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Nonverbal Communication Research Project
This semester, you are to conduct a research project on nonverbal communication.
Step One: Topic selection, introduction, and purpose
Start your research by selecting a section about nonverbal communication which you really enjoyed and select a narrower area of that section to focus on. Your study must be on one of the following topics: environment, proxemics, dress and appearance, smell, oculesics, facial kinesics, kinesics, haptics, or vocalics. You may only discuss one of these topics. You may not discuss other topics. The literature review, the method, and the results will be on this one topic. You cannot write on more than one topic.
For example, if you enjoyed the section on nonverbal communication and appearance, then find a specific section about appearance that you want to focus on. This can be for example: To what extend to male executives’ appearance contribute to positive meeting outcomes?
Then, write a paragraph or two to introduce the topic, and explain why it is important to conduct research in this area. For example, your purpose can be something like: With so many people working from home today, there is a need to understand the importance of professional dress in the workplace. This study seeks to explore how important appearance is, in business meetings.
Step Two: Literature review
Conduct a literature review of current articles and books that have been written about topics close to your topic. Going back to our example of appearance in the workplace, you would look for articles that have focused on current dressing of company executives; conducting executive meetings; or generally any topics to do with appearance, including men and women. Remember this is just an example!
You need to locate 10-12 articles and books on this topic. Go to the Amberton Library page and look at EBSCO. Go to all indexes and then select Psychology and Behavior Sciences and PsychArticles. These indexes will lead you to the appropriate articles. You should only select scholarly research articles. You will be able to identify those articles because they will be academic peer reviewed journals. Often, they have journal, communication, or research in the topic. Even though research articles will be more difficult to read, look for them. You will find rich material in these articles. You may also use e-books on the EBSCO Host or ProQuest ebook. You may even look at the ProQuest Psychology Database although you may not find it to be as helpful.
Dr. Pendleton provided these links for you.
APA PsycArticles database from EBSCO
ProQuest Psychology database
http://proxy.amberton.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/psychology?accountid=7009
Psychology and Behavioral Sciences collection from EBSCO
To search your topic, use the appropriate terms
1) Environment and nonverbal
2) Personal space and nonverbal
3) Dress or appearance and nonverbal
4) Facial expressions and nonverbal
5) Movement and nonverbal
6) Touch and nonverbal
7) Voice and nonverbal.
Only search one of the above seven areas for your project.
You must use the correct APA format See the writing guidelines for this course. Pay special attention to the APA Documentation section. You need to include the web hyperlink the web pages so that I can open your resources and look at them.
Literature Review Rubric
Information Literacy Rubric
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Excellent (3) |
Acceptable (2) |
Unacceptable (1) |
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Determine the Extent of Information Needed |
Demonstrates the ability to locate and use 10-12 sources directly relevant to the topic from scholarly sources. These sources must be on the topic of the paper. They cannot be general resources. |
Demonstrates the ability to locate 8-9 sources relevant to the topic. |
The literature review has fewer than 8 sources. |
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Access the Needed Information |
Sources are relevant, balanced, and thorough in scope. The logic for source selection is apparent. Topics are supported with conceptual depth and strength.
The paper must cover all the major areas of the topic in depth. |
Most sources target the topic. Some sources are bias or lack precision, verification, or purpose. The discussion varies in quality and extent of coverage of study. The quality and relevance of the sources selected vary. Not all the areas of the paper are thoroughly developed. |
Sources were too vague, general, or irrelevant. The quality and relevance of the sources is poor |
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Evaluate Information and its Sources Critically |
The information included is scholarly and relevant to the literature review. The sources selected are scientific and not popular option. |
The information includes has both scholarly material and some material written only on the basis of personal opinion. |
The material included is lacking in scholarly respectability. The information included is incomplete, inconsistent, or inaccurate. |
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Use Information Effectively to Accomplish a Specific Purpose |
The review of the literature is thorough and focused. It was well organized and easily understood. It uses terminology appropriate to the discipline. It presents the material with a scholarly tone. |
The sources reviewed are appropriate to the study. The paper may not be logically organized, or some sections may lack development. |
The literature review is unprofessional including poor quality sources, poor organization, and missing information. The material may be used inappropriately or poorly organized. The writing style may vary throughout the paper. |
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Access and Use Information Ethically and Legally-- Paper includes no plagiarism and documents correctly. |
The literature review includes extensive documentation using the APA format. The sources are documented in the paper and in the references. The electronic sources are hyperlinked to the references. The books are supported with copies of the title pages hyperlinked to the references. Demonstrates a full understanding of ethical and legal restrictions on the use of information. |
The literature review is document in the paper and in the references but includes some minor documentation issues. This paper would include no major unethical or illegal uses of the information. |
The literature review lacks documentation in the paper or references. Does not demonstrate a full understanding of the ethical and legal l restrictions on the use of information. The literature review may include plagiarism. |
Step Three: Methods
Describe your methodology. In this step, you will describe how you will gather your data. Here you can use any of the three methods discussed in the assignment: the observation method; Surveys (using questionnaires) or using the literature review method as a gathering tool. Note ice here that all research needs to conduct a literature review. However, when we refer to the literature review method as a data gathering tool what you are doing is to make an extensive search of literature around your topic and reporting on your findings. Again, please do not confuse the literature review process which we discussed in Step Two and the Literature Review Method, as a data gathering tool. Please follow these steps in gathering your data:
1)For the Survey (using questionnaires, you can do the following):
a. You may distribute questionnaire about nonverbal communication or observe behaviors in a natural setting.
i. If you use a questionnaire, you should include it at this point in the paper. Then be sure you indicate who answered your questionnaires and when. Just give a general description. Make sure the questions are on nonverbal communication. You need approximately 10 questions.
ii. If you do an observational study, you must describe where you did your observations, when you did them, and what you were observing specifically.
b. You must either have 10 questionnaires answered or ten observations. This is a minimum guideline.
2)If you choose the observation method: you can select spend a day or two observing 5 in meetings, and write down how they are using nonverbal communication, around your topic. For example if we go back to our example of appearance, you can observe how those five are dressed as they enter a meeting, give presentations etc., did they seem confident? What were the outcomes in those meetings? Did anyone comment on their dressing, for example, did they smile back etc.?
3) If you decide to use the Literature Review Method as your data gathering tool, here the steps that you should follow:
If you decide to use the literature review method as your data gathering tool, here are the steps that you need to follow:
I. Select 20- 25 journal or book sections which are related to your topic somehow
II. Summarize the points that each author is making. If more than one author is making similar points, synthesize the content and write that section as one.
III. After summarizing the sections from all the literature sources that you have found, reveal the pattens that you are seeing emerging from your data, in other words, find common areas in the results section. After the results make conclusions, indicating where you think research on your topic should focus on, in future research. Here you will be making recommendations to future researchers who may be interested in pursuing research around your topic.
Step Four: Describe your Results
Here, you need to reveal what you discovered in your data. If you used questionnaires, what exactly did the participants say in response to your questions? If observation, what exactly did you see? Were there any common patterns? Did you see anything that you did not expect to see?
Make a table that describes how many people exhibited what behavior or how the subjects answered your questions. Once you have placed the data in the table, describe your results. You need to describe the results so that I can see that you understand them. Be sure to label the rows and columns. Feel free to ask questions of the professor.
Results section rubric
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Excellent (3) |
Acceptable (2) |
Unacceptable (1) |
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Method |
Thoroughly describes how the data was collected including an excellent questionnaire or observation typology |
Discusses how the data was collected including a questionnaire or observation typology with some minor flaws. |
Does not include a questionnaire or an observation typology on nonverbal communication |
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Results |
Includes an excellent table and an excellent discussion on the results of the study |
Includes a table and a discussion of the results |
Results reflect a lack of accurate material on nonverbal communication and lying |
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Discussion |
Thoroughly describes how the information in the literature review and in the study can be used to improve communication in the business and organizations |
Describes how some of the information in the literature review can be used in business and organizations. |
Has little discussion of the application of this material to business and organizations. |
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Step Five: Conclusions (for any of the three methods)
Here, describe how the information discovered by the literature review and by your study can be used in business. In addition, indicate where you think future research around your topic should focus on. Here you will be making recommendations to future researchers who may be interested in pursuing research around your topic.
Step Six: References
List all your references using the APA (7th edition) format. Remember for either the observation or survey (questionnaires) methods, you only need 10- 12 references. If you used the literature review methods, AS A DATA GSTHERING TOOL, then you need 20 – 25 references
(Adapted from various sources)