Social class differences in some aspects of the nonverbal communication between mother and preschool child

Abstract

Abstract Although it has been a common finding that social class differences exist in the use of language, it is not known whether nonverbal communication is also used differentially by different SES groups. Videotaped recordings were made of the interactions between 2 divergent SES groups of 15 mothers and their preschool children in 2 situations. Data were analyzed with respect to three nonverbal variables. It was found that low SES mothers used more physical contact during a practical task; no difference existed between the SES groups on physical closeness during the tasks; the high SES motherchild pairs exchanged more mutual glances. The implications of these results for teachers are discussed.