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Communication, Nonverbal

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  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Behavioral Medicine

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Synonyms

Body language

Definition

Communication involves three elements: sender, receiver, and message. In nonverbal communication, the message does not involve words, but rather employs body language. There are three major sorts of nonverbal communication. Symbolic nonverbal communication is the intentional encoding of a message that is decoded by the receiver, the grammar and vocabulary of which must be learned by both sender and receiver. It is propositional in that it is capable of logical analysis (e.g., it can be false). Symbolic nonverbal communication includes sign language, finger spelling, and pantomime, as well as facial expressions and gestures associated with language. In Ekman and Friesen’s (1969) analysis, the latter include emblems with specific “dictionary” definitions, illustrators of what is said, and regulators of interaction flow. Left hemisphere damage produces deficits in both linguistic and symbolic-nonverbal communication.

Spontaneous communicationinvolves...

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References and Further Reading

  • Buck, R. (1984). The communication of emotion. New York: Guilford Press.

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  • Buck, R., & Duffy, R. (1980). Nonverbal communication of affect in brain damaged patients. Cortex, 16, 351–362.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Buck, R., & van Lear, C. A. (2002). Verbal and nonverbal communication: Distinguishing symbolic, spontaneous, and pseudo-spontaneous nonverbal behavior. Journal of Communication, 52, 522–541.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ekman, P., & Friesen, W. V. (1969). Nonverbal leakage and cues to deception. Psychiatry, 32, 88–105.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ekman, P., & Friesen, W. V. (1975). Unmasking the face. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall.

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  • Ross, E. (1981). The aprosodias: Functional-anatomic organization of the affective components of language in the right hemisphere. Archives of Neurology, 38, 561–569.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Communication Sciences and Psychology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA

    Ross Buck

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  1. Ross Buck
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Correspondence to Ross Buck .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Miami School of Medicine, Miami, FL, USA

    Marc Gellman

Section Editor information

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, USA

    Steven A. Safren

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Buck, R. (2019). Communication, Nonverbal. In: Gellman, M. (eds) Encyclopedia of Behavioral Medicine. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6439-6_633-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6439-6_633-2

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  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4614-6439-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4614-6439-6

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