COGNITIVE SIMILARITY AND INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION IN INDUSTRY

The present paper reports a test of the hypothesis that cognitive similarity affects the process of interpersonal communication. It presents methods for the measurement of cognitive similarity and shows that the measures obtained are related to perceived effectiveness of communication and liking between two people. Since permanent, long-standing relationships were necessary for purposes of the study, supervisors and subordinates in industry were used as 5s. Other pairs, such as child-parent, therapist-patient, or studentteacher, could have been used, though each presents special difficulties. A laboratory replication of the study has been reported elsewhere (Triandis, 1959a). Two kinds of cognitive similarity are considered. The first, categoric similarity, is obtained by comparing the categorizations of two Ss, through an adaptation of Kelly's (1955) Role Repertory Test. The second, syndetic similarity, is obtained by comparing the ways concepts are associated with other concepts, and uses Osgood's (1952) semantic differential. Recent studies of perception (Hayek, 1952) and thinking (Bruner, Goodnow, & Austin, 1956) have emphasized the importance of categorization. If categorizatio n is central to these processes it should also be important in interpersonal communication. That is, if two people categorize events, objects and concepts in similar ways they should be able to communicate more effectively. The work of Osgood and his associates (Osgood, Suci, & Tannenbaum, 1957) stresses the importance of the "semantic space" in phenomena related to attitudes and communi1This paper is based on portions of the writer's doctoral dissertation. The author gratefully acknowledges the guidance and help of W. W. Lambert, T. A. Ryan, and W. F. Whyte. The larger study, of which this is a part, was supported by a grant from the Foundation for Research on Human Behavior. 2 Now at the University of Illinois. cation. It seems a reasonable hypothesis that if two people have similar "semantic spaces" they should be able to communicate more effectively. Cognitive similarity is related to additional variables. Newcomb (1953,1956,1958) suggests the following model: If A and B are cognitively similar and there is an opportunity for communication (propinquity), the communication will be more effective, the relationship between A and B will be more rewarding, and A and B will therefore like each other more than if A and B are not cognitively similar. Cognitive similarity implies a similar orientation towards X, in Newcomb's A-B-X model. Increased liking leads to higher rates of interaction between A and B and this, in turn, permits greater cognitive similarity thus starting the cycle all over again. This paper relates categoric similarity and syndetic similarity to perceived communication effectiveness and liking of the supervisor by the subordinate. The hypotheses that are tested may be stated as follows: (a) The higher the communication effectiveness between supervisor and subordinate, the more the liking of the subordinate for the supervisor, (b) The higher the categoric similarity between the supervisor and subordinate the greater the communication effectiveness and the more the liking of the subordinate for the supervisor, (c) The higher the syndetic similarity between the subordinate and the supervisor, the greater the communication effectiveness and the liking of one for the other.