Chapter 3:
Social Perception and Understanding Others
1. Nonverbal Communication:
Social perception: the process through which we seek to know and understand other ppl.
Social perception is complex and involves the following tasks:
1. Non-verbal communication
2. Attribution
3. Impression management
Nonverbal communication the basic channels:
There are 5 channels of non verbal communication:
1. Facial expressions.
2. Eye contact.
3. Body movement.
4. Posture.
5. Touching.
Human feelings and emotions r
often reflected on the face and can
b read in specific expressions.
1. Unmasking the face; facial expressions and clues to others’ emotions:
5 different emotions are represented clearly on ppl faces even from early age:
1. Anger Don’t happen
2. Fear alone, can be
3. Happiness combinations of
4. Sadness diff emotions.
5. Disgust
Are facial expressions universal?
Research suggests yes- certain emotions occur naturally like happiness and sadness and
promotes the same facial reactions over cultures.
2. Gazes and stares: eye contact as a nonverbal cue:
Generally lots of eye contact suggests liking between people except when in complete
excess
Staring: could be sign of anger, dislike or hostility. (2 avoid road rage avoid eye contact)
3. Body language; gestures, posture and movement:
Body language can provide NB info about others
Body language reveals emotional state
More specific info about others feelings is provided by gestures
Emblems: body movements carrying specific meaning in a given culture.
Specific gestures can have diff meaning for men and women.
1
, 4. Touching:
Depending on a few factors (where, how) touch can suggest affection, sexual interest,
dominance, caring, aggression.
When touching is appropriate it can produce pos feelings.
Handshake acceptable way to touch which suggests allot about ppl
Deception: recognizing it through nonverbal cues and its effect on social relations:
Why do people lie? avoid hurting others, conceal real feelings, avoid punishment etc…
We can rarely know if ppl are lying b/c we tend to c others as truthful, try to b polite not look
for lies,
To detect lying must pay careful attention to both verbal and non verbal cues.
The following is helpful:
Micro expression Fleeing facial expressions lasting only tenths of seconds
Appear on face quickly after event and can be indicator of
persons feelings or emotions If u see 1 expression followed
quickly by another could be indication of LIE
Interchannel discrepancies Inconsistencies between nonverbal cues from diff basic
channels
Result from fact that ppl who are lying cant control all
channels at once
Person might hide facial expression but not make eye contact.
Eye contact Ppl lying blink often, pupils more dilated, low level of eye
contact or very high one.
Exaggerated facial Smile more, greater sorrow in situation.
expression
Example: someone who says no to a request and then shows
exaggerated regret—may often be lying about the reason for not
being able to say yes to the request.
Other signs that ppl are lying:
Pitch of voice rises
Take longer to respond to Q
Show greater tendencies to start/ stop sentences.
The effects of deception on social relations:
Largely negative
When ppl r on receiving side of lies they react with mistrust and dislike to liar.
After being exposed to some1 who lies most ppl are willing to lie themselves. (Tyler,
Feldman, reichhert)
Woman are better then men at both sending and interpreting nonverbal cues and also better at
remembering details of others appearance.
2
Social Perception and Understanding Others
1. Nonverbal Communication:
Social perception: the process through which we seek to know and understand other ppl.
Social perception is complex and involves the following tasks:
1. Non-verbal communication
2. Attribution
3. Impression management
Nonverbal communication the basic channels:
There are 5 channels of non verbal communication:
1. Facial expressions.
2. Eye contact.
3. Body movement.
4. Posture.
5. Touching.
Human feelings and emotions r
often reflected on the face and can
b read in specific expressions.
1. Unmasking the face; facial expressions and clues to others’ emotions:
5 different emotions are represented clearly on ppl faces even from early age:
1. Anger Don’t happen
2. Fear alone, can be
3. Happiness combinations of
4. Sadness diff emotions.
5. Disgust
Are facial expressions universal?
Research suggests yes- certain emotions occur naturally like happiness and sadness and
promotes the same facial reactions over cultures.
2. Gazes and stares: eye contact as a nonverbal cue:
Generally lots of eye contact suggests liking between people except when in complete
excess
Staring: could be sign of anger, dislike or hostility. (2 avoid road rage avoid eye contact)
3. Body language; gestures, posture and movement:
Body language can provide NB info about others
Body language reveals emotional state
More specific info about others feelings is provided by gestures
Emblems: body movements carrying specific meaning in a given culture.
Specific gestures can have diff meaning for men and women.
1
, 4. Touching:
Depending on a few factors (where, how) touch can suggest affection, sexual interest,
dominance, caring, aggression.
When touching is appropriate it can produce pos feelings.
Handshake acceptable way to touch which suggests allot about ppl
Deception: recognizing it through nonverbal cues and its effect on social relations:
Why do people lie? avoid hurting others, conceal real feelings, avoid punishment etc…
We can rarely know if ppl are lying b/c we tend to c others as truthful, try to b polite not look
for lies,
To detect lying must pay careful attention to both verbal and non verbal cues.
The following is helpful:
Micro expression Fleeing facial expressions lasting only tenths of seconds
Appear on face quickly after event and can be indicator of
persons feelings or emotions If u see 1 expression followed
quickly by another could be indication of LIE
Interchannel discrepancies Inconsistencies between nonverbal cues from diff basic
channels
Result from fact that ppl who are lying cant control all
channels at once
Person might hide facial expression but not make eye contact.
Eye contact Ppl lying blink often, pupils more dilated, low level of eye
contact or very high one.
Exaggerated facial Smile more, greater sorrow in situation.
expression
Example: someone who says no to a request and then shows
exaggerated regret—may often be lying about the reason for not
being able to say yes to the request.
Other signs that ppl are lying:
Pitch of voice rises
Take longer to respond to Q
Show greater tendencies to start/ stop sentences.
The effects of deception on social relations:
Largely negative
When ppl r on receiving side of lies they react with mistrust and dislike to liar.
After being exposed to some1 who lies most ppl are willing to lie themselves. (Tyler,
Feldman, reichhert)
Woman are better then men at both sending and interpreting nonverbal cues and also better at
remembering details of others appearance.
2
