THE TEMPORAL STRUCTURE OF VERBAL ACTIVITY IN DYADIC COMMUNICATION

Abstract

The purpose of this report is to put some temporal indices in order and to clarify the structure of verbal activity in dyadic communication situation.
36 pairs of female students were all divided into six combinations of high, middle and low anxiety by MAS. Subjects, not acquainted previously, and isolated in separate booths, were asked to talk about one of the TAT cards in 4 24-min. sessions with two-day intervals between each. Communication data in session one and four were analyzed from the point of view of various kinds of interpersonal contact.
The dependent variables employed were 30 temporal indices as a one-state sequence (Common Silence; Only One Talking; Common Talking) and as a two-or three-state sequence. As personality variables, the scores on MAS, on Extraversion, on Neuroticism on MPI were added to the above indices.
Principal factor analysis was applied to these indices in each session. Seven and eight factors were obtained in sessions one and four, respectively. The first factor in both sessions consisted of general cooperative activity. Other main factors in session one were pausing in conversation, individual utterance, partner's utterance, anxiety -neuroticism and extraversion. In addition to the above factors, utterance after silence and differences in anxiety-neuroticism factors were obtained in session four.
There were differences in the structures of verbal activity in the two sessions. Namely, there were differences in the content of general cooperative activity, the important role of the intensity of Common Silence in session four, negative correlation between the individuals' utterances in the dyad, and independency of the personality traits on temporal indices factors.
Another finding seen was the appearence of a “negative synchrony tendency” in the utterance of two persons. In addition, a result indicating a “positive synchrony tendency” in the utterance after silence index appeared.
Cooperative activities and individual independent activities in a dyad defined the main structure of interpersonal interaction. Furthermore, it is suggested from the non-linear relationships observed between the subjects' scores on some personality scales and verbal activity that verbal activity is affected by both dyadic interacting situations and the partner's personality traits.