Transcript PowerPoint - www.micheleweber.homestead.com

Gendered Lives
Chapter 6:
Gendered Nonverbal
Communication
(NVC)
Today we will discuss:
 I. Functions of NVC
 II. Forms of NVC
 III. Cultural influences
 IV. Interpreting Nonverbal Behavior
I. Functions of NVC
A. Primary means of signaling our emotions,
attitudes, and the nature of our relationships with
others.
1. 65% percent is inferred through nonverbal
channels (Birdwhistell, 1970).
2. NVC is defined as communicating without
words through multiple communication channels
(Adler, Rosenfeld, & Proctor, 2007).
3. Learned through interaction with others
I. Functions of NVC
 B. Primary Functions:
– 1. Supplement verbal messages:
• Unintentional: e.g. blushing, sweating
• Intentional (5 primary displays rules of internal
regulation:
–
–
–
–
–
Simulation: You show emotion that you are not feeling.
Intensification: Amplify your expression.
Miniaturization: Emotion is minimized.
Inhibition: Attempt to show no feeling/affect.
Masking: To show a different emotion than the one you
are feeling.
Functions of Nonverbal
Communication
 2. Regulate interaction
– a. Women use it to invite others into
conversation
– b. Men use it to hold onto “talk stage”
II. Types of NVC
A. Physical Appearance
1. Includes body type, height, weight, hair,
and skin color.
a. Are only women concerned about this
topic?
b. Who tends to be more dissatisfied
with their body?
c. What are the ideals?
Physical Appearance
 d. Concern w/ weight starts as early as 5
– 40% of 4th grade girls diet
– By the age of 13 53% of girls report being
dissatisfied with their bodies
• It goes up to 78% at the age of 17
– 1 in 4 college women have an eating disorder
B. Artifacts
 1. Personal objects that influence how we
see and express our self identity
 2. Parents send messages through toys
– What toys are appropriate for boys/girls?
– What behaviors do they encourage?
– Visually, what expectations are made?
Artifacts
 3. In adult life, continue to reflect cultural
views of masculinity and femininity
– Men’s clothes vs. women’s
– What do adult advertisements convey?
• food, homemaking, child rearing, work, cars,
sports
Artifacts
 4. Some use artifacts to challenge existing
perceptions
– How do men and women do this?
– Do you see this in the gay community?
C. Paralanguage
1. Paralanguage is the sounds and tones we use in
conversation; it is how something is said, not what
is said.
a. Accent: how your words are pronounced
together
b. Pitch: from high to low
*Difference b/w the average male and
female pitch exceeds physiological
explanations
c. Volume: how loudly or softly you speak
d. Articulation: precision or slurring of words
e. Pace: how quickly or slowly you speak
D. Kinesics
1. Kinesics is the study of posture, body movement,
gestures, and facial expressions (Greek word,
“movement”).
2. Friesen & Ekman identified 6 universal expressions
SADFISH (sadness, anger, disgust, fear, interest,
surprise, happiness)
* We have the ability to make
250,000 expressions
*WHO CAN BETTER IDENTIFY FACIAL
EXPRESSIONS? MEN OR WOMEN?
Kinesics
 3.Women are more skilled at interpreting
nonverbals and identifying emotions
– Females’ right brain specialization make them
more adept at decoding emotions
Kinesics
 4. Differences between men and women:
– a. Women’s movements signal they are
approachable, friendly, unassuming
• Sustained eye contact
– b. Men’s movements indicate they are
reserved, in control
• Will sustain eye contact when challenged
E. Haptics
1. The study of haptics examines the perceptions
and meanings of touch behavior.
2. Same-sex touch
a. Asian and Arab cultures vs. U.S.
b. Gay community
Haptics (Touch)
 3. Parents touch daughters more often and
more gently
 4. Boys learn to associate touching with
control and power
 5. Women initiate touch that express
support
 6. Men use touch to assert power and
express sexual interest
 7. Women may perceive men’s touch as
harassing
F. Proxemics
1. Proxemics is the study of space
between persons, physical contact,
and the inner anxiety we have when
people violate our space.
Four Zones of Personal Space
 2. Hall (1966), U.S.
– Intimate distance: from 0
to 18 inches.
– Personal distance: from
18 inches to 4 feet.
– Social distance: from 4 to
12 feet.
– Public distance: from 12
feet and beyond.
Proximics
 Who has the private spaces in the home?
The father or the mother?
 What do you think is the connection with
space and power? Who invades space
more, men or women?
– Do men and women react the same when their
territory is invaded?
III. Cultural Influences
 A. Nonverbal communication related to
gender and culture:
– Expresses cultural meanings of gender
– Men and women use nvc to present themselves
as gendered people
 B. Different cultures have different norms
C. Cultural Differences
 1. Japanese women refrain from smiling
 2. African American women don’t smile as
much as Caucasian
 3. African American women more satisfied
with bodies, less prone to eating disorders
4. Appropriate conversational
distance varies among cultures
 Preferred spaces are largely a matter of
cultural norms.
 a. European Americans’ distance: 20 inches
 b. Latin Americans’ distance: 14-15 inches
 c. Saudi Arabians’ distance: 9-10 inches
5. Paralanguage
– How do we think the other sex and cultures
sound (impersonations)
– African Americans raise their voices to express
passion and are emotionally expressive
– Arab cultures both men and women speak with
raised voices, repeat things, and pound the table
6. Haptics
High-contact cultures include Latin Americans, French,
and Italians. They look each other directly in the eye,
face each other, touch and/or kiss each other, and
speak in loud voices.
Low-contact cultures include East Asians and Asian
Americans (Chinese, Japanese, and Asian Indians).
They engage in little if any touching, and prefer
indirect eye contact and softer speaking
tones.
Moderate-contact cultures include the U.S., Canada, and
Australia. A blend of both high and low contact
occurs.
D. Expectancy Violation Theory
 EVT sees communication as the exchange
of information which is high in relational
content and can be used to violate the
expectations of another, which will be
perceived as either positively or
negatively, depending on the liking
between the two people (Burgoon, 1978).
EVT
 Expectancy Violations
Theory attempts to
explain people’s
reactions to unexpected
behavior. Expectancies
are primarily based
upon social norms and
specific characteristics
of the communicators.
IV. Interpreting Nonverbal Behavior
A. Respecting Gendered Styles
of Nonverbal Communication
 1. Suspend judgment
 2. Information empowers us to be more
effective communicators
 3. Greater accuracy in interpreting others
results from understanding differences