Memory for conversation: Toward a grammar of dyadic conversation∗

The research reported herein was part of the author's doctoral dissertation research submitted to The University of Arkansas. The author would like to extend his thanks and appreciation to his advisor, Joel S. Freund, and to the members of his dissertation committee, Dennis Bonge and Ken Witte. Their ever‐present persistence and patience have contributed significantly in making this research a truly rewarding experience. Special thanks go to Amy Gilchrist for her assistance in the collection of data for Experiment 2, and to Sandra Glover and Helen Nelson for the excellent job they did typing this manuscript. Extra special thanks go to Joel Freund, Larry Meyers, California State University, Sacramento, and an anonymous reviewer, for their careful reading of an earlier version of this manuscript. Requests for reprints may be addressed to Dr. Glenn Gamst, 2128 Cerro Kamuk Ct, San Jose, CA 95116.

Abstract

A grammar of simple (one‐topic) dyadic conversation was postulated and examined in two experiments. The first experiment attempted to assess the extent to which subjects spontaneously utilized the grammatical rule structure by employing a dialogue‐generation task. It was found that the subject‐generated dialogues tended to closely match the proposed grammar. The second experiment demonstrated that structural violations but not recall instructions significantly influence memory of a brief dialogue. However, recall instructions were found to influence the sequential structure of the dialogues at retrieval time. The implications of the present grammar and suggestions for future research were discussed.

Notes

The research reported herein was part of the author's doctoral dissertation research submitted to The University of Arkansas. The author would like to extend his thanks and appreciation to his advisor, Joel S. Freund, and to the members of his dissertation committee, Dennis Bonge and Ken Witte. Their ever‐present persistence and patience have contributed significantly in making this research a truly rewarding experience. Special thanks go to Amy Gilchrist for her assistance in the collection of data for Experiment 2, and to Sandra Glover and Helen Nelson for the excellent job they did typing this manuscript. Extra special thanks go to Joel Freund, Larry Meyers, California State University, Sacramento, and an anonymous reviewer, for their careful reading of an earlier version of this manuscript. Requests for reprints may be addressed to Dr. Glenn Gamst, 2128 Cerro Kamuk Ct, San Jose, CA 95116.