Adolescent perceptions of nonverbal displays in mixed-sex encounters
Date
1997
Authors
Tilton-Weaver, Lauree Coleen
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Abstract
In this study, the linkages between nonverbal behaviors of adolescents (grades 9 and 10) and sex roles were examined using a quasi-experimental design. The potential meaning of these behaviors was also explored, using the courtship literature and linking nonverbal expressions to partner perceptions of attraction and likeability. Thirty boys (M age of 14. 7 4 years) were paired with thirty girls (M age of 14. 73 years) and their interactions were videotaped while engaging in a five-minute discussion. The adolescents' nonverbal behaviors (i .e., hair flips, hair strokes, head tosses, coy smiles, appearing smaller, eyebrow lifts, eyebrow lifts with smiles, face rests, chin touches, backward leans, and head akimbos) were examined for sex differences. The nonverbal behaviors were then categorized into "masculine" or "feminine" behavior, on the basis of meeting one or both of two criteria. First, sex differences in the expression of the
behavior had been identified in prior research. Second, extant literature had
theoretically or empirically linked the behavior to an expressive function that could be categorized as "agentic" or "communal." These sets of behaviors were then examined for their associations with the adolescents ' perceptions of their partners' personal characteristics (i .e., social and physical attractiveness, likeability, competence, maturity, masculinity, femininity, self-reported pubertal status and babyfacedness).
Sex differences in the displays of the nonverbal behaviors were found : when compared to boys, girls engaged in more hair strokes, coy smiles, eyebrow lifts with smiles; and boys, relative to girls, engaged in more chin touches. Correlational analysis of the nonverbal behavior and partner perceptions revealed that girls engaging in feminine-congruent behaviors (i .e., head tosses, coy smiles, and appearing smaller) were perceived favorably by their male partners (e.g., perceived as socially and physically attractive) and boys engaging in masculine behaviors (e.g. , chin touches) were perceived favorably by girls(e.g., likeable) . When girls engaged in masculine behaviors (e.g., chin touches), they were perceived as masculine. However, boys engaging in feminine behaviors (e.g., hair strokes, head tosses, and appearing smaller) were not only perceived as less masculine, but they were also seen as less likeable and less attractive. When these associations were examined in relation to the perceiver' s sex role attitudes, several significant relations were found between the gender-congruent display of behaviors (i.e., girls engaging in feminine behaviors, boys engaging in masculine behaviors) and partners' favorable perceptions.
Other associations indicated that boys who were rated as more physically attractive by independent judges were rated by their female partners as more socially attractive; girls rated as more physically attractive by judges were rated as more mature by their male partners; and girls who perceived their partners as more masculine also perceived them as more mature.
When the possible meaning of these behaviors were examined, only one significant association was found : when girls perceived their partners as likeable, they engaged in more appearing smaller. Discussion of these findings centers on the dialectic processes of sex roles and generalizability of adult nonverbal behaviors to dolescents. Potential directions for future research are also suggested.