Implicit theories of communicative competence: Situational and competence level differences in judgments of prototype and target

Abstract

A complete understanding of communicative competence requires an adequate account of the process by which observers evaluate the competence of communicators they are observing. This account must be made in terms of a system of beliefs about the evaluative implications of the communicator's behavior. This study sought to evaluate the complexity of these beliefs. Specifically, it focused on whether beliefs about competence differ among conceptions of prototypic “communicators” of different levels of competence, and among “communicators” in different competence‐relevant situations, for both traits and behaviors. Results indicate that large differences only exist across situations for behaviors by the average “communicatively competent person,” and not for traits nor for behaviors by “persons” high and low in competence. It is suggested that the prototype for the average “person “ is normally used as a basis for forming impressions of communicators. A second study of impressions of actual people supports the feasibility of this suggestion.