Part 1
In this experiment it was very difficult just to have a simple dialogue. I sat in the presence of my partner unable to reciprocate feelings, emotions, or words. Personally I found this assignment difficult because although I was able to contribute very minimal to the conversation, that was not enough for me and I had to hold back my opinion several times in order to complete the assignment. My partner continued to talk about their day and ask me simple yes or no questions however the questions soon started to elevate in which I was not able to respond so my partner went back to the more simpler dialogue.
My partner was in control of the conversation due to my lack of communication. When I could not respond to a creation topic my partner would then go ahead and change the topic to one that was easier for me to engage in. In this experiment I believe one of the purposes is to exclude yourself and by not talking back you are forced to listen and just observe. My partner most definitely had the power in the conversation because I was unable to give my feedback.
I believe that the culture with the more well known language would have the upper hand. Due to their well known language they would be able to communicate more effectively. Whereas symbolic language I feel as if, its only known to very little groups so it would not be as effective as a more well known language. In today’s society English is a very well known language whereas sign language is not as popular. Of course it is used in today’s society but it is not as common as English.
Part 2
In this experiment I found it to be somewhat easier than the first one because even though I could not use vocal intonation I was still able to speak in a very mono toned way. My partner felt that I was not very involved int he conversation and that I did not really care enough to carry on a conversation. My partner was confused as to why I was so monotoned throughout the conversation especially on a controversial debate.
I feel as if signs in our daily conversations are huge because they add and evoke more emotion and add to the conversation. You can always tell the way someone is feeling bad off of their body language. For example I can tell my mom that “I do not have attitude” but she always seems to noticed because I am very expressive int he way I present myself, especially in dialogue.
Being able to identify someones body language can come in handy for many different reasons. Being in a higher position at your job and being able to asses someone during an interview for example you can see how they present themselves, their confidence level, etc. Another reason is sensing danger. The ability to read body language can help when an individual feels uneasy about something by someones body language or just the type of situation that individual could be in.
In many cases some people are better at reading body languages than other people and for me, personally I could say that I have a good grasp on the whole concept of body language. In some cases I feel as if some individuals are more animated than other and give off a sense of being happier or more outgoing when in reality that person could just be unaware of their gestures or body language.
Hi!
ReplyDeleteI find it very interesting that you found the second experiment to be easier than the first one. I, on the other hand, struggled to have a conversation during the second experiment since I rely so much on physical gestures and emotions. I agree with you that using physical embellishments when speaking in our daily lives helps add and evoke more emotion and adds to the conversation. Without these physical gestures our conversations would be very dull and may be misread by the audience that we are communicating to. Great post!
Hello there! I'm glad I found someone who found the same issues as I did with the first part, it seemed that most people found they could control the conversation but I felt quite the opposite and it appears you did too. I wonder if it's because we aren't used to the limitation and others adapted a bit quicker than we did?
ReplyDeleteGood discussion on the issues of power in the conversation, attitudes of the speaking to the non-speaking and finding real examples of this in our own culture.
ReplyDelete"I believe that the culture with the more well known language would have the upper hand."
But that wasn't the question. Which culture would have the advantage of communicating complex ideas to each other? It doesn't have anything to do with the language being "well known", just that one culture has symbolic language and the other one doesn't.
I think you misunderstood this last section here. In addition to the question about communicating complex ideas, it asked about the attitude of the speaking culture to the non-speaking culture. It also asks you to provide a real life situation that mirrors the conditions in this experiment, namely where one side has the power and control in the communication interaction and the other side doesn't. You mention English and ASL... so which side has power and which doesn't. Does it matter which side is the dominant language?
Part (B):
Good description of this part of the experiment.
I don't disagree with your conclusions regarding the information we receive from body language, but body language goes far beyond just emotion, and you are only considering the situation where body language matches and supports the information you receive from spoken language. What does it tell you when the body language doesn't match the spoken language? Humans tend to use body language as a type of lie detector. If spoken words don't match with the body language, we are more inclined to believe the body language and doubt the words. Think about how being able to detect liars might help an individual's ability to survive and reproduce (which applies to the next section).
Okay on the benefits of body language, but what type of benefits do you get by being able to detect liars?
Like all human traits, there is normal variation in expression, and the ability to read body language is no different. But beyond that, there are groups of people who have great difficulty or an outright inability to read body language due to physical or mental disability, such as those who are in the autism spectrum or those who are blind (though they can read vocal intonation).
Missing a response to the last question regarding a situation where body language might mislead you and you should possibly avoid reading it?
Hello A. Lozano!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading the experiences you had while participating in this assignment. It sounds like you had a different turn out than my own. I personally had a difficult time throughout both parts of the assignment, however I found part B to to be more challenging. For part A your partner was nice enough to ask you simple yes and no questions, on the other hand, my partner asked me about my opinion and wanted detailed answers. I felt stuck through out the entire assignment.
Did you laugh during part B? I couldn't help it sometimes, but to laugh. Keeping my voice monotone was so challenging.