Environmental & Physical Surroundings

Architecture as a form of nonverbal influence Buildings and other structures makes symbolic statements about a culture’s status, power, values. ◦Great Wall of China ◦Dubai Tower (Burj Khalifa) ◦Cathedrals in the Middle Ages

Fixed features Las Vegas Casinos ◦No clocks ◦Loud ◦Bright, garish decor

Semi-fixed features Presidential debates ◦Lengthy agreements specify:  The number of debates  Locations  Staging  Question/answer format  Audience members

Semi-fixed features 1973 Paris Peace Accords ◦North Viet Nam insisted on a round table ◦South Viet Nam insisted on a rectangular table ◦A compromise was reached

Designed environments The design of a space can facilitate or inhibit communication, or facilitate some types of communication while inhibiting others Disneyland Shopping malls Supermarkets Planned communities

Everyday surroundings Our surroundings affect our mood, emotions, perceptions Maslow & Mintz (1956) compared three types of rooms; “ugly,” “beautiful,” “average” Participants rated photos of people more favorable when sitting in the “beautiful” room.

College classrooms Traditional classroom ◦Desks in rows ◦Lectern in front ◦Drab colors ◦Encourages one-to- many communication Large lecture halls ◦Fixed seating ◦Less immediacy ◦Discourages participation

The workplace It is a well-known and established fact that the physical environment a group is in greatly affects how its members interact, perform tasks, and are lead.

Cubicles or “cube farms” An estimated 40 million Americans work in cubicles ◦Lack of privacy ◦Drab, gray fabric walls ◦Walls discourage conversation ◦“prairie dogging”

College dorm rooms Vinsel et al. (1980). College students’ dorm room decorations predicted the likelihood of dropping out. Dropouts had more decorations from high school and home, fewer from the college or university.

Environmental variables Arousal ◦How stimulated or alert we are Pleasure ◦Feelings of happiness, contentment, satisfaction Dominance ◦Perceptions of power, control, status

Power and Control Sheriff Joe Arpaio, in Arizona, is known as America’s toughest sheriff. He requires inmates to wear pink underwear. Minor offenders live in tents.

Perceptual characteristics Formality Warmth Privacy Familiarity Distance (Safety)