Affectionate Behavior in Adult Platonic Friendships Interpreting and Evaluating Expectancy Violations

Affection is a central component of communicative processes in close personal relationships. Despite its importance, however, individuals expressing affection can incur a number of interpersonal risks, especially in nonromantic relationships where opportunities for misattribution on the part of the recipient may be high. Therefore, it is important to understand individuals' expect at ions for the kind and intensity of affectionate behavior they anticipate in their personal relationships. Although extant research has identified a number of influences on expectancies for affection, this study extends existing knowledge by examining how individuals react to expectancy-violating changes in affectionate behavior. An experiment involving 40 pairs of adult platonic friends revealed that unexpected changes in affectionate involvement produce changes in cognitive assessments and behavioral reactions on the part of the recipient, and that violative situations are differentially valenced according to the direction of change in affectionate involvement. These findings are interpreted as support for the tenets of expectancy violations theory.     

A Longitudinal Study of Superior-Subordinate Communication During Job Transfers

Based on an assimilation perspective and leader-member exchange model, this study explores superior-subordinate communication during job transfers. Using a longitudinal research design of questionnaires and brief interviews, the study examines the impact of supervisor communication on transferees during their first year at new locations. Results suggest that supervisor relationships have a significant impact on the feedback and social support transferees report experiencing, on their physical, psychological, and cognitive adjustment to their new roles, and on the type of peer relationships they develop. In particular, middle-group supervisor relationships appear to have the most positive impact on transferees.