RELATIONAL MESSAGES ASSOCIATED WITH NONVERBAL BEHAVIORS

Judee K Burgoon, DAVID B. BULLER, JEROLD L. HALE, MARK A. de TURCK

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

291 Scopus citations

Abstract

Based on the assumptions that relational messages are multidimensional and that they are frequently communicated by nonverbal cues, this experiment manipulated five nonverbal cues ‐eye contact, proximity, body lean, smiling, and touch ‐ to determine what meanings they convey along four relational message dimensions. Subjects (N= 150) observed 2 out of 40 videotaped conversational segments in which a male‐female dyad presented various combinations of the nonverbal cues. High eye contact, close proximity, forward body lean, and smiling all conveyed greater intimacy, attraction, and trust. Low eye contact, a distal position, backward body lean, and the absence of smiling and touch communicated greater detachment. High eye contact, close proximity, and smiling also communicated less emotional arousal and greater composure, while high eye contact and close proximity alone conveyed greater dominance and control. Effects of combinations of cues and sex‐differences are also reported.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)351-378
Number of pages28
JournalHuman Communication Research
Volume10
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 1984

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Communication
  • Developmental and Educational Psychology
  • Anthropology
  • Linguistics and Language

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