Nonverbal self-accuracy: Individual differences in knowing one's own social interaction behavior

Nonverbal self-accuracy: Individual differences in knowing one's own social interaction behavior Nora A. Murphy, Marianne Schmid Mast, Judith A. Hall (2016)
Personality and Individual Differences

Highlights

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Nonverbal self-accuracy (NVSA) established as a measurable individual difference.

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NVSA significantly above chance; highest self-accuracy for gaze, lowest for nods.

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NVSA positively correlated with public self-awareness, anger recognition, and neuroticism.

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NVSA negatively correlated with positive emotional expressivity.

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Abstract

The present study investigated individual differences in nonverbal self-accuracy (NVSA), which is the ability to accurately recall one's own nonverbal behavior following a social interaction. Participants were videotaped during a social interaction with a stranger and then asked to recall how often they displayed five common nonverbal behaviors. Correlations between the self-reported recall of nonverbal behavior and judges' behavioral coding indicated that individuals can accurately recall their own nonverbal behavior at better than chance levels. Higher NVSA also was associated with more public self-awareness, less positive expressivity, more accurate recognition of anger in facial expressions, and higher neuroticism. The results suggest that NVSA is a measurable individual difference construct with potential implications for self-awareness in social interactions.