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Nonverbal self-accuracy in interpersonal interaction.

Judith A Hall1, Nora A Murphy, Marianne Schmid Mast

  • 1Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA. j.hall@neu.edu

Personality & Social Psychology Bulletin
|November 15, 2007
PubMed
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People can recall their nonverbal behaviors like smiling or gesturing after social interactions, but accuracy varies. External focus improves recall of these nonverbal cues more than self-focused attention.

Area of Science:

  • Psychology
  • Social Psychology
  • Nonverbal Communication

Background:

  • Accurate self-awareness of nonverbal behavior is crucial for effective social interaction.
  • Previous research has not fully explored the accuracy of recalling one's own spontaneous nonverbal actions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate participants' accuracy in remembering their own nonverbal behaviors after an interpersonal interaction.
  • To determine which nonverbal behaviors are recalled with greater accuracy.
  • To examine how attentional focus (self-focused vs. other-focused) influences self-accuracy of nonverbal behavior.

Main Methods:

  • Four studies were conducted, involving participants recalling their nonverbal behaviors (smiling, nodding, gazing, gesturing, self-touching) post-interaction.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Participant recollections were compared against objective coding from videotaped interactions.
  • Attentional focus was manipulated by varying task instructions (e.g., partner evaluation vs. self-impression).

    • Main Results:

    • Self-accuracy for nonverbal behavior recall was consistently above chance, though of modest average magnitude.
    • Accuracy varied by behavior: smiling (highest), nodding/gazing/gesturing (intermediate), and self-touching (lowest).
    • Attentional focus away from the self (other-focused) led to higher self-accuracy than self-focused attention.

    Conclusions:

    • Individuals possess a modest ability to recall their own nonverbal behaviors.
    • Smiling is the most accurately recalled nonverbal behavior, while self-touching is the least.
    • Shifting attention away from the self during social interactions enhances the accuracy of nonverbal behavior recall.