Comparing Nonverbal and Verbal Codes

A woman without her man is helpless.

A woman, without her, man is helpless.

Channel Reliance Research

• Research paradigmsa. Experimental

b. Natural observations

c. Meta-analysis

Channel Reliance Research

• Propositions– Adults rely more on NV than V; children rely more on V. – Reliance on NV is greater when the V & NV conflict. – Reliance depends on function at stake. – Information averaging when channels are congruent.– Variability in info processing and reliance on extreme or

negative cues when content is incongruent. – Individuals biases in channel dependence.

Channel Reliance Research

• Reasons for differential and variable reliance?

Coding Properties: Analogic versus Digital

• Digital systems– discrete

– arbitrary

– finite

• Analogic systems– continuous

– natural

– infinite

Need to distinguish code properties from interpretive processes

Coding Properties: Buck’s Approach

• Spontaneous communication– biologically-based – spontaneous– signs– nonpropositional – right-hemispheric

processing

• Symbolic communication– socially shared – intentional– symbols– propositional– left-hemispheric

processing

Coding Properties: Design Features of Codes

Discrete v. continuous

Symbolic (extrinsic) v. sign (intrinsic)

Iconicity

Syntax rules

Transformation

Semantic rules

Pragmatic rules

Productivity

Polysemy

Universal v. culture- and context-bound meaning

Displacement

Reflexivity

Prevarication

Coherence mechanisms

Direct v. mediated response

Applicability to Verbal versus Nonverbal Coding

Discrete v. continuous

Symbolic v. sign

Iconicity

Syntax rules

Transformation

Semantic rules

Pragmatic rules

Productivity

Polysemy

Universal v. culture- and context-bound meaning

Displacement

Reflexivity

Prevarication

Coherence mechanisms

Direct v. mediated response

Origins of Verbal and Nonverbal Behavior

• Alternative possibilities– Exclusively nurture (totally learned)– Physiological/anatomical predispositions but learned

performance– Universal needs but variability in environmental

influences on enactment– Exclusively nature (innate and part of biological heritage)

Origins of Verbal and Nonverbal Behavior

• Types of evidence– Comparative studies (primates, other vertebrates)

e.g., laughing, smiling, threat stare, grooming, fright vocalizations, spacing patterns

– Child development researchstages of normal development common to all

reflexive behaviors present in all infants (crying, toe curling, grasping)

observations of blind, deaf, and limbless children

Origins of Verbal and Nonverbal Behavior

• Types of evidence– Comparative studies (primates, other vertebrates)– Child development research– Cross-cultural studies

Origins of Verbal and Nonverbal Behavior

• Conclusions about nonverbal/verbal differences– verbal– nonverbal

Neurophysiological Processing

• Early/traditional views of hemispheric processing– bicameral brain function--horizontal perspective – high lateralization--strong differentiation of functions– analytic/holistic dichotomy– NV defined according to where it is processed

Neurophysiological Processing

• Contemporary views– triune brain function--vertical perspective

• R-complex (brainstem, cerebellum)• paleomammalian brain (limbic system--

thalamus, hypothalamus, pituitary, amygdala, hippocampus, olfactory cortex surrounding the R-complex)

• neomammalian brain (cerebral cortex)

Neurophysiological Processing

• Contemporary views– interdependence & coordination of functions

• coordinated via corpus collosum• relative, not absolute, dominance• right hemisphere is essential for many linguistic

activities• people with left hemisphere damage able to decode

with right hemisphere

Neurophysiological Processing

• Contemporary views– lability in handling other hemisphere’s functions– cultural and style differences– two hemispheres communicate with each other– dominance depends on nature of signal

• Perception by right hemisphere

melodies, music

tonal patternspitch, rate, volumelaughing, cryingcoughingemotional stimulidistinguishing fingersrecognition of facesfamiliar environmental noises

location of geometric formsdepth perceptionrecognition of space & formtopographic memoryspatial disorientationbody type distortionsletters matched to wordsimagery recall strategies

• Perception by left hemisphere

vowelsspoken digitsrhythmic patternssemantic units (words)nonsense wordsfunction wordslettersverbal tasks

visual verbal materialfree movement during speechskilled movementspictures matched to letterssubvocal rehearsal recall

strategiesmusic perceived as notes

• Encoding by right hemisphere

automatic speech

serial speech (alphabet)

social gestural speech

strong emotional utterances

artistic ability

model building

• Encoding by left hemisphere

free movement during speech

Relationship of Gestures to Language

• Semiotic Functions– Ekman & Friesen approach– Scherer linguistic approach

• semantic

• syntactic

• pragmatic

• dialogic

– McNeill information-processing approach

Relationship of Gestures to Language

• development of interactional nonverbal cues (e.g., gestures) coincides with the development of language

• baseball theory--stone throwing/gestures and language development

Message Production

• gestures that relate to speech– ones referring to the ideational process– gestures referring to the object: depictive gestures– gestures referring to the object: evocative kinds

Message Production

• Gestures and speech flow– hierarchical nature of language – phonemic clauses and chunking of speech– gestures preceding speech, priming the pump– illustrator gestures that trace thought

Message Production

• Nonverbal cues and cognitive effort– indicators of cognitive difficulty and effort– indicators of level of abstraction

Message Processing and Decoding

• Definition– How humans acquire, store, retrieve, and use

information; how information is gleaned from messages and interpreted

Message Processing and Decoding

• Related to:– attention and priming– comprehension and memory storage– recall– inference-making

Message Processing and Decoding

• Nonverbal cues of attention, priming and distraction– vocal cues– immediacy cues– facial and gestural cues– physical appearance– environmental influences

Message Processing and Decoding

• Nonverbal cues related to comprehension, storage and recall– paralinguistic and parakinesic cues– speech primacy gestures (illustrators)– motor primacy gestures (emblems)– incongruent messages– speaker self-synchrony– interactional synchrony

Message Processing and Decoding

• Cues in inference-making– nonverbal impressions