Nonverbals and Relationships
The purpose of this study was to examine the relational status of a pair and their nonverbals. The question being asked was: Can an observer identify the relational status of a couple after watching them carry out a task? The predicted outcome was that people will be able to accurately determine if the couple is married or just met based off of their nonverbals. However, casual dating, siblings, and friends will be more difficult to determine their relational status. Thirty-seven people participated in a survey. The survey consisted of five videos with a range of relational pairs. Those pairs included married, in a dating relationship, siblings, just friends, and strangers (just met). After viewing each video, participants were asked to select the relational status of the paired couple. The study found that participants scored 11.8% accuracy in determining the relational status of the married couple. Whereas, they scored 52.9% accuracy in determining the relational status of strangers. Participants were most accurate in determining the relational status of the dating couple, with 61.7% accuracy, and scored low accuracy in determining the relational status of siblings and friends. Through this study and further research, there is a minimal amount of accuracy to fully support either hypothesis.
COMM 430, Nonverbal Communication
Doyle Srader
L203, Poster 15
10 AM – Noon