Communication and Understanding Revisited

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Abstract
This research considered how intersubjective understanding in marriage is affected by the ambiguity and coding difficulties associated with particular perceptions. Thirty-seven married couples completed questionnaires and a discussion task concerning companionate and instrumental issues in their marriage. Recall of the partner's comments was also assessed following the discussion task. Understanding of the spouse was greater with respect to instrumental versus companionate attitudes. Further, recall accuracy was related to understanding of instrumental attitudes but not to understanding of companionate attitudes. The results suggest that understanding is lower and recall of the partner's disclosures has less effect on understanding when the referent is more abstract and relational (i.e., on companionate vs. instrumental issues). The research also provided evidence that marital satisfaction affects recall of communication. Recall of negative and confrontive messages was marginally related to marital dissatisfaction, suggesting that dissatisfied spouses were more attentive to the negative comments of their partner.

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