Emily Perron

April 12, 2017

COM 380

Brief Reading 8

Eye Contact The Core of Interpersonal Relatedness discusses how sight influences

perceptions. During scanning, the eyes differentiate important stimuli from less important ones.

In humans, it is found that when eye contact is made, arousal and excitement increases. Sight has

many functions. Eye contact can maintain attention (acknowledging pedestrians right away) or

can increase protection (avoiding eye contact with a criminal). Gazing into anothers eyes can

also inspire love. When we see we take in input and build meaning based on previous

experience and other senses. Eye contact helps build understanding, but it is important to

recognize the different uses and rules of eye contact based on culture and status.

This article relates to the material that points to the face in order to identify emotion. Eye

contact is a way we use space to distance ourselves from others or show intimacy. Through our

use of sight we associate meaning with other information and show sincerity, leadership,

positivity, willingness to listen and relate, as well as our level of aggression and assertiveness.

The article assumes that eyesight is essential for comprehension. Eye contact is the first

step to interpersonal engagement and defines the relationship between two people. Eye contact

can communicate many things and depends on the situation. The article argues that the increased

arousal support that some strangers making direct eye contact can feel, love at first sight.

The article is an interesting take on what eye contact communicates. Nonverbal

communication is complex, and easy to take for granted. This reading shows that using the eyes
to communicate can portray different messages based on a situation. Growing up with Cerebral

Palsy, I have known for the majority of my life that fine motor movements can be very difficult

for me. With these struggles, my lack of control over my eye-movement can cause others to think

I am inattentive or unfocused. Further research on improving communication with people who

struggle with communication relating to fine motor would be interesting.

Eye Contact The Core of Interpersonal Relatedness shows how they eyes separate

important information and unimportant information. With this we can use eye contact to show

emotion and portray different message depending on a situation. However, it is important to note

appropriate eye contact among different cultures and status. As important as eye contact is, with

my struggles I think while it helps with nonverbal communication, it is not essential for

successful communication. Further research on eye behavior and fine motor disabilities would

contribute significantly to nonverbal communication.