Communication Apprehension and Nonverbal Behavior: A Functional-Contextual Approach

This paper reviews the existing body of research on the relationship between communication apprehension (CA) and nonverbal behavior. The strengths and limitations of three different approaches are considered. Contextual approaches are studies of CA and nonverbal behavior in which the primary focus is on communicative context (public speaking, small groups, dyadic). Functional approaches examine the ways in which nonverbal signals combine to serve important communicative goals (expressing emotion, engaging in deception, managing conversations). Functional-contextual approaches focus on the dynamic interplay of function and context--both are integral features in theories and models of nonverbal communication. In the latter approach, CA is often studied as an important mediating variable. The paper concludes with several suggestions for future directions in the study of communication anxiety and nonverbal behavior. (Contains 31 references.) (Author/RS)