Similarities and differences in mother-daughter and mother-son conversations during preadolescence and adolescence

Temporal and functional conversation styles were examined in discussions be tween mothers and their preadolescent or adolescent sons and daughters. Con versations were audiotaped and coded for speakers' rates of overlaps betwee n speaking turns, simultaneous speech, and successful interruptions. Result s indicated that boys and girls of both ages used a high-involvement conver sational style including frequent overlaps, simultaneous speech, and interr uptions. Mothers used a high-considerateness style characterized by signifi cantly lower rates of overlaps, simultaneous speech, and interruptions than their children. Secondary analyses examining the functions of speakers' si multaneous speech and successful interruptions indicated that adolescents p roduced less confirming simultaneous speech than preadolescents, and more c onfirming simultaneous speech was produced in the preadolescent boy dyads t han in either the adolescent boy dyads or the preadolescent girl dyads Fina lly, adolescent boys produced significantly more rejecting successful inter ruptions than their mothers.