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Toward a Theory of Goal Detection in Social Interaction

Effects of Contextual Ambiguity and Tactical Functionality on Goal Inferences and Inference Certainty

University of California, Davis

The inferences individuals make about others' goals is an integral, but neglected, aspect of empirical and theoretical work on social interaction. An original theoretical framework is proposed to account for interindividual agreement and certainty of goal inferences. Two experiments applied the framework to explain how contextual ambiguity and tactical functionality affected agreement and certainty. Results generally support hypotheses regarding agreement, such that goal inferences converged (i.e., interobserver agreement increased) as the context and tactic became more compatible, yet results largely do not support hypotheses for inference certainty, as the only significant effect that emerged was that certainty was higher in unambiguous than ambiguous contexts. A reconsideration of the theoretical framework on goal detection is discussed and implications are advanced.

Key Words: goal detection • goal inferences • social cognition • interpersonal communication • message production • message processing • ambiguity • conversation

Communication Research, Vol. 35, No. 1, 109-148 (2008)
DOI: 10.1177/0093650207309364


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