Vocal Accommodation and Mimicry

Bernhold, Quinten S.; Giles, Howard

doi:10.1007/s10919-019-00317-y

Cited by 18 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 104 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Indeed, research has already established that more synchrony is not always beneficial (Butler, 2011 , 2015 ). According to Communication Accommodation Theory (Bernhold & Giles, 2020 ; Giles et al, 1991 ), overaccommodation where the interlocutors show a greater extent of coordination than expected is believed to be as worse as underaccommodation where they failed to show coordination. For some hosts and guests, showing facial and movement synchrony during the interview might go beyond the level of comfort.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nonverbal Synchrony in Technology-Mediated Interviews: A Cross-Cultural Study

et al. 2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Technology-mediated communication has changed the way we interact. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, this trend became even more pronounced. Media interviews are no exception. Yet, studies on nonverbal behaviors, especially nonverbal synchrony during such mediated settings, have been scarce. To fill the research gap, this study investigated synchronized patterns between interview hosts’ and guests’ facial emotional displays and upper body movement during mediated interviews recorded in the countries in Western (mainly the US, with the addition of the UK) and Eastern cultures (Japan). The interviews were categorized into information- or entertainment-driven interviews, depending on the social attributes of the guest. The time series of the valence in facial displays and upper body movement was automatedly measured using FaceReader and Motion Energy Analysis software, respectively, which was analyzed in terms of simultaneous movements, a primary component of synchrony. As predicted, facial synchrony was more prevalent in information-driven interviews, supporting the motivational and strategic account of synchrony. In addition, female-hosted interviews had a higher degree of synchrony, especially in information-driven interviews. Similar patterns were seen in movement synchrony, although not significant. This study is the first evidence of synchrony in technology-mediated interviews in which a host and a guest appear on split-screen to inform or entertain audiences. However, no cultural differences in synchrony were observed. Situational demands in front of the interactants and the goal-driven nature of communication seemed to play a more prominent role than cultural differences in nonverbal synchrony. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10919-022-00416-3.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nonverbal Synchrony in Technology-Mediated Interviews: A Cross-Cultural Study

et al. 2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…An example of signal adjustment optionality would be an English speaker's ability to modify the form of the adjective ‘big’ to ‘biiiig’ to intensify the meaning of the adjective and convey that something is very big (Schlenker, 2018 ). In everyday communication, it is also common for conversation partners to converge on the prosodic and/or structural features of one another's language use to facilitate social bonding, or to signal group identity in a process known as ‘accommodation’ (Bernhold & Giles, 2020 ). Each of these cases involves an ability to alter the form of existing signals (whether with or without an associated change in function) and is therefore demonstrative of signal adjustment optionality.…”

Section: Evidence Of Optionality In Animal Communicationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Optionality in animal communication: a novel framework for examining the evolution of arbitrariness

et al. 2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

A critical feature of language is that the form of words need not bear any perceptual similarity to their function -these relationships can be 'arbitrary'. The capacity to process these arbitrary formfunction associations facilitates the enormous expressive power of language. However, the evolutionary roots of our capacity for arbitrariness, i.e. the extent to which related abilities may be shared with animals, is largely unexamined. We argue this is due to the challenges of applying such an intrinsically linguistic concept to animal communication, and address this by proposing a novel conceptual framework highlighting a key underpinning of linguistic arbitrariness, which is nevertheless applicable to non-human species. Specifically, we focus on the capacity to associate alternative functions with a signal, or alternative signals with a function, a feature we refer to as optionality. We apply this framework to a broad survey of findings from animal communication studies and identify five key dimensions of communicative optionality: signal production, signal adjustment, signal usage, signal combinatoriality and signal perception. We find that optionality is widespread in non-human animals across each of these dimensions, although only humans demonstrate it in all five. Finally, we discuss the relevance of optionality to behavioural and cognitive domains outside of communication. This investigation provides a powerful new conceptual framework for the cross-species investigation of the origins of arbitrariness, and promises to generate original insights into animal communication and language evolution more generally.

show abstract

“…According to Bernhold and Giles ( 2020 ), mimicry occurs with a goal for association as it overlaps with convergence and is synonymous with accommodation behaviors. Bernhold and Giles defined mimicry as the “unconscious imitation or mirroring of various nonverbal behaviors” (p. 62).…”

Section: Antecedents In Human-machine Synchronymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Other areas where these similarities have been researched include professional communication, and persuasion (Buller and Aune, 1988 , 1992 ; Sparks, 1994 ). Accommodation and mimicry have been considered distinct but related concepts according to nonverbal research (Bernhold and Giles, 2020 ). Although research suggests that synchrony is likely more vital to group dynamics than perceived identity, it is still important to understand the identity affiliation or goal of the parties involved.…”

Section: Antecedents In Human-machine Synchronymentioning

confidence: 99%

Who's Leading This Dance?: Theorizing Automatic and Strategic Synchrony in Human-Exoskeleton Interactions

2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Wearable robots are an emerging form of technology that allow organizations to combine the strength, precision, and performance of machines with the flexibility, intelligence, and problem-solving abilities of human wearers. Active exoskeletons are a type of wearable robot that gives wearers the ability to effortlessly lift up to 200 lbs., as well as perform other types of physically demanding tasks that would be too strenuous for most humans. Synchronization between exoskeleton suits and wearers is one of the most challenging requirements to operate these technologies effectively. In this conceptual paper, we extend interpersonal adaption theory (IAT) to the exoskeleton context and explicate (a) the antecedents that are most likely to shape synchrony in human-exoskeleton interactions, (b) automatic and strategic synchrony as adaptive behaviors in human-exoskeleton interactions, and (c) outcome variables that are especially important in these processes. Lastly, we offer a discussion of key methodological challenges for measuring synchrony in human-exoskeleton interactions and offer a future research agenda for this important area.

show abstract

Vocal Accommodation and Mimicry

Cited by 18 publications

References 104 publications

Nonverbal Synchrony in Technology-Mediated Interviews: A Cross-Cultural Study

Nonverbal Synchrony in Technology-Mediated Interviews: A Cross-Cultural Study

Optionality in animal communication: a novel framework for examining the evolution of arbitrariness

Who's Leading This Dance?: Theorizing Automatic and Strategic Synchrony in Human-Exoskeleton Interactions

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About