Suspicious Receivers’ Goals and Behaviors 5
receiver possesses.
These unrealistic experimental manipulations result in a considerable restriction of the
receiver behavior. For example, only one generic type of strategic receiver behavior was found in
previous studies (i.e., responding to the sender with heightened level of acceptance, pleasantness,
and immediacy, while concealing one’s suspicion). It is very likely that the experimental nature
of the studies limited the receiver’s behavioral choice. As Burgoon et al. (1995) state, the
experimental task and/or laboratory setting may have discouraged interactants’ normal behavior.
More dynamic receiver behaviors may be found in reality where one can behave livelier with
less constraint.
Another critical limitation of the previous studies is the content of suspicion. The content
of the induced suspicion is largely insignificant (e.g., reactions to a film clip, reports to the
various personality tests). This methodological limitation is partly inevitable, because it is
unethical for the researchers to induce a suspicion to the participants on a significant matter with
a considerable personal relevance. Such a suspicion may hurt the research participants.
Nevertheless, the relative insignificance of the content of suspicion might also have contributed
to the limited behavioral choice. If the source of suspicion is more significant and personal, it is
likely that more dynamic behavioral patterns will be found from the receivers.
To overcome the shortcomings of the previous suspicion studies, the present study
adopts a cognitive approach to suspicion. Participants are asked to recall their experience of
suspicion within the dating relationship and answer the questions regarding their goals and
behaviors engendered by the suspicion. It is expected that such a self-report cognitive approach
could fill in the gap between the previous studies and real life communication. The present study
attempts to identify the interaction goals of suspicious receivers and uncover the cognitive
process through which receivers strategically select their behavior for the satisfaction of their
Convention