Evaluating Co-construction in Dyadic Conversations: A Pilot Study on Older Adults with Dementia and Healthy Older Adults in Taiwan

This study highlights the importance of quantitatively evaluating conversation turns (CTs) and speaking roles (SRs) in dyadic conversations between Mandarin-Chinese-speaking older adults with dementia (OADs) and healthy older adults (HOAs). Evaluating CTs and SRs provides comprehensive insights into how conversation processes and content are collaboratively co-constructed. Four mutually familiar dyads, each consisting of one OAD and one HOA, participated in five weekly 10-min conversations. Results revealed asymmetrical contributions in CTs, with HOAs assuming significantly more CTs to facilitate the conversation, but symmetrical contributions in SRs, indicating balanced involvement from both groups in shaping content. HOAs frequently took obligatory and nonobligatory CTs as the Animator or Author, supporting OADs in engaging meaningfully as the Author or Principal. These conversational behaviors reflect cultural values prevalent among Mandarin Chinese speakers, such as modesty, loyalty, and solidarity. Thus, integrating CT and SR evaluations provides valuable insights into conversational co-construction, particularly critical in dementia conversation research. However, findings are context-specific and culturally influenced and require cautious interpretation. In future research, these evaluative tools should be expanded to diverse populations and conversational contexts to enhance understanding of conversational dynamics across different cultures.