Foundational Perspectives

CBA 1 includes two essay questions. After reading chapters 1 and 2, review the key concepts from each chapter, found below. (Note that your two exams this semester will relate to these key concepts; it is a good idea to become familiar with these ideas as you move along to help you to prepare for the exams.)

Question 1 – Chapter 1 Foundational Perspectives

The first chapter introduces you to the “scientific study of communication” (p. 7) and introduces five main perspectives to provide a foundation for your study of nonverbal communication. In this question, you are asked to briefly summarize the first FOUR perspectives (not Perspective 5: Nonverbal Communication in Everyday Life). Then, select ONE of the first FOUR perspectives, and discuss in greater detail some major points you learned about the selected perspective.

Chapter 1 Key Concepts

Define communication/nonverbal communication/encoding and decoding

What is aphasia?

What is onomatopoeic language?

Explain Ekman and Friesen’s 1969 continuum (intrinsic, iconic, arbitrary coding)

Characterize left brain and right brain processing

Who is Bruce Lipstadt and why is he interesting from a verbal/nonverbal perspective?

Have basic understanding of:

communication environment (proxemics, small group ecology, territoriality, traces of action)

physical characteristics (odor/olfactics, artifacts)

body movement and position (gestures, speech independent gestures/emblems, speech related gestures, posture, touching behavior/haptics-self focused/nervous mannerisms, adaptors, object adaptors, facial expressions, eye behavior, gaze, mutual gaze, vocal behavior)

Who was Ray Birdwhistell?

Identify Argyle’s primary functions of nonverbal communication (nvc)

Identify/characterize Mehrabian’s (1970, 1981) fundamental categories of meaning associated with nvc (immediacy, status, responsiveness)

Identify/characterize Ekman’s (1965) six functions of nvc (repeating, conflicting/contradicting, complementing, substituting, accenting/moderating, regulating)

What is the eyebrow flash?

Know the history of nvc research/study (in classical period, Darwin’s contribution, connection to the classical period)

Describe the “scandal” related to Kretschmer’s and Sheldon’s work

What are ectomorphs, mesomorphs, and endomorphs?

What is a major contribution of Efron’s (1941) Gesture and Environment?

What nvc developments were seen in the 1950s?

What era was characterized as a “nuclear explosion” for nvc research?

Question 2 – Chapter 2 Nonverbal Communication Behavior, Nature/Nurture & Five Areas of Evidence

This question focuses on the nature/nurture debate and asks you to consider whether nonverbal communication behavior is innate or learned. In your response, briefly summarize the five main areas of evidence discussed in chapter two. Then, select ONE of these five areas that you found particularly interesting and persuasive in this debate about nature and nurture and nonverbal communication behavior and elaborate on the one selected area you most significant.

Chapter 2 Key Concepts

What is the nature/nurture dichotomy? (is nonverbal behavior innate or learned?)

Identify Ekman and Friesen’s (1969) three primary sources of nonverbal behavior

What are display rules?

What area of nonverbal communication research has received the most research attention?

Discuss evidence from sensory deprivation

Discuss evidence from neonates

What is differential emotions theory (DET)?

What are intermodal equivalencies?

Discuss evidence from identical twins raised in different environments

What are monozygotic twins?

Discuss evidence from nonhuman primates

What is the tense mouth display?

What is the basic interaction strategy?

Discuss evidence from multicultural studies

What is the eyebrow flash?

My expectation is that you have read chapters 1 and 2 in full prior to formulating responses to these

questions. I am looking for your understanding of the material. Do not plagiarize any part of your

responses from the text, from another student, or from any other source. This assignment assumes that

you will consult the text. No additional research is expected. Quoted material or paraphrased material

must be cited in text. Keep in mind that you are required to use quotation marks, cite the text authors,

and provide the page number(s) any time you use three consecutive words from the textbook. Also,

because you are demonstrating your understanding of the material, use of quoted material should be

kept to a minimum. Assuming that the textbook is the only source used, you do not need to add a

reference page for Content Based Assignments.

Students sometimes are uncertain how to format their CBA essays. Two areas of concern involve:

(1) identifying information at the top of your essay; and (2) how to show separation between the essay responses. To clarify, on the first page of your content based assignment, in the upper right hand corner, provide ONLY your name and abbreviated assignment identification (as follows in the example). You do not need to provide the course name, the date, an essay title, etc. This will allow maximum space to convey your ideas. Following your name, skip a line, and begin your first response. Also, in all Content Based Assignments, if there are multiple questions in the assignment, number all responses as numbered in the assignment. Include and indent paragraphs where needed. Here is how it would look for all CBAs:

Alex B. Smart – CBA 1

1. People are born with many natural abilities. One area where these natural abilities is

seen involves the knowledge that native speakers possess. (Then finish essay one and when

you get to the next essay, skip a line, number the next response, using paragraphs as needed.)

2. The second essay is numbered with a number 2 in front of the paragraph as seen in this

example. This way, I can see where the individual responses are, but you still can show how you

have organized your ideas through the use of your paragraphs. Then, finish your essay response

and follow space limits for your responses.

Requirements:

Essay responses must be typed, double spaced, Times New Roman, 12 point font, standard margins (unjustified), black ink, in APA citation format. All papers should be well written, thoroughly proofread and edited, well organized and appropriately formatted. See the “Guidelines for Written Work” on the course syllabus.

Length: Each response should be limited to two pages maximum, for a total of four pages maximum