Abstract
This thesis aims to investigate how micro non-verbal behavior (NB) can be perceived. It includes some of the first experiments studying how micro-NBs (facial expressions, tone of voice, body movement) isolated affects the perceiver. Two studies were conducted to examine this topic.
Study 1 tested the reliability and validity of videos that are a part of a bigger project which investigates how micro NBs can affect a patients placebo effect. The videos show actresses performing the non-verbal behaviors positive facial expression, positive tone of voice, positive body movement, as well as some all-neutral postures. Coders (n = 15) rated 21 video slices on nine different micro- and macro- NBs. This study has strengthened the assumption that the manipulated NBs express the intended NB (such as positive facial expression). The videos are successful in their manipulation of micro-NBs.
Study 2 is a pilot study that investigated how personality dimensions mediates the relationship between acted NBs and hypothetical pain through an online questionnaire (n = 80). It examines whether personality dimensions within the BFI-10 mediates the relationship between acted NBs and hypothetical pain. The respondent first filled out the BFI-10, before watching a video. The videos used in the pilot study are bins of the videos used in the mother study. After the video, the questionnaire asked the respondent to imagine severely burning their hand and how intense they think this pain would be. There were no proven mediational relationships, neither was there a significant relationship between NBs and hypothetical pain.
