Abstract
A central feature of nonverbal expectancy violations theory is that unexpected behaviors trigger a cognitive-affective appraisal of such behavior, leading to a valencing of the behavior(s) as positive or negative. It has been proposed that communicator reward mediates the interpretation and evaluation of such violations but may be more important when the violative act is ambiguous in meaning than when it is not. Unclear is whether nonverbal behavioral composites introduce greater or less equivocality of interpretation. Two experiments employing multi-cue conversational involvement violations addressed this issue. In the first, dyads (N=51) engaged in a 10-minute baseline interview, after which participants rated each other on several measures of reward valence. One randomly selected member then served as a confederate interviewee during a second interview and either significantly increased or decreased involvement. In the second experiment, reward was manipulated as physical attractiveness, status, and task expertise. Dyads (N = 60) engaged in prolonged problem-solving discussions during which the confederates either committed an involvement violation or not. In both experiments, the involvement changes were sufficiently unexpected, arousing, and distracting to qualify as violations of expectations. Analysis of message interpretations indicated that (1) relative to normal involvement levels, increased nonverbal involvement was interpreted as most immediate/affectionate, receptive, similar, dominant, and composed, and decreased involvement as least so, and (2) reward mediated only the interpretation of formality. High involvement violations in turn produced greater attraction, credibility, and persuasiveness than low involvement violations for high as well as low-reward communicators, as predicted.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Andersen, P. A. (1985). Nonverbal immediacy in interpersonal communication. In A. W. Siegman & S. Feldstein (Eds.),Multichannel integration of nonverbal behavior (pp. 1–36). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
Argyle, M., & Cook, M. (1976).Gaze and mutual gaze. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Backman, C. W., & Secord, P. F. (1959). The effect of perceived liking on interpersonal attraction.Human Relations, 12 379–384.
Berscheid, E., & Walster, E. H. (1969).Interpersonal attraction, Menlo Park, CA: Addison-Wesley.
Brandt, D. R. (1979). On linking social performance with social competence: Some relations between communicative style and attributions of interpersonal attractiveness and effectiveness.Human Communication Research, 5 223–237.
Burgoon, J. K. (1978). A communication model of personal space violations: Explication and an initial test.Human Communication Research, 4, 129–142.
Burgoon, J. K. (1983). Nonverbal violation of expectations. In J. M. Wiemann & R. P. Harrison (Eds.),Nonverbal interaction (pp. 77–111). Beverly Hills: Sage.
Burgoon, J. K. (1985).Expectancies, rewards, violations and outcomes: Applications to the instructional setting. Paper presented to the International Communication Association convention, Honolulu, HI.
Burgoon, J. K. & Aho, L. (1982). Three field experiments on the effects of violations of conversational distance.Communication Monographs, 49, 71–88.
Burgoon, J. K., Buller, D. B., Hale, J. L. & deTurck, M. A. (1984). Relational messages associated with nonverbal behaviors.Human Communication Research, 10, 351–378.
Burgoon, J. K. & Hale, J. L. (1984). The fundamental topoi of relational communication.Communication Monographs, 51, 193–214.
Burgoon, J. K., Coker, D. A., & Coker, R. A. (1986). Communicative effects of gaze behavior: A test of two contrasting explanations.Human Communication Research, 12, 495–524.
Burgoon, J. K. & Hale, J. L. (1987). Validation and measurement of the fundamental themes of relational communication.Communication Monographs, 54, 19–41.
Burgoon, J. K. & Hale, J. L. (1988). Nonverbal expectancy violations: Model elaboration and application to immediacy behaviors.Communication Monographs, 55, 58–79.
Burgoon, J. K. & Jones, S. B. (1976). Toward a theory of personal space expectations and their violations.Human Communication Research, 2 131–146.
Burgoon, J. K., Kelley, D. L., Newton, D. A., & Keeley-Dyreson, M. P. (1989). The nature of arousal and nonverbal indices. Manuscript submitted for publication.Human Communication Research, 1b, 217–255.
Burgoon, J. K., Manusev, V., Minee, P. & Hale, J. L. (1985). Effects of eye gaze on hiring, credibility attraction and relational message interpretation.Journal of Nonverbal Behavior, 9, 133–146.
Burgoon, J. K., & Olney, C. A. (1989).Effects of gender on nonverbal expectancies and relational message interpretations of nonverbal behavior. Manuscript submitted for publication.
Burgoon, J. K., Olney, C. A., & Coker, R. A. (1987). The effects of communicator characteristics on patterns of reciprocity and compensation.Journal of Nonverbal Behavior, 11, 146–165.
Burgoon, J. K., Stacks, D. W., & Burch, S. A. (1982). The role of interpersonal rewards and violations of distancing expectations in achieving influence in small groups.Communication, Journal of the Communication Association of the Pacific, 11, 114–128.
Burgoon, J. K., Stacks, D. W., & Woodall, W. G. (1979). A communicative model of violations of distancing expectations.Western Journal of Speech Communication, 43 153–167.
Byrne, D. (1971). The attraction paradigm. New York: Academic Press.
Cappella, J. N. (1983). Conversational involvement: Approaching and avoiding others. In J. M. Wiemann & R. P. Harrison (Eds.),Nonverbal interaction (pp. 113–148). Beverly Hills: Sage.
Cappella, J. N., & Green, J. O. (1982). A discrepancy-arousal explanation of mutual influence in expressive behavior in adult-adult and infant-adult interaction.Communication Monographs, 49, 89–114.
Carbone, T. (1975). Stylistic variables as related to source credibility.Speech Monographs, 42, 99–106.
Cegala, D. J., Savage, G. T., Brunner, C. C., & Conrad, A. B. (1982). An elaboration of the meaning of interaction involvement: Toward the development of a theoretical concept.Communication Monographs, 49, 229–248.
Cegala, D. J., Wall, V. D., & Rippey, G. (1987). An investigation of interaction involvement and the dimensions of SYMLOG: Perceived communication behaviors of persons in task-oriented groups.Central States Speech Journal, 38, 81–93.
Coker, D. A., & Burgoon, J. K. (1987). The nature of conversational involvement and nonverbal encoding patterns.Human Communication Research, 13, 463–494.
Coutts, L. M., Schneider, F. W., & Montgomery, S. (1980). An investigation of the arousal model of interpersonal intimacy.Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 16, 545–561.
Friedman, H. S., DiMatteo, M. R., & Tatanta, A. (1980). A study of the relationship between individual differences in nonverbal expressiveness and factors of personality and social interaction.Journal of Research in Personality, 14, 351–364.
Galle, A., Spratt, G., Chapman, A. J., & Smallbone, A. (1975). EEG correlates of eye contact and interpersonal distance.Biological Psychology, 3, 237–245.
McCroskey, J. C., Jensen, T., & Valencia, C. (1973, May).Measurement of the credibility of peers and spouses. Papers presented at the annual meeting of the International Communication Association, Montreal.
McCroskey, J. C., & McCain, T. A. (1974). The measurement of interpersonal attraction.Speech Monographs, 41, 261–266.
McLaughlin, M. L., & Cody, M. J. (1982). Awkward silences: Behavioral antecedents and consequences of the conversational lapse.Human Communication Research, 8, 299–316.
Patterson, M. L. (1983).Nonverbal behavior: A functional perspective. New York: Springer-Verlag.
Smith, R. J., & Knowles, E. S. (1979). Affective and cognitive mediators of reactions to spatial invasions.Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 15, 437–452.
Spitzberg, B. H. & Cupach, W. R. (1984).Interpersonal communication competence. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.
Stacks, D. W., & Burgoon, J. K. (1981). The role of nonverbal behaviors as distractors in resistance to persuasion in interpersonal contexts.Central States Speech Journal, 32, 61–73.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
where Joe Walther and Jim Baesler are doctoral students. An earlier version of this paper was presented to the annual meeting of the International Communication Association, New Orleans, May 1988.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Burgoon, J.K., Newton, D.A., Walther, J.B. et al. Nonverbal expectancy violations and conversational involvement. J Nonverbal Behav 13, 97–119 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00990793
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00990793