2 On target. On the role of eye-gaze during teases in face-to-face multiparty interaction
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Clarissa de Vries
Abstract
As this volume demonstrates, the multimodal construction of humor, and of teasing in particular, is increasingly at the center of attention in various fields of research. One multimodal marker in face-to-face interaction, the use of eye-gaze, serves a range of functions that are relevant for teasing, such as monitoring and eliciting response, displaying stance, and managing the participation framework. Surprisingly, there is little work available on the use of eye-gaze in teasing. The current study therefore investigates the use of eye-gaze in teases with a co-present target and teases in which the target is not present. Using a corpus of spontaneous triadic interactions in which participants wear head-mounted eye-trackers, we analyze the distribution of speaker gaze over both addressees, as well as the distribution of addressee gaze, in these two types of teases. Using both quantitative distributional analyses and qualitative micro-analyses of teasing sequences, we show that different gaze patterns emerge for internal versus external teases. During internal teases, speakers overwhelmingly look at the target of their tease, thereby not only verbally but visually targeting them. Furthermore, during internal teases, targets often avert their gaze, and the third participants alternate their gaze between the target of the tease, and the speaker. During external teases, the speaker’s gaze is slightly more equally distributed over the addressees and all participants adhere to a more ‘default’ gaze pattern. Our findings highlight the multifunctionality of eye-gaze in interaction, and the influence of the specific participation framework and teasing constellation on gaze distribution over all participants in teases in conversation.
Abstract
As this volume demonstrates, the multimodal construction of humor, and of teasing in particular, is increasingly at the center of attention in various fields of research. One multimodal marker in face-to-face interaction, the use of eye-gaze, serves a range of functions that are relevant for teasing, such as monitoring and eliciting response, displaying stance, and managing the participation framework. Surprisingly, there is little work available on the use of eye-gaze in teasing. The current study therefore investigates the use of eye-gaze in teases with a co-present target and teases in which the target is not present. Using a corpus of spontaneous triadic interactions in which participants wear head-mounted eye-trackers, we analyze the distribution of speaker gaze over both addressees, as well as the distribution of addressee gaze, in these two types of teases. Using both quantitative distributional analyses and qualitative micro-analyses of teasing sequences, we show that different gaze patterns emerge for internal versus external teases. During internal teases, speakers overwhelmingly look at the target of their tease, thereby not only verbally but visually targeting them. Furthermore, during internal teases, targets often avert their gaze, and the third participants alternate their gaze between the target of the tease, and the speaker. During external teases, the speaker’s gaze is slightly more equally distributed over the addressees and all participants adhere to a more ‘default’ gaze pattern. Our findings highlight the multifunctionality of eye-gaze in interaction, and the influence of the specific participation framework and teasing constellation on gaze distribution over all participants in teases in conversation.
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter I
- Contents V
- Introduction 1
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Part 1: Face-to-face interactions
- 1 A multimodal approach to children’s development of humor in family life 15
- 2 On target. On the role of eye-gaze during teases in face-to-face multiparty interaction 53
- 3 Humorous Smiling: A Reverse Cross-Validation of the Smiling Intensity Scale for the Identification of Conversational Humor 87
- 4 Alternative conceptualizations of the Smiling Intensity Scale (SIS) and their applications to the identification of humor 109
- 5 Facial gestures and laughter as a resource for negotiating humor in conversation 131
- 6 Multimodal humor in human-robot interaction 169
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Part 2: Mediated interactions
- 7 Facial expressions as multimodal markers of humor: More evidence from scripted and non-scripted interactions 209
- 8 Emojis and jocular flattery in Chinese instant messaging interactions 231
- 9 More than laughter: Multimodal humour and the negotiation of ingroup identities in mobile instant messaging interactions 263
- 10 Humour and creativity in a family of strangers on Facebook 289
- 11 “Loanword translation and corrective acts are incongruous”: Debating metapragmatic stereotypes through humorous memes 319
- Index 355
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter I
- Contents V
- Introduction 1
-
Part 1: Face-to-face interactions
- 1 A multimodal approach to children’s development of humor in family life 15
- 2 On target. On the role of eye-gaze during teases in face-to-face multiparty interaction 53
- 3 Humorous Smiling: A Reverse Cross-Validation of the Smiling Intensity Scale for the Identification of Conversational Humor 87
- 4 Alternative conceptualizations of the Smiling Intensity Scale (SIS) and their applications to the identification of humor 109
- 5 Facial gestures and laughter as a resource for negotiating humor in conversation 131
- 6 Multimodal humor in human-robot interaction 169
-
Part 2: Mediated interactions
- 7 Facial expressions as multimodal markers of humor: More evidence from scripted and non-scripted interactions 209
- 8 Emojis and jocular flattery in Chinese instant messaging interactions 231
- 9 More than laughter: Multimodal humour and the negotiation of ingroup identities in mobile instant messaging interactions 263
- 10 Humour and creativity in a family of strangers on Facebook 289
- 11 “Loanword translation and corrective acts are incongruous”: Debating metapragmatic stereotypes through humorous memes 319
- Index 355
