1

Expectancy Violation Theory (EVT):

o Violating another person’s interpersonal expectations can be a superior strategy to
conformity. When the meaning of a violation is ambiguous, communicators with a high
reward valence can enhance their attractiveness, credibility, and persuasiveness by
doing the unexpected. When the violation valence or reward valence is negative, they
should act in a socially appropriate way.
o Violating another person’s interpersonal expectations can be a superior strategy to
conformity.
o When the meaning of a violation is ambiguous, communicators with a high reward
valence can enhance their attractiveness, credibility, and persuasiveness by doing the
unexpected.
o When the violation valence or reward valence is negative, they should act in a socially
appropriate way.
 Objective Theory: You can find the truth, it’s quantitative.
 Heuristic: You can use it to explain things other than personal space.
o Burgoon suggests that under some circumstances, violating social norms and personal
expectations is a superior strategy to conformity.
o Communication Distance Norms:
 Intimate distance: 0 to 18 inches
 Personal distance: 18 inches to 4 feet
 Social distance: 4 to 10 feet
 Public distance: 10 feet and up

 Expectancy:
o what people predict will happen, rather than what they desire. (Not necessarily what
will occur).
 Violation Valence:
o the perceived positive or negative value assigned to a breach of expectations, regardless
of who the violator is.
 Communicator Reward Valence:
o The sum of positive and negative attributes brought to the encounter plus the potential
to reward or punish in the future.
 Proxemics:
o Study of people’s use of space as a special elaboration of culture. (Edward Hall)
o He believed that most spatial interpretation is outside our awareness.
o He believed that Americans have four proxemic zones:
 intimate, personal, social, public distance.
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o He maintained that effective communicators adjust their nonverbal behavior to conform

to the communicative rules of their partners.
 Personal Space:
o The invisible variable volume of space surrounding an individual that defines that
individual’s preferred distance from others. The size and shape of our personal space
depend upon cultural norms and individual preferences.
o Always a compromise between the conflicting approach-avoidance needs that we as
humans have for affiliation and privacy.
 Threat Threshold: an invisible boundary that forms where the intimate distance is around a
person of their own physical and psychological comfort.
 Theorist: Judee Burgoon
 Research:
o Who’s Wooing Whom II? An Experimental Investigation of Date-Initiation and
Expectancy Violation by Paul A. Mongeau and Colleen M Carey
o A New Horizon for a Classic Perspective: Facebook and Expectancy Violation Theory by
Eric Fife, C., Leigh Nelson, and Kristin Zhang
 Applied Test of original model:
o Crossing the threat threshold that forms the boundary of the intimate distance causes
physical and psychological discomfort.
o Noticeable deviations from what we expect to cause a heightened state of arousal and
spur us to review the nature of our relationship with a person.
o A person with “punishing” power should observe proxemic conventions or stand slightly
farther away than expected.
o An attractive communicator benefits from a close approach.
o Burgoon’s original experiments failed to confirm her theory, but she has continued to
refine her approach to expectancy violations.
o The current version is an excellent example of ideas continually revised as a result of
empirical disconfirmation.
 The convoluted model becomes an elegant theory
o Burgoon dropped the concept of the threat threshold.
o She has substituted “an orienting response” or a mental “alertness” for “arousal.”
o 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.
o 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.
1. Expectancy is what is predicted to occur rather than what is desired.
2. Expectancy is based on context, relationship, and communicator characteristics.
3. Burgoon believes that all cultures have a similar structure of expected communication
behavior, but that the content of those expectations differs from culture to culture.
D. Violation valence.
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1. The violation valence is the positive or negative value we place on the unexpected behavior,
regardless of who does it.
2. If the valence is negative, do less than expected.
3. If the valence is positive, do more 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's reward valence.
E. Communicator reward valence.
1. The communicator reward valence is 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.
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.
3. Burgoon says that all things being equal, the nature of the violation will influence the
response it triggers more than the reward potential of the one who did it.
4. Communicator reward valence may loom large when it's especially strong either way
(exceptionally positive or negative).
V. 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.

 Example of personal space expectations:

o Shaped by cultural norms of a country:
 People in the Middle East think you should be able to smell the person’s breath
when talking to them because they’re not hiding anything when that close.
o Shaped by cultural norms of the family:
 You are from a big family and sit close on the couch to make room for everyone,
and when you go in public you do the same thing even when there is enough
room to spread out.
 Approach-Avoidance in EVT:
o When you are in a situation where your expectations are violated, you can stay and fight
or leave and flight.
 Expectancy violation example:
o Going to a library and spreading out to make the space uninviting, but then someone
comes and sits right next to you not reading the nonverbal communication and cues.
 Differences of expectancies in the context of cultural norms:
o Contact vs. non-contact cultures. Large lectures/personal space are different in the US
than they are in other places.
 How will the violatee evaluate a violation based upon the perceived similarity of the violator?
o If the violator is similar, the violatee will think less of their violation.
 How will the violatee evaluate a violation based upon the familiarity of the violator?
o They will consider how well they know the person.
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 How will the violatee evaluate a violation based upon their liking of the violator?
o They will consider how much they liked the person before they violated their space.
 How will the violatee evaluate a violation based upon the perceived status of the violator?
o They will consider if they are of similar/different socioeconomic status, or status in
general.

 What proxemic advice would you give to communicators who believe they are seen as
unrewarding?
o Social distance is good. The reward of a communicator is the sum of positive and
negative attributes that the person brings to the encounter plus the potential he/she
has to reward or punish in the future. Don’t violate your partner’s expectations.
 EVT suggests that violation valence is especially important when it’s clearly positive or
negative. What verbal or nonverbal expectancy violations would be confusing to you even
when experienced in context?
o When someone does not reply to you when speaking next to them in class, but we are
not supposed to speak in class.
 Using the concepts of expectancy, violation valence, and communicator reward valence, can
you explain how the current version of EVT accurately predicts Em’s response to the four
requests made by Andre, Belinda, Charlie, and Dawn?
o
 EVT and symbolic interactionism (see Chapter 5) hold divergent views about ways of knowing,
human nature, and communication research. Can you spot the different assumptions?

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.

1. The size and shape of our personal space depends upon cultural
norms and individual preferences.
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.

b. Personal distance: 18 inches to 4 feet.
c. Social distance: 4 to 12 feet.
d. Public distance: 12 to 25 feet to infinity.
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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.
D. An attractive communicator benefits from a close approach.
E. Burgoon’s original experiments failed to confirm her theory, but she
has continued to refine her approach to expectancy violations.
F. The current version is an excellent example of ideas continually revised
as a result of empirical disconfirmation.

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.
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.

1. Expectancy is what is predicted to occur rather than what is

desired.
2. Expectancy is based on context, relationship, and communicator
characteristics.
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3. Burgoon believes that all cultures have a similar structure of

expected communication behavior, but that the content of those
expectations differs from culture to culture.

D. Violation valence.

1. The violation valence is the positive or negative value we place on

the unexpected behavior, regardless of who does it.
2. If the valence is negative, do less than expected.
3. If the valence is positive, do more 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 attributes that the person brings to the encounter plus
the potential he or she has to reward or punish in the future.
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.
3. Burgoon says that all things being equal, the nature of the
violation will influence the response it triggers more than the
reward potential of the one who did it.
4. Communicator reward valence may loom large when it's especially
strong either way (exceptionally positive or negative).

V. 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.
C. Judee Burgoon
A. A theorist from the University of Arizona who developed expectancy
violations theory.
D. Personal Space
A. The invisible, variable volume of space surrounding an individual that
defines that individual’s preferred distance from others.
E. Edward Hall
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A. An anthropologist from the Illinois Institute of Technology who coined the

term proxemics.
F. Proxemics
A. The study of people’s use of space as a special elaboration of culture.
G. Intimate Distance
A. The American proxemic zone of 0 to 18 inches.
H. Personal Distance
A. The American proxemic zone of 18 inches to 4 feet.
I. Social Distance
A. The American proxemic zone of 4 to 10 feet.
J. Public Distance
A. The American proxemic zone of 10 feet to infinity.
K. Threat Threshold
A. The hypothetical outer boundary of intimate space; a breach by an
uninvited other occasions fight or flight.
L. Arousal, relational
A. A heightened state of awareness, orienting response, or mental alertness
that stimulates a review of the relationship.
M. Expectancy
A. What people predict will happen, rather than what they desire.
N. Violation Valence
A. The perceived positive or negative value assigned to a breach of
expectations, regardless of who the violator is.
O. Communicator Reward Valence
A. 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.

 Janie is standing six feet away from Nicole. In which of Hall’s four zones is she
standing?
o Social distance.
 In early versions of expectancy violations theory, crossing the threat threshold was
predicted to produce:
o A flight or fight response.
 When Yolanda arrives home for Thanksgiving break, she thinks her mother will
probably give her a hug. In the language of interaction adaptation theory, this is an
example of:
o Yolanda’s expectation.
 A comparative study on nonverbal immediacy found that, as compared to the accuracy
of two other theories, expectancy violation theory:
o Is more accurate than the other theories.
 What is the role of arousal in the most current version EVT?
o It is a side effect that occurs when someone violates our expectations.
 Which research method has Burgoon employed in developing expectancy violations
theory?
o Experiments.
 EVT does not meet the objective standard of relative simplicity.
 Violation valence is similar to which term from the world of accounting?
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o Net worth.
 Burgoon claims that people should never violate another person’s expectations for
nonverbal behavior.
 Which of the following standards for a good objective theory does EVT meet well?
o Testable hypotheses, Quantitative research, Practical utility.
 Sizing up another person in terms of what he or she has to offer us is determining:
o Communicator reward valence.
 When does communicator reward valence most strongly influence our determination
of violation valence?
o When communicator reward valence is strong in either direction.
 What did Aimee Miller-Ott and Lynne Kelly discover about the use of cell phones
during intimate conversations?
o Cell phone use violated expectations. Cell phone use is negatively valenced.
 The positive or negative value we place on a breach of expectations is known as:
o Violation valence.
 According to Burgoon, personal space:
o Varies based on cultural norms and individual preferences.
 According to Edward Hall, the distance from 18 inches to 4 feet between people is
called:
o Personal distance.
 Burgoon refined her theory over time. What is the main reasons she continued to
revise the theory?
o To make it more accurate.
 Expectancy violations theory was originally based on studies of personal space.
 Stefon is a handsome man, and Diah is interested in a romantic relationship with him.
When he picks her up for their first date, he touches her on the arm. Diah wasn’t
expecting this, and she isn’t sure what to make of it. What does EVT predict about
Diah’s interpretation of the violation?
o Diah will interpret the violation positively.
 According to EVT, where do expectancies come from?
o Context, relationship, and communicator characteristics.
 Kant argued that we should “Act only on that maxim which you can will to become a
_____________”:
o Universal law.
 In this chapter, why does Em discuss his response to the request of four students?
o To show that EVT increased its predictive accuracy over time & To give examples
of violations of personal space.
 For Burgoon, an expectancy refers to:
o What we predict will happen.
 According to Edward Hall, the distance between 0 and 18 inches is called intimate
space.

Edward Hall's term for the study of people's use of space as a special elaboration of culture
is
proxemics.

The result of a personal audit of likely gains and losses from a breach of expectancy is
called
violation valence.
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Communicator reward valence is

Both "the sum of the positive and negative attributes that the person brings to the
encounter" and "the potential the person has to reward or punish in the future"

Samantha would like to ask Lucy a favor. However, Samantha is aware that Lucy is not
particularly fond of her and most definitely views her as a nonrewarding (punishing)
person. Which of these distances should Samantha stand at to maximize her chances of a
positive response?
at the distance Lucy would expect her to stand