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Gender And Nonverbal Communication Essay, Research Paper

Running Head: NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION

Gender and Nonverbal Communication:

An Empirical Study

Christine Creaney

Psychology 235, Psychology of Gender

Dr. Michael McGuire

November 30, 2000

Gender and Nonverbal Communication:

An Empirical study

Nonverbal communication is a very large part of human communication behavior. The types of nonverbal communication can range from a simple smile to an obvious avoidance of eye contact, but each behavior carries a direct message that can be understood by all the individuals in a public communication situation. Nonverbal communication, for use in this analysis, is defined by Canary and Dindia (1998) as the form of communication that does not include words; messages expressed by nonlinguistic means, people s actions or attributes, including their use of objects, sounds, time and space, that have socially shared significance and stimulate meaning in others (Canary &Dindia, 1998). Through my own observation of a public communication situation, a set of rules for nonverbal communication for that situation was determined, yet it varied according to age and gender.

Nonverbal communication rules may differ according to the situation. An individual s actions are different when riding on the subway than their actions when getting acquainted at the local pub. Actions when riding in an elevator may be perceived very differently when doing business at a post office. This analysis does not assume or argue that the rules for nonverbal communication are the same for every public communication situation. Rather, each situation has its own set of rules for nonverbal behavior, and the observation and experience of each situation determines its set of rules. I will prove in this study that gender and age appear to be highly related to the kinds of nonverbal communications shared between humans.

Method

Overview

A public communication situation occurs in a carryout restaurant every day. My own observations and set of rules for a public communication situation were developed in such an establishment. The restaurant was located in a rural suburb community of Detroit. The patrons of the restaurant I observed were mostly of Caucasian descent. The area the restaurant is located in contains mostly middle to lower class families. This identical atmosphere may have affected the rules for behavior. Observations were of the customers, and distinctive patterns were very noticeable.

Participants:

Actions and behaviors of the patrons were observed directly. Different types of patrons had very different yet distinct sets of nonverbal communication behaviors. For the purpose of this analysis, patrons were split into four groups, each having separate behaviors in the situation. The four groups (approximated ages) were as follows; males aged fifteen to thirty, females aged fifteen to thirty, males over thirty, and females over thirty. It is important to examine each group separately to determine the differences that age and gender play in nonverbal behavior rules.

Procedure

Males ranging in age from fifteen to thirty were the first group examined. Nearly all the subjects in this group projected the same nonverbal behavior when ordering and waiting for their order in the restaurant. The subjects body language was the first noticeable nonverbal behavior. Hand movement was minimal, as most of the subjects kept their hands in their pockets. Although the hand movement was minimal, the subjects had a tendency to have very fluid leg movement. The subjects legs were always in motion, either shifting weight from side to side, or rapidly shaking one leg when seated. When not engaged in verbal conversation, eye movement tended to look directly at the ground or at the hanging menu. It was an obvious attempt to avoid eye contact with other patrons in the room.

The need for personal space was the next noticeable behavior. Subjects in this group desired more personal space than any other group observed, as they would move to the position inside the establishment with the most available space. Sometimes subjects would even wait outside rather than have their personal space intruded upon. This group also made minimal eye contact in communication. When interacting with employees in the ordering process this group would move their eyes as much as possible with out making direct eye contact. This group tended to dress very casual, and also used very little facial expression. Women of the same age range portrayed a very different set of behaviors in the situation.

Women between the ages of fifteen and thirty displayed similar patterns as each other. The women used different body language from the males in the same age range. Hand movement was more noticeable in the women as they tended to interlock their fingers or place their hands on accessories such as purses or keys. Also the women much straighter posture then the men. Leg movement in the women was very minimal, as they had a tendency to stand still or sit with their legs crossed. Another emerging difference was in eye movement. When the women were not engaged in verbal communication, their eyes tended to wander the room as they looked to engage in direct eye contact with other persons in the area. Most of the women in the room also had a slight smile.

In the process of ordering, the women made direct eye contact with their communication partners. Again, a smile was present through out most of the ordering process. The need for personal space was much less prevalent in the women. The women had a tendency to sit close to other individuals rather than find an area that provided them with more space. Another difference was the women s ability to engage in conversation when waiting, rather than waiting silently like

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