Alignment Development Is Not a Unitary Phenomenon: a Comparison of Speech Rate and Lexical Alignment in Children
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| Title: | Alignment Development Is Not a Unitary Phenomenon: a Comparison of Speech Rate and Lexical Alignment in Children |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Adriana Chee Jing Chieng (ORCID |
| Source: | Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research. 2026 69(3):891-905. |
| Availability: | American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. 2200 Research Blvd #250, Rockville, MD 20850. Tel: 301-296-5700; Fax: 301-296-8580; e-mail: slhr@asha.org; Web site: http://jslhr.pubs.asha.org |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 15 |
| Publication Date: | 2026 |
| Sponsoring Agency: | National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) (DHHS/NIH) |
| Contract Number: | R01DC020713 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Descriptors: | Young Children, Speech, Interpersonal Communication, Behavior, Foreign Countries, Adults |
| Geographic Terms: | Malaysia |
| Assessment and Survey Identifiers: | Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test |
| DOI: | 10.1044/2025_JSLHR-25-00149 |
| ISSN: | 1092-4388 1558-9102 |
| Abstract: | Purpose: Conversational alignment, the phenomenon in which interlocutors exhibit similar communicative behaviors as one another, has been documented across many levels of communication. There has been a growing recognition of the need to understand the relationship between alignment at various levels. Here, we add to the body of literature by exploring the trajectories of alignment development at different communication levels in children. Using a conversational corpus in which early school-aged children demonstrated robust lexical alignment, we examined whether they also demonstrated similar patterns of speech rate alignment. Method: In this corpus, children (n = 45) aged 5-8 years participated in two experimental sessions. In one session, they interacted with their parents (i.e., all mothers), and in the other, they interacted with the university students. During each session, the child engaged in two 10-min conversations: a problem-solving task and a play-based task. A total of 180 conversational samples were collected. Results: Linear mixed-effects models showed that the children did not align their speech rates across multiple contexts (i.e., different partners and tasks). Furthermore, there was no relationship between lexical and speech rate alignment. Conclusions: These findings suggest that alignment development in children is not a unitary phenomenon. Rather, alignment at different levels of communication may require different underlying skills and may be driven by different levels of automaticity. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2026 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1499674 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | Purpose: Conversational alignment, the phenomenon in which interlocutors exhibit similar communicative behaviors as one another, has been documented across many levels of communication. There has been a growing recognition of the need to understand the relationship between alignment at various levels. Here, we add to the body of literature by exploring the trajectories of alignment development at different communication levels in children. Using a conversational corpus in which early school-aged children demonstrated robust lexical alignment, we examined whether they also demonstrated similar patterns of speech rate alignment. Method: In this corpus, children (n = 45) aged 5-8 years participated in two experimental sessions. In one session, they interacted with their parents (i.e., all mothers), and in the other, they interacted with the university students. During each session, the child engaged in two 10-min conversations: a problem-solving task and a play-based task. A total of 180 conversational samples were collected. Results: Linear mixed-effects models showed that the children did not align their speech rates across multiple contexts (i.e., different partners and tasks). Furthermore, there was no relationship between lexical and speech rate alignment. Conclusions: These findings suggest that alignment development in children is not a unitary phenomenon. Rather, alignment at different levels of communication may require different underlying skills and may be driven by different levels of automaticity. |
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| ISSN: | 1092-4388 1558-9102 |
| DOI: | 10.1044/2025_JSLHR-25-00149 |
