Role of nonverbal behaviors in modifying expectancies during initial encounters

Abstract

Patterns of nonverbal influence and information processing are examined in terms of assimilation and accommodation within the expectancy violations framework. Persons may assimilate observed behavior to fit with their preexisting knowledge structure about another or modify the knowledge structure to accommodate new information. Subjects were designated as perceivers or targets and engaged in a five‐minute interaction. Perceivers were led to believe that their interaction partner was either friendly or unfriendly or perceivers were given no information about the partner's level of friendliness. There was slight evidence of reciprocity as well as accommodation of preinteraction expectancies for unfriendly‐expectancy perceivers as revealed by post‐interaction ratings of target's attraction that were correlated with the unfriendly‐condition target's display of involvement behaviors.