The
Effect of Relative Status and the Sex Composition of a Dyad on
Cognitive Responses and Non-Verbal Behavior of Japanese Interviewees
M.H. Bond & H.Y. Ho |
The
effects of relative status on the non-verbal behavior and cognitive
responses of interviewees were examined across all four sex pairings
using a controlled interview format. Relative status was manipulated
by dressing and describing the same interviewers differently in high
and equal status conditions. Consistent with the importance of relative
status in Japanese social life, differences were found across a wide
range of non-verbal behaviors, especially in the paralinguistic channel.
Based on cognitive measures and on the results of previous studies,
these changes were explained as arising from the increased arousal
and anxiety produced by interacting with higher status persons. Sex
differences in several types of non-verbal behavior were also seen.
Correlations between these non-verbal variables and the cognitive
responses suggest that some of these sex differences in non-verbal
behavior are situation-specific, and depend on how males and females
construe the interview situation. Other differences in nonverbal
behavior were found to be unrelated to such cognitive response and
thus appear more generalizable across situations. Comparisons with
Western research were made along with suggestions for conducting
cross-cultural research of non-verbal behavior.
|