Turn exchange behaviors of children with normally developing language: the influence of gender

The turn exchanges of normally developing 8-year-old boys and girls were examined within adult-child dyadic interaction. Videotaped language samples were analyzed for gender differences in the children's production of simultaneous and nonsimultaneous speech. The results indicated no gender differences for nonsimultaneous turn exchange behaviors but significant differences in the overlap subtypes and simultaneous resolution patterns between the boys and the girls. Sex of the adult partner influenced the negotiation and ultimate length of the children's turns. The children's gender differences were consistent with the adult literature that characterizes men as more assertive conversationally than women.