The Dynamics of Goal Congruency and Cognitive Busyness in Goal Detection

Abstract

An experiment examined a theory explaining how people detect others’ goals. The framework maintains that because components or factors (e.g., context, tactic) of interaction increase the accessibility of inferable goals, goal detection is a product of the goals these cognitive linkages activate. In dyadic initial interactions, one participant was randomly assigned as the pursuer and the other as the detector; detectors sought a goal varying in congruency (i.e., identical, concord, and discord) with pursuers’ goal. Detectors’ cognitive busyness was also manipulated. The level of efficiency at which pursuers sought their goal and the accuracy and certainty of detectors’ inference of pursuers’ goal were measured. Results generally confirmed hypotheses. Efficiency and accuracy were positively correlated only when (a) not-busy detectors’ goal was concordant with pursuers’ goal and (b) busy detectors’ goal was discordant with pursuers’ goal, whereas efficiency and certainty were positively correlated only for not-busy detectors. Other results dealt with how detectors’ perspective taking promotes accuracy for inefficient goal pursuit and how accuracy yields favorable ratings of pursuers’ communication competence when goal inferences are certain. Results are discussed theoretically and methodologically.