animated or numerous gestures. displays excessively animated or numerous gestures. Turn-taking Never seeks information from partner, or constantly barrages partner with questions, or asks questions of excessive intimacy or privacy. Makes no effort to involve partner as a topic of conversation through comments or inquiries. Makes no comments about his/her own interests, attitudes, beliefs, values, etc. Rarely seeks information from partner, or frequently barrages partner with questions, or asks questions of excessive intimacy or privacy. Rarely tries to involve partner as a topic of conversation through comments or inquiries. Rarely comments about his/her own interests, attitudes, beliefs, values, etc. Occasionally seeks information from partner, or occasionally barrages partner with questions, or asks questions of excessive intimacy or privacy. Occasionally involves partner as a topic of conversation through comments or inquiries. Occasionally makes comments about his/her own interests, attitudes, beliefs, values, etc. Frequently seeks information from partner, but avoids barrage or excessive invasiveness of questions. Often involves partner as a topic of conversation through comments and inquiries. Often comments about his/her own interests, attitudes, beliefs, values, etc. Frequently asks questions that are suggestive of insights, involve partner in the conversation, or facilitates conversation. Frequently involves partner as a topic of conversation through comments or inquiries. Frequently comments about his/her own interests, attitudes, beliefs, values, etc. Self-assertion Never expresses personal opinions, or constantly expresses opinions overly aggressively or passively. Provides no verbal encouragement or agreements, or provides it incessantly. Shows no concern for partner’s personal opinions, or is openly hostile to them. Occasionally expresses personal opinions, or frequently expresses them too aggressively or passively. Indifferent or dismissive of partner’s personal opinions, makes no effort to understand them. Frequently expresses personal opinions, or occasionally expresses them too aggressively or passively. Acknowledges partner’s personal opinions. Experiences no difficulties in expressing personal opinions, and such expressions seem neither too aggressive nor passive. Respectful of partner’s expression of personal opinions, asks appropriate questions to gain understanding when they differ from own. Expresses personal opinions with ease and fluency, and with no disruption of partner or negative sanction. Encourages partner’s expression of personal opinions, asks appropriate questions to gain understanding and promote continued discussion of differences. Conversation Maintenance Provides no extension of topics, does not initiate Initiates few topics and provides few extensions Provides occasional extensions of topics Initiates numerous new topics and provides Initiates numerous new topics and
any new topics; comments are unrelated to previous topics. of topics; follow-up comments are seldom related to previous topics. once initiated; follow-up comments are occasionally related to previous topics. frequent extensions of topics once initiated; follow-up comments are frequently related to previous topics. facilitates partner topic initiation. Provides fluent, seamless, and innovative extensions of topics once initiated. Affect Displays no smiles or laughter, or displays constant hysterical laughter or constant smirking, regardless of partner stimulus. Completely avoids eye contact, or exhibits fixated or continuous eye contact with partner. Continuously serious and humorless, or uses humor that receives overt negative sanction (e.g., frowns, statements of inappropriateness, lack of laughter in response to laugh tokens, etc.). Provides almost no verbal encouragement or agreements, or provides it almost constantly. Displays infrequent smiles or laughter, or displays frequent hysterical laughter or constant smirking, almost regardless of partner stimulus. Frequently avoids eye contact, or exhibits very frequent or long durations of eye contact with partner. Generally serious and humorless, or uses humor that receives apparent but not obvious negative sanction. Provides only occasional verbal encouragement or agreements. Displays occasional smiles or laughter in response to humorous stimuli. Provides occasional eye contact of brief duration at points of turn relevance. Uses some humor that is not apparently sanctioned negatively. Provides several verbal encouragement or agreements. Displays occasional smiles or laughter in response to humorous stimuli, and/or as positive reinforcement to partner. Provides frequent eye contact of brief duration both during turns at talk and at points of turn relevance. Uses several instances of humor with no negative sanctions and obvious laugh or smile responses. Provides frequent but coherently timed encouragements or agreements. Displays frequent smiles or laughter in response to humorous stimuli, and/or as positive reinforcement to partner. Provides frequent eye contact that emphasizes vocal utterances and facilitates turn exchange. Uses frequent instances of humor with no negative sanctions and frequent and/or animated laugh and smile responses.