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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 0000-0003-3479-1501), Camille J. Wynn (ORCID 0000-0002-3916-4307), Tze Peng Wong, Stephanie A. Borrie (ORCID 0000-0002-2336-0071)
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
FullText Links:
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  Data: Alignment Development Is Not a Unitary Phenomenon: a Comparison of Speech Rate and Lexical Alignment in Children
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Adriana+Chee+Jing+Chieng%22">Adriana Chee Jing Chieng</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3479-1501">0000-0003-3479-1501</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Camille+J%2E+Wynn%22">Camille J. Wynn</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3916-4307">0000-0002-3916-4307</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Tze+Peng+Wong%22">Tze Peng Wong</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Stephanie+A%2E+Borrie%22">Stephanie A. Borrie</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2336-0071">0000-0002-2336-0071</externalLink>)
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  Data: 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
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  Data: 10.1044/2025_JSLHR-25-00149
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  Data: 1092-4388<br />1558-9102
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  Data: 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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