Examined how shared impressions of a third party are formed by close friends versus mere acquaintainces. Because close friends should possess a high level of cognitive interdependence, they typically should be able to form impressions with efficiency, and to form impressions that have social utility. If the cognitive interdependence system is disrupted by mutual distraction, however, these advantages should attenuate or even reverse. Dyads of varying degrees of closeness were mutually distracted or not while discussing their impressions of another female college student. When dyads were not mutually distracted, closeness predicted mutual recognition of who controlled the conversation, reduced need to ask explicit questions, and more complex impressions.

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