NONVERBAL-COMMUNICATION AMONG AMERICAN AND CHINESE STUDENTS

The present study assessed nonverbal communication in a sample of Chin ese and American elementary students. Participants were 412 children r anging in age from 7 years to 11 years (Grades 2 through 4), 241 from mainland China and 171 from the USA. Perception of nonverbal communica tion was assessed by use of the Diagnostic Analysis of Nonverbal Accur acy which assesses receptive nonverbal communication through facial ex pression, posture, gestures, and paralanguage (tone of voice). Only fa cial expression, posture, and gestures were examined, and significant differences between the two groups on gestures and postures were found but not on facial expressions. Teachers were also asked to rate their students using the Social Perception Behavior Rating Scale. Surprisin gly, the teachers rated Chinese boys as having more difficulty with so cial behaviors and lower social perception than Chinese girls or Ameri can boys and girls.