Aspects of conversational style-linguistic versus behavioral analysis

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Linguistics
• Behavioral Science

Background:

• Skinner's functional analysis of verbal behavior contrasts with formal linguistic analysis.
• Linguistic analysis traditionally focuses on grammatical structure and meaning, often irrespective of production context.
• Deborah Tannen's work explores "conversation styles" and their effects on listeners.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze concepts from Deborah Tannen's "That's Not What I Meant" from both linguistic and behavioral perspectives.
• To compare the utility of linguistic versus behavioral approaches in analyzing conversational style.
• To determine if a behavioral model offers a more functional and precise analysis of conversational style.

Main Methods:

• Conceptual analysis of linguistic theories presented by Deborah Tannen.
• Application of Skinner's principles of functional analysis to verbal behavior.
• Comparative evaluation of the explanatory power of linguistic and behavioral models for conversational style.

Main Results:

• Linguistic analysis, while examining conversational styles, may lack functional precision.
• Behavioral analysis provides a framework for understanding the environmental and functional aspects of conversational style.
• The study highlights potential limitations in purely structural linguistic approaches to communication.

Conclusions:

• A behavioral perspective offers a more functional and precise method for analyzing conversational style than traditional linguistic approaches.
• Understanding the functional contingencies of verbal behavior is crucial for a comprehensive analysis of communication.
• Tannen's work, when viewed through a behavioral lens, can be better understood in terms of its functional impact.