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Timing in turn-taking and its implications for processing models of language.
Stephen C Levinson1, Francisco Torreira2
1Language and Cognition Department, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics Nijmegen, Netherlands ; Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen, Netherlands.
Frontiers in Psychology
|July 1, 2015
Summary
Conversational turn-taking relies on predicting speech ends, despite production delays. This study analyzes behavioral data to support systematic properties of this predictive language processing system.
Area of Science:
- Psycholinguistics
- Computational Linguistics
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Verbal interaction is central to language use, characterized by rapid turn-taking.
- Existing theories face challenges explaining short inter-turn gaps (approx. 200 ms) versus long speech production latencies (over 600 ms).
Purpose of the Study:
- To review literature on conversational turn-taking.
- To provide new statistical analyses of behavioral data on turn-taking.
- To demonstrate that turn-taking exhibits systematic properties, as originally proposed by Sacks et al. (1974).
Main Methods:
- Literature review of conversational turn-taking.
- Statistical analysis of existing behavioral data.
- Experimental data collection on language processing during conversation.
Main Results:
- Turn-taking exhibits systematic properties, consistent with Sacks et al.'s (1974) observations.
- Short inter-turn gaps imply predictive processing (projection) of the end of the current speaker's turn.
- Overlap between speech production and comprehension is suggested, despite shared cognitive resources.
Conclusions:
- Conversational turn-taking requires predicting upcoming speech to manage production and comprehension overlap.
- The findings narrow the scope for systematic explanations of language processing in conversation.
- A preliminary model of the mental processes involved in anticipating speaking turns is proposed.
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