1. Expectancy Violations Theory
Theory Originator: Judee Burgoon
Academic Area & Rank: Communication, Professor
Institutional Affiliation: The University of Arizona

3. Expectancy Violations Theory
D-Epistemology: Social Scientific/Objectivist
Questions/Problems: What happens when someone performs a nonverbal behavior that surprises you? How are perceptions of surprising and/or ambiguous nonverbal behavior related to interpersonal attraction, credibility, influence, and involvement?
D-Method: Experimental, Survey
Data: Nonverbal human behaviors (e.g., physical touch, physical space, eye gaze, facial gestures, body posture and lean)

4. Expectancy Violations Theory
Key Terms and Concepts
Proxemics: The study of people’s use of (interpersonal) space (an indicator or cultural norms)
Proxemic Zones (4)
Intimate Distance: 0-18 inches
Personal Distance: 18 inches to 4 feet
Social Distance: 4 to 10 feet
Public Distance: 10 feet +

5. Expectancy Violations Theory
Key Terms and Concepts
Expectancy: an expectation/prediction of nonverbal behavior
Violation Valence: process of assigning meaning, positive or negative, to the nonverbal behavior violation
Communication Reward Valence: outcome of the nonverbal violation. The sum of all positive and negative attributes (see conditions) that the violator brings to the table + the potential that the violator has to reward or punish us in the future

6. Expectancy Violations Theory
Theoretical Propositions:
Nonverbal behavior is symbolic behavior whose meanings are culturally-situated.
People have expectations of and make unconscious predictions about the nonverbal behavior that will occur in a given interpersonal situation. (expectancy)
When nonverbal expectations are violated, people search for and assign positive and/or negative meaning(s) to those violations. (violation valence)
When the meaning of a nonverbal violation is unclear, individuals will likely assign meaning that favors the violator’s influence in our lives (reward valence)

7. Expectancy Violations Theory
Practical Utility
Increases non-verbal behavior awareness
Gives practical advice on when it might be advantageous and disadvantageous to be nonconformist wrt to nonverbal behavior
If you violate nonverbal expectations and/or use nonverbal behaviors that are ambiguous, be sure the receiver likes you and/or that s/he believes you have something of value to offer them
Otherwise CONFORM.

8. Theory Evaluation Strengths Weaknesses describes & explains
simple, even elegant
testable/falsifiable
useful (practically, academically)
historically-grounded and interesting
Weaknesses
fails to predict reliably
conclusions seem mundane