Gender Differences In Haptic Behavior: Exploring The Underlying Factors Through Literature Review

Background Research

One of the first sense that human acquire and considered as one of the most successful relationships’ secret weapon. It is not a new psychological tact that human has the ability to communicate non-verbally and there are involvement of motion, posture, expressions and many more that helps in the communication performed non-verbally. However, it is not easily accepted that “touch” can be included in the same as a non-verbal modality which is called Haptics (Gatti et al, 2013).

According to Matthew Hertenstein, humans have innate ability to decode emotions through touch solely. Also, researchers find it that humans are mostly not comformtable touching strangers therefore calls society as a ‘touch-phobic society’ (Chillot, 2013). When experimented, people can communicate eight distinct emotions, fear, anger, disgust, love, sympathy, sadness, happiness. This experiment was indeed true since the study conducted to measure brain activation in people being touched was performed. A part of brain called the primary somatosensory cortex responds when human communicate through touching.

Dacher and Matt Hertensstein have been investing years in the research of haptic and according to them there have been revealing differences in the ways men and women communicate and understand. Various forms of emotions through touch. In their different forms of researches initially they were convinced that men and women were equally accurate in detecting their emotions though touch (Guerrero, 2014). However, when it came to individual emotions were considered they found vital gender differences majorly in compassion, anger and happiness. Women seemed to detect compassion in much better than men. Anger was much easily detected only when the both partners in the pair was male which was same for women in case of happiness. The evolution theory explains that women throughout history has been performing the task of caretaking and it could be the reason for them experiencing more compassion. Similarly men experience more anger as they have been experiencing and expressing more anger than men. 

The difference of nonverbal communication performed by male and female are different. According to researches men and women have different level of acknowledging an emotion. This paper is carried out in order to find out the reasons that makes the gender differences possible. The reason women experience high amount of happiness and men experience anger is the main reason this paper is conducted.

The main objective of this paper are:

• To discuss the haptic behavior in human
• To investigate gender on haptic behavior
• To identify the reasons regarding gender and the changes in haptic behavior 

Touch communicates distinct emotions between humans. However, the concern is as per researches the anger communicated by men are of greater level than it is in women. Like anger, sympathy and compassion is communicated by women are of greater level than men. Therefore, the issue here is to understand the causes that make the differences. It is important to understand the differences in feeling in the two genders. 

The haptic behavior in human: One of the most important sense and first acknowledged sense by human being. It is even before birth human begin to develop the ways of communicating through touch. Touch receptors recognize cold, heat, pain or pressure however, there is more to it such as psychological influences that includes healing and reducing anxiety, coaxing, and healing stress. This particular sense of touch is referred as haptic. It is a form of non-verbal communication. It is medium of social exchange and a source through which helps individual build strong attachments and cooperative alliances. Status differences, expression of sexual and romantic interest, soothing and calming others are few conditions that are performed through the sense of touch (Peck, Barger and Webb, 2013).

Rationale and Objectives

The difference of gender on haptic behavior: Through the human history, it is suggested that women would be better and more skilled at communicating happiness and compassion when the haptic behaviors are considered. In the same way, men are better at communicating the anger. When a study was conducted by having two strangers in a room together and separated by a barrier. One person tries to convey 12 emotions to the other only with the help of touching. After the attempt, the participants had to guess the right emotion that was being expressed. In the beginning, Dacher and Matt found the result as neutral where both women and men were equally right in the capability to detect emotion that was conveyed through touch. However when the same observation was being analyzed again in order to find differences that existed when individual emotions were considered. The differences were significant specifically for three emotions. The three emotion are compassion, anger and happiness. The differences also seem to pull certain stereotype believes about men and women (Shields, 2013).

Changes in haptic behavior considering gender: According to reports, women experience more happiness then men, share more emotions and compassions then men, these in one way contribute in building stereotypes about gender roles. However, it can also be stated that it is these stereotypes that has encouraged to drive these behaviors rather than the other way around. According to Matt and Dacher, the reason for successfully communicating compassion is due to the evolutionary theory that describes women’s role throughout in human history as the caregiver of offspring. This is often taken with much seriousness that women experience more compassion than men. In the experiment it was also observed that men experience more anger which was not surprising. This is due to the fact that men experience and express more anger than women. It is also important to mention that even the facial expression of anger is more easily recognized in men than women. Women are more skilled at communicating happiness than men since women report that they tend to express and experience more happiness, positive emotions, smiles than men.

There are already presumed stereotypes about sexes in society. Although the stereotypes exists in society with these specific characteristics of gender, Matt and Dacher has a different perspective. According to them, these stereotypes are the reason that has helped to derive the results in the experiment mentioned above, rather than the other way around. As per them, the people in the experiment in some way when aware of the gender tend to guess the emotions that are typically associated with the gender. Even though it was performed subconsciously, it is inevitable. On an overall perspective it is important to understand that it is not only the gender that makes the haptic but also the stereotypes that shape and emphasis the haptic (Hertenstein and Keltner, 2011).

Research philosophy is the belief on the process that would help in collecting data, analyzing a phenomenon (Chan, Fung and Chien, 2013). Epistemology is the collection of various philosophies of research approach. The primary purpose of science is the process of transforming believes into something that is known. In this research two major research philosophies would be considered, interpretivism and positivism.

Sampling is a process of selecting the group that is appropriate among the population who would represent the population (Mertler and Reinhart, 2016). In this paper, the sampling method would be non-probability sampling. The purposive and convenience sampling methods would be applied in this paper. The sample size of the research would be 50 women and 50 men.

The present study involves data that are collected via primary method as well as secondary methods. The primary methods are obtaining data first handedly and it has not been gather before. Secondary collection of data involves data that have been reviewed previously by other scholars. Since the data will make use of both ways of gathering data that are first handed as well as second handed, it involves primary and secondary data.

In order to carry out the present study, the researcher will utilize qualitative method and well as quantitative method. The qualitative method is method that cannot be measured but only analyzed and understood. There are various methods that come under the qualitative method, in this particular paper the content analysis and case study will the selected method. The quantitative method would include survey.

The preset study will provide the information that it aims to find. It will provide evidences that can hep understand the differences of gender on haptic behavior and the changes in haptic behavior considering gender.

The research paper will follow the following ethical norms:

• Participant’s privacy
• Safety of the participants
• No harm to environment
• Consent of the participants 

Research Activities	0-2 days	3-6 days	7-8 days	9-10 days	14th days
Selection Of Research Topic	ü
Review Of Literature	ü
Data Collection		ü
Data Analysis			ü
Final Research Thesis					ü

Research activity: the research activity will be completed within the first two days of the project’s inception.

Selection of the topic: The topic selection will also be within the first two days of the project’s inception.

Review of literature: the literature review of the assignment will be completed within 3-6^th days.

Data analysis: the data analysis will be completed by the end of 8^th day from the inception f the project.

Final research thesis: the final research thesis would be completed by the14th day from the inception of the project. 

“What do I need know?”	“Sources: where I can obtain this information?	“Notes and further questions raised.	“Justify the use of the source [Assessment criterion 3.1].
Gender and touch	https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/gender_and_touch	Women seemed to detect compassion in much better than men.	This article provides the information that are the main point of the article
“Are there any relevant theories available to explain this behaviour?	Gender theory	Anger was much easily detected only when the both partners in the pair was male which was same for women in case of happiness.	This concept is understood when the differentiations are highlighted.
“What previous research has been conducted into this topic?	According to previous research there was not difference in men and women touch.	Researches initially they were convinced that men and women were equally accurate in detecting their emotions though touch	The reason for stating it is importance of understanding the previous concept.

“PROPOSED TITLE, TOPIC AND AIMS”
“Assessment criteria”	“[Table for you to complete]”
1.1	“What is your title?”	Gender on haptic behavior
1.1	“What is the theme you are investigating?”	Gender bias as per the haptic behavior in society
1.2	“What is your aim?”	To find the impact of stereotype on gender based haptic behaviour

“DESIGN”
“Assessment criteria”	“[Table for you to complete]”
2.1, 2.2, 2.3	“What will be your experimental / non-experimental research method, and why? (Experiment/ Observation/Survey etc.). Justify your answer.”	Non-experimental research method. The methods would be case study and content analysis. The reason this method would be adopted since it is necessary to see and obtain the changes for both the gender
	“What is your Alternate / Experimental hypothesis?”	The experimental hypothesis is that it is stereotype of society that leads to changes in haptic behavior.
	“What is your Null hypothesis?”	Stereotype is not the reason for gender based haptic behavior
	“Is your hypothesis directional / non-directional? Justify your answer.”	Directional hypothesis as there will be no testing in order to find the result of the experiment.
	“Are there any EV’s to take into consideration?”	No
	“Confounding variables and limitations: do you think there may be any limitations within your research project which you cannot control for?”	No, there are not many limitations.
	“What ethical issues will you need to consider and why?”	· Privacy of the participants · Consent of the participants · No harm to environment · Safety of the participant

“PARTICIPANTS”
” [Table for you to complete]”
“How will you select your sample? (Opportunity, random etc.)”	The sampling will be based on purposive and convenience sampling process.
“How many participants will be required to gain a sufficient amount of data?  That means in order to conduct a statistical test.”	In order to gain sufficient amount of data 50 men samples and 50 women samples would be required.
“What will the age range / gender be?”	“Age range”: 16-30 “Number of  males”: 50	“Age range”: 16-30 “Number of females”: 50
“How will participants be allocated to each condition?”	The participants will be allocated as per the gender.

“APPARATUS / MATERIALS”
“[Table for you to complete]”
“What do you need to help you collect the data? (E.g. questionnaire, record sheet etc.)” “Are they reliable and valid tools? How can you establish this?”	In order to help collect data record sheet would be required. They are reliable and valid tools as they would act as evidences for their opinion

“PROCEDURE”
” [Table for you to complete]”
“Where will the study take place?”	The study will take place in the university campus.
“How will you carry out the study?”	A setting would be prepared where the participants would be able to help give the information without any interference.
“How will you collect and record the data?”	The data would be collected through the record sheet. Later the record sheet would be analyzed.

“RESULTS”
“[Table for you to complete]”
“How will you analyse the descriptive data (mean, median, mode, SD and range?)”	The data would be analyzed through mean.
“How will you present your data? Will you use any of the following: · tables? graphs / bar charts?”	The data would be presented in written form with tables and bar graphs.
“What will be the level of data collected and why? (Nominal, ordinal, interval or ratio).”	The data would be nominal as it would help in obtaining the result.
“Which statistical test would you intend to use and why? (Chi-Squared, T-test etc.)”	The statistical test would be a T-test.

“REFERENCES” “[Remember to use the Harvard Referencing System]”

Chan, Z. C., Fung, Y. L., and Chien, W. T. 2013. Bracketing in phenomenology: Only undertaken in the data collection and analysis process. The Qualitative Report, 18(30), 1-9. Chillot, R. 2013. The power of touch. Psychology today, 36, 52-61. Gatti, E., Caruso, G., Bordegoni, M., and Spence, C. 2013, April. Can the feel of the haptic interaction modify a user’s emotional state?. In World Haptics Conference (WHC), 2013 (pp. 247-252). IEEE. Guerrero, L. K. 2014. Interpersonal functions of nonverbal communication. CR Berger, Interpersonal Communication, 53-76. Hertenstein, M. J., and Keltner, D. 2011. Gender and the communication of emotion via touch. Sex roles, 64(1-2), 70-80. Mertler, C. A., and Reinhart, R. V. 2016. Advanced and multivariate statistical methods: Practical application and interpretation. Routledge. Peck, J., Barger, V. A., and Webb, A. 2013. In search of a surrogate for touch: The effect of haptic imagery on perceived ownership. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 23(2), 189-196. Shields, S. A. 2013. Gender and emotion: What we think we know, what we need to know, and why it matters. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 37(4), 423-435.