Expectancy Violations TheoryBy Judee Burgoon

Key Names and Terms

• Judee Burgoon

• Personal space

• Edward Hall

• Proxemics

• Intimate distance

• Personal distance

• Social distance

• Public distance

• Expectancy

• Violation valence

• Communicator reward valence

• Paul Mongeau

Professor of CommunicationUniversity of Arizona

The “Elevator” Challenge

How do you behave when you are in the following places?

Dean’s office

Classroom

Canteen

Cinema

How do you want other people to behave when they are:

In the library

In your bedroom

Inside the jeepney

Close relationship

Friends and family

Acquaintance or colleagues

6-18 inches18 in. – 4 ft.

Public speaking 4 - 12 ft.

10-25 ft.

ProxemicsEffective communicators adjust their

nonverbal behavior to conform to the communicative rules of their

partners. -EDWARD HALL

Proxemics: Study of people’s use of space as a special elaboration of culture.

Edward T. Hall

What if the expectations were violated?

Expectancy

What people predict will happen, rather than what they desire

Expectancy Violations Theory:

Under some circumstances, violating social norms and personal expectations is a superior strategy to conformity.

Violation valence

perceived positive or negativevalue assigned to breach of expectations, regardless of the violator

Communicator reward valence

sum of positive and negative attributes brought to the encounter, plus potential to reward or punish in future

Paul Mongeaustudied men and women’s expectations for first dates and compared those expectations with their actual experiences.

Research anchored on EVT

source

1. Teachers should strive for a moderately formal clothing style.

2. Teachers’ clothing does not have much impact on students’ impression if teachers have reward value.

Thank you!