Article2002

The conversational value of laughter for a person with aphasia

M.L. Madden · Mary Lee Oelschlaeger · Jack S. Damico

26 citations0/0 files storedAphasiology

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Language, Discourse, Communication Strategies Assistive Technology in Communication and Mobility Humor Studies and Applications

Abstract

Background: In clinical aphasiology, laughter has been mentioned as an important ingredient in treatment but few studies have directly investigated its contribution. Aims: To increase our understanding, we designed this study to specifically investigate laughter as a conversational resource. Methods & Procedures: A naturally occurring conversation was videotaped and subsequently reviewed to identify conversational segments that included the laughter of a person with aphasia. Using conversational analysis, 47 laughter segments were coded and categorised to reveal similarities and differences in their sequential organisation. Outcomes & Results: Results showed four ways in which laughter was used to achieve conversational goals: as a turn-taking cue, a display of understanding, an orienting cue, and as instruction to hear. Descriptive comparison of laughter uses in aphasic and nonaphasic conversation showed similarities in organisational structure of laughter segments but differences in conversational context. Laughter was frequently associated with "trouble spots" in this study: no report of laughter associated with "trouble spots" was noted in nonaphasic literature. Conclusions: From a theoretical perspective, these results, in concert with those from previous studies of conversation, provide evidence that a nonlinguistic behaviour - laughter - contributes to the re-establishment of social interaction and meaning-making despite linguistic deficits. From a clinical perspective, laughter may be recognised as a viable conversational strategy, allowing for increased communicative access that positively impacts perceptions of competence and psychosocial well-being of persons with aphasia.

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1974A simplest systematics for the organization of turn-taking for conversation 1995Lectures on Conversation 1977The Preference for Self-Correction in the Organization of Repair in Conversation 1968Sequencing in Conversational Openings 1 1979Everyday Language: Studies in Ethnomethodology 2003The Handbook of Discourse Analysis 1986Gesture and coparticipation in the activity of searching for a word 1979A technique for inviting laughter and its subsequent acceptance/declination

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