Verbal play as a discourse resource in the social interactions of older and younger communication pairs

Authors

  • Samantha Shune The University of Oregon
  • Melissa C. Duff University of Iowa

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1558/jircd.v5i2.193

Keywords:

aging, cognitive aging, communication, discourse, social interaction, verbal play

Abstract

Verbal play, or the playful manipulation of elements of language, is a pervasive component of social interaction, serving important interpersonal functions. We analyzed verbal play in the interactional discourse of ten healthy younger pairs and ten healthy older pairs as they completed a collaborative referencing task. A total of 1,893 verbal play episodes were coded. While there were no group differences in verbal play frequency, age-related differences in the quality and function of these episodes emerged. While older participants engaged in more complex, extended, and reciprocal episodes that supported the social nature of communicative interactions (e.g., teasing), younger participants were more likely to engage in verbal play episodes for the purpose of successful task completion. Despite these age-related variations in the deployment of verbal play, verbal play is a robust interactional discourse resource in healthy aging, highlighting an element of human cognition that does not appear to decline with age.

Author Biographies

  • Samantha Shune, The University of Oregon

    Samantha Shune received her PhD in Speech and Hearing Science from the University of Iowa. Her current position is as assistant professor of Communication Disorders and Sciences at the University of Oregon. Her research interests include the impact of age on the communicative and physiologic components of the mealtime process and how these components support successful social interaction. Recent publications: Shune, S. and Duff, M. C. (2012) Verbal play as an interactional discourse resource in early stage Alzheimer’s disease. Aphasiology, 26 (6): 811–825. Shune, S. and Moon, J. B. (2012) Neuromuscular electrical stimulation in dysphagia management: Clinician use and perceived barriers. Contemporary Issues in Communication Science and Disorders, 39: 54-67.

  • Melissa C. Duff, University of Iowa

    Melissa C. Duff received her PhD in Speech and Hearing Science from the University of Illinois. Her current position is as assistant professor of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Neurology, and the Neuroscience Training Program at the University of Iowa, and as the director of the Iowa Traumatic Brain Injury Registry. Her research primarily addresses the cognitive and neural systems that support language use and processing in social interaction. Recent publications: Duff, M. C., Gallegos, D., Cohen, N. J. and Tranel, D. (2013) Learning in Alzheimer’s disease is facilitated by social interaction and common ground. Journal of Comparative Neurology, 521 (18): 4356 4369. Duff, M. C. and Brown-Schmidt, S. (2012). The hippocampus and the flexible use and processing of language. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2012.00 69.

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Published

2014-07-31

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Section

Articles

How to Cite

Shune, S., & Duff, M. (2014). Verbal play as a discourse resource in the social interactions of older and younger communication pairs. Journal of Interactional Research in Communication Disorders, 5(2), 193-216. https://doi.org/10.1558/jircd.v5i2.193