A Socio-Cultural Model Based on Empirical Data of Cultural and Social Relationships - Culture and Computing - page 76

2. Sense of like mindedness (High/Low) : This concept refers to the situation where
similar views are held that leads to a strong relationship between two individuals [11].
3. Frequency of contact (High/Low) : This refers to a social dimension that is
horizontal in structure that determines the format of a relationship. Frequent contact
[11] refers to distance/intimacy.
4. Length of relation (Long/Short) : This term also refers to how roles in a
relationship are measured. The duration of the relation hence influences the amount of
closeness in a relation [11]. In cross-cultural research it has been established that
individuals from different cultures regard this factor differently. For example, friends
are regarded as close by Lim and Bowers but as intermediate in terms of
closeness/distance by Blum-Kulka et al [11].
4 Comparative Corpus Analyses
Evidence derived from the literature indicates that both verbal and non-verbal
behavior consists of an assimilation of social and cultural factors. In the present study,
we examined posture as one kind of non-verbal behavior. Fig. 2 presents an example
of this, where it can clearly be seen that, in the first situation, where the individual is
interacting with someone for the first time, the posture of the person is more relaxed
than in the second scenario where the interaction involves someone of a higher status.
Posture can, therefore, be exploited as a way of determining the relationship between
individuals.
Fig. 2. Interaction in two social relationships in a Japanese person
In the present study we carried out an empirical study of posture. Based on
previous studies [1], posture was therefore categorized according to five criteria as
follows: frequency, duration, mirroring, spatial extent, and rigidness. Brief definitions
of the characteristics appertaining to posture are provided below.
1. Frequency : Frequency of change in posture
2. Duration : Duration till which a person remains in the same posture
3. Spatial Extent : Amount of space used in a posture
4. Rigidness : Rigidness or relaxation apparent from the posture
5. Mirroring : Frequency of instances when an individual unconsciously imitates a
partner's posture during a conversation.