Interpretation and explanation: Influences on communicative exchanges within intimate relationships

Abstract

This paper is aimed at illuminating various implications of attribution‐making for a study of ongoing, intimate relationships. Explicit attributions are viewed as conscious, cognitive appraisals concerning why a communicative behavior has occurred. Implicit attributions are conceptualized more as tools of inference‐making intrinsic to the decoding process; as such, implicit attributions not only influence interpretation, explanation, and meaning‐assignment, but also mediate ongoing interpersonal message responses. It is argued that, while attribution concepts are quite relevant to various theories of interpersonal communication, the significance of attribution‐making within intimate dyadic interaction has been understated in communication research. Further analysis of attribution constructs employed by communicators—especially the interpersonal attribution category—might improve theory‐building in such areas as relational communication, communication conflict, metacommunication, and communication and affect. Attributions are viewed as one kind of “decoding variable” able to capture the reciprocal influences of intrapersonal and interpersonal levels of awareness within communicative exchange.