Conversational relevance in the presentation of the self

Does the presentation of the self depend on participants' inferences about the researcher's interests? Participants were asked to complete 'I am...' statements while the researcher's affiliation was manipulated. As expected, participants were more likely to report social aspects of the self (e.g., ethnic identity, party affiliation) when the study was allegedly conducted by the Institute of Political Research than when it was conducted by the Institute of Psychological Research. Thus, participants focused on aspects of the self that they could consider most relevant to the researcher's interest. Theoretical and methodological implications are discussed.