Summary
This study presents an analytical framework for investigating the relationship between language and action in a dyadic communication task. Retarded listeners were found to improve their performance on the introduction of speaker feedback; when feedback was removed the listeners' performance returned to its previous level. A study was carried out of the relationship between the speaker's message, the listener's choice of stimulus item and the listener's spontaneous verbalizations. This relationship differed for individual subjects and also changed as their performance improved on the task. This result was interpreted as showing that the subjects learned to eliminate different non-functional communication strategies as they improved on the task. The importance of this knowledge for remediation purposes is stressed.