Essay - Gender Communications Introduction the Research Question Examined in This Study...

Gender Communications

INTRODUCTION

***** research question examined in this study poses the following *****: "How does one person's behavior affect another person's behavior?" Specifically, this study is intended to assess the various mechanisms through which people communicate, both verbally and non-verbally. The ***** is ***** to examine the different methods in which males vs. females communicate, ***** explore whe*****r a difference in gender correl*****tes with a different approach ***** communicate. Also exam*****ed ***** whether or not males or females are likely to be influenced by each others communication cues, and whether one gender is more influenced by certain settings/cues than the other.

METHODOLOGY

Non-participant observation was the methodology selected for th***** study. *****, in order to best assess and observe gender relationships, our group decided to split the observations between two social sett*****gs: bars where ***** might "hang out" casually and the student center. Four members of our group went ***** Pete's Bar/Scarlet Pub in New Brunswick on Thursday, January 29, 2004 at eleven o'clock p.m., and three ***** of the group went to the College Avenue Student Center at ***** o'clock in the afternoon on Friday, ***** 30th. Each group member at the bar dispersed into separate sections ***** the bar in order to allow observation of various aspects of gender relationships. Observers either focused on specific people and relationships occurring in the bar, or the entire bar as a ***** setting. At the student *****, ***** group ********** ***** themselves about the food court to observe specific ***** relationshiops.

***** non-participant observational methodology ***** appropriate f***** use in this ***** for several reasons. As Herbert Spiegelberg described observations ***** demonstrations, reflections acquired ***** observation "produce reflections through ***** ***** strangeness of an obst*****ately familiar world can be detected" (Source 2: 38). The purpose of non-participant observation is to entitle the persons being *****d the right to "conduct their common conversational affairs without interference" (Source *****: 42).

A departure from this methodology might elicit an attempt by an observer ***** "restore a right state ***** affairs" or engage *****s in a m*****nner that would disrupt the n*****mal course of events. Participation ***** observers ***** in fact result in "skewed" results, and the participant is likely to inflict some of his or her own insights regarding the potential outcome ***** ***** whether intentionally or unintentionally amongst group members ***** individuals being observed.

PRELIMINARY ANALYSIS

The two patterns ***** emerged from the data collected by ***** ***** as follows:

1. Nonverbal ***** such as touch and eye contact is the factor that traditionally initiates a convers*****tion between males and females.

*****. Individuals are heavily ***** by the behavior of ***** friends ***** ***** reactions of ***** when they ***** in the presence of ***** ***** gender.

***** examples of communication initiation via non-verbal cues were evident throughout the ***** period. Th***** was most apparent in observations gained ***** strangers in a bar setting. The observations made in the bar are ***** appropriate to this theme, because the majority of ***** of