Putting responsiveness in context: How a partner's responsiveness baseline shapes perceived responsiveness

Perceived responsiveness has been described as a “bedrock of intimacy.” For responsive acts to be optimally beneficial, recipients must perceive them responsive. Thus, understanding the factors that influence perceptions is critical for promoting high-quality relationships. To date, little research examined how relationship-specific variables affect people interpret acts. This paper examine one such contextual factor—perceptions partner's typical level (responsiveness baseline)—shapes interpretations and unresponsive Two studies employing complementary paradigms provide converging evidence individuals who their partner having high (vs. low) baseline greater situational when interpreting (but not unresponsive) from partner. These findings reveal novel, on highlight importance considering behavioral baselines examining interpersonal behavior.