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Turn-taking dynamics of social interactions are important for speech and gesture synchronization, enabling conversations to proceed efficiently, according to a study published September 25, 2024, in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Tifenn Fauviaux from the University of Montpellier, France, and colleagues.

Conversations encompass continuous exchanges of verbal and nonverbal information. Previous research has demonstrated that gestures and speech synchronize at the individual level. But few studies have investigated how this phenomenon may unfold between individuals.

To fill this knowledge gap, Fauviaux and colleagues used an online dataset consisting of 14 sessions of two people engaged in unstructured face-to-face conversations during which they were free to talk about specific topics. Each of these sessions contained between one and four discussions, and the conversations lasted from seven to 15 minutes.

The researchers analyzed both audio and motion data, and measured speech and gesture synchronization at different timescales. Specifically, they focused on vocal properties through the speech amplitude envelope and movement properties through head and wrist gestures.

The results supported previous research on speech and gesture coordination at the individual level, revealing synchronization at all timescales of the conversation. That is, there was higher-than-chance synchronization between a given participant's wrist and head movements, and similar synchronization between these movements and vocal properties.

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