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Imagined Interactions

When people envision what will happen in upcoming conversations or recall details from prior conversations, these experiences represent imagined interactions (IIs). There are distinct features of IIs, including functions (or how people use IIs) and attributes (how people describe IIs). Because IIs represent intrapersonal experiences in social cognition, they are primarily assessed through self-report measures. II functions are measured at various levels of abstraction, including general tendencies and partner-specific levels. IIs can also be studied through interview or diary techniques. IIs have been related to various individual, relational, and situational communicative phenomena.

The purpose of this entry is to define IIs, review the features of IIs, highlight methodologies available for studying IIs, and summarize scholarly research on IIs. IIs are a form of social cognition and occur when people imagine themselves conversing with others. IIs are different from self-talk, because they involve the imagined behavior and actions of a conversational partner. IIs can be fleeting and brief experiences or more sustained in nature. IIs feature communicative environments people frequently encounter or environments people plan to encounter (e.g., a sales presentation). The conversational partners featured in IIs vary; people have IIs with others who are not close partners (e.g., interviewers) and people have IIs with close relational partners like parents, siblings, roommates, or friends. IIs allow people to imagine how conversations will go and to replay prior conversations and imagine how these conversations could have turned out differently. Everyday conversation, not fantasy, is the analogue of IIs. Just as in actual conversations, people engage in IIs to accomplish functional and relational goals.

Imagined Interaction Features

These features represent the common ways people use and describe their imagined conversations. Functions and attributes (previously called characteristics) are two common types of II features.

Functions

There are six functions of IIs that capture the reasons people use IIs. IIs involve rehearsal, where people plan and practice what to say or do in communicative situations. People use IIs for catharsis, releasing emotional tension. IIs also function for self-understanding, clarifying meaning, beliefs, and experiences of the person having the II. People use IIs for managing conflict with relational partners. IIs can function to maintain relationships with relational partners. People also use IIs as compensation when relational partners are unavailable and unable to engage in an actual conversation. IIs can involve more than one function (e.g., a person could have an II that involves both conflict management and catharsis, or any other combination of functions). Correlational studies have revealed the functions are positively and moderately associated. Compensation is the only function that has demonstrated a contradictory pattern.

Attributes

There are eight attributes identified in II research. IIs vary in timing relative to actual conversations (proactive or retroactive). The imagined dialogue in IIs varies from other-dominant (the imagined partner contributes more to the II) to self-dominant (the person having the II contributes more to the II). IIs deviating from the corresponding conversation are called discrepant IIs; IIs low in discrepancy are similar to actual conversations. IIs are also more or less specific in terms of the amount of detail in the II. IIs are also described in terms of emotions: Negatively valenced IIs feature negative emotions, positively valenced IIs feature positive emotions, and mixed valence IIs feature both positive and negative emotions. Frequency captures how often people report engaging in IIs. Variety captures how people incorporate various partners, topics, and other conversational features in their IIs. II attributes have been found to be associated with II functions. For example, the rehearsal function is to share a strong, positive association with the attribute of proactivity. Correlational studies have revealed the attributes and positively and moderately associated. Frequency is the only function that has demonstrated a contradictory pattern.

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