Abstract
Observing others in conversation is a common format for comprehending language, yet little work has been done to understand dialog comprehension. We tested whether overhearers use addressee backchannels as predictive cues for how to integrate information across speaker turns during comprehension of spontaneously produced collaborative narration. In Experiment 1, words that followed specific backchannels (e.g., really, oh) were recognized more slowly than words that followed either generic backchannels (e.g., uh huh, mhm) or pauses. In Experiment 2, we found that when the turn after the backchannel was a continuation of the narrative, specific backchannels prompted the fastest verification of prior information. When the turn after was an elaboration, they prompted the slowest, indicating that overhearers took specific backchannels as cues to integrate preceding talk with subsequent talk. These findings demonstrate that overhearers capitalize on the predictive relationship between backchannels and the development of speakers' talk, coordinating information across conversational roles.
References
Nov 1, 1987·Cognition·S Garrod, A Anderson
Feb 1, 1986·Cognition·H H Clark, D Wilkes-Gibbs
Jan 1, 1967·Acta Psychologica·A Kendon
Sep 1, 1984·The Journal of Comparative Neurology·K Bulloch, W Pomerantz
Mar 1, 1980·Cognition·W Marslen-Wilson, L K Tyler
Nov 1, 1996·Journal of Experimental Psychology. Learning, Memory, and Cognition·S E Brennan, H H Clark
Jan 4, 2001·Journal of Personality and Social Psychology·J B BavelasT Johnson
May 3, 2001·Child Development·N AkhtarM A Callanan
May 16, 2001·Memory & Cognition·J E Fox Tree
Feb 22, 2005·Developmental Science·Nameera Akhtar
Apr 7, 2007·Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences·Peter Hagoort, Jos van Berkum
May 25, 2007·Psychophysiology·Kara D Federmeier
Feb 18, 2010·Journal of Memory and Language·Sarah Brown-Schmidt
Sep 8, 2010·Psychological Science·Lauren L EmbersonMichael J Spivey
Jan 18, 2011·Cognition·John M Tomlinson, Jean E Fox Tree
Sep 21, 2013·The Behavioral and Brain Sciences·Martin J Pickering, Simon Garrod
Apr 1, 2009·Topics in Cognitive Science·Kevin ShockleyRick Dale