%0 Journal Article
%T Preschoolers Optimize the Timing of Their Conversational Turns Through Flexible Coordination of Language Comprehension and Production
%A Chiara Gambi
%A Hugh Rabagliati
%A Laura Lindsay
%J Psychological Science
%@ 1467-9280
%D 2019
%R 10.1177/0956797618822802
%X Conversation is the natural setting for language learning and use, and a key property of conversation is the smooth taking of turns. In adult conversations, delays between turns are minimal (typically 200 ms or less) because listeners display a striking ability to predict what their partner will say, and they formulate a response before their partner¡¯s turn ends. Here, we tested how this ability to coordinate comprehension and production develops in preschool children. In an interactive paradigm, 106 children (ages 3¨C5 years) and 48 adults responded to questions that varied in predictability but were controlled for linguistic complexity. Using a novel distributional approach to data analysis, we found that when children can predict a question¡¯s ending, they leave shorter gaps before responding, suggesting that they can optimize the timing of their conversational turns like adults do. In line with a recent ethological theory of turn taking, this early competency helps explain how conversational contexts support language development
%K turn taking
%K prediction
%K response planning
%K development
%K conversation
%K open data
%U https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0956797618822802