Unit One

Module 2

Non-verbal

communication

amac edu 2011amac edu 2011

What is Language? It would be hard to imagine a world without

language. A working definition could be:

“A system of communication involving both written and spoken words, which are specific to a group, community, nation or culture”

Viva la difference,

but Why?

HelloHola

Bonjour

There are many mysteries about There are many mysteries about language: Some exampleslanguage: Some examples

Is there a shared ‘Unitary Mother Language’ from which all human language developed?

What it means to be ‘polylingual’ (Acquired vs Learned)

The Sapir–Whorf Hypothesis

How do we learn our primary How do we learn our primary language?language?

‘The Chinese Room’ experiment says a lot!

“Can you speak Chinese?”

(2.1) How we communicate ?(2.1) How we communicate ?

1. Make your own definition of communication

2. Differentiate between human and non-human communication

3. Make a list of how humans communicate

4. Make a list of how non-humans communicate

A little task for you…A little task for you…• Google ‘great apes language

wikipedia’ (and maybe ‘kellogg and Kellogg, 1933)

• Print off article and attach a paragraph answering:

“Did primates such as Washoe, Nim Chimpsky* & Kanzi actually communicate with human language?”

KANZI

WASHOE

* Google: Noam Chomsky…. See if you get the joke…

Some definitions:Some definitions:• Verbal Communication: using spoken

words to transmit and/or exchange/evoke shared understanding

• Non-Verbal Communication: using anything but spoken words to transmit and/or exchange/evoke shared understanding (eg. posture, gaze & gesture)

• Paralinguistics: features of vocal sound which embellish or emphasise meaning (eg. tone of voice)

Paralinguistics:Paralinguistics:

• Tone: conveyed em0tion (eg. Angry voice)

• Emphasis: raising or lowering voice for a particular word

• Intonation (Inflection): modulation (variation) of sound (timbre) eg. whisper or shout

Communication: How important Communication: How important are the actual words?are the actual words?

Eye Contact

Body Posture

Facial Expression

Sound of voice:

• Tone

• Emphasis

• Intonation

Touch

Hand Gestures

Personal Space+ The Situation + General

AppearanceWhat have we left out?

The actual words!!!!!The actual words!!!!! Research suggests shared

communication is about:• 7% The words (verbal)• 38% How you say it (vocal Inflections)• 55% What you look like

Appearance/gesture/gaze, posture (body language) and situational factors (attribution & context of interaction)

Can only receiving 7% of the Can only receiving 7% of the communication cause problems?communication cause problems?

• Think of two examples:

• How is the problem overcome and how does it work?

Watch a person on the telephone, what do they do with their hands? What percentage do you receive on the telephone?

Watch a person on the telephone, what do they do with their hands? What percentage do you receive on the telephone?

How do we know all of this?How do we know all of this? Enhanced Verbal Communication: It is

all based on research, so do AMRC’s (p25) for:

1. Argyle et al (1971)… tone2. Davitz & Davitz (1961)…

paralinguistics3. Give one positive and two negative

evaluations that apply to both of the above

4. What does ‘et al’ mean?

How do we use eye contact during a How do we use eye contact during a conversation:conversation:

Which face is more attractive and any idea why?

How we use eyes during a conversation:How we use eyes during a conversation: Do AMRC p27: Hess (1963)Do AMRC p27: Hess (1963)

1. Evaluate Hess

2. Why are dilated pupils more attractive?

3. Why do women wear eye makeup?

Normal pupil Dilated Pupil

What else we do with our eyes: What else we do with our eyes: Eye Contact/MovementEye Contact/Movement When we speak face to face the following occurs with

our eyes:• The speaker looks away as they open speech• The listener looks at the speaker’s eyes• When speaker about to finish, they flash a glance

and the roles reverse• If process is interrupted (eg. dark glasses), then the

conversation becomes disjointedEyes control role taking turns in a conversation* (a

similar process takes place on the phone using paralinguistics)….

Do AMRC’s: Kendon (1967) & Argle (1968)

* This applies to both 1-2-1 and a group conversation

How do we use facial expression to How do we use facial expression to embellish communication? embellish communication?

Do exercise supplied:

Can you identify the emotion and how is the Can you identify the emotion and how is the communication different to the previous ones?communication different to the previous ones?

Facial expression plus ‘gesture’ (hand)

Point of interest: Higher order primates have Point of interest: Higher order primates have the same range of emotive faces as humans: the same range of emotive faces as humans:

what does this suggest?what does this suggest?

Face Expression adds an emotion to communication

• Facial expression is a human universal (from birth, except ‘Fear’ that comes from 6mths onwards) and therefore they are inherited not learned (nature vs nurture)

• The only other species are Primates• Facial expressions involve many muscles

and are involuntarily connected to how we really feel (we can’t fake it!)

• A smile takes 17 muscles and a frown 47 muscles

The brain and emotional facesThe brain and emotional faces

The two halves of a face are never the same (asymmetry), which side do you prefer and which side is stronger emotionally?

R L

RL

Cont…..Cont…..• The brain has two halves

(hemispheres)• The left side processes

structure and the right side processes emotions

• If you look at a picture, when asked what it is, the left side activates and if asked if you like it, the right side activates.

• The brain is contra-lateral (eg. the right side controls the left side of the body and vice-versa)

Do AMRC (plus evaluation) for Sackeim, 1978 p28

Do AMRC (plus evaluation) for Sackeim, 1978 p28

Body LanguageBody Language

Some questions:

• Do these three all know each other?

• Are two of them together?

• How do you know?

We make a lot of assumptions based on body language and they are often correct!!!

Body LanguageBody Language

• To communicate using our body

• Posture: Open, closed and mirror/echo

• Usually unconscious interaction, but experts can read and/or take advantage especially ‘postural echo’ (put a person at ease)

• Some other interactions… like/lie etc

• Do AMRC: McGinley (1975) + evaluation

Gestures and TouchGestures and Touch((gesticulationgesticulation: to make gestures): to make gestures)

Some hand gestures work well without context or words!

A

B

C

Watch a person on the telephone, why do they do this even if they can’t be seen?

Watch a person on the telephone, why do they do this even if they can’t be seen?

Some gestures are rude or Some gestures are rude or aggressiveaggressive

Gestures and Touch Gestures and Touch ((gesticulationgesticulation: to : to make gestures)make gestures)

From the grid

supplied

suggest what

these gestures

might mean:

Then do AMRC Lyn & Mynier, 1993 (p32) + Evaluation

But beware there are cross-But beware there are cross-cultural differencescultural differences

What does this suggest: nature or nurture?...think universality

“May I have this dance?”A man will bemore successfulIf he briefly touchesthe girls handor arm while he asks!

Touch to embellish Touch to embellish communicationcommunication

Touch to embellish communicationTouch to embellish communication

• Touch with hand or arm are a very powerful addition to communication

• Various types: controlled by proximity to intimate erogenous zones and culture (think of how you formally greet and how you greet friends and family etc)

Do AMRC p33: Fisher et al, (1976).. Evaluation consider inter/intra gender issues

• Consider a concept like personal space:

(Roughly half an arm, within an arm and over an arm’s length away)

Q) When speaking privately to you, what limit of closeness to your face would you expect from the following?

1. An intimate friend

2. An acquaintance

3. A strangerHow do you feel if someone violates your social space? And consider age/gender (own/different)

<0.5m <1 m

>1 m

Personal spacePersonal space

Personal spacePersonal space

Do AMRC’s (and evaluate):

1. Argyle and Dean (1965) p34

2. Willis (1966) p35

3. Williams (1971) p35

• Pavement/corridor avoidance strategies

Personal spacePersonal space

What would you expect to happen if a male and female were approaching each other in a narrow corridor? (and think other combinations)

• Some cultures standmuch closer to talk…they think we are Unfriendly• Also status: the morerespect the greaterthe distanceDo AMRC’s p36: Summer (1969) & Zahn

(1991) and evaluate

Personal space and Personal space and culture/statusculture/status

The McGurk Effect

• Silently mouth: Cat

• Overplay sound: Mat

• Claim word was: Cat

Final Thought: The McGurk Final Thought: The McGurk Effect and modality hierarchyEffect and modality hierarchy

How does this impact on what you have learned about non-verbal communication?