Using Intensive Longitudinal Methods to Study Conversations as Dynamic Dyadic Systems

One of the most consequential aspects of how people relate to one another concerns their conversations. Back-and-forth exchanges can have many functions, such as providing support or encouragement, disagreeing with others, deepening connections, influencing others, or being influenced. Most people agree that conversations matter, but they may fail to understand the critical features that make conversations consequential. The analysis of how conversations unfold, and which communication patterns matter most, had been underdeveloped. However, research funded by the National Science Foundation developed the Dynamic Dyadic Systems approach, which provides analytic tools for studying interpersonal conversations and linking patterns of interaction to interpersonal outcomes. This project significantly expands the usability of a Dynamic Dyadic Systems approach by providing broad training through two conferences, the publication of research examples, and the development of online and freely accessible tutorials. The first conference brings together investigators from different fields who study topics that would benefit from new methods for analyzing dyadic conversations. Using data from studies conducted by these investigators, the conference expands the applicability of the Dynamic Dyadic Systems approach by analyzing face-to-face and digital interactions between strangers, co-workers, newlyweds, or parents and children. Projects from the first conference provide the basis for publications showcasing how the Dynamic Dyadic Systems approach can propel new discoveries about conversations. The products of the first conference, including data sets, tutorials, and reports, provide the materials for a second conference in which the novel techniques are demonstrated and shared with a broader audience of scholars. The project leverages a new approach to analyzing conversations by contributing open-source tutorials, code for statistical modeling on freely available software, and other resources, all of which are being made available online for broad use. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.