ExpertHard5 marksExtended Response
Language, thought and communicationNon-verbal CommunicationCultureYuki
AQA GCSE · Question 10.2
Describe the results of Yuki's study of emoticons.
Suggest a possible conclusion that can be drawn from his results.
Justify your answer.
Describe the results of Yuki's study of emoticons.
Suggest a possible conclusion that can be drawn from his results.
Justify your answer.
How to approach this question
1. **Describe results**: State the key findings clearly. What did the Japanese participants do? What did the American participants do? Be specific about eyes and mouths.
2. **Suggest conclusion**: What is the bigger picture? What do these results tell us about communication or culture in general?
3. **Justify**: Explain *why* the results lead to that conclusion. Link the findings back to cultural norms or learned behaviours. Why might Japanese people focus on eyes and American people on mouths?
Full Answer
Yuki et al.'s (2007) study found that when judging emotions from emoticons, Japanese participants were more influenced by the eyes, while American participants were more influenced by the mouth. The conclusion drawn is that culture shapes how we interpret facial expressions. The justification links this to cultural display rules. In many Eastern cultures, overt emotional expression is discouraged, so people learn to look for more subtle cues in the eyes. In many Western cultures, emotions are expressed more openly, particularly with the mouth (e.g., smiling), so people learn to focus on that cue.
Common mistakes
Mixing up the results (e.g., saying Japanese participants focused on the mouth). Also, providing a weak justification that just repeats the results rather than explaining the underlying reasons for them.
Practice the full AQA GCSE Psychology Paper 2
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