Conversational Time Patterns of Japanese-American Adults and Children in Same and Mixed-Gender Dyads

Abstract

The purpose of the present investigation was to examine the influence of age and gender on conversational time patterns of Japanese-Americans living in Hawaii. In addition, the study examined the influence of the gender composition of the conversational dyads (male-male, female-female, male-female) on the conversational behaviour of the participants. Adults and children engaged in a 20-minute conversation with a partner of the same age and of the same or opposite gender. The results indicate that there were few gender differences among the children, but that adult males were more active vocally than adult females. Also, the adults tended to achieve congruence on a larger number of the conversational parameters than the children and did so in same-and mixed-gender dyads. Finally, the results for dyad gender suggest that the adult females tended to exhibit different vocal styles in same-and mixed-gender dyads, such that their conversational patterns in mixed-gender dyads were similar to those of the male adults in same-gender dyads.