Open-Mindedness and Style Coordination in Argumentative Discussions

TL;DR

This paper investigates how open-mindedness influences linguistic accommodation and style coordination in argumentative discussions, revealing that open-mindedness correlates with communication style adjustments and that agreement discussions show less accommodation.

Contribution

It introduces a novel perspective linking open-mindedness to linguistic accommodation, analyzing Reddit discussions to uncover new insights into communication dynamics.

Findings

Open-mindedness correlates with style coordination in discussions.

Discussions reaching agreement show lower levels of accommodation.

Linguistic accommodation relates more to open-mindedness than social status.

Abstract

Linguistic accommodation is the process in which speakers adjust their accent, diction, vocabulary, and other aspects of language according to the communication style of one another. Previous research has shown how linguistic accommodation correlates with gaps in the power and status of the speakers and the way it promotes approval and discussion efficiency. In this work, we provide a novel perspective on the phenomena, exploring its correlation with the open-mindedness of a speaker, rather than to her social status. We process thousands of unstructured argumentative discussions that took place in Reddit's Change My View (CMV) subreddit, demonstrating that open-mindedness relates to the assumed role of a speaker in different contexts. On the discussion level, we surprisingly find that discussions that reach agreement present lower levels of accommodation.