Activity theory
Activity theory (AT; ) is an umbrella term for a line of eclectic social sciences theories and research with its roots in the Soviet psychological activity theory pioneered by Lev Vygotsky , Alexei Leont'ev and Sergei Rubinstein. These scholars sought to understand human activities as systemic and socially situated phenomena and to go beyond paradigms of reflexology (the teaching of Vladimir Bekhterev and his followers) and classical conditioning (the teaching of Ivan Pavlov and his school), psychoanalysis and behaviorism. It became one of the major psychological approaches in the former USSR, being widely used in both theoretical and applied psychology, and in education, professional training, ergonomics, social psychology and work psychology.
Affiliative conflict theory
Affiliative conflict theory (ACT), also referred to as equilibrium theory or model, was first introduced in the 1960s by Michael Argyle. His article "Eye Contact, Distance and Affiliation", co-authored with Janet Dean was published in "Sociometry" in 1965, and has been used greatly as the base line for ACT. Michael Argyle had a long distinguished career in which he advanced the field of social psychology. His work on nonverbal communication greatly developed this theory and his book "The Psychology of Interpersonal Behavior" became an international bestseller in 1967. Argyle's curiosity regarding if social skills were learned in the same way as manual skills led him to research interpersonal behavior. Throughout his life's work he had various associates (Argyle & Dean, 1965; Argyle & Lalljee & Cook, 1968, Argyle & Ingham, 1972; Argyle & Ingham, Alkema & McCallin, 1972); all of which worked to validate the theory through their focus on the relationship between visual behavior (nonverbal behavior) and interpersonal distance (Coutts, pg. 3). Visual behavior research studies deal with influence, and with attributions made by observers. This reflects psychological research on nonverbal cues.