social meaning model
a conceptualization of nonverbal behaviors that describes the process by which senders, receivers, and third-party observers interpret the meaning of nonverbal messages. The model suggests that some nonverbal messages, such as a smile, have strong consensual meaning across contexts but that other nonverbal cues, such as eye gaze and physical closeness, may affect their perceived meanings by providing important information about participants’ attitudes, characteristics, and emotions. [posited in 1991 by U.S. communications professor and educational psychologist Judee K. Burgoon (1948– ) and D. A. Newton]