A Psycholinguistic Comparison of Speech, Dictation and Writing

Eighteen subjects responded to questions in an interview-like situation in which response modes (speaking, dictation, and writing) and question topics (personal v. impersonal) were systematically varied. Ten verbal indices consisting of extra-linguistic, syntactical, and content measures were the dependent variables. The speaking condition, in contrast to writing, yielded significantly faster Reaction Times and Production Rates, greater verbal Productivity, higher Silence Quotients, and lower Passive Verb Ratios, with dictation yielding intermediate scores on all the variables with the exception of Silence Quotient. The Ah Ratio was higher in dictation than in writing while the reverse was true for Non-Ah Ratio. Impersonal questions, in contrast to personal ones, evoked responses characterized by greater Productivity, faster Reaction Times, lower Silence Quotients and Non-Ah Ratios, higher Ah Ratios, longer and more superficial sentences. The encoding condition effects were interpreted as supporting the view that mode of communication influences the structure of the relations between interactants in a dyad. The topical effects supported the hypothesis of a greater reluctance to divulge personal rather than impersonal information, especially to a stranger.