Chapter 32

Effect of Communication

Communication

Bonding is the name given to the strong emotional tie that forms between parents and their newborn baby. (attachment is a strong emotional tie that the baby feels towards its primary carers.

The graph opposite shows the results of a survey where new mothers were asked to indicate which side of the body they held their babies to. The majority of mothers whether left-handed or right-handed held their babies with the left arm pressing the baby against the heart. It is thought that the familiar rhythm of the heartbeat gives comfort.

NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION IN INFANTS

Non-Verbal Communication in Infants

• The newborn baby’s means of communication e.g.crying, clinging and suckling help to trigger in a mother the desire to protect and provide for the child.

• When breast-feeding can be easily established it provides a satisfying bond between mother and baby and strengthens the bond

• If the baby or mother is struggling with breastfeeding then tension and anxiety occurs and bottle-feeding is best.

Smiling

As the infant grows older an increased vocabulary of sounds and signals develop between baby and parents.

This leads to development of speech

Non- Verbal Communication in Adults

• Humans transmit information to one another through non-verbal communication to try and either emphasise the verbal message or add to the information being sent. It may even send emotional messages that contradict the spoken word.

Examples of Non-Verbal Communcation

• 1.Facial expressions

• 2.Using eyes in various movements (e.g. winking, eyes popping )

• 3.Eye Contact

• 4.Body language

• 5.Encroaching on a person’s personal space

FACIAL EXPRESSIONS

Women are generally better than men at correctly recognising the emotion represented by a facial expression

Cartoonist’s use of Facial Expressions

Facial expression is one of happiness

Facial expression is one of anger and frustration

Using the Eyes in Various Movements

Person A (male) wants to catch the attention of person B (female). One way is to catch the person’s eye.

If person B wishes to signal that she is not interested she avoids person A’s gaze. The male will either give up or persist

If the male persists, the female may decide to adopt an angry defiant stare to signal rejection or if she allows him to make eye contact then conversation may follow

When the process of looking normally at another person continues beyond a period of time required for information gathering, the signals become loaded with further meaning

Looking during Conversation

Eye Contact

Body Language

• People are often unaware of the extent to which they use their bodies to communicate with one another non- verbally. Such body language is expressed by posture, gestures and other activities

Other Gestures with Meaning

GESTURE MEANING

Pointing and curling the finger at a person

Come over

Drumminng fingers on desk or fidgeting

Tension or boredom

Wringing hands anguish

Clenched fists anger

Folding of arms Preparing for confrontation or sometimes withdrawal

Nail-biting or hair-chewing Stress or nervousness

Personal Space

The Effect of Physical Proximity on Eye Contact

Transfer of Information

Universal Understanding

Verbal Communication- Mode of Delivery

• Tone, Accent, emphasis, speed of delivery and timing of speech are auditory signals which depend on spoken language for their existence. They often indicate the person’s frame of mind. A monotonous voice suggests fatigue and boredom; loudness can indicate anger; high speed often signals excitement or nervousness.

Language

Production and Comprehension

The possession of a language enables humans to manipulate and sort out information (represented by symbols) into ordered groupings (e.g. sentences.) For the languages to remain ‘alive’, the members of society must produce and comprehend it as shown in the simple example opposite