Listener Gaze and Pupil Reactions Toward a PWS in Real Time Conversation

Open Access
- Author:
- Johnson, Rupert
- Graduate Program:
- Communication Sciences and Disorders
- Degree:
- Doctor of Philosophy
- Document Type:
- Dissertation
- Date of Defense:
- March 30, 2020
- Committee Members:
- Krista M Wilkinson, Dissertation Advisor/Co-Advisor
Krista M Wilkinson, Committee Chair/Co-Chair
Carol Anne Miller, Committee Member
Nicole Michele Etter, Committee Member
Lisa M Conyers, Outside Member
Diane L Williams, Program Head/Chair - Keywords:
- Listener perceptions
listener reactions
stuttering
Eye-tracking
pupillometry
physiological measures - Abstract:
- Purpose: The purpose of this study is to use wearable eye tracking technology to examine the implicit physiological and behavioral reactions toward PWS by examining the ocular behavioral patterns of people who are unfamiliar to stuttering when encountering a person who stutters (PWS) for the first time. Method: Eleven participants who self-reported as being unfamiliar with and unknowledgeable about stuttering wore wearable eye tracking technology while interacting with a PWS and a typically fluent speaker in passive and active social conditions. Results: There were significant differences in pupil size between passive and active social conditions and type of conversation partner. Participants had a higher pupil dilation in the active condition than the passive, and also when interacting with the PWS than the typically fluent speaker. Conclusions: These results indicate that PWS may experience some psychological and emotional arousal and/or increased cognitive load when participating in an active social condition than a passive condition, which may lend support to the “reel vs real” effect in social interaction research. Similarly, participants may experience some psychological and emotional arousal and/or increased cognitive load when socially engaged with or attending to a PWS. This may be a function of effortful listening, unfamiliarity, and/or a implicit, emotional reaction towards stuttered speech.