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FORUM Communication and miscommunication: The role of egocentric processes BOAZ KEYSAR Abstract Communication is typically considered to be guided by principles of co- operation, requiring the consideration of the communication partner’s men- tal states for its success. Miscommunication, in turn, is considered a prod- uct of noise and random error. I argue that communication proceeds in a relatively egocentric manner, with addressees routinely interpreting what speakers say from their own perspective, and speakers disambiguating their utterances with little consideration to the mental states of their addressees. Speakers also tend to overestimate how e¤ective they are, believing that their message is understood more often than it really is. Together, these findings suggest a systematic cause for miscommunication. 1. Communication and miscommunication Most people, most of the time, think that what they say is pretty clear. Ambiguity is not routinely noted when people normally communicate. In contrast, linguists and psychologists who study the use of language notice potential ambiguity everywhere. The newspaper is a goldmine for unintended meanings, as in this recent classified ad: ‘‘Bedroom furniture—Triple dresser with mirror, armoire, one night stand.’’ Stu- dents of language know that even if you write ‘‘one nightstand,’’ the text will not be devoid of ambiguity because every text can have more than one meaning. Even a simple statement such as ‘‘This chocolate is wonder- ful’’ is ambiguous because it could be a statement of fact, an o¤er, a re- quest for more, and so on. Despite such ubiquitou