Do Actions Speak Louder than Words? Preschool Children’s Use of the Verbal-Nonverbal Consistency Principle during Inconsistent Communications

Abstract

This study investigated whether preschool children could use the conventional “actions speak louder than words” principle also known as the “verbal nonverbal consistency” principle to process information where verbal cues contradict nonverbal ques. Three through five year olds were shown a video where an actor drank a beverage and made a verbal statement (ex. I like it) that was inconsistent with her emotional expression (ex. frowning). The children were then asked whether or not the actor liked or disliked the beverage. If children used the verbal nonverbal consistency principle, they should respond according to the information conveyed by the actor’s emotional expression. The purpose of this study was to specifically address the possibility that 3, 4, and 5 year-olds would rely more on nonverbal rather than verbal cues to determine the true state of affairs when the inconsistency between the cues was made obvious to them.

Literature Review

Nonverbal communication is all aspects of communication other than words themselves (Wood, 2007). Nonverbal communication is perceived as more believable and reliable than verbal communication in expressing true feelings, which is especially the case when verbal and nonverbal messages are inconsistent. In inconsistent communications it is essential for the receiver to distinguish the discrepancy between the messages and use the different messages to interpret their meaning. One of the major inconsistent communicative situations involves the verbal message being different from, or contradictory to, the nonverbal message (Eskritt & Lee, 2003). Nonverbal behaviors often are keen indicators of how positively or negatively we feel toward others.

This study explains the verbal-nonverb...

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... questions did the information in the article raise that I may wish to explore further?

I would have liked them to have split the children up by gender to gain a better understanding of whether there would be a difference between boys and girls recognition of verbal and nonverbal communication.

5. What questions might you (the class) pose regarding the information in the article?

The class most likely would bring up the same questions that I had since it was not thoroughly discussed in the results and discussion part of the article.

Works Cited

Eskritt, M., & Kang, L. (2003). DO ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS? PRESCHOOL CHILDREN'S USE OF THE VERBAL-NONVERBAL CONSISTENCY PRINCIPLE DURING INCONSISTENT COMMUNICATIONS. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior, 27(1), 25-41.

Wood, J. (2007). Interpersonal Communication: Everyday Encounters. 5th Edition