A study revisited the question of the causes of interpersonal equivocation, arguing that, although the previous research of Bavelas and associates has shown conclusively that interpersonal communicators in avoidance-avoidance binds equivocate to avoid the bind's dilemma, researchers have largely ignored other conceivable antecedents of…

A study examined the longstanding theory of the Bavelas group which suggests that the only consistent cause of interpersonal equivocation is avoidance-avoidance conflict (AAC). The study also aimed to uncover a psycholinguistic profile of equivocation, especially in the form of paralinguistic cues such as disfluencies. Subjects, 18 college…

Examines interpretations of messages as a function of whether they are equivocal or unequivocal, whether they protect self-face or other-face, and whether message perceivers are directly involved in the conversation. Finds: equivocation is a polite strategy for conveying a negative message; females regard it as even more polite than males do; and…