sitting next to you. Have a conversation about anything you like. Take a mental note of how much you look at each others face and in particular at each others eyes. Now use the masks and turn to someone else and have another conversation and see how different the experience is. Make a note of some of them below. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Question: Why is eye contact important? What does it tell us about the other person?_______________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________

Cultural differences – Direct and constant eye contact when communicating with others is a social norm in the west. Not all cultures practice this; for example in Japan it is considered to be the height of rudeness. Question: Can you think of a real life implication for understanding the

cultural norms in relation to eye contact and body language?_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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FACIAL EXPRESSION Osgood (1966) found that the seven facial expressions that you named are recognised in virtually all societies. This probably means that they are inherited. As humans, we have more muscles for moving our faces than any other animal. Our facial expressions can change very rapidly; some may last for just a 0.2 of a second. All this is controlled by the two hemispheres of the brain. Sackheim (1978) suggested that expressions displayed on the left side of the face, controlled by the right hemisphere, are perceived more strongly. KEY STUDY – Sackheim (1978) Aim: To look at the relationship between facial expressions and the hemispheres of the brain. Method: Picture of people’s faces showing different emotions were cut down the middle. New pictures were created with each half face and its mirror image. Then each pair of new faces was shown to participants. They were asked which picture they liked better. Results: The majority of participants said they preferred the picture of the left half face and its reflection. When asked why, they said the person in the picture looked ‘warmer’. Conclusion: The left side of the face seems to express emotion much more than the right side. Record the findings of your investigation in the table below: Picture 1

happiest Picture 2 happiest

Right handed

Left handed

Do your findings support Sackheim’s results and theory? _________________________________________________________________

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EVALUATION Can you think of a criticism of using still images in experiments to judge people’s perception of emotions? _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS If facial expression is inherited, this means that it happens instinctively and it is more likely to be truthful. Therefore, if someone is saying happy things with a sad facial expression, the chances are that person is feeling sad. It is easy to lie with words, but less easy with facial expression. Sackheim’s study also helps us to understand why we prefer certain picture profiles of ourselves rather than others. We prefer to show our warm side. Body language – Posture People who are getting on well together tend to adopt each other’s posture when they are having a conversation. This is known as ____________ __________ ACTIVTIY In the box below make a note of how many were sitting or standing in a way that mirrors the other person’s posture and how many were not, from the class task. Posture echoing Not posture echoing Closed postures are a sign that we are in disagreement with someone or feel rejected. Give an example of a closed posture. Open postures are used when we approve of or accept someone. Give an example of an open body posture. _____________________________________________________________

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PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS In real life who do you think would find understanding body language useful? ______________________________________ GESTURES ACTIVITY The gestures we make communicate additional information to people. Some gestures are deliberate to emphasis what we are saying or to affect the behaviour of another person. Other gestures are unconscious and sometimes we do not realise that we are giving away information. Write down three ways, either consciously or unconsciously, in which we communicate with others using physical gestures: Draw pictures and label them if you want to.

Not all gestures have the same meaning across cultures. Using the websites at the back of this booklet, identify cultural differences in meaning of three gestures.

1. 2. 3.

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KEY STUDY – Argyle, Alkema and Gilmour (1971) Aim: To see if ____ __ _____ has any effect when interpreting a verbal message. Method: Different groups of participants listened to either ________ or _______ messages spoken in either ________ or _______ tones of voice. Therefore, some participants heard a _______ message spoken in a friendly tone of voice and others heard a ________ message spoken in a hostile tone of voice. Results: When participants were asked to _________ the messages, it was found that tone of voice has about five times the effect of the verbal message itself. Conclusion: Tone of voice is _________ _________ in how people interpret ______ messages. Intepret verbal friendly hostile friendly hostile hostile friendly extremely important Tone of voice

Exam style question  

He won’t take ’ No’ for an answer Dear Problem Page,   My ex‐boyfriend keeps asking me to go out with him again, but I am not interested. I keep saying ‘No’, but he doesn’t seem to believe I mean it. What can I do?  Yours sincerely, Gill Moore  Using what you have learned about the effect of tone of voice and body language, write a reply to Gill advising her how to get her message across to her ex. Use the word paralinguistics. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________                                                                                                                            3 marks 

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PERSONAL SPACE The distance that feels comfortable between you and the other person is known as your personal space. This distance varies depending on the circumstances you are in. After eye contact, personal space is perhaps the second most important non-verbal communication signal that we use. ACTIVITY In groups, work out your own personal space. Take turns to walk towards your partner until they say: ‘Stop.’ This will indicate their area of personal space. Do this with people you know and people you don’t know so well. Description of person Size of distance

Look at the table on page 37. What do the results suggest about personal space distances? Do your results agree with these findings? DO TRY THIS AT HOME! When you are sitting at a meal table with someone, subtly move the salt towards them so they don’t notice. If the salt enters their intimate zone, they will probably move it away. If it doesn’t work with the salt alone, try moving other things too! This roughly shows the border of their intimate zone. Also, when you are standing with someone in conversation, subtly try moving gradually towards them. They will probably back away to keep you somewhere in their personal zone. If you do this cleverly you can get them to walk backwards around the room you are in!

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KEY STUDY – Felipe and Sommer (1966) Aim: __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Method: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ Results ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Conclusion ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Felipe and Sommer conducted another field experiment in a library using people who were sitting by themselves. Results showed that when an ‘invader’ sat in the next chair and moved it closer, 70 per cent of the participants had left their seats after 30 minutes, whereas only 13 percent left when the participants allowed a gap of one chair between them.

RESEARCH METHODS This is a field experiment. Find the definition on page 186 ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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Cultural differences in personal space. Ideas of acceptable distances for personal space vary between cultures. The invisible ‘bubble’ is much small in countries that have a culture of ‘sensory contact’ than those that don’t. Question What do you think the implications are for understanding the cultural norms of personal space of particular cultures? Page 38 _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Gender differences in personal space There are several differences between the personal space of men and of women. Research has suggested that men and women feel very differently in what they feel comfortable with. Fisher and Byrne (1975) Arranged for a confederate to invade the space of a person while they were sitting alone in a library. Invaders were either male or female, and sat next to or opposite the subject. After a few minutes the invaders left and a student (another confederate) then came over and asked for the participant’s impressions. These were:

Male participants__________________________________________ ________________________________________________________

Female participants_________________________________________ _______________________________________________________

Question What are the implications of this research? _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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Status differences in personal space The larger amount of space claimed by rich and high-status people in a community is clearly evident in their larger homes, gardens, car, garages, offices, and so on. The lower in status and rank a person is, the less space they command and control in every aspect of their life. Zahn (1991) Aim: To see if status has an effect on personal space. Method: Zahn observed people of equal status approaching each other to have a conversation. He also observed people of unequal status approaching each other. Result: Zahn found that people of lower status did not approach higher status people with the same degree of closeness as those of equal status. Conclusion: The use of personal space varies with differences in status when approaching other people. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS ACTIVITY Now that you have read the study of status and personal space, what practical implications can you think of for this knowledge? Try to think of at least two practical implications. Also, try to think of the benefits and the benefits and drawbacks of this. Don’t read on until you have attempted this activity. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ EVALUATION ACTIVITY What do you think of the studies of factors that affect personal space that have been described? Try to think of at least four criticisms (evaluations). _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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KEY POINTS TO STRUCTURE REVISION - Non-verbal communication

Can you distinguish between the following terms?

◊ Non-verbal communication ◊ Verbal communication ◊ Paralinguistic

Can you describe and evaluate studies of non-verbal communication and verbal communication? The types of non-verbal you need to know are: ◊ Functions of eye contact and pupil dilation ◊ Categories of facial expression ◊ Facial expressions and hemispheres of the brain ◊ Body language: posture a (including posture echo, open and closed postures), gesture and touch.

Can you identify at least two factors that affect personal space? Can you describe and evaluate studies that investigated each of these factors? Can you explain at least two practical implications of studies of non-verbal communication? What are their benefits and drawbacks?

Examiners tip: When distinguishing between terms, use examples to help explain each term. 

Examiners tip: Remember that evaluations can be positive, negative or a combination of both. 

Examiners tip: For an implication, think about what these studies tell us about behaviour that is actually happening in the real world. 

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Glossary - write a definition for these key terms

Communication

Non-verbal communication

Verbal communication

Paralinquistics

Personal space

Pupil dilation

Hemispheres of the brain

Body language

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Useful websites How to read body language http://www.psychexchange.co.uk/videos/view/20432/ HSBC commercial cultural differences in NVC http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JK_NinOmFWw Communicating with gestures http://www.everythingesl.net/inservices/body_language.php Non-verbal communication http://soc302.tripod.com/soc_302rocks/index.html Erupting mind Self improvement tips Different cultures, different communications http://www.eruptingmind.com/communication-gestures-vary-different-cultures/ Gestures or subtle cues? http://www.getcustoms.com/2004GTC/Articles/ga-2003-01-17.html Body language http://www.businessballs.com/body-language.htm#body-language-signals-translation

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