Verbal and Nonverbal Communication: Distinguishing Symbolic, Spontaneous, and Pseudo-Spontaneous Nonverbal Behaviour

Verbal and nonverbal communication are seen in terms of interacting streams of spontaneous and symbolic communication, and posed “pseudo-spontaneous ” dis-plays. Spontaneous communication is defined as the nonintentional communica-tion of motivational-emotional states based upon biologically shared nonpropositional signal systems, with information transmitted via displays. Sym-bolic communication is the intentional communication, using learned, socially shared signal systems, of propositional information transmitted via symbols. Pseudo-spontaneous communication involves the intentional and strategic manipulation of displays. An original meta-analysis demonstrates that, like verbal symbolic com-munication, nonverbal analogic (pantomimic) communication is related to left hemisphere cerebral processing. In contrast, spontaneous communication is re-lated to the right hemisphere. A general theory of communication should account for the natural biologically based aspects of communication as well as its learned and symbolically structured aspects. Further, such a general theory should include a feedback process—expla