Frequently Asked Questions 

1. How can I obtain materials in regard to the Nowicki-Strickland Internal Control scales for children and adults?

Both the adult and child scales, manuals, and reference list of studies that have used the scales are available by clicking on the manuals for children and for adults

2. How can I obtain materials in regard to the Diagnostic Analysis of Nonverbal Accuracy(2) (DANVA2) tests for adult faces and voices for children and adults and adult posture (only includes adult stimuli, but can be given to children)?

(a) The DANVA2 manual can be obtained by clicking on the DANVA manual .

(b) Directions for accessing the adult and child faces and voices and adult postures can be obtained by clicking Wickline download.

3. Does Dr. Nowicki offer workshops applying what is known about locus of control and nonverbal language skills to the social adjustment and academic achievement of children and adults?

I have been a consultant (1) to the statewide programs for educating and treating severely disturbed children and adolescents for the past 40 years; (2) to the Village of Saint Joseph residential treatment center for 30 years. I have given talks and workshops at universities, schools, state programs, and hospitals. For examples of presentations click on videos. If interested in a presentation contact me via e-mail.

4. What are ways I can become involved in Locus of Control/Nonverbal communication research?

I am always looking for reliable, hard working individuals to help me with the nitty gritty aspects of my research. If interested, please contact me via e-mail at snowick@emory.edu.

5. I am a parent who wants to make my kid more internal, what can I do?

The complete answer is complex and explained more fully in my book, Choice or Chance, but a beginning answer involves you as parents being warm and accepting and giving your children an opportunity to interact with their environment to learn what to which outcomes their behavior is tied. An important part of this approach is to give children the freedom to fail and for you to help to them learn from their behavior what they did correct and what they did that wasn’t correct. Locus of control is learned and because of that can be changed through learning at any stage of life.

6. I am a parent of children who have problems “fitting in.” How is nonverbal communication involved in that happening?

The complete answer is complex, and I have written three books to fully explain the role on nonverbal skill in being socially adjusted. However, a beginning answer comes from the fact that compared to verbal communication, nonverbal communication of emotion is more (1) continuous, (2) out of awareness and (3) likely to be believed. Whenever verbal and nonverbal messages disagree, we are more likely to believe the nonverbal one. Differences in nonverbal skill come about because it is not learned formally in educational settings like verbal languages skill, but rather learned informally in the home in interactions with parents and later with peers and teachers.