ABSTRACT
Communication is essential to survival. In humans it is a very important part of their social behaviour and they spend a great deal of time communicating with each other. An essential means of communication between people is verbal, that is, it involves speech and can also involve writing since this stands for language. But an additional and very important means of communicating is not by what we say but what we do. Even during speech, a great deal of information is conveyed by the way in which we speak (the fact that I need to use italics for emphasis makes this point). The tone of our voice, the gestures we use and our facial expressions all convey meaning. In this chapter we look at some of the non-verbal means by which we communicate: eye contact, facial expression, the way we stand, the distance we keep between people. We also look at cultural, individual and sex differences in the way these communication systems are used. What's in this Unit?
The specification lists the following things that you will need to be able to do for the examination:
Distinguish between non-verbal and verbal communication, including paralinguistics
Describe types of non-verbal communication, including: functions of eye contact (Argyle, 1975); facial expressions and the hemispheres of the brain (Sackeim, 1978); body language; posture, gestures and touch
Describe and evaluate studies of non-verbal communication and verbal communication (including Argyle, Alkema & Gilmore, 1971)
Understand what is meant by personal space and the factors that affect it (cultural norms, sex differences, individual differences, status) and describe and evaluate studies of personal space
Understand contemporary implications of studies of non-verbal communication and their benefits and drawbacks
