Speech Chapter 7 Expectancy Violations Theory Outline Personal Space Expectations Conform Deviate Judee Burgoon

CHAPTER 7

EXPECTANCY VIOLATIONS THEORY

Outline

I. Personal space expectations: conform or deviate?

A. Judee Burgoon defines personal space as the invisible, variable volume of space

surrounding an individual that defines that individual’s preferred distance from

others.

2. Personal space is always a compromise between the conflicting approach–

avoidance needs that we as humans have for affiliation and privacy.

B. Edward Hall coined the term proxemics to refer to the study of people’s use of space

as a special elaboration of culture.

1. He believed that most spatial interpretation is outside our awareness.

2. He believed that Americans have four proxemic zones.

a. Intimate distance: 0 to 18 inches.

3. He maintained that effective communicators adjust their nonverbal behavior to

conform to the communicative rules of their partners.

C. Burgoon suggests that under some circumstances, violating social norms and

personal expectations is a superior strategy to conformity.

II. An applied test of the original model.

A. According to Burgoon’s early model, crossing over the “threat threshold” that forms

the boundary of the intimate distance causes physical and psychological discomfort.

B. Noticeable deviations from what we expect cause a heightened state of arousal and

spur us to review the nature of our relationship with a person.

C. A person with “punishing” power should observe proxemic conventions or stand

slightly farther away than expected.

III. A convoluted model becomes an elegant theory.

A. Burgoon dropped the concept of the threat threshold.

B. She has substituted “an orienting response” or a mental “alertness” for “arousal.”

C. Arousal is no longer a necessary link between expectancy violation and

communication outcomes such as attraction, credibility, persuasion, and

involvement, but rather a side effect of a partner’s deviation.

prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.

D. She has dropped the qualifier “nonverbal” because she believes the principles of

EVT apply to verbal interaction as well.

IV. Core concepts of EVT (expectancy violations theory).

A. EVT offers a soft determinism rather than hard-core universal laws.

B. Burgoon does, however, hope to link surprising interpersonal behavior and

attraction, credibility, influence, and involvement.

C. Expectancy.

D. Violation valence.

2. If the valence is negative, do less than expected.

4. Although the meanings of most violations can be determined from context, some

nonverbal expectancy violations are equivocal.

5. For equivocal violations, one must refer to the communicator reward valence.

E. Communicator reward valence.

1. The communicator reward valence is the sum of the positive and negative

2. Puzzling violations force victims to search the social context for clues to their

meaning and that’s when communication reward valence comes into play.

4. Communicator reward valence may loom large when it’s especially strong either

way (exceptionally positive or negative).

V. Interactional Adaptation—Adjusting Expectations.

A. Burgoon has recognized that “EVT does not fully account for the overwhelming

prevalence of reciprocity that has been found in interpersonal interactions.”

B. So she has reassessed EVT’s single-sided view of unexpected communication and

now favors a dyadic model of adaptation.

1. Interactional adaptation theory is an extension and expansion of EVT

2. Interactional position encompasses three factors:

a. Requirements—outcomes we all need to fulfill our basic needs to survive, be

C. Unlike EVT, IAT addresses how people adjust their behavior when others violate their

expectations.

VI. Critique: A well-regarded work in progress.

A. While we might wish for predictions that prove more reliable than a long-range

weather forecast, a review of expectancy violations research suggests that EVT may

have reached that point and be more accurate than other theories that predict

responses to nonverbal communication.

B. Despite problems, Burgoon’s theory meets five criteria for a good scientific theory

(explanation, relative simplicity, testable, quantitative research, and practical advice)

and recent research suggests improvement in the sixth criterion—prediction.

Key Names and Terms

Judee Burgoon

A theorist from the University of Arizona who developed expectancy violations theory.

Personal Space

The invisible, variable volume of space surrounding an individual that defines that

individual’s preferred distance from others.

The American proxemic zone of 0 to 18 inches.

Personal Distance

The American proxemic zone of 18 inches to 4 feet.

Social Distance

The American proxemic zone of 4 to 10 feet.

Public Distance

The American proxemic zone of 10 feet to infinity.

Threat Threshold

Arousal, relational

A heightened state of awareness, orienting response, or mental alertness that

stimulates review of the relationship.

Expectancy

Communicator Reward Valence

The sum of the positive and negative attributes that the person brings to the encounter

plus the potential he or she has to reward or punish in the future.

Paul Mongeau

Interactional Adaptation Theory

A systematic approach to how people adjust their approach when another’s behavior

doesn’t mesh with what’s needed, anticipated, or preferred.

Interaction Position

Principal Changes

The content of this chapter, which has been edited for clarity and precision, is largely

unchanged from the previous edition. The relationship among expectancy, violation valence,

and communicator reward valence has been refined by Burgoon and has therefore been

Kick-off Questions & Interaction Starters

• Can a violation ever be positive?

• Are expectations always prescriptive or can they be altered retrospectively?

• How do you respond when someone you do not like does a nice thing for you?

Suggestions for Discussion

Comparing with other theories

Closely following coordinated management of meaning—which disdains efforts to

isolate individual variables in the communication process—expectancy violations theory

provides an excellent opportunity to compare the characteristics of traditional empiricism with

Comparisons with symbolic interactionism (Chapter 5) may also be fruitful. It’s

important to emphasize that Mead and followers were more interested in the ways in which

Other factors that impact an outcome

I find the author’s willingness to disclose “stereotyped assessments” of four former

students refreshingly honest. I am also pleased with the way in which he uses these

assessments to exemplify the importance of the communicator reward valence. Building on

this analysis, I have found it productive to further speculate as to other factors that might

explain why Dawn’s and Andre’s requests were granted while refusing Charlie’s and Belinda’s.

For example, the content of these requests could be viewed as the salient variable. The

responses may have had less to do with perception of the askers and more to do with the

desirability or appropriateness of what was asked. Andre desires a letter of recommendation,

which is a highly appropriate request for a student to make. These letters are part of a typical

day’s work for a professor, who understands their importance—a good letter can make the

Confusing terms

For many students, the clarity and relative simplicity of Burgoon’s theory is a welcome

departure from the abstraction of CMM. There are a couple of sticking points that often trip

students and you might want to pay special attention to be sure they are clear on those areas.

The term “violation” generally has a negative connotation and thus, may be a source of

confusion. How can something that, in the end, is evaluated positively, be a violation? Remind

students that Burgoon’s use of violation involves the breaching of an expectation that may be

done in a positive manner or by a valued partner. In your discussion, you might want to solicit

examples of when a situation resulted in a pleasant, though unexpected outcome.

As noted in the chapter, Hall, who coined the term “proxemics,” believed “that most

spatial interpretation is outside our awareness”. If this is true, then a knowledge of EVT—which

teaches us that in some circumstances violating social norms and personal expectations is “a

superior strategy to conformity”—gives a persuader a considerable advantage over an

Sample Application Log

Leanne

My freshman year of college I expected everyone to like me. On the second day of class I

walked into my suitemate’s room, gave her a warm greeting, sat close to her, smiled, browsed

through her room acknowledging our similar tastes in music and then left. My suitemate was

NOT expecting someone like me to barge in. She had been sitting in her room in a melancholy

Exercises and Activities

Proxemics

Classroom exercises can bring to life features of proxemics and personal space. One

such activity begins by dividing the class into two groups. Give one group instructions to keep

a distance of no more than 18 inches from conversation partners. Instruct members of the

Proxemics in the imaginary elevator

One of my favorite exercises is to create an imaginary elevator at the front of the room

and gradually fill it—floor by floor—with student passengers. As each rider enters, note how he

or she chooses a spot so as to maximize personal space. After four or five passengers have

situated themselves, enter the elevator yourself and deliberately break the time-honored

pattern by standing inappropriately close to one of the riders. You’ll get a laugh from the class,

EVT beyond proxemics

While proxemic considerations are central to Burgoon’s original theory, it is important to

remind students of EVT’s more global considerations for communication. I have found that,

given the origins of the theory and the chapter treatment of the material, students have a hard

time getting past thinking of it as a nonverbal theory. As a result, in class discussions, I

sometimes will often purposefully avoid using nonverbal examples. For examples, forms of

address are easily understood and applicable to all. When do you expect to be called by a

shortened form of your name or a nickname? When should you use someone’s title? Think

about your college’s president. What is he or she to be called? When can you verbally dress

Television and feature film examples

If your students are fans of reality television, you can likely draw examples of EVT from

Survivor or The Bachelor. On these shows, violations are often on display and you might ask

students to explain some of the responses when a heroic character acts villainous or a

Further Resources

EVT in applied situations

Burgoon’s theory has been applied to a wide variety of situations. The following represent only

a few of those projects, and only ones that center around EVT.

Judee K. Burgoon, Joseph A. Bonito, Paul Benjamin Lowry, Sean L. Humpherys, Gregory D.

Moody, James E. Gaskin, and Justin Scott Giboney, “Application of Expectancy

Violations Theory to Communication With and Judgments About Embodied Agents

EVT and relationship transgressions (including cell phone conversations)

Elizabeth L. Cohen, “Expectancy Violations in Relationships with Friends and Media

Figures,” Communication Research Reports, Vol. 27, 2010, pp. 97-111.

Lynne Kelly, Aimee E. Miller-Ott, and Robert L. Duran, “Sports Scores and Intimate Moments:

An Expectancy Violations Theory Approach to Partner Cell Phone Behaviors in Adult

prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.

Romantic Relationships,” Western Journal of Communication, Vol. 81, 2017, pp. 619–

640.

Aimee Miller-Ott and Lynne Kelly, “The Presence of Cell Phones in Romantic Partner Face–to–

Face Interactions: An Expectancy Violation Theory Approach,” Southern Communication

Journal, Vol. 80, 2015, pp. 253–270.

EVT in the classroom

Robert J. Sidelinger and Derek M. Bolen, “Compulsive Communication in the Classroom: Is the

Talkaholic Teacher a Misbehaving Instructor?,” Western Journal of Communication, Vol.

Interaction Adaptation Theory

For a comprehensive look at IAT, see Judee K. Burgoon, Lesa A. Stern, and Leesa Dillman,

“Interpersonal Adaptation: Dyadic Interaction Patterns,” Cambridge University Press, UK,

1995.

98-114.

Carrie D. Kennedy-Lightsey and Megan R. Dillow, “Initiating and Avoiding Communication with

1387.

Melinda Villagran, Joy Goldsmith, Elaine Wittenberg-Lyles, and Paula Baldwin, “Creating

COMFORT: A Communication-based model for Breaking Bad News,” Communication

Education, Vol. 59, 2010, pp. 220-234.