How extra-linguistic goals affect common ground formation

The formation of common ground between interlocutors relies on their linguistic cooperation, manifesting as shortened references produced during a given conversation. However, people have goals for their conversations, and these extra-linguistic goals can influence a variety of linguistic choices. If extra-linguistic goals do affect the formation of common ground, then reference production length may vary with speaker cooperativeness. The present research addresses in three experiments: 1) the effect of extra-linguistic goals on reference productions, 2) the relationship between informativity of the reference productions and their length, and 3) how goal habituation affects references produced under different goal states. Consistent effects of condition on the reference production lengths are not observed, however, across Experiments 1a and 2, and the effects of goal habituation are inconsistent. Experiment1b demonstrates that the length of reference productions is not related to informativity within the dialogue. However, consistent effects of round and instance are observed, as would be expected if the interlocutors were sharing conceptual pacts.

Name thesis:degree_name

M.A.

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Psychology

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2015

Author dc:creator

• Sanders, Kate

Contributors dc:contributor

• Brown-Schmidt, Sarah

• common ground
• conversation
• extra-linguistic
• Goals
• reference production
• informativity
• goal habituation

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2014 Kate Sanders

Language dc:language

en

Handle dc:identifier

http://hdl.handle.net/2142/72868

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/72868