The way to console may depend on the goal: Experimental studies of social support

This article reports three experiments in which one participant (the speake r) told another participant (the listener) about a problem. According to ou r interpersonal model, a speaker who describes a problem has a particular g oal (e.g., to obtain advice, to obtain compassion). To be supportive, the l istener needs to infer the person's goal from various cues, including the t ype of problem and other context cues, and then react accordingly. In Study 1, 34 students described a problem and 51 other students provided a reacti on. The relative frequency of each type of reaction varied with the type of problem. In Study 2 (N = 302), vignettes were embedded in a frame that sug gested one or the other type of gear. The relative frequency of each type o f reaction depended upon the type of frame. In Study 3 (N = 40 dyads), spea kers were instructed to describe an action- or distress-focused problem and listeners were instructed to react with an action-facilitating or compassi onate response. Speakers were more satisfied when the type of reaction matc hed the type of goal that was implied by the cues. Together, these experime nts support the interpersonal model. (C) 2001 Academic Press.