In studying the role of context in speech act performance, the tradition has been to use controlled elicitation instruments that allow for manipulation of social dimensions. The assumption is that by controlling social context, all respondents will assess social relations very similarly, although little research has dealt with the validity of this assumption. The current study explores the relationship between situational and cultural factors in producing requests and in assessing social dimensions in interaction. Data are drawn from a larger study of request performance by native and non-native speakers of English where two measures were used: an open-ended questionnaire that elicited responses according to contextually controlled situations and an assessment questionnaire that triggered the subjects' evaluation of social parameters. Results indicate that the perception of social dimensions in interaction, and their interrelationship, definitely have a significant role in verbal behavior. Further, a correlation was found between the subjects' assessment of social factors and their requesting behavior, such as in the level of directness shown in subjects' request responses. Contains 9 references. (Author/MSE)