The Alphabet of Eyes Coding - Assignment Example

Behavioural Teaching Programme on Eye Contact Introduction "Making eye contact is the most powerful mode of establishing a communicative link between humans. During their first year of life, infants learn rapidly that the looking behaviours of others convey significant information." (Ferroni et al, 2002) Character and personality can be identified through the various behaviours of a person. Consequently, behaviours are measured according to different factors that may include body language, gestures, facial expressions and eye contact. These various non-verbal cues are considered significant in identifying the social behaviours and capabilities of the individuals in the society. Various studies had been conducted linking these manifestations of the body, face, and eyes on the social processes that a person presents in the society. Through observational method of behavioural research, the different patterns of behaviour will be measured and analysed according to the its meanings identified by the researchers themselves. On the other hand, adult behaviours are often observed than that of the children's behaviours, as much as psychologists observe infant development. In the psychological aspect of observing the different patterns of behaviour of human beings, they have found the various non-verbal expressions to be the appropriate basis of measurement. Assessing Eye Contact Among Children There had been several coding schemes in order to identify eye contact between two people as well as among group discussions. In a behavioural teaching programme designed to increase the extent to which a three-year old child makes eye contact with his mother during a play session, there are but various considerations that must be recognized to find out the appropriateness and accuracy of the study. Measuring the amount of eye contact that a three year old child makes with his mother may encounter specific problems that would eventually affect the assessment of the child's behaviour. During infancy, children's skills to establish eye contact are determined by the way in which the people around them are able to look at them directly. Ferroni et al (2002) found that upon growing up, infants inhabit the same social skills - that is establishing eye contact - among adults. One of the problems that may arise in assessing the amount of eye contact three-year old children makes towards adults is their ability to establish one. Children at they age are easily disturbed by any sound or object they observe within the room being observed. Furthermore, the presence of adults, especially when there are no other children surrounding them intimidates them, thus avoiding eye contact. It is at the same time a stage in which children assesses the other person in conversation with them, prohibiting them the ability to fully express themselves, thus establishing eye contact as well. Three-year olds at the same time do not initiate conversations lest hey participate in a conversation or most significantly in a play session where there are expected to initiate the conversation. Conversation between the researcher or the parent with the children are deemed appropriate in the study such that conversation encourages eye contact in order to pay attention to what the other is talking about. Children at this stage are prone from imitating an adult's expression as well as their gaze, thus, once the other looks at a different direction, children may follow suit. It is also important to take note that the behavioural pattern of children, especially in conversation, differ from that of his or her parents and from strangers. Children establish more eye contact to individuals whom they have known for quite some time than those whom they have just met. This difference might create a conflict before and after the research. Results may be contradicting such that the child may behave differently during the actual programme. An appropriate coding scheme is necessary In order to limit the ways in which results may be contradicting before and after the research programme. Coding schemes, particularly in an interaction between two people alone, should be simple as possible although they could range from the more complex to the simplest forms. Some of the identified coding schemes that might be used in the study are the following: The Alphabet of eyes coding scheme is intended to interpret the gaze behaviour of a person. This includes the analysis of the different eye regions such as the eyebrows, wrinkles, eyelids, and the eyes itself as well as its movements. Facial Action Coding System or FACS is another coding scheme where Action Units (AU) of the eyes are coded and interpreted. ("Facial Coding Schemes") There are various coding schemes regarding individual behaviours. On the other hand each coding scheme is intended solely for the type of study the researcher intends to do. One of the popular yet the simplest coding schemes were those that involves specific odes for every behaviour observed. In this study, a simple coding scheme may be used in order to asses the amount of eye contact the child made with his mother. Yet it is necessary that the researcher identifies the difference between eye contact and gaze such that this may create another source of non-reliability of the result of the programme. An approach that may seem appropriate in the said behavioural teaching program would be to assign somebody whom the child knows closely other than his mother before the behavioural programme is implemented to get an idea how much eye contact the child establishes with another person. A familiar individual is deemed fit for the pre-testing such that the child will feel comfortable talking and playing with the person although not as closely related to his mother. This method will be used to leave the child and the other person to begin as strangers where it is expected that the child may not establish eye contact as often as it does with a person he is familiar with. The result of the pre-test will be the basis as to what kind of teaching programme should be considered during the actual behavioural programme. The identity of the child being studies should be kept anonymous in order to protect his right to privacy. Although this may rise some questioning with regards to reliability but it is important that the child's right to privacy be protected even at a young age. During the study, some unnecessary results may surface with regards to the child's historical background which includes his parents and their identities, and this must be protected against being published further. They should be protected against the society's ridicule as well. The variables in the research where a negative correlation coefficient may be encountered would be the methods in which the facilitator would develop various situations that would encourage the child to establish an eye contact. The manners in which the facilitator communicates with the child may vary such that the child may not feel comfortable with the facilitator thus eliciting lesser amounts of eye contact. Conclusion Considering the various concerns in formulating or creating a programme strategy for children's behaviour, it can be observed that they are the most critical subject of behavioural research in psychology. Their cognitive instability can be considered as the main reason for such weak classification as subjects for research in psychology. It is at this stage where children believes in whatever the adults tell them without questioning further. It is at the same the stage in human development when one is trying to familiarize itself with the environment surrounding him, therefore confusing and unstable results are derived from them. References and Works Cited: An Introduction to Method. Retrieved from http://www.udel.edu/communication/COMM356/pavitt/appendix.htm. March 5, 2007. Facial Coding Schemes. Retrieved from http://isle.nis.sdu.dk/reports/wp9/index.phpchapter=2#2.1. March 6, 2007. Farroni, T. et al. (2002) Eye Contact Detection in Humans from Birth. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, Vol. 99 (4). Retrieved from http://links.jstor.org/sicisici=0027- 8424(20020709)99%3A14%3C9602%3AECDIHF%3E2.0.CO%3B2-H. March 6, 2007 Methods for Observing and Recording. Retrieved from http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/students/earlycld/ea5l141a.htm. March 9, 2007. Read More