The goal of the research is to discover the mental mechanisms that allow people to communicate with language. The proposed experiments will use an eyetracking devise to investigate the way people take the other's perspective during conversation. The experiments will test a new theory: The Adaptive Language Use theory. The theory assumes that perspective information is used in conversation as function of the diagnosticity of perspective, and that language users adapt to structures in the environment that affect this diagnosticity. So if the diagnosticity of perspective changes over time, the theory predicts that conversants will adapt their use of perspective accordingly. The experiments will use a relatively novel methodology to investigate mental processes on-line during a real conversation. This would allow the application of the results to real life conversations in a variety of social settings. The proposed studies promise to have important societal and health implications. Understanding the mental mechanisms of linguistic communication and the conditions for their success and failure could be relevant to models of coordination of action such as """"""""game theory,"""""""" which is studied in a variety of the social sciences, from economics to international relations. In order to coordinate action, then, people can signal their intentions in a variety of ways, thereby making communication critical to people's ability to coordinate and cooperate. This research will allow a better understanding of the mental mechanisms that underlie such interaction and the way environmental conditions mold interpersonal perspective taking. With such knowledge, we will be better equipped to create appropriate circumstances that could facilitate successful communication and minimize systematic misunderstanding. This knowledge could be applied to promote more successful interactions in health related settings such as doctor-patient communication.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01MH049685-09
Application #
6779953
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZRG1-BBBP-3 (01))
Program Officer
Kurtzman, Howard S
Project Start
1994-07-13
Project End
2006-06-30
Budget Start
2004-07-01
Budget End
2005-06-30
Support Year
9
Fiscal Year
2004
Total Cost
$233,805
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Chicago
Department
Psychology
Type
Schools of Arts and Sciences
DUNS #
005421136
City
Chicago
State
IL
Country
United States
Zip Code
60637
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Wu, Shali; Keysar, Boaz (2007) The effect of culture on perspective taking. Psychol Sci 18:600-6
Morewedge, Carey K; Gilbert, Daniel T; Keysar, Boaz et al. (2007) Mispredicting the hedonic benefits of segregated gains. J Exp Psychol Gen 136:700-9
Shintel, Hadas; Keysar, Boaz (2007) You said it before and you'll say it again: expectations of consistency in communication. J Exp Psychol Learn Mem Cogn 33:357-69
Epley, Nicholas; Keysar, Boaz; Van Boven, Leaf et al. (2004) Perspective taking as egocentric anchoring and adjustment. J Pers Soc Psychol 87:327-39
Keysar, Boaz; Lin, Shuhong; Barr, Dale J (2003) Limits on theory of mind use in adults. Cognition 89:25-41