ONT Re: Sequential Interactions Generating Hypotheses
o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o
SIGH. Note 5
o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o
Quality Time
We need a better term for the type of mixed mode intermediate data model
that we are looking at in the family interaction study, which is typical
of the data that are gathered in a wide variety of observational fields,
from animal ethography to human ethnography. Either one of the terms,
"categorical time series" or "qualitative temporal data" seems to fit,
but the latter makes for a catchier acronym, so I will refer to this
family of data models as "QT data" from here on out.
Given that guessing is a big part of the language game that we play
with Nature and our fellows, let us adopt a working assumption that
suggests itself from the perspective of many observational studies:
That it is from just such interactive settings that people slurp up
"the loosely organized, semi-structured mix of whatever people have
in their heads", at least in the beginning, in the initial instance.
Each session of observation in the family interaction study involves
three participant observers: namely, the child C, the parent P, and
the experimenter E. The participant role of E is minimized by means
of a 1-way mirror that masks E's presence, allowing E to observe and
record the interaction of C and P in a relatively unobtrusive manner.
Each of the other participants more or less observes the interaction
that takes place between them, within what is called a dyadic system.
One of the interesting features of an observational set-up like this
is that everyone involved is always naturally attempting to discover
the patterns that are there to be found in the activity of this dyad.
Thus each of the agents C, P, and E acts in some fashion as an agent
of inquiry, accumulating experiences, organizing them under suitable
heads, guessing what principles would serve to resolve their variety,
and exposing these principles to the test of forthcoming experiences.
Jon Awbrey
o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o