Homework Question on Language Style Matching
- Read “Shared talking styles herald new and lasting romance”. Then, visit the Language Style Matching website and, using sample written communication between you and another person, follow the directions on the website to retrieve your language style matching score.
- Write a two-page paper (excluding title and reference pages) about your thoughts on this article and your language style matching score.
In your paper, be sure to address the following:
- Summarize the theory of language style matching.
- Do you think the results provide by the Language Style Matching website are accurate? Why or why not?
- Do you believe that language style matching is a comprehensive way to predict the quality of interpersonal relationships?
- Be sure to reference the article and at least one of your other course readings from this week in your paper. This can be your textbook or one of the recommended articles.
- The paper must be formatted according to APA style.
- Cite your resources in text and on the reference page.
- For information regarding APA samples and tutorials, visit the Ashford Writing Center, within the Learning Resources tab on the left navigation toolbar.
Homework Answer on Language Style Matching
For a long time, friends, and especially those who are dating, have lacked a tool that they can use to measure how long their relationship will last. This has forced them to rely on “trial and error method” in determining the longevity of their relationship. Behavioral scientists have struggled to come up with reliable methods, but their efforts have not yielded reliable results (Parker-Pope, 2011).
Recently, researchers, led by psychologist James Pennebaker and Molly Ireland, have developed a theory, “Language Style Matching” (LSM) that attempts to predict the future of dating relationships. This paper summarizes “Language Style Matching” about an article “Shared Talking Styles Herald New and Lasting Romance” and my LSM score obtained from a language style matching website.
LSM is a theory based on mimicry of sounds that can be extended to writing styles. It is based on the assumption that when a person pays special attention to what the other says, they can mimic them through unconscious verbal coordination. Daters, for instance, can synchronize their writing styles if, truly, they pay special attention to each other. This, further, can be extended to imply that if there is no match in the language writing styles for partners who are in a relationship, they may not be interested in each other and the chances of their relationship surviving are minimal.