1. Comparative Linguistic Analysis of Cross-gender and Same-Gender Interactions During Virtual Job Interviews using Virtual Reality Technology Courtney Wang Mentor: Dr. Shelley Brundage

2. Introduction  Disciplines of Sociolinguistics and Speech-Language Pathology  Gender Studies  Nature of fellowship study

3. Interview Studies  Previous Focus on:  Conversational Analysis  Paralinguistic/ linguistic Behavior  Turn-taking procedure  Study focuses on:  Combination of quantitative and qualitative factors, based on:  Disfluency  Gender

4. Disfluency  Quality of Disfluency  Quantity of Disfluency  Relationship to interviewer variables: Dr. Brundage’s Stuttering Study

5. Interviews and Gender  Bogaers (1998): Focus on laughter, interruptions, initiation/response. Studied qualitative and quantitative aspects in total of 4 interviews

6. Gender Studies  Judith Butler: Nature of Gender  Deborah Tannen: Gender and linguistic interaction  Study focuses on relative comfort levels based on gender

7. Purpose of Study  Measure comparative comfort levels and disfluency  Describe the relationship between interviewer gender and relative comfort level based on participants’ self-perception  Determine which survey best reflects subject’s comfort level in interview scenario

8. Method  Equipment and Materials  Data collection: surveys and audio  Data Analysis

9. Virtual Reality  Apparatus: Head Mounted Display (HMD)  Software (Virtually Better, Inc)  Interview Scenarios

10. Virtual Male Interviewer

11. Virtual Female Interviewer

12. Surveys  Personal Report of Communication Apprehension (PRCA-24)  Personal Report of Confidence as a Speaker (PRCS)  Gender Survey  Immersion Questionnaire

13. Audio Recording  Subjects’ responses are recorded directly to CD during interview  Transcription Process  Reliability Checks

14. Data Analysis  Quantitative analyses: correlations between communication apprehension, confidence, disfluency, and gender  Qualitative analyses: Comparison of Male/Female results

15. Discussion of Variables  Disfluency: Percentage of Total Disfluencies per Interview Condition (% Disfluency)  Gender Survey  PRCA-24 and PRCS

16. Correlations  Significant correlations found between PRCA and PRCS (similar findings found for persons who stutter)  No significant correlations found between disfluency, communication apprehension, or communication confidence

17. Comfort Level Data: Male 1 = Male1 = same % total Subject0 = female0 = different Self- rate d Subject Gender ratingDisfluencies same:cr ossGender Most intimidating Most comfortableQuality VR-LI-0135.08HigherM107 VR-LI-0334.64HigherM108 VR-LI-0836.73HigherM105 VR-LI-09313.20LowerM015 VR-LI-1035.07LowerM016

18. Comfort Level Data: Female 1 = Male1 = same % total Subject0 = female0 = different Self- rate d Subject Gender rating Disfluencie s same:cros sGender Most intimidating Most comfortableQuality VR-LI-0566.96HigherF008 VR-LI-0662.38HigherF006 VR-LI-0273.75LowerF112 VR-LI-0473.69HigherF008 VR-LI-0798.94HigherF003

19. Findings  There is a relationship between comfort level/intimidation and % disfluency level between genders  Men had a higher mean of % total disfluencies overall.

20. Overall Results  Preliminary findings show that men score themselves more narrowly on gender scale  Disfluency levels corresponded to perceived intimidation

21. Application of Research  Medical Interview  Job Interview  Gender Studies: Male/Female interactional perceptions  Disfluency training and rehabilitation