The Presence of Cell Phones in Romantic Partner Face-to-Face Interactions: An Expectancy Violation Theory Approach

Cell phones are essential in maintaining ties with romantic partners but they can also detract from quality time we spend with them. The purpose of this study was to examine expectations that romantic partners have of cell phone usage during time spent together and how they manage violations of expectations. Using Expectancy Violation Theory (EVT; Burgoon, 1978 Burgoon, J. K. (1978). A communication model of personal space violations: Explication and an initial test. Human Communication Research, 4, 129–142. doi:10.111/j.1468–2958.1978.tb00603.x[Crossref] , [Google Scholar]) as the analytical framework, in-depth, qualitative analysis of transcripts of focus groups with college students (N = 51) revealed that participants have expectations for undivided attention on formal dates and when spending intimate time together and divided attention when informally “hanging out” with one another. In addition, results identified ways that individuals respond to expectancy violations and manage their expectations with romantic partners.