Impression

Management

You never get a

second chance to
make a first
impression . . .
 Nonverbal Communication
Definition:
 The way in which people communicate,
intentionally or unintentionally, without words

Types of nonverbal communication:

 facial expressions, tones of voice, gestures,
body position and movement, touch, and eye
gaze
Uses of Nonverbal Communication
1)Express emotion 5) Repeat, or compliment the
spoken language

2)Convey attitudes
6) Contradict verbal communication

3)Communicate personality traits

7) Substitute for the verbal
message
4)Facilitate, or modify verbal
communication
Facial Expressions
What are these babies
experiencing?

Happiness Sadness Fear

Anger Disgust Surprise

 Smile Detection
http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/min
Women are better encoders and
decoders of nonverbal cues.
Why?
 Nonverbal Behavior
(Kraut & Johnson, 1979)

A. Smiling While Bowling B. Smiling While Watching

Hockey
45 45

Percent of Time Smiling

40 40
35 35
30 30
25 Fa c ing P ins 25
20 20 Fans Alone
15 Fa c ing 15 Fans Interacting
10 C o m p an io n s 10
5 5
0 0
Strikes/Spares Other Good Bad
outcomes Outcomes Outcomes
 Facial Displays are Socially
Motivated
Fridlund (1991)

Participants viewed funny film

under 1 of 4 conditions
 Alone
 Friend in other room doing
another task
 Friend in other room watching
same film
 Friend in room with you
Measures: Smiling (EMG) and
self-reported happiness
What was found??
It is relatively easy to control facial
expressions so we look to other
nonverbal cues to provide additional
information:
• Eye contact
• Body movements
• Posture (and gait)
• Touching (and interpersonal
distance)
 Nonverbal “Leakage”

 Definition: the unintentional transmission of

information through nonverbal channels of
communication.
 Might occur because
(a) don’t think to control nonverbals
(b) aren’t able to control nonverbals
(c) try too hard to control
 Voice leaks more easily
 Women pick up on “leaks” more than men
Lie Detection
Two Truths and a Lie
Individual Differences in Lie
Detection (Aamodt & Mitchell, 2004)

Group Accuracy %
Criminals 65.40
Secret service 64.12
Psychologists 61.56
Judges 59.01
Cops 55.16
Federal officers 54.54
Students 54.20
Detectives 51.16
Parole officers 40.42
 Deceptive Behaviors
(DePaulo et al, Psychological Bulletin, 2003)

120 studies / 158 behaviors

4992 participants

25% non–U.S.
 DePaulo 2003
Liars:
 Make a more negative impression and are more tense
 Less forthcoming than truth tellers
 Tell less compelling tales
Made statements that were not as plausible, logical, or consistent
with other statements
Provided fewer details in their statements

 Their stories include fewer ordinary imperfections and

unusual contents.
Were less likely to admit a lack of memory
Made fewer spontaneous corrections