Psychology 2035A/B Lecture 5: Lecture 5 - Interpersonal Communication
18 Jan 2020
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Lecture 5 - Interpersonal Communication
Interpersonal Communication
● Interpersonal communication is “an interactional process in which one person sends a
message to another”
○ It involves at least two people
○ It is a process involving a series of actions
○ It is not “one-way”, but bi-directional and interactional
● Components of the communication process
○ 1. The sender - person who initiates the message
○ 2. The receiver - person to whom the message is targeted
○ 3. The message - the information or meaning that is transmitted from the sender to
the receiver
○ 4. The channel - refers to the sensory channel through which the message reaches
the receiver
○ 5. The noise - any stimulus that interferes with accurately expressing or
understanding a message
○ 6. The context - environment in which communication takes place
● Psycholinguistics: the study of psychological processes involved in producing and
comprehending language
○ In psychology the study of language and communication
○ In language we have many different types of rules, but also in our communications
we have many different types of rules
● Pragmatics - “knowledge of the practical aspects of using language, rules surrounding the
social context of language”
○ Pragmatics can change the context
○ Ex.
■ a fellow shopper asks you “do you have the time”
■ You respond “3:45”
■ The social context (pragmatics) changes the context → if you look just at the
sentence and not the context it would be confusing
■ Generally speaking, you don’t say “yes” and keep walking
○ Ex.
■ Student after class “I need you to explain this material to me. Do you have
the time?”
■ Professor - “3:54”
■ This was acceptable in the above scenario but does not make sense
because now the context has changed
■ Context is different
■ The additional information changes the question being asked
Rules of Interpersonal Communication
● Video of the two guys in the restaurant → one is one a cellphone speaking loud and the
other is speaking loud to himself
● There are rules that govern technology and how we use it
Technology and Interpersonal Communication
● Electronically medicate communication “is interpersonal communication that takes place
via technology”
● Although technology offers convenience, there are basic rules of etiquette for cell use:
○ Quiet your phone when it will disturb others
○ Keep call short
○ Keep calls out of earshot of others
● Our phones have changed from being used as a phone to being used more for texting
● Has this changed intimacy?
● Has this changed face to face verbal conversations?
● Texting is also altering our language
○ Some of our lingo has actually ended up in the dictionary (ex. LOL)
○ Grammar scores have gone done
○ Some people think it is destroying our language
○ Is abbreviating things improving or destroying our language?
● Word of the year in 2015 was the laughing, crying emoji
○ A words conveys a meaning and technically an emoji is conveying a meaning
● Word of the year in 2017 was youthquake
● Word of the year in 2018 was toxic
What about my friend...sarcasm?
● Given the vocal cues that are often utilized in the detection of sarcasm...is still used the
same way be Generation Text?
● There are a lot of rules around texting - rules around communication that is driven by
technology
○ Ex. putting “ok.” would signify that something is wrong
Communication and Adjustment
● Effective communication is essential for many important aspects of life
● Good communication enhances satisfaction in relationships
● Poor communication is a major cause of relationship break-ups
Nonverbal Communication
● Nonverbal communication - “is the transmission of meaning from one person to another
through means or symbols other than words”
● A great deal of information is conveyed in this manner so it is important to recognize the
general principles of nonverbal communication
● General principles of nonverbal communication
○ 1. It conveys emotions: facial expressions and body posture can convey how we
feel without words
○ 2.It is multichanneled: we use facial expressions, gestures, eye contact, vocal
tone, and body language.
■ Nonverbal channels that you can send a message through
○ 3.It is ambiguous: body language can be difficult to interpret.
○ 5. It may contradict verbal messages: we may say one thing, but our body conveys
something different.
○ 6. It is culture-bound: nonverbal signals vary from one culture to another
● Elements of nonverbal communication
○ 1. Personal Space
■ Proxemics - “the study of personal space” (the study of how people use the
space around them)
■ Personal Space - “a zone of space surrounding a person that is felt to
‘belong’ to that person”
■ Preference for amount of personal space depends on
● Nature of the relationship
● Social norms and culture
● Specific situations
● Social status
○ Example: someone we just meet gets into our personal space people will take a
step back to try to reestablish our personal space
■ Can show dominance and intimidate people be trying to dominate their
personal space
○ Example: if you could only choose between the two people below, who would you
choose to sit beside on the bus? Old lady or young lady / man?
■ Young lady / man because they are more like you
■ Old person because they might be more comfortable if we sat next to them
○ Example: if you are riding the bus alone and someone gets on and sits right beside
you
■ Initial thought is this person okay? This would feel strange
■ Why are they sitting next to me in my space when there are other options for
them and we don’t have to sit this close to each other
■ We get used to the amount of personal space we can have (ex. Canada vs.
Tokyo)
■ So, personal space is a “zone of space surrounding a person that is felt to
belong to that person”
■ Describe 4 more specific zones that varies with the intimacy of the
interpersonal relationship
○ Determinants of personal space
■ Situational
■ Attraction
■ Do you think that those who we are attracted to we are physically closer to?
■ Who sits closer: female-female dyads or male-male dyads?
● Female-female dyads
● Attraction-Proximity Relationship
○ We assume people who sit closer are more attracted to each other
○ We also assume they have a better interpersonal relationship
○ This is based on other non-verbal cues
Document Summary
Interpersonal communication is an interactional process in which one person sends a message to another . It is a process involving a series of actions. It is not one-way , but bi-directional and interactional. The sender - person who initiates the message. The receiver - person to whom the message is targeted. The message - the information or meaning that is transmitted from the sender to the receiver. The channel - refers to the sensory channel through which the message reaches the receiver. The noise - any stimulus that interferes with accurately expressing or understanding a message. The context - environment in which communication takes place. Psycholinguistics: the study of psychological processes involved in producing and comprehending language. In psychology the study of language and communication. In language we have many different types of rules, but also in our communications we have many different types of rules.
