Communication Accommodation Theory

Communication Accommodation Theory (CAT) is a general theoretical framework of both interpersonal and intergroup communication. It seeks to explain and predict why, when, and how people adjust their communicative behavior during social interaction, and what social consequences result from those adjustments. In this entry, a brief historical overview of CAT's development is first provided, and some of its basic concepts are introduced. Second, the different adjustment strategies that speakers may enact are explained, and objective and subjective measures of accommodation are distinguished. Third, the motivations underlying communicative adjustment are examined, and the ways in which they can be shaped by the sociohistorical context in which an interaction is embedded are discussed. Fourth, the social consequences of communicative adjustment (and nonadjustment) are explored, and some of the many factors that mediate and moderate people's evaluations of others’ behavior are discussed. Finally, previous CAT principles are refined and elaborated, and directions for future research are suggested.