Sharing perception when using hands-on exhibits in science centres: the case of vocal depiction

Abstract

There are various situations in our daily lives in which we share sensory perceptions in interaction, but research on how exactly we do this is relatively scarce and has often focused primarily on the visual and auditory channels. In this paper, we suggest an approach based on the methods of multimodal conversation analysis which also considers other perceptual fields, especially touch. By means of an example from an interaction between two visitors of a science centre and the way they handle an exhibit, we illustrate how one can approach the analysis of the techniques participants use to make their sensory perceptions available to their interactive partners. We will focus on one such technique, namely the vocal depiction of tactile perceptions.