Language and Communication

Communication

Methods humans use to exchange ideas, concepts, feelings, emotions, symbols, Etc.

Verbal Communication

Talking, Sounds, Singing. . .

Written Communication

Social media, Postcards, Books, Notes, Emails. . .

Non-Verbal Communication

1. Gestures

2. Body Language

3. Eye Contact

4. Facial Expressions

5. Body Proximity

6. Smell

Human Universal (HU)

Is found in EVERY human culture. (ex: Family, Spirituality. . .)

Cultural Specific (CS)

Is found in ONLY ONE human culture. (ex: The American Flag. . .)

Generalized Trait (GT)

Is found is SOME, but NOT ALL, human cultures. (ex: Has a Flag. . .)

Gestures

A movement of the hand, fingers, and arms to express an idea or opinion. (no HU, some CS, but mostly GT)

Facial Expressions

The arrangement of the parts of the face to convey emotions.

Which facial expressions did Charles Darwin think were universal

• Happiness

• Sadness

• Fear

• Disgust

• Anger

• Contempt

• Surprised

Which one was removed from Charles Darwin’s list

Contempt

What did recent research say about Darwin's theory?

• Happiness (the only HU facial expression)

• Sadness

• Fear

• Disgust

• Anger

• Contempt

• Surprised

Which expressions did they identify as being key in East Asian cultures

• Pride

• Shame

• Guilt

Eye Contact

When 2 people look directly into each other’s eyes when meeting/talking. (rules for eye contact are not HU)

Body Language

It is the use of the whole body or parts of the body to communicate emotions.

This includes:

• Arms

• Feet

• Legs

• Posture

What percent of our daily communication is body language

more than 60% of our communication

What is it called when someone mimics your body language

Mirroring

Movement of the head

• Fast nodding means they want you to finish up/want a turn to speak

• Slow nodding means they are interested

• Sideways tilt shows interest/confusion

• Tilts head backward = sus of what you are saying

Direction of head

• Common affinity/interested

• Power

Direction of feet

point in the direction they want to go

Subjects

The people being studied/tested

Raters

The ones who watch the subjects and determined the subjects’ rapport

Rapport

How well people get along

The 5 ways the raters evaluated rapport

• Just Reading

• Just Hearing

• Just Seeing(Most effective when determining rapport)

• Seeing and Hearing

• Seeing and Reading

How many subjects were in the

Nonverbal Experiment

120 college students

How many raters were in the

Nonverbal Experiment

115 college students

American Indians Eye Contact Rules

• direct eye contact when shaking hands

• look away during conversation

Western Europe Eye Contact Rules

eye contact is considered polite

The Middle East Eye Contact Rules

• Only the briefest glance is allowed between men and women

• Eye contact between two people of the same sex is showing you are truthful

Asia, Latin America, and Africa Eye Contact Rules

• Extended eye contact, is thought that you are showing disrespect or even challenging their authority

• Glances are more acceptable