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Nonverbal Communication and the Vertical Dimension of Social Relations

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The Psychology of Social Status

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Abstract

The present chapter reviews the relation of a person’s power or status to their nonverbal communication. For the power/status dimension, we use the term “vertical dimension of social relations” to encompass a wide assortment of conceptually related definitions including hierarchical role (preexistent or manipulated), personality dominance, social status, social class, and feelings of power. The following topics in nonverbal communication are reviewed: (1) beliefs and stereotypes about the relation of the vertical dimension to nonverbal behavior, (2) perceptions of verticality based on viewing nonverbal behavior, (3) impact of power-relevant bodily positions on behavior and cognition (embodiment), (4) relation of people’s verticality to their nonverbal behavior, (5) accuracy of judging others’ verticality, and (6) relation of people’s verticality to accuracy in interpreting others’ states and traits, and in recalling their verbal or nonverbal behavior. In all domains, the evidence indicated that verticality is related to nonverbal communication though the relations can be complex and inconsistent. Much research remains to be done on mediators as well as moderators, including differences among the different definitions of the verticality construct.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Northeastern University, Boston, USA

    Judith A. Hall

  2. Department of Psychology, Rutgers University, Camden, USA

    Ioana Maria Latu

  3. Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, USA

    Dana R. Carney

  4. Department of Organizational Behavior, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland

    Marianne Schmid Mast

Authors
  1. Judith A. Hall
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  2. Ioana Maria Latu
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  3. Dana R. Carney
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  4. Marianne Schmid Mast
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Correspondence to Judith A. Hall .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA

    Joey T. Cheng

  2. Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

    Jessica L. Tracy

  3. Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA

    Cameron Anderson

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Hall, J., Latu, I., Carney, D., Schmid Mast, M. (2014). Nonverbal Communication and the Vertical Dimension of Social Relations. In: Cheng, J., Tracy, J., Anderson, C. (eds) The Psychology of Social Status. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-0867-7_15

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