Cognitive Valence Theory
General Purpose: Cognitive Valence Theory (CVT) is a theory about message processing.
Specific Purpose: CVT is a theory about how individuals experience increases in physiological arousal when confronted with highly immediate nonverbal messages, and this theory recognizes the varying components influencing how individuals process nonverbal messages and then respond to nonverbal messages.
Key terms, concepts, and definitions: There are three processes in CVT, with specific key terms for each component of message processing.
The first definition of importance in CVT is related to how behavior is defined: In CVT, behaviors must be perceived in order to result in any sort of physiological arousal. If an individual does not perceive the behaviors, in this case highly immediate nonverbal behaviors, individuals do not engage in processing or responding to the behavior.
The key term relates to perceptions of physiological arousal. Physiological arousal is classified as low, moderate, or high levels of arousal. When behaviors result in high physiological arousal, responses are unambiguously negative. When behaviors are low physiological arousal, responses are unambiguously positive.
For CVT, moderate levels of arousal activate six schema through which behaviors are interpreted. These six schemas are summarized through the following questions:
1.) Situational: Given this place/context, is this behavior appropriate?
2.) Relational: Given this relationship, is this behavior appropriate?
3.) Cultural: Given my cultural values, is this behavior appropriate?
4.) Personal Predispositions: Am I more or less inclined to personally engage in this same behavior?
5.) Physical/Psychological: What is my current mood and current state of emotion?
6.) Interpersonal Valence: How am I assessing the communicator?
All of these schema are used to evaluate an ambiguous behavior, but some schema are more or less important in predicting outcomes. If all six schema are interpreted as positive, then we will engage in positive behaviors. If even one schema is interpreted as negative, then we will engage in negative behaviors.
Compensation versus Reciprocity: The positive and negative outcomes behaviors in CVT are categorized as either reciprocity or compensation behaviors. Positive behaviors, or reciprocal behaviors, result in matching the immediate nonverbal behavior originally violated by the communicator. For example, if the immediate nonverbal behavior was forward lean, the reciprocal positive behavior would be matched in similar behavior, like also engaging in forward lean. In this example, the compensatory negative behavior would be leaning back or leaning away from the communicator.
What does the theory do?
CVT offers cognitive and message processing explanations for why some nonverbal violations result in compensatory or reciprocal behaviors, while nonverbal violations do not result in these same behaviors.
Where can it be applied?
One area rich for applying CVT is in relationships where increases in nonverbal immediacy may individual differences in interpretation result in either compensatory or reciprocal behaviors.
Summary source:
Andersen, P. A. (1998). The cognitive valence theory of intimate communication. In M. T. Palmer & G.
A. Barnett (Eds.), Mutual influence in interpersonal communication: Theory and research in cognition, affect, and behaviors (pp. 39–72) (Progress in communication sciences: Vol. 14). Stamford, CT: Ablex
Exemplar article:
Henningsen, D., Henningsen, M., & Valde, K. S. (2006). Gender differences in perceptions of
women’s sexual interest during cross-sex interactions: An application and extension of
Cognitive Valence Theory. Sex Roles, 54, 821-829. doi:10.1007/s11199-006-9050-y
Specific Purpose: CVT is a theory about how individuals experience increases in physiological arousal when confronted with highly immediate nonverbal messages, and this theory recognizes the varying components influencing how individuals process nonverbal messages and then respond to nonverbal messages.
Key terms, concepts, and definitions: There are three processes in CVT, with specific key terms for each component of message processing.
The first definition of importance in CVT is related to how behavior is defined: In CVT, behaviors must be perceived in order to result in any sort of physiological arousal. If an individual does not perceive the behaviors, in this case highly immediate nonverbal behaviors, individuals do not engage in processing or responding to the behavior.
The key term relates to perceptions of physiological arousal. Physiological arousal is classified as low, moderate, or high levels of arousal. When behaviors result in high physiological arousal, responses are unambiguously negative. When behaviors are low physiological arousal, responses are unambiguously positive.
For CVT, moderate levels of arousal activate six schema through which behaviors are interpreted. These six schemas are summarized through the following questions:
1.) Situational: Given this place/context, is this behavior appropriate?
2.) Relational: Given this relationship, is this behavior appropriate?
3.) Cultural: Given my cultural values, is this behavior appropriate?
4.) Personal Predispositions: Am I more or less inclined to personally engage in this same behavior?
5.) Physical/Psychological: What is my current mood and current state of emotion?
6.) Interpersonal Valence: How am I assessing the communicator?
All of these schema are used to evaluate an ambiguous behavior, but some schema are more or less important in predicting outcomes. If all six schema are interpreted as positive, then we will engage in positive behaviors. If even one schema is interpreted as negative, then we will engage in negative behaviors.
Compensation versus Reciprocity: The positive and negative outcomes behaviors in CVT are categorized as either reciprocity or compensation behaviors. Positive behaviors, or reciprocal behaviors, result in matching the immediate nonverbal behavior originally violated by the communicator. For example, if the immediate nonverbal behavior was forward lean, the reciprocal positive behavior would be matched in similar behavior, like also engaging in forward lean. In this example, the compensatory negative behavior would be leaning back or leaning away from the communicator.
What does the theory do?
CVT offers cognitive and message processing explanations for why some nonverbal violations result in compensatory or reciprocal behaviors, while nonverbal violations do not result in these same behaviors.
Where can it be applied?
One area rich for applying CVT is in relationships where increases in nonverbal immediacy may individual differences in interpretation result in either compensatory or reciprocal behaviors.
Summary source:
Andersen, P. A. (1998). The cognitive valence theory of intimate communication. In M. T. Palmer & G.
A. Barnett (Eds.), Mutual influence in interpersonal communication: Theory and research in cognition, affect, and behaviors (pp. 39–72) (Progress in communication sciences: Vol. 14). Stamford, CT: Ablex
Exemplar article:
Henningsen, D., Henningsen, M., & Valde, K. S. (2006). Gender differences in perceptions of
women’s sexual interest during cross-sex interactions: An application and extension of
Cognitive Valence Theory. Sex Roles, 54, 821-829. doi:10.1007/s11199-006-9050-y