Effects of conversation act on conversation strategy and interpersonal cognition

Abstract

It is assumed that dyadic conversation proceed according to some of each participants' conversation strategies. The strategies are as follows; 1) Receptivity, 2) Emotional expressivity, 3) Cognitive expressivity, 4) Partner comprehension, 5) Contingent comprehension, 6) Self-assertivity. In this experiment, strategies and interpersonal cognition were manipulated by three factors, (1) partners' conversation acts, with high or low expressivity rule, and (2) high or low act of conversation performance rule, and (3) nature of topica. One hundred and twenty-eight undergraduates are asked to rate their level of intention to select a strategy, in a given conversation situation. The results are as follows: 1) Both cognition of conversational purpose for a given situation and partners' expressivity influenced on their conversation strategy, 2) correspondence of strategy prompt participants to active conversation, 3) partners' conversation acts influenced on interpersonal cognition in any situations, 4) social desirabililty in interpersonal cognition is influenced by both strategy and topic, 5) partners' strategy makes participants select different interaction in the subsequent conversation situation.