A First Look At Communication Theory, 10e (Griffin)
Chapter 7 Expectancy Violations Theory
1) The invisible, variable volume of space surrounding an individual that defines that individual’s
referred distance from others is called:
A) intimate space.
B) personal space.
C) social space.
D) public space.
2) The term that was coined by Edward Hall to refer to the study of people’s use of space as a
special elaboration of culture is:
A) proxemics.
B) kinesics.
C) chronemics.
D) haptics.
3) Burgoon originally stated that people felt physiologically aroused when their proxemic
expectations were violated. However, she:
A) now views arousal as a side effect of a partner’s deviation.
B) softened the concept of arousal to “an orienting response” or a mental “alertness” that focuses
attention on the violator.
C) no longer considers arousal as a necessary link between expectancy violation and
communication outcomes such as attraction, credibility, persuasion, and involvement.
D) All of the answers are correct.
4) The perceived positive or negative value assigned to a breach of expectations, regardless of
who the violator is, is called:
A) response value.
B) reinforcement value.
C) violation valence.
D) None of the answers is correct.
5) Which of the following concepts has Burgoon abandoned?
A) violation valence
B) communicator reward valence
C) expectancy
D) threat threshold
6) ________ suggests that people live in an interpersonal economy in which they all “take stock”
of the relational value of others they meet.
A) Social penetration theory
B) Interaction adaption theory (IAT)
C) The critical tradition
D) The cybernetic tradition
7) The reward valence of a communicator is:
A) the zone around the individual that is advantageous to cross.
B) the sum of the positive and negative attributes the person brings to the encounter.
C) the potential he or she has to reward or punish in the future.
D) the sum of the positive and negative attributes the person brings to the encounter plus the
potential he or she has to reward or punish in the future.
8) According to interaction adaptation theory, the initial interaction position is made up of:
A) expectations and violations.
B) needs, drives, and objectives.
C) requirements, expectations, and desires.
D) generalized goals and specific tactics.
9) ________ is defined as a strong human tendency to respond to another‘s action with similar
behavior.
A) Reciprocity
B) Expectancy
C) Predictability
D) Mindfulness
10) Judee Burgoon claimed that the size and shape of one’s personal space is independent of his
or her cultural norms and individual preferences.
11) The meaning of unexpected touch is unequivocal.
12) Judee Burgoon and her colleagues prefer to reserve the term “expectancy” for what is desired
rather than what is predicted to occur.
13) Burgoon defines the term “communicator reward valence” as the sum of positive and
negative attributes brought to an encounter plus the potential to reward or punish in the future.
14) EVT successfully accounts for the overwhelming prevalence of reciprocity that has been
found in interpersonal interactions.
15) EVT has testable hypotheses that Burgoon is willing to adjust when her quantitative research
doesn’t support the prediction.
16) Judee Burgoon believes that interpersonal interactions involve unilateral moves rather than
synchronized actions and continues to favor a single-sided view of unexpected communication
over a dyadic model of adaptation.
17) Judee Burgoon states that human beings are predisposed to adapt to each other.
18) Burgoon is convinced that all cultures have a similar content of expected communication
behavior but the structure of those expectations can differ markedly from culture to culture.
19) By removing extraneous features, Burgoon has streamlined her model.
20) Burgoon abandoned the idea of a(n) ________.
21) ________ is defined as a systematic analysis of how people adjust their approach when
another’s behavior doesn’t align with what’s needed, anticipated, or preferred.
22) When is it appropriate and when is it inappropriate to violate expectations?
23) Discuss the principal changes in Burgoon’s theory, from its initial formulation to the present.
24) Two crucial variables in Burgoon’s expectancy violations theory are the violation valence
and the communicator reward valence. What’s the difference between these two variables or
indexes?
25) What is the difference between violation valence and communicator reward valence? Which
one is more important?
26) Identify, describe, and illustrate the core concepts of EVT.
27) Gene wants to approach his great-aunt Dorothy about lending him money for the down
payment on his house but is not sure how to go about making his request. What advice would
you give him? What important things should he know, and what is likely to increase his chance
of success?
28) Explain how Burgoon simultaneously streamlined her model and expanded the range of
expectancy violations.
29) What are the ethical issues involved in EVT?
30) Imagine that the ghost of George Herbert Mead encounters Judee Burgoon late one evening
as she pores over data in her University of Arizona laboratory. Quickly crossing her threat
threshold—which is particularly easy for a spirit to do—he violates her expectations by
presenting a critique of her work. What is the gist of their exchange? Who has the last laugh?
31) Is EVT a good scientific theory? Why or why not?
32) Could a practitioner of CMM’s dialogic communication incorporate EVT into his or her
repertoire to become a more effective mediator of disputes? Why or why not?