Impact of Background Noise on Turn-Taking Dynamics in Triadic Conversations
Abstract
Conversations require individuals to comprehend speech while preparing responses, with demands increasing significantly in noise or with more people involved. Here, we explore the impact of noise on turn-taking dynamics in triadic conversations. Ten groups of three young, normal-hearing participants engaged in conversations at two levels of 8-talker babble noise, with each group holding three conversations under noisy conditions and three in quiet. We extracted objective measures of turn-taking dynamics from the recorded speech and assessed subjective ratings of conversational difficulty. Conversations in noise were shorter, with reduced distance between participants, fewer overlaps-within, and fewer, more delayed, and variable floor transfers. The conversational dynamics in noise correlated with the subjective ratings. Overall, changes in turn-taking dynamics in triadic conversations in noise resemble those in dyads, reflecting alterations in conversational flow and engagement.