Abstract
This paper summarizes some of the measures of nonverbal behavior that have been found to be significant indicators of a communicator’s attitude toward, status relative to, and responsiveness to his addressee. The nonverbal cues considered include posture, position, movement, facial, and implicit verbal cues. In addition to providing criteria for the scoring of these cues, experimental findings that relate to the various cues are summarized.
Article PDF
References
BENTLER, P. M. Semantic space is (approximately) bipolar. Journal of Psychology, 1969, 71, 33–40.
BIRDWHISTELL, R. L.Introduction to kinetics. Louisville: University of Kentucky Press, 1952.
DAVITZ, J. R. (Ed.).The communication of emotional meaning. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1964.
EKMAN, P., & FRIESEN, W. V. Origin, usage, and coding: The basis for five categories of nonverbal behavior. Paper given at the symposium: “Communication theory and linguistic models in the social sciences,” at the Center for Social Research at the Torqcuato Di Telia Institute, Buenos Aires, Argentina, October 1967.
HALL, E. T. A system for the notation of proxemic behavior. American Anthropologist, 1963, 65, 1003–1026.
HALL, E. T.The hidden dimension. Garden City. N.Y.: Doublcday, 1966.
KASL, S. V., & MAHL, G. F. The relationship of disturbances and hesitations in spontaneous speech to anxiety. Journal of Personality & Social Psychology, 1965, 1, 425–433.
KRASNER, L. Studies of the conditioning of verbal behavior. Psychologjcal Bulletin, 1958, 55, 148–170.
MAHL, G. F. Measuring the patient’s anxiety during interviews from “expressive” aspects of his speech. Transactions of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1959, 21, 249–257.
MAHL, G. F., & SCHULZE, G. Psychological research in the extralinguistic area. In T. A. Sebeok, A. S. Hayes, and M. C. Bateson (Eds.),Approaches to semiotics. The Hague: Mouton, 1964. Pp. 51–124.
MATARAZZO, J. D., WIENS, A. N., & SASLOW, G. Studies in interviewer speech behavior. In L. Krasner and U. P. Ullman (Eds.),Research in behavior modification. New York: Holt, Rinehart &. Winston, 1965. pp. 179–210.
MEHRABIAN, A. Communication length as an index of communicator attitude. Psychological Reports, 1965, 17, 519–522.
MEHRABIAN, A. Orientation behaviors and nonverbal attitude communication. Journal of Communication, 1967, 17, 324–332.
MEHRABIAN, A. Inference of attitudes from the posture, orientation, and distance of a communicator. Journal of Consulting & Clinical Psychology, 1968a, 32, 296–308.
MEHRABIAN, A. Relationship of attitude to seated posture, orientation, and distance. Journal of Personality & Social Psychology. 1968b, 10, 26–30.
MEHRABIAN, A. Significance of posture and position in the communication of attitude and status relationships. Psychological Bulletin, 1969, 71, 359–372.
MEHRABIAN, A., & FRIAR, J. T. Encoding of attitude by a seated communicator via posture and position cues. Journal of Consulting & Clinical Psychology, in press.
MEHRABIAN, A., & WILLIAMS, M. Nonverbal concomitants of intended and perceived persuasiveness. Journal of Personality & Social Psychology, in press.
OSGOOD, C. E. Dimensionality of the semantic space for communication via facial expressions. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 1966, 7, 1–30.
OSGOOD, C. E., SUCI, G. J., & TANNENBAUM, P. H.The measurement of meaning. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1957.
ROSENFELD, H. M. Approval-seeking and approval-inducing functions of verbal and nonverbal responses in dyad. Journal of Personality & Social Psychology, 1966a, 4, 597–605.
ROSENFELD, H. M. Instrumental affiliative functions of facial and gestural expressions. Journal of Personality & Social Psychology, 1966b, 4, 65–72.
SCHLOSBERG, H. Three dimensions of emotion. Psychological Review, 1954, 61, 81–88.
SOMMER, R. Small group ecology. Psychological Bulletin, 1967, 67, 145–151.
STARKWEATHER, J. A. Variations in vocal behavior. In D. M. Rioch (Ed.),Disorders of communication. Proceedings of ARNMD, Vol. 42. Baltimore: Wilhams & Wilkins, 1964.
TOM KINS, S. S., & McCarter, R. What and where are the primary affects? Some evidence for a theory. Perceptual & Motor Skills, 1964, 18, 119–158.
WIENER, M., & MEHRABIAN, A.Language within language: Immediacy. a channel in verbal communication. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts, 1968.
WILLIAMS, F., & SUNDENE, B. Dimensions of recognition: Visual vs vocal expression of emotion. Audio Visual Communications Review, 1965, 13, 44–52.
WOODWORTH, R. S., & SCHLOSBERG, H.Experimental psychology. New York: Holt, 1954.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
This study was supported by United States Public Health Service Grant MH 13509.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Mehrabian, A. Some referents and measures of nonverbal behavior. Behav. Res. Meth. & Instru. 1, 203–207 (1968). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03208096
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03208096