A study assessed the validity of applying the Spitzberg and Cupach dyadic model of communication competence to small group interaction. Twenty-four students, in five task-oriented work groups, completed questionnaires concerning self-competence, alter competence, interaction effectiveness, and other group members' interaction appropriateness. They also rated their group's interaction using the system for the multiple level observation of groups (SYMLOG). Results did not support the hypothesis that persons perceived as interacting appropriately by others in the group discussions would judge themselves as effective communicators. Appropriate behavior as judged by others was expected to be correlated to the self-assessed level of interaction involvement, but results were not significant. However, results did indicate that the target individual's level of satisfaction with the group's interaction positively correlated with the individual's self-assessment of competence in the interaction and that highly involved persons perceived themselves as being effective in the group interaction. Though the results did not support the first hypothesis, this provided validation for the competence model which postulates that individuals assess their own competence on a specific and molecular basis while they assess the competence of others on a generalized or molar basis. (Questionnaires used in the study are appended.) (SRT)