PSYC 359 1st Edition Lecture 11 Outline of Last Lecture I. Social CognitionII. Attributional Processes III. Perceptions of others—first impressionsIV. Self perceptions Outline of Current Lecture I. Impression Management II. Nonverbal CommunicationCurrent LectureImpression management- Impression management usually involves showing others—perhaps in a selective fashion—who we really are - Some strategies:o We want to shape people’s view to gain some influence, power, etc. o Ingratiation—doing favors, paying compliments, and being friendly and charming to elicit liking from otherso Self-promotion—recounting accomplishments or displaying skills to elicit respect from otherso Supplication—appearing inept or infirm to elicit help and nurturance from otherso Intimidation—appearing threatening or dangerous to elicit fear and compliance from others- Impression management in close relationshipso We usually go to less trouble to maintain favorable images for our intimate partners than we do for others Less motivation to do so We think they know us too well already and there’s nothing we can do to change their view of us  Some people just get lazy o We also work to create desirable images of our partners—and our relationships—for others The closer we are with someone, the more likely we are to promote them- Individual differences may also be importanto High self monitors Tend to be better at small talk Track relationships Wider, more diverse circle of time But they invest less time in each one of their relationshipo Low self monitors Less flexible  Make similar impressions across audiences So, just how well do we know our partners?- It depends….but we usually think we know them better than we actually do- Knowledgeo We think we know them better than we do o Women usually get to know their partner better Has to do with patriarchal society Women have to be more aware- Motivation- Partner legibility- Perceiver abilityo Strong individual differences o Some individuals can judge in a more discerning way than others o People who are flexible, open minded, and do a better job at understanding otherso People with secure attachment are better at this- Threatening perceptions- Perceiver influenceo Our perceptions of our partners influence themCommunication Chart on blackboard that shows directions on communications “The love lab” by John Gottman- Words can heal an ailing relationship—or seal its negative fate- Gottman claims he can predict a relationship’s outcome with 88% to 93% accuracyo Studies the way couples argueo Biggest problems in relationships is communication o Asks couples how they met—people disagree a lot of the time- Happy and unhappy couples differ on the impact of their messages to one another—the manner in which the message is expressed and what their partners think is beingexpressed- Contempt---most damaging- Sometimes takes physiological measures and sees immune system dysfunction with contempt- TedXTalkNonverbal Communication- Nonverbal communication involves all the things people do in interaction expect for what they say- Is the easiest thing to take for granted because we don’t really think about it - First people who studied this was dancers - Dance is a great example of how we use our bodies to communicate - Ballet is not sexy…tuck thumbs away, tuck butt in, hips are straight - Dilated eyes are sexy…men respond more positively to woman on right who has dilated eyes- What elicits pupil dilation? o When men look at naked women, their pupils dilate o When women look at babies, their pupils dilate - Functions on nonverbal communication o Providing information Could convey mood, state of mind, interpersonal feelingso Regulating interaction Usually nonverbal communication is combined with verbal communication Give cues in conversationo Defining relationships Provides feedback and assurance - Two pictures of meno Authentic smile is on left…crinkled eyes and relaxed expression - Getman said facial expressions are expressed in similar ways across cultures and are 6 basic emotions - Facial feedback hypothesis: when you smile you become happier - Components of nonverbal communication o Facial expressions…because facial expressions are so informative, people sometimes try to control them: Intensifying, or exaggerating, them Minimizing, or lessening, them Neutralizing, or withholding, them Masking, or replacing, them with other apparent emotions We do this because culture and society dictates display ruleso Gazing behavior The direction and amount of a person’s eye contact is also influential Direction and amount of person’s eye contact Looking at someone can communicate influence and connectiono Body movements Gestures can replace spoken words, but they vary widely from cultureto culture  Posture, how people walk, hot people sit o Touch (haptics) touching defines relationships  Partners touch each other more as their relationship becomes more intimate  Can also signal dominance and status- High status people more likely to touch those of low status  People who self touch  Study in phone booths and leaving money in phone booths- One condition they briefly touched the person in line and the other they didn’t…people who were touched were more likely to give left over money to person  Women prefer brief touches more than men…women touch men less than men touch women - Could also be due to power difference- Could be because women like it more  Women were less OK with touch from stranger - Interpersonal distance o We use different zones of personal space for different kinds of interactions Intimate zone-within 1 ½ ft of our chest Personal zone—area of 1 ½ to 4 ft away used for interactions with friends and acquaintances Social zone—businesslike interactions 4-12 ft away Public zone—formal interactions at larger distanceso Differ from culture to culture- Paralanguageo Convincing people speak clearly and quicklyo Audience involvement matters…whoever audience claps for the most is considered to have won a presidential debateo All the variations in a person’s voice other than the actual words he or she uses Rhythm Pitch- Baby talk and partners- Pets- Elderly  Volume Rate Accent- Combining the componentso Nonverbal behavior