[3I2-OS-45b] OS-45

11:15 AM - 11:30 AM JST(2:15 AM - 2:30 AM UTC)

[3I2-OS-45b-02] The Functional Structure of Off-Task Talk in Collaborative Settings

〇Atsuo Tsuchiya¹, Kazuaki Kondo², Kenta Abe³, Masaki Shuzo¹, Motoki Sakai⁴ (1. Shonan Institute of Technology, 2. Kyoto University, 3. Teikyo University, 4. Nihon University)

Keywords:

Off-task talk,collaborative work

This study reconceptualizes off-task talk (OTT) in collaborative work not as a deviation from the task, but as an interactive resource sustaining group work. Using multimodal data from eight paper tower task sessions, OTT was classified into seven types and reorganized into four interaction patterns: relationship adjustment, response synchronization, meta-sharing, and perception sharing. These patterns were further interpreted through three higher-order functions—social, emotional, and cognitive—revealing that OTT functions not as a peripheral phenomenon but as a multilayered mechanism. Furthermore, OTT was shown to emerge within chains of interactions that regulate rhythm, maintain shared attention, and stabilize participation. Based on these findings, we extracted two capacities—the “power to receive” and the “power to connect”—that explain how participants transform stimuli and preceding utterances into sustained interaction. We conclude that OTT functions as a coordination mechanism supporting continuity and cohesion in collaborative communication.