Decoding bodily forms of communication

Abstract

This contribution aims to provide brief descriptions of different methods for analysing how people read, process and interpret bodily forms of communication. Research on decoding can be carried out using different methods according to research questions and hypotheses as well as to background theoretical approaches. Main method features are: experimental designs (laboratory, field experiments) and stimulus materials (e.g. photos, videos). The first section of the contribution provides a brief description of the nonverbal stimuli, which can be used in the experimental design with the aim of measuring receivers reactions (decoding). Such data can be recorded through direct and indirect measures depending on the underling processes (deliberate/reflective or automatic/impulsive) mainly involved in the perception of bodily communication. In the second section, both types of procedure are defined, described and exemplified, by analysing reliability, validity and applicability to body language. Comparisons about advantages and disadvantage of explicit and implicit measures and the relations between the two kinds of measures are treated in the final section of the contribution.