KEY
Chapter 5: Nonverbal Communication
Multiple-Choice Questions
1. “The process of intentionally or unintentionally signaling meaning through behavior other than words” defines
which of the following terms?
2. Which of the following is an example of a nonverbal behavior?
3. __________ occurs when one set of a person’s behaviors say one thing and another set of his or her behaviors
says something different.
4. Which of the following does not represent the way nonverbal behaviors can clarify the meaning of a verbal
message by reinforcing it?
5. Your friend asks you how you’re doing, and you say, “OK,” while holding up your hand in the gesture
Americans understand to be the OK sign. What reinforcing behavior are you using to clarify your message?
6. You see a friend across the room at a crowded party, but it’s too loud for you to say hello from this distance.
Instead, you make eye contact with him and nod your head as an acknowledgment and greeting. Which term
best fits the function of your nonverbal behavior?
7. Nonverbal behaviors that coordinate verbal interaction by helping us to navigate the back-and-forth of
communication in a constructive, appropriate manner are serving which function?
8. What is commonly referred to as “body language” is actually the observation of __________, or the way our
body movements and gestures send messages.
9. During a church service, you silently hold one finger up to your mouth to communicate nonverbally to your
little brother that he must be quiet. What category of body movement are you using to communicate your
message?
10. While delivering your presentation, you begin to twist the ring on your right hand and your right leg begins to
shake. What category of body movement is illustrated in this example?
11. Audiences prefer speakers who use eye contact behaviors that scan the audience, making each member or
section of the audience feel like the speaker has addressed them specifically. This indicates the power of
__________, or the use of the eyes in communication settings.
12. Elements like pitch, volume, rate, and other vocal qualities are called
13. Vocalizations like “uh huh” and “um” that signal you want to speak while another person is talking are called
14. Which of the following would not be considered an artifact?
15. Which of the following is not one of the spatial zones identified by Edward Hall?
16. You’re babysitting your niece. When the toddler wakes up, she cries out, missing her mom and dad. You rush
upstairs, pick up the child, and hold her in your lap until she calms down and falls back to sleep. What type of
nonverbal communication are you using to communicate your caring toward your niece?
17. Which term refers to a person’s personal associations with the use of time?
18. A noncontact culture is one in which
19. Public displays of affection are sometimes upsetting to others because of a difference in various
communicators’ perceptions of the __________ dimension of communication.
True/False Questions
2. Because nonverbal communication is more natural and spontaneous than verbal communication is, it is more
3. When a person’s nonverbal behavior contradicts his or her verbal communication, we tend to believe the verbal
4. When your little sister brings home the MVP trophy from her softball tournament, you say, “Good job!” while
simultaneously giving her a “thumbs up” sign. We would say that your nonverbal behavior was repeating your
6. Gestures that are nonverbal, and not part of an organized sign language, cannot substitute for a verbal message.
9. Immediacy cues, such as smiling, nodding in agreement, and pausing to allow others to speak can foster a
10. Research in nonverbal communication has concluded that it is, indeed, possible to accurately determine if
11. Nonverbal communication differs from verbal communication because nonverbal symbols are not part of a
12. While you are engaged in a heated telephone conversation with one of your coworkers, your roommate walks
up and asks you a question. Without breaking from the telephone conversation, you hold your hand out toward
your roommate as if to say, “Not now—I’m on the phone.” In this scenario, your nonverbal behaviors serve the
14. Irenaus Eibl-Ebesfeldt is credited with discovering that all facial expressions appear to be innate and universal
16. Research indicates that infants tend to smile more when they receive direct eye gaze from another person than
19. It is recommended that we avoid using back-channel cues because they interrupt the speaker and result in us
20. Research cited in your textbook indicates that physical attractiveness is an important factor when it comes to
21. Edward Hall discovered that the most comfortable space for communication within professional contexts, such
22. Personal space requirements change according to the situational, relational, and cultural context of the
23. You and your significant other like to revisit the restaurant where you had your first date and always request to
sit at the same table where you first sat. On your anniversary, you arrive at the restaurant to find another couple
sitting at “your table,” and you feel frustrated. Your claiming of the table would be referred to as a kinesic
25. The use of touch can send powerful messages of caring and comfort, as well as control, and can serve a
26. How people perceive the use of time and how they structure time in their relationships is an element of
27. Making direct eye contact with another person is considered to be a sign of interest and respect throughout the
29. The location or environment, the event, and the level of touch are all indicators that might help us determine the
1. Define nonverbal communication.
H = Nonverbal Communication (p. 98); C = knowledge; D = 1
2. __________ is an example of a nonvocal form for verbal communication that is often mistaken for nonverbal
communication because of its reliance on gestural symbols rather than spoken words.
3. Briefly explain why sign language would not be considered nonverbal communication.
H = Nonverbal Behavior Is Communicative (p. 98); C = knowledge and synthesis; D = 3
4. Using one of your experiences, provide a brief example of a time when someone’s nonverbal behavior
contradicted his or her verbal message, and you found the nonverbal message to be more believable.
H = Nonverbal Communication Is More Believable Than Verbal Communication (p. 100); C = comprehension
and application; D = 3
5. What is the difference between a nonverbal message that repeats a verbal message and one that complements a
verbal message?
H = Reinforcing Verbal Messages (p. 101); C = knowledge; D = 2
6. Using a brief example, illustrate how a communicator could use nonverbal behavior to accent a verbal message.
H = Reinforcing Verbal Messages (p. 101); C = comprehension; D = 2
7. Define immediacy as it would be communicated through nonverbal communication.
H = Creating Immediacy (p. 102); C = knowledge; D = 1
8. In the context of a job interview, provide an example of how an interviewee could use mimicry to create a sense
of immediacy in his or her interaction with the interviewer.
H = Creating Immediacy (p. 102); C = comprehension; D = 3
9. Provide an example each of an illustrator and an affect display.
H = Gestures and Body Movements (pp. 104‒105); C = comprehension; D = 2
10. List four of the seven facial expressions that appear to be inborn, and that are exhibited across cultures as well
as among people who are blind and have never had the opportunity to imitate others’ facial expressions.
11. Define oculesics and provide an example of how someone would use it to communicate.
H = Eye Behavior (p. 106); C = knowledge and comprehension; D = 3
12. A paralinguistic cue that gives information about the speaker’s emotional or physical state is referred to as a
__________, and an example of one would be __________.
H = Voice (p. 107); C = knowledge; D = 2
13. Identify one artifact you are using right now, and briefly describe what you believe it may be communicating
about you to your classmates and professor.
H = Physical Appearance (p. 108); C = comprehension and application; D = 3
14. List the four spatial zones identified by Edward Hall and discussed in your textbook.
H = Proxemics (p. 109); C = knowledge; D = 2
15. Describe one element of the physical environment in your favorite public place to hang out with friends (a
restaurant, café, pub, etc.), and what that aspect of the environment communicates to patrons.
16. List four of the five styles of touch that are categorized along Richard Heslin’s intimacy continuum.
H = Touch (p. 111); C = knowledge; D = 2
17. Give an example of functional-professional touch you have either provided to a customer or client, or that you
have received as a customer or client.
H = Touch (p. 111); C = comprehension and application; D = 3
18. Define haptics and provide an example of a time you have used it to communicate with someone.
H = Touch (p. 111); C = knowledge and comprehension; D = 2
19. What is the difference between a contact and a noncontact culture?
H = Culture and Nonverbal Communication (p. 114); C = knowledge; D = 1
20. What is one example of something people do when sending an e-mail or chatting online to substitute for the
lack of nonverbal communication channels?
H = Mediated Nonverbal Communication (pp. 114‒115); C = comprehension; D = 1
21. Contrast the public-private dimension of the situational context with the informal-formal dimension.
H = The Situational Context (p. 116); C = comprehension; D = 2
Essay Questions
1. Explain what is meant when nonverbal communication is described as “often spontaneous and unintentional
communication that is ambiguous and more believable than verbal communication.”
C = comprehension and some synthesis; D = 2
2. List, describe, and provide an example of the six functions of nonverbal communication discussed in your
textbook.
C = knowledge; D = 2
3. What types of cues might a police officer look for as a sign of deception in a suspect’s behavior? Why would
these cues be considered reliable as a sign of deception? Why would the officer want to be skeptical of
assuming that these cues are a sign of deception?
C = comprehension; D = 1
4. List and define the categories of body movements, or kinesic behaviors, discussed in your book. Using a
detailed narrative example, illustrate how all of these behaviors might be used to communicate within a single
conversation.
C = comprehension and application; D = 2
5. How do humans use their eye behavior to communicate with one another? Pulling together information from
throughout this chapter, describe how eye behavior functions as part of the communication process. What
should we be aware of with respect to eye behavior when we communicate with someone from another culture?
C = comprehension and synthesis; D = 2
6. Synthesizing what you have learned throughout this chapter, explain the functions that facial expressions serve
in our communication. Explain how we know that some facial expressions are inborn rather than learned
behaviors.
C = comprehension and synthesis; D = 2
7. How is the voice used to communicate nonverbally? What distinguishes vocal nonverbal communication from
verbal communication? Describe a scenario where a person would communicate vocally as a substitution for a
verbal message.
C = comprehension and synthesis; D = 2
8. Describe the ways in which physical appearance and artifacts serve as communication behaviors. How does
being physically attractive appear to benefit a person?
*Greater synthesis between chapters can be achieved by adding the following line of questioning: Based on
what you learned in Chapter 2, why do you think that physically attractive people reap these social benefits?
9. Jade has recently moved to the United States from Japan in order to attend college. She has also decided to
work part-time to gain some experience in a Western workplace. What would you explain to her about the
cultural elements of our various nonverbal codes to help her learn to communicate competently?
C = synthesis and application; D = 3
10. Dan is sixty and recently got his first personal computer. He has discovered the world of chatting online and is
excited about the opportunity to make friends with similar interests throughout the world. Unfortunately, he’s
also discovered that it’s tricky to navigate this new communication world because of the lack of nonverbal
cues. He often finds himself being misunderstood by others, and he is confused about how to interpret what
others communicate to him. What advice do you have for Dan about how to encode and decode or interpret
subtle nonverbal cues when communicating online?
C = comprehension and synthesis; D = 2