Judee Burgoon's Expectancy Violations Theory is one of the few theories specifically focusing on nonverbal communication. The theory's assumptions and its core concepts clearly demonstrate the importance of nonverbal messages and information processing. EVT also enhances our understanding of how expectations influence conversational distance. The theory uncovers what takes place in the minds of communicators and how communicators monitor nonverbal behavior during their conversations.

The theory's value may lie in its scope and boundaries. EVT is clear in that it specifically explores nonverbal communication, although later applications of the theory have centered on verbal messages. Although nonverbal communication is a very broad area, Burgoon and her colleagues have made efforts to focus many of their investigations on personal space. She has investigated other nonverbal behaviors such as eye gaze, yet her original work was clear in scope. Both strangers and familiars have been investigated in studies, thereby broadening the scope of the original model.

In addition to having scope, EVT is a theory that is very practical. Burgoon's theory presents advice on how to elicit favorable impressions and discusses the implications of space violations. Further, the theory is clear and consistent in explanation. From the early writings (Burgoon & Jones, 1976) to more recent work (Lannutti et al., 2001), research employing an EVT framework has maintained clarity.

Finally, Expectancy Violations Theory is a testable theory. In Chapter 3, we noted that testability requires that theorists be specific in their concepts. In fact, Burgoon (1978) is one of a few theorists who clearly defines her terms before embarking on a theoretical path. In doing so, she presents a clear and testable foundation from which future researchers might draw and replicate the test.

Some writers have taken issue with Burgoon's methods, and this criticism has resulted in some debate. For instance, Glenn Sparks and John Greene (1992) comment that self-perceptions of arousal are not valid measures. They specifically note that Burgoon and her associates (1989) failed to establish valid indices of observers' ratings, and to this end "we should not accept the claim about the validity of any nonverbal index until that validity has been demonstrated" (Sparks & Greene, 1992, p. 468). This intellectual debate may appear trivial to you, yet recall that arousal is a key component of EVT. Burgoon (Burgoon & LaPoire, 1992) responded to the criticism by first claiming that Sparks and Greene did not fairly reflect the objectives of Burgoon's research. Additionally, Burgoon and LaPoire contend that because arousal is such a complicated and layered concept, their approach to defining arousal remains especially valid.

EVT is an important theory because it offers a way to link behavior and cognitions. It is one of the few communication theories that offers us a better understanding of our need for both other people and personal space. For that, Burgoon's work will continue to be critical in the communication discipline.