The facilitatory role of utterance splitting in text-based CMC

Abstract

This paper focuses on the role of the structure of turns in quasi-synchronous text-based computer mediated-conversation. Prior research has found that interactants in this type of communication submit their messages in two ways: either as a long single message or as a sequence of shorter postings. We hypothesize that the latter strategy – called utterance splitting – facilitates communicating online both in terms of turn-taking (initiation of repairs and holding the floor) and sentence processing (predicting informational content and lowering entropy). To evaluate the hypothesis, an experiment in which naive participants interacted with a confederate writer was conducted. We found that although communicative success did not depend on the condition to which the participants were assigned, the conversations in which the confederate sent split utterances were, on average, shorter and re-quired less words to communicate the same intention.