Conversational Interruptions Research Articles

Unhurried Conversations in Health Care Are More Important Than Ever: Identifying Key Communication Practices for Careful and Kind Care.

Unhurried conversations are necessary for careful and kind care that is responsive and responsible to both patients and clinicians. Adequate conceptual development is an important first step in being able to assess and measure this important domain of quality of care. In this article, we expand on a preliminary model to identify the key microlevel communication practices that support an unhurried conversation, defined as an ongoing, mutual accomplishment between patient and clinician that proceeds through a range of verbal and nonverbal communication practices wherein one or more participants (mutually) regulate the sequence, spacing (temporal and spatial), and speed of interaction to make themselves available to the other and remove or suspend distractions from the environment in order to improve care. We draw from the rich, qualitative descriptions found in earlier work that point to specific, observable practices in clinical encounters and identified empirical and theoretical work across a range of disciplines to expand our understanding of these practices. Ultimately, we identify and elaborate on 10 observable indicators of patient-clinician communication: engaging in shared turn taking, establishing rapport through discussion of off-task topics, pausing to allow the other ample time to speak, moderating the pace of spoken language, avoiding conversational interruptions, minimizing external interruptions, triaging topics as needed to create adequate time, expressing emotions, encouraging participation through inviting questions, and displaying open body language. These indicators work together to cocreate unhurried conversations.

La interrupción desde el eje diacrónico: análisis de dos debates legislativos sobre educación (el Decreto de Romanones de 1902 y la Ley Celaá de 2020)

Abstract The objective of this paper is to determine the existing differences in the number and typology of conversational interruptions that have been found in two legislative debates from 1902 and 2020. To this end, a theoretical proposal will be used which assumes that the type of interruption is linked to the sociocultural context of the time (reflected, for example, in the historical press) and that the intent of the interruption is inseparable from that context. Under this theoretical perspective, two parliamentary debates are analysed which discuss the Decreto de Romanones (1902) and the Ley Celaá (2020), two educational legislative texts. Our findings show that there are more cases of interruptions in the 1902 debate than in the 2020 debate. However, the interruptions tend to be less disruptive and are usually addressed by the interlocutor (compared to the 2020 texts). Therefore, we understand that there is a greater “dialoguing” character in the 1902 debates, because “the other” is listened to.

Exploiting Evolutionary Algorithms to Model Nonverbal Reactions to Conversational Interruptions in User-Agent Interactions

In social interactions between humans and Embodied Conversational Agents (ECAs) conversational interruptions may occur. ECAs should be prepared to detect, manage and react to such interruptions in order to keep the interaction smooth, natural and believable. In this paper, we examined nonverbal reactions exhibited by an interruptee during conversational interruptions and we propose a novel technique driven by an evolutionary algorithm to build a computational model for ECAs to manage user's interruptions. We propose a taxonomy of conversational interruptions adapted from social psychology, an annotation schema for semi-automatic detection of user's interruptions and a corpus-based observational analysis of human nonverbal reactions to interruptions. Then we present a methodology for building an ECA behavioral model including the design and realization of an interactive study driven by an evolutionary algorithm, where participants interactively built the most appropriate set of multimodal reactive behaviours for an ECA to display interpersonal attitudes (friendly/hostile) through nonverbal reactions to a conversational interruption.

Leaders as Interrupters: An Examination of Simultaneous Speech in Informal Groups

Conversational interruptions can carry negative connotations, yet prior research has consistently found positive associations between interruptions and attributions of leadership and social status. In this study we investigate simultaneous speech---interruptions and related behaviors---as a predictor of leader emergence, relying on a network perspective on communication to account for dependencies among individuals. Using a published data set, and starting from a published two-stage least squares model, we demonstrate that interruptions positively predict leader emergence. We demonstrate that a view of interruptions which includes multiple types of simultaneous speech and behavioral connections between actors provides information about group structure beyond that contained in speaking time. In an exponential random graph model analysis we find that simultaneous speech is not related to gender in a simple way, and that complexities are revealed by network analysis. We conclude that interruptions may provide a connection between relationship-based theories of leadership and leader communication.

Power-oriented and Rapport-oriented Interruptions Among Professional Women in Small Group Conversations

Interruptions in conversations have long been regarded in negative ways and are associated with dominance and power. The purpose of this study is to examine if women in the professional field interrupt each other in casual conversations with the intention to show power or to show rapport. The samples for this study were the verbal utterances and the interview data from the selected three professional women participants. The utterances among the participants were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using the Goldberg (1990) model for interruptions. Subsequently, Murata’s (1994) and Kennedy and Camden’s (1983) sub-categories for interruption analysis were also applied for a detailed analysis. The linguistic elements that existed within the interaction were examined to find out if the speakers demonstrated power-oriented interruptions (intrusive) or rapport-oriented interruptions (cooperative). The study reveals that the function of interruptions in conversations may not be for the purpose of portraying dominance alone. Interruptions among speakers that are supportive and cooperative, promoted solidarity among speakers. This study is significance to understand that with interruptions, speakers can work out a topic or a conversation together to produce a shared meaning. Interruptions could be power-oriented or rapport-oriented, depending on the functions assumed in the context.

Learning how to learn using simulation: Unpacking disguised feedback using a qualitative analysis of doctors’ telephone talk

Introduction: Telephone talk between clinicians represents a substantial workplace activity in postgraduate clinical education, yet junior doctors receive little training in goal-directed, professional telephone communication.Aim: To assess educational needs for telephone talk and develop a simulation-based educational intervention.Methods: Thematic analysis of 17 semi-structured interviews with doctors-in-training from various training levels and specialties.Results: We identified essential elements to incorporate into simulation-based telephone talk, including common challenging situations for junior doctors as well as explicit and informal aspects that promote learning. These elements have implications for both junior doctors and clinical supervisors, including: (a) explicit teaching and feedback practices and (b) informal conversational interruptions and questions. The latter serve as “disguised” feedback, which aligns with recent conceptualizations of feedback as “performance relevant information”.Conclusions: In addition to preparing clinical supervisors to support learning through telephone talk, we propose several potential educational strategies: (a) embedding telephone communication skills throughout simulation activities and (b) developing stand-alone curricular elements to sensitize junior doctors to “disguised” feedback during telephone talk as a mechanism to augment future workplace learning, i.e. 'learning how to learn' through simulation.

AN ANALYSIS OF GENDER AND STATUS AFFECTING CONVERSATIONAL INTERRUPTIONS

Interruptions as conversational strategies can be used to achieve either dominance or cooperation in a talk. The purpose of this study was to analyze conversational interruptions between Thai genders with different social statuses. Five episodes of the talk show BeMyGuest sponsored by the Thai Government’s Department of Public Relations were selected to analyze which type of interruption, intrusive or cooperative, males with different social statuses made in interacting with the woman show host. A total of 217 utterances were analyzed for interruptions under Zimmerman and West’s (1975) guidelines. The results revealed that in the context of the woman having a higher or equal status as a man, the male interrupted the conversation more often than his conversation partner. However, in the case the host having a lower social status than the male guest, it was found that the woman interrupted more often than the man. The result in the last case does not support the dominance approach, which points out that men dominate women in conversation. Culture is considered an important factor accounting for the genders’ behavior of interruptions in the conversation.

A Comparative Study of Male and Female Students in Fine Arts Institutes of Wassit Governorate

Males and females differences in language use are a subject which should be given more attention. Hence the present research highlights the gendered differences in language use in academic settings. Consequently, this study attempts to investigate the differences in language use between males and females students in Fine Arts Institutes of Wassit Governorate. It attempts to achieve the following aims: 1) finding out the differences in language use between males and females students in terms of formal and informal language, nonverbal cues and interruption; 2) pinpointing the differences in language use between males and females students in terms of politeness and the topic of discussion. To achieve the aims of this research and test the validity of its hypotheses, certain procedures have been followed: 1. selecting a sample of males and female students from Fine Arts Institutes in Wassit governorate. 2. Designing questionnaire that includes questions related to the use of polite language in communication, particularly when discussing personal relationships or sensitive topics. The results of this research have revealed that there are some differences in the language use of males and females students. More precisely, females tend to use politeness, formal language and nonverbal cues in conversations more than males. They have also revealed that males tend to use interruptions and topics of conversations which related to males issues whereas females use less interruptions in conversations and choose topics which related to females issues.

Managing Third-Party Interruptions in Conversations: Effects of Duration and Conversational Role

Dealing with interruptions in collaborative tasks involves two important processes: managing the face of one’s partners and collaboratively reconstructing the topic. In an experiment, pairs were interrupted while narrating personal stories. The duration of the interruption and the conversational role of the target were manipulated. Listeners were more polite than narrators, and longer suspensions caused more effort in reinstatement than short suspensions, but participants were not more polite when suspensions were long.

Conversational Interruptions in Israeli—Palestinian `Dialogue' Events

Previous cross-cultural research has not undertaken in situ analysis of conversational style between groups in severe political conflict. The present study is a quantitative and ethnographic study of conversational interruptions in one Israeli-Palestinian `dialogue' event which took place during the Palestinian Uprising. Findings indicate that the previously documented divergent cultural styles of the two groups underwent a process of change. Specifically, the Israeli dugri interruptive style dominated interactions between Israelis (intragroup) and between Israelis and Palestinians (intergroup). However, fewer interruptions were found in the intergroup interaction. Conversely, the Palestinian musayra style of non-interruptions was more significant in the intragroup Palestinian-Palestinian interaction than in interaction with Israelis, where Palestinian interruptions dominated. The political context of events and the erosion of the musayra style are suggested as factors that explain results. Implications are discussed.

Women and men in conversation: a consideration of therapists' interruptions in therapeutic discourse

Studies of day‐to‐day conversation have shown that interrupting can be used as a gendered means of determining both conversational topic and speaker. This paper explores the nature of interruptions in therapeutic conversations in this light. Drawing upon two recent studies of therapists' interruptions, the author offers some preliminary ideas for consideration by therapists, clinical supervisors and researchers.

Interruptions in Adolescent Girls' Conversations

Previous research examining adolescent girls'conversations suggests that interruptions may serve dominance and/or affiliative functions. More recent research has offered the alternative interpretation that interruptions in adolescent girls' conversations reflect conversational style similarities or differences. This study extends previous research by exploring these hypotheses regarding the meaning of interruptions by analyzing multiple speech functions for interruptions and simultaneous speech. Fifty-six adolescent girls participated in discussions either with their mothers or with same-gender friends. Successful interruptions and instances of simultaneous speech were coded as confirming, disconfirmning, or rejecting. The results indicated that girls used significantly more confirming interruptions and rejecting simultaneous speech than did their mothers, but the functions of girls' interruptions and simultaneous speech were the same with both mothers andfriends. The results are interpreted to suggest that the apparent increase in interruptions often reported in parent-adolescent interactions may resultfrom a change in the style of interaction during adolescence.

Gender and Interruptions

Does gender affect reactions to violations of expected conversational behavior? This study examined ratings of interactants involved in interruptive exchanges. Audio recordings of two-person interactions that varied in gender composition but were identical in script features were rated by judges on several scales, including the degree to which participants were seen to be argumentative, rude, and assertive. Results showed that interrupter sex did not affect ratings even though interrupters were evaluated differently than those they interrupted. However, gender composition significantly affected two of three derived factors, disrespect and assertiveness, such that when a woman interrupted a man, the pair was rated significantly more disrespectful and assertive than either of the two same-sex pairs. Conversational interruptions that occur among mixed-sex pairs are often interpreted not merely as individual infractions but as an assault on the established power relations.

Conversational Activity and Interruptions among Men and Women

Conversational Activity and Interruptions among Men and Women

A backward glance at interruptions

For over twenty years, social psychologists have been conducting research on conversational interruptions, often with contradictory results. These discrepancies may be traced not only to definitional inconsistencies, but to the empirically tenuous concept of “interruption.” Examples from two naturally occurring conversations are drawn to support the study of onset and resolution as more rigorous and describable procedures.

Interruptions in Task-oriented Conversations: Effects of Violations of Expectations by Males and Females

The issue of power is a fascinating one, both for communication researchers and for the public at large. Power, the ability to influence or to perhaps control the behavior of others, is an important interpersonal phenomenon. The study of power, including its bases and manifestations, has generated a large body of both scientific and popular literature. Some investigators of power in communication have sought to identify conversational features that signal attempts to gain interpersonal power through communication. Interruptions appear to be in this category of conversational features. It has been argued that interlocutors may use interruption as a means of establishing dominance over their fellows; i.e., as a means to acquire power. If so, who might use such a device and what might the results of such behavior be? It is to these questions that the reported study addresses itself. The purpose of this study is threefold: a) to describe and investigate a communication phenomenon called the deep interruption,...

Women's Place in Everyday Talk: Reflections on Parent-Child Interaction

In this paper, we compare the results of our previous study of interruptions in same-sex and cross-sex conversations (Zimmerman and West, 1975) with similar data from parent-child verbal interaction and find that there are striking similarities between the pattern of interruptions in male-female interchanges and those observed in the adult-child transactions. We use the occasion of this comparison to consider several possible interactional consequences of interruption in conversation, particularly as these consequences relate to the issue of dominance in face-to-face interaction.

Replication of the Achievement Place model in California.

Attempting to replicate procedures from Achievement Place, token reinforcement procedures were used to modify savings, conversational interruptions, and table-setting of delinquent boys residing in a home-style, community based, treatment setting. The tokens (points) were redeemable for various privileges and could be earned for specified appropriate behaviors and lost for specified inappropriate behaviors. Contingent point fines reduced the frequency of interruptions. Point rewards improved table-setting, but even large point rewards did not substantially increase savings. Baseline data indicated that lateness to dinner was not a problem, as it was in Achievement Place. Withdrawal of contingent points and back-up rewards did not disrupt the clean-up behavior of two boys.