Eye contact

• What is verbal communication?

  Communication involving spoken or written words
• What percentage of communication is verbal?

  50%
• What is non-verbal communication (NVC)?

  Communication that does not involve words
• What is eye contact defined as?

  When two people look at each other’s eyes
• How does eye contact regulate the flow of conversation?

  Speakers look away before speaking and maintain eye contact when finishing
• What did Kendon find about eye contact in conversation?

  It encourages turn-taking in conversation
• What did Conway et al. find about eye contact and attractiveness?

  People using eye contact are judged as more attractive
• How do people judge emotions of joy and anger based on gaze direction?

  More intense when gazing straight at them
• How do people judge emotions of fear and sadness based on gaze direction?

  More intense when the gaze is averted
• What is a real-world application of eye contact studies?

  • Explains communication difficulties in autism
  • People with autism often do not use eye contact
  • Teaching eye contact skills can improve communication
• What is a weakness of using rating scales in eye contact studies?

  They are open to bias and interpretation
• What is another weakness of eye contact studies?

  They involve artificial tasks that lack validity
• What did Kendon's study require participants to do?

  Get to know someone as part of the experiment
• What are the strengths and weaknesses of eye contact studies?

  Strengths:

  • Explain communication features in autism
  • Highlight importance of eye contact skills

  
  

  Weaknesses:

  • Use of biased rating scales
  • Involvement of artificial tasks affecting validity