Timing of gazes in child dialogues: a time-course analysis of requests and back channelling in referential communication.
Sandgren, Olof LU
; Andersson, Richard
LU
; van de Weijer, Joost
LU
; Hansson, Kristina
LU
and Sahlén, Birgitta
LU
(2012)
In International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders
47(4).
p.373-383
- Abstract
- Background:
This study investigates gaze behaviour in child dialogues. In earlier studies the authors have investigated the use of requests for clarification and responses in order to study the co-creation of understanding in a referential communication task. By adding eye tracking, this line of research is now expanded to include non-verbal contributions in conversation.
Aims:
To investigate the timing of gazes in face-to-face interaction and to relate the gaze behaviour to the use of requests for clarification.
Methods & Procedures:
Eight conversational pairs of typically developing 10-15 year olds participated. The pairs (director and executor) performed a... (More) - Background:
This study investigates gaze behaviour in child dialogues. In earlier studies the authors have investigated the use of requests for clarification and responses in order to study the co-creation of understanding in a referential communication task. By adding eye tracking, this line of research is now expanded to include non-verbal contributions in conversation.
Aims:
To investigate the timing of gazes in face-to-face interaction and to relate the gaze behaviour to the use of requests for clarification.
Methods & Procedures:
Eight conversational pairs of typically developing 10-15 year olds participated. The pairs (director and executor) performed a referential communication task requiring the description of faces. During the dialogues both participants wore head-mounted eye trackers. All gazes were recorded and categorized according to the area fixated (Task, Face, Off). The verbal context for all instances of gaze at the partner's face was identified and categorized using time-course analysis.
Outcomes & Results:
The results showed that the executor spends almost 90% of the time fixating the gaze on the task, 10% on the director's face and less than 0.5% elsewhere. Turn shift, primarily requests for clarification, and back channelling significantly predicted the executors' gaze to the face of the task director. The distribution of types of requests showed that requests for previously unmentioned information were significantly more likely to be associated with gaze at the director.
Conclusions & Implications:
The study shows that the executors' gaze at the director accompanies important dynamic shifts in the dialogue. The association with requests for clarification indicates that gaze at the director can be used to monitor the response with two modalities. Furthermore, the significantly higher association with requests for previously unmentioned information indicates that gaze may be used to emphasize the verbal content. The results will be used as a reference for studies of gaze behaviour in clinical populations with hearing and language impairments. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/2967205
- author
- Sandgren, Olof
LU
; Andersson, Richard
LU
; van de Weijer, Joost
LU
; Hansson, Kristina
LU
and Sahlén, Birgitta
LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2012
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- * conversation * eye tracking * gaze * request for clarification * referential communication * time-course analysis
- in
- International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders
- volume
- 47
- issue
- 4
- pages
- 373 - 383
- publisher
- Taylor & Francis
- external identifiers
-
- wos:000306312200003
- pmid:22788224
- scopus:84863837902
- pmid:22788224
- ISSN
- 1368-2822
- DOI
- 10.1111/j.1460-6984.2012.00151.x
- project
- Thinking in Time: Cognition, Communication and Learning
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- additional info
- The information about affiliations in this record was updated in December 2015. The record was previously connected to the following departments: Logopedics, Phoniatrics and Audiology (013020000), Cognitive Science (015001004), Humanities Lab (015101200), Linguistics and Phonetics (015010003)
- id
- 2beec925-dbe1-46b3-8b60-89b17f46060c (old id 2967205)
- alternative location
- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22788224?dopt=Abstract
- date added to LUP
- 2016-04-04 09:16:18
- date last changed
- 2023-11-15 13:51:46
@article{2beec925-dbe1-46b3-8b60-89b17f46060c,
abstract = {{Background: <br/><br>
This study investigates gaze behaviour in child dialogues. In earlier studies the authors have investigated the use of requests for clarification and responses in order to study the co-creation of understanding in a referential communication task. By adding eye tracking, this line of research is now expanded to include non-verbal contributions in conversation. <br/><br>
<br/><br>
Aims: <br/><br>
To investigate the timing of gazes in face-to-face interaction and to relate the gaze behaviour to the use of requests for clarification. <br/><br>
<br/><br>
Methods & Procedures: <br/><br>
Eight conversational pairs of typically developing 10-15 year olds participated. The pairs (director and executor) performed a referential communication task requiring the description of faces. During the dialogues both participants wore head-mounted eye trackers. All gazes were recorded and categorized according to the area fixated (Task, Face, Off). The verbal context for all instances of gaze at the partner's face was identified and categorized using time-course analysis. <br/><br>
<br/><br>
Outcomes & Results: <br/><br>
The results showed that the executor spends almost 90% of the time fixating the gaze on the task, 10% on the director's face and less than 0.5% elsewhere. Turn shift, primarily requests for clarification, and back channelling significantly predicted the executors' gaze to the face of the task director. The distribution of types of requests showed that requests for previously unmentioned information were significantly more likely to be associated with gaze at the director. <br/><br>
<br/><br>
Conclusions & Implications: <br/><br>
The study shows that the executors' gaze at the director accompanies important dynamic shifts in the dialogue. The association with requests for clarification indicates that gaze at the director can be used to monitor the response with two modalities. Furthermore, the significantly higher association with requests for previously unmentioned information indicates that gaze may be used to emphasize the verbal content. The results will be used as a reference for studies of gaze behaviour in clinical populations with hearing and language impairments.}},
author = {{Sandgren, Olof and Andersson, Richard and van de Weijer, Joost and Hansson, Kristina and Sahlén, Birgitta}},
issn = {{1368-2822}},
keywords = {{* conversation * eye tracking * gaze * request for clarification * referential communication * time-course analysis}},
language = {{eng}},
number = {{4}},
pages = {{373--383}},
publisher = {{Taylor & Francis}},
series = {{International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders}},
title = {{Timing of gazes in child dialogues: a time-course analysis of requests and back channelling in referential communication.}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1460-6984.2012.00151.x}},
doi = {{10.1111/j.1460-6984.2012.00151.x}},
volume = {{47}},
year = {{2012}},
}