Based on research on conversational breakdowns and repairs the project will develop an automated assessment tool COMPAIR for examining communicative functioning. Combined with automated speech recognition, the tool quantifies the extent and quality of communicative problems and repair phenomena from videotaped two-party conversations. The tool can be used to assess communication breakdowns in English and Finnish conversations involving participants with challenges in speech/language or hearing. The tool will also include computerized motion tracking that detects the multimodal interactive synchrony between the participants. Compared to traditional tests, COMPAIR tool reflects better the natural everyday requirements of interaction. It has the potential to measure the effectiveness of rehabilitation, in the abovementioned clinical subgroups, but it can also be used in a larger scale to follow up the communicative proficiency of e.g. immigrants or second language learners.

2025

2026