Speech, movement, and gaze behaviours during dyadic conversation in noise

Area of Science:

• Auditory perception and communication
• Human-computer interaction
• Speech processing

Background:

• Previous research often studied speaking and listening in isolation.
• Understanding natural conversation dynamics in real-world settings is crucial.
• Varying hearing abilities and background noise levels impact communication.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the fine-grained dynamics of natural conversations between pairs of individuals.
• To examine how background noise affects speech, movement, and gaze behaviors.
• To compare findings with isolation paradigms and inform communication technology development.

Main Methods:

• Studied 30 pairs of interlocutors with varying hearing abilities in ecologically valid contexts.
• Analyzed speech, movement, and gaze behaviors under different background noise levels.
• Quantified acoustic benefits of behavioral adjustments and assessed conversation structure changes.

Main Results:

• Increased noise led to louder speech and closer proximity, but with minimal acoustic benefit.
• Higher noise levels resulted in shorter utterances and increased visual attention to the speaker's mouth.
• Conversation structure and turn-taking success significantly decreased at 78 dB noise levels.

Conclusions:

• Natural conversation behaviors adapt to background noise, though with limited effectiveness.
• Ecologically valid, multi-person studies are essential for understanding interpersonal communication.
• Findings can inform the development of advanced communication technologies.