An observational study of touching in public was made, with attention to status variables (sex, race, age, SES) and settings. Results support the hypothesis that touch privilege is a correlate of status. The dual nature of touch as a sign of both status and solidarity is compared with Brown’s formulation of the similar use of terms of address.

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Status and sex: Some touching observations

Touch has been described as both the most basic sensory process and the earliest and most elemental form of communication (Frank, 1957; Montagu, 1971). Unlike other forms of nonverbal communication (e.g., eye gaze, proxemics, paralanguage), a separate term does not exist for the sensory process (e.g., vision, hearing) and the communication process (e.g., gaze, speech). Rather, the same term, touch, generally is used to describe the sensory process, specific stimuli, and the communication mechanism. This chapter focuses on the communication properties of touch in general, and gender patterns in tactile communication, in particular.

Gender Patterns in Touching Behavior

The history of research on social touch is discussed along with comparisons of different research strategies and techniques. Suggestions for future research are proposed.

History and strategies of research on social touch

87 parent-child pairs were videotaped during the departure routine when the parent left the child at a child-care center. In the 2-parent sample, parent-daughter dyads showed higher levels of overall interaction than parent-son dyads. Although affectionate interaction was high for parent-daughter dyads, the level of affection was particularly low in father-son dyads. The single mother interacted with both sexes at high and nonsignificantly different levels, but did not engage in more affection with her child. (9 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved).

Sex differences in the socialization of affectionate expression

Increased awareness of inappropriate touch with children may discourage positive parent-child touch. The present study was designed to assess the extent of agreement regarding the appropriateness of various types of parent-child touch. Respondents were 83 men and 121 women who were shopping in an open air market in a metropolitan area. Touches involving parents and children in several settings were rated on a scale of appropriateness. Reasonably clear norms emerged for touching with children of different ages. There were no differences in relation to the gender of the respondents and few in relation to the respondent's age, family income, or marital status. Blacks rated many of the touches as less appropriate than did Whites but cultural differences within the two groups were not investigated. It was concluded that rating scales may be useful in assessing norms for parent-child touch but cultural differences are probably important.

Ratings of the appropriateness of touch among family members

A field study of the normal tactile interpersonal behaviors of forty-five motherchild pairs in a public, recreational setting. No phase of high tactile contact between mothers and children was evident. Mothers met the children's basic needs for food, tactile comfort and safety. All mothers gave less tactile communication to their youngest children than they gave to their just-walking ones. Tactile contact declined from this peak on. Mothers were most active in the areas of Control and Nursing; much less frequent were Play, Affection, Comfort, and Anger. Most of the childinitiated contacts were of the affectionate attachment kind. Tactile communication has been a relatively neglected area of psychological interest, yet it plays a crucial role in all human relationships. It appears to be biologically essential to the human being in the first four months of life; throughout the life cycle it is physically and psychologically useful in returning the individual to normal functioning after experiencing stress; and finally, it is the main avenue through which the human need for intimacy and acceptance is satisfied. The lack of interest in this fundamental modality can be viewed as an indication of a number of American attitudes. For example, there is the American preoccupation with words and with the articulated part of our culture; there is also the lack of concern with the subject of happiness as compared with the volume of problem literature; and finally, there is the attitude of prudery and anxiety about sexual matters which carries over into the tactile area because of the relationship between touch and sex.

http://www.jstor.org/stable/pdfplus/582264.pdf

Vidal S. Clay

Papers

The Effect of Culture On Mother-Child Tactile Communication*