Zhang, Yanran;
Gu, Yan;
(2024)
Understanding individual differences in audiovisual child-directed language: The role of empathy and personality traits.
In:
Speech Prosody 2024.
(pp. pp. 210-214).
International Speech Communication Association
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Abstract
This study explores individual differences in broadcasters’ use of child-directed prosody and gesture, focusing on the role of empathy and the Big Five personality traits. Forty-two female future broadcasters simulated live broadcasts for both adults (ADB) and children (CDB) programmes. Prosodic and gestural analyses showed several key findings. First, openness negatively predicted speaking rate, while empathy positively predicted the rate of representational gestures. Mean intensity was positively predicted by empathy but negatively by agreeableness in CDB. Additionally, the saliency of pointing gestures was positively influenced by empathy and conscientiousness. Furthermore, participants varied in adjustments between programmes. Compared to ADB, in CDB, prosodically, higher empathy and neuroticism but lower extraversion predicted faster speech; higher empathy, extraversion and lower openness predicted higher pitch; and higher empathy and extraversion, along with lower openness and agreeableness, predicted higher intensity. Gesturally, higher-empathetic participants produced more salient pointing and beats, while more extroverted participants made more salient representational gestures in CDB. Notably, the frequency of child-directed representational gestures negatively correlated with neuroticism. The findings highlight the role of individual differences in tailoring audiovisual child-directed communication, with implications for broadcaster training.
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