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Current models of interpersonal communication assume that estimation of listener's knowledge is a basis for message formulation. By introducing methodological modifications to the Fussell and Krauss (1992) paradigm, the present study provided more definitive evidence for the use of knowledge estimation in message productions. In the first experiment, participants indicated whether they knew each of 30 landmarks (thus providing the actual distribution of knowledge) and estimated the proportion of students who would know them. Participants' estimation of the relative distribution of knowledge corresponded impressively with the actual distribution. In the second experiment, a different group of participants described each of the landmarks to an intended audience. The length of the descriptions and the frequency of naming a landmark were predicted by the estimated identifiability from Experiment 1. These results replicated previous findings in a different culture and addressed unresolved issues relat...

In view of the recent development of macro-level theories concerning the spatial and temporal distribution of social representations, this paper presents a conceptualization of the evolution of shared beliefs from individual interactions, focusing on the role of communication. Drawing on the existing research literature and our own research findings on communication and cognition, we argue that the reciprocal relationship between shared reality and communication enables the development of systems of social representations at an individual level. Specifically, when formulating and comprehending messages, communicative partners draw on what they estimate to be shared knowledge among them. In addition, while communicating, communicative partners also strive to form shared representations of the topic of communication, which may overshadow pre-existing nonlinguistic representations. Moreover, contextual factors that influence communication also affect the development of shared reality. Based on these...