K. Shore/Soc.

 
Social Control and Deviance  
Observing Norms in Social Interaction 
Have you ever thought about the norms you obey when carrying on a conversation? Most 
of us follow certain guidelines for social interaction without realizing it. 
 
Procedure 
1. Read the questions about conversational behaviors below. 
Social Distance: How close or far apart do people stand or sit when talking to one 
another? 
They stand and sit closer together because they wanna be able to hear each other while 
they’re speaking.   
Hand Gestures​: Do some people use hand gestures when they speak? Do these 
gestures clarify or distract from their points? 
Yes I see a lot of people use their hands when their talking. 
Eye Contact​: Do the individuals maintain eye contact? IS eye contact 
important? 
Yes they do maintain eye contact but it’s also very important so they know that your 
listening.  
Facial Expressions​: What kinds of facial expressions do individuals make during 
conversation? How does the other person react? 
It depends on what they’re talking about, I never knew how many expression a person 
makes in just a short amount of time. 
2. Observe your friends and family during conversation, paying close attention to 
the behaviors mentioned above. 
 
3. Record your observations. 
 
Analysis 
1. Think about what you saw. What can you conclude about the norms that 
govern these behaviors? 
Everything I talked about previously is what I saw.  
 
2. Were these norms followed, or did some people violate them? How did other 
people react to the violation? 
Now that i’m trying to explain people’s facial expressions throughout the day is hard 
because they’re all so different but also similar 
 
3. Be prepared to discuss your observation and conclusions with our class.