Minimal expressions are at the heart of interaction: Interjections like "Huh?" and "Mhm" keep conversations flowing by establishing and reinforcing intersubjectivity among interlocutors. Crosslinguistic research has identified that similar interactional pressures can yield structurally similar words (e.g., to initiate repair…

This article considers points in turn construction where conversation researchers have shown that talk routinely continues beyond possible turn completion, but where bodily-visual behavior doing such turn extension work is found. The bodily-visual behaviors examined share many features with verbal turn extensions, but it is argued that embodied…

Numerous studies have evaluated the effects of pedagogical agents on students' learning outcomes, but so far, beneficial effects have not been consistently demonstrated. The ambiguous results might partly be due to the strong emphasis on cognitive outcomes, which is characteristic for research in teaching and learning. The paper suggests a shift…

Electronic communication is characteristically concerned with "the message" (eM), those who send them (S), and those who receive and read them (R). This relationship could be simplified into the equation eM = S + R. When this simple equation is applied to electronic communication, several elements are added that make this straightforward act of…

This study analyzes the influence of avatars on social presence, interpersonal trust, perceived communication quality, nonverbal behavior, and visual attention in Net-based collaborations using a comparative approach. A real-time communication window including a special avatar interface was integrated into a shared collaborative workspace.…

While laughter has been shown to play a significant role in any social interaction; its conversational usage by a person with dementia has rarely been investigated. This paper will investigate the functional aspects of laughter during conversation in an individual with dementia. Conversation analysis is used in order to investigate laughter as a…

Two experiments examined the restriction of referential domains during unscripted conversation by analyzing the modification and online interpretation of referring expressions. Experiment 1 demonstrated that from the earliest moments of processing, addressees interpreted referring expressions with respect to referential domains constrained by the…

Classroom observations are an important source of information about teaching and about the practice of particular teachers. The paper considers the value placed on talk as opposed to silence in this context and suggests that a cultural bias towards talk means that silence is commonly perceived negatively. The paper is based on a qualitative…

Explains a speech accommodation theory for the interaction between a receiver's decoding ability and a speaker's voice tone on compliance with requests for help. Good decoders complied more with the fast request, whereas poor decoders complied more with the slow request. (RAE)

Examines a nonverbal indicator of anxiety--use of object adaptors. Examines effects of planning for an anticipated encounter and level of discrepancy individuals report they have in imagined interactions on use of object adaptors. Discusses findings in terms of spontaneous helplessness, plan efficacy, and accretion of plan strategies in response…

Examines specific nonverbal behaviors that express conversational involvement (the degree to which participants in a communicative exchange are cognitively and behaviorally engaged in the topic, relationship, and/or situation) along five dimensions: immediacy, expressiveness, interaction management, altercentrism, and social anxiety. Finds…

Proposes that motor mimicry functions as a nonverbal, analogic, relationship message about similarity between observer and other, and that this message is encoded according to Gestalt principles of form. Concludes that the primary function of motor mimicry must be communicative and that any relationship to vicarious processes is secondary. (RAE)

Tests whether individuals with different attachment styles vary in the degree to which they display intimacy and nonverbal involvement to their romantic partners. Provides preliminary behavioral validation of K. Bartholomew's four-category model of attachment. Interprets findings in light of the dimensions underlying attachment styles and the…

Examines the relationships among nonverbal behaviors, dimensions of source credibility, and speaker persuasiveness in a public speaking context. Finds numerous associations between nonverbal behaviors and attributions of credibility and persuasiveness. Discusses advantages of analyzing nonverbal cues according to proximal precepts. (SR)

States that interpersonal deception theory frames deception as a communication activity within interactive contexts. Describes an experiment testing several suspicion-related hypotheses pairing participants for interviews during which interviewees lied or told the truth, and interviewers were induced to be more or less suspicious. Finds that when…