Is the interdependent self a better communicator than the independent self? Self-construal and the observation of conversational norms

Successful communication requires close attention to the common ground of the ongoing conversation. Because attentiveness to others is a self-defining goal within an interdependent construal of self, but less so within an independent construal of self, we expected that self-construal influences the extent to which individuals monitor the common ground and engage in cooperative conversational conduct. To test this hypothesis, participants' temporary self-construal was manipulated through a priming technique. As predicted, interdependence primed participants were more likely than independence primed participants to take the recipient's knowledge into account, avoiding redundant answers in response to partially (Experiment 1) or fully (Experiment 2) redundant questions. This differential conversational conduct resulted in different patterns of self-reports, raising important methodological issues for research that compares responses from groups or cultures with different chronic self-construals.