Explicit Beliefs About Nonverbal Behavior and the Big Five Traits

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Social Psychology
• Nonverbal Communication

Background:

• People commonly use nonverbal cues to judge personality.
• Limited research exists on explicit beliefs regarding nonverbal cue-personality associations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate people's explicit beliefs about the relationship between nonverbal cues and the Big Five personality traits.
• To compare explicit beliefs with implicit beliefs and actual cue validities.

Main Methods:

• 245 participants rated the perceived strength of association between 20 nonverbal cues and the Big Five traits.
• Explicit beliefs were compared to implicit beliefs (cue utilization) and objective cue validities from a meta-analysis.

Main Results:

• Explicit beliefs about nonverbal cues and personality traits formed consistent patterns for each trait.
• These explicit beliefs generally aligned well with implicit beliefs and actual cue validities.

Conclusions:

• Explicit beliefs about nonverbal cues and the Big Five are largely valid.
• Findings support the role of beliefs in interpersonal interactions and suggest avenues for future research.