Nonverbal Communication and Emotion

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering nonverbal communication channels, categories of kinesics, proxemic zones, emotional communication, and developmental interactionist theory.

Nonverbal Communication

The use of objects, action, sounds, time, and space to convey meaning; it accounts for $65\%$ of meaning in interaction.

Vocal Nonverbal Communication

Nonverbal sounds and vocal characteristics—such as pitch, tone, pace, and volume—that convey meaning without using words.

Nonvocal Nonverbal Communication

Nonverbal cues that do not involve vocal sounds, including gestures, body movements, facial expressions, space, and physical appearance.

Five Interrelationships Between Nonverbal and Verbal Messages

The five primary ways nonverbal cues interact with verbal communication: complements, regulates, substitutes for, contradicts, and illustrates.

Oculesics

The channel of nonverbal communication involving eye behavior, eye contact, and gaze.

Kinesics

The channel of nonverbal communication concerning body movement, gestures, and body language.

Emblems

Kinesic body movements or gestures that carry direct, unambiguous verbal translations understood by a specific culture or group.

Illustrators

Kinesic gestures that accompany, visually emphasize, describe, or demonstrate verbal messages.

Regulators

Kinesic cues and behaviors used to monitor, control, and coordinate the flow of turn-taking in conversation.

Adaptors

Unconscious kinesic behaviors or self-touching movements typically executed to satisfy physical needs or release psychological tension and stress.

Affect Displays

Body movements, postures, and facial configurations that directly express emotions and feelings.

Paralanguage

The vocal channel of nonverbal communication consisting of vocalized elements other than spoken words, such as tone, vocal pitch, tempo, and vocalizations.

Proxemics

The study and channel of nonverbal communication focused on the use of personal space and physical distance, established by E.T. Hall.

Intimate Distance (E.T. Hall)

The closest proxemic distance zone, extending from $0$ to $18\text{ inches}$ ($0\text{--}1\frac{1}{2}\,\text{ft}$), reserved for highly personal or private interactions.

Personal Distance (E.T. Hall)

The proxemic spatial zone spanning from $18\text{ inches}$ to $4\text{ feet}$ ($1\frac{1}{2}\text{--}4\,\text{ft}$), commonly used for casual interactions with friends and acquaintances.

Social Distance (E.T. Hall)

The proxemic spatial zone ranging from $4\text{ feet}$ to $12\text{ feet}$, typical for professional, business, or everyday social interactions.

Public Distance (E.T. Hall)

The outermost proxemic spatial zone extending from $12\text{ feet}$ or more, used in formal public speaking and presentations.

Proxemic Orientation

The angle and direction at which individuals orient their bodies toward one another during interaction (e.g., side-by-side or directly face-to-face across a table).

Facial Displays

The nonverbal channel focused on facial configurations and expressions; it includes the universal displays of happiness, sadness, fear, anger, surprise, and disgust.

Haptics

The channel of nonverbal communication that involves touching behavior and physical contact.

Olfactics

The nonverbal communication channel concerning the perception, meaning, and influence of smells and scents.

Chronemics

The channel of nonverbal communication that investigates the structure, perception, and use of time.

Artifacts

Objects, accessories, clothing, and adornments worn or displayed by people to communicate status, identity, or meaning.

Emotional Communication

The minute signals of affect, attention, approach/avoidance, and dominance/submission that shape social order and must be studied within the social system.

Spontaneous Communication

A biologically shared signaling system that is nonvoluntary, involves natural signs rather than arbitrary symbols, is nonpropositional (never false), and is mainly right-brained.

Symbolic Communication

A socially shared system that is voluntary, uses arbitrary symbols, is propositional (can be false), is mainly left-brained, and includes some nonverbal behaviors.

Pseudospontaneous Communication

The intentional, symbolic production of a nonverbal expression designed to look like a genuine, spontaneous emotional reaction.

Developmental Interactionist Theory (Buck, 1984)

A framework stating that communication involves an interplay between Reason (Symbolic) and Emotion (Spontaneous); emotion dominates in simple creatures, infants, and 'new' situations, while reason dominates in complex creatures, adults, and 'familiar' situations.