The effects of training adolescents in the use of silent probes and extended wait time behaviors for the purpose of eliciting information in oral history interviews with older adults

Abstract

The effects of extending wait times among teachers in science classrooms has been examined in studies that found improvements in quantity and quality of student responses. This study examined the potential for eliciting similar effects in the responses of older adults to adolescent interviewers participating in a "Foxfire-inspired" oral history project. Two groups of subjects, one consisting of eight high school students and another of eight middle school students, simultaneously received training in two communication skills, questioning and listening. The listening training was the treatment in the study. It included training to extend wait times following questions and to allow the interviewee to continue speaking at juncture points. Based upon statistical analysis, no significant relationship was found between the frequency of silent pauses and the duration or informativeness of the interviewee utterances. The treatment did produce an observable increase in the frequency of silent pauses, but this increase was not statistically significant. Student perceptions of aging and the elderly did improve significantly over the nine month duration of the program, based on pre and post testing with a published instrument. This was believed to be the first study attempting to train young people to interact more effectively by considering the pacing of interactions with older adults. As such, this study may suggest other approaches to the problem of cross-generational communication. Older adults may not be responsive to silent pause manipulation of interaction rhythms. The lack of controls over a number of variables in this field study was believed to play a role in the lack of any significant change. Given other studies of these phenomena, the researcher suggests tighter control and more sensitive measures.