Observing Interaction

Observing Interaction
Author: Roger Bakeman
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 226
Release: 1997-03-13
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 9780521574273

Mothers and infants exchanging gleeful vocalizations, married couples discussing their problems, children playing, birds courting and monkeys fighting have this in common: their interactions with others unfold over time. Almost anyone who is interested can observe and describe such phenomena. But usually scientists demand more. They want observations that are replicable and amenable to scientific analysis, while still faithful to the dynamics of the phenomena studied. This book provides a straightforward introduction to scientific methods for observing social behavior. Because of the importance of time in the dynamics of social interaction, sequential approaches to analyzing and understanding social behavior are emphasized. An advanced knowledge of statistical analysis is not required. Instead, the authors present fundamental concepts and offer practical advice.

Sequential Analysis and Observational Methods for the Behavioral Sciences

Sequential Analysis and Observational Methods for the Behavioral Sciences
Author: Roger Bakeman
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 201
Release: 2011-10-10
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 1139504606

Behavioral scientists – including those in psychology, infant and child development, education, animal behavior, marketing and usability studies – use many methods to measure behavior. Systematic observation is used to study relatively natural, spontaneous behavior as it unfolds sequentially in time. This book emphasizes digital means to record and code such behavior; while observational methods do not require them, they work better with them. Key topics include devising coding schemes, training observers and assessing reliability, as well as recording, representing and analyzing observational data. In clear and straightforward language, this book provides a thorough grounding in observational methods along with considerable practical advice. It describes standard conventions for sequential data and details how to perform sequential analysis with a computer program developed by the authors. The book is rich with examples of coding schemes and different approaches to sequential analysis, including both statistical and graphical means.

Researching Interactive Communication Behavior

Researching Interactive Communication Behavior
Author: C. Arthur VanLear
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Total Pages: 305
Release: 2015-12-17
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 1483313557

Researching Interactive Communication Behavior by C. Arthur VanLear and Daniel J. Canary provides students and experienced researchers with tools for studying communication behaviors through direct observation. The sourcebook provides sound coverage of both cutting-edge and well-established systems, measurements, and procedures, as well as detailed information on measurement selection, coding, reliability assessment, and analysis. In addition to offering theoretical discussions, each chapter also focuses on how to apply systems and principles in conducting actual original research and uses examples and exemplars to help readers understand and apply the methods.

Communication in Construction Teams

Communication in Construction Teams
Author: Stephen Emmitt
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 332
Release: 2006-09-27
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1134225083

Construction teams are usually complex, interdisciplinary and temporary, and, as such, the need for effective communication is crucial. However, published data regarding the manner in which individuals interact within the temporary project team is scarce, with little other than anecdotal evidence available. Recognizing this gap, Communication in Construction Teams provides a comprehensive overview of the literature on interpersonal communication and delivers a critical review of various research methods previously used in and outside the construction management field. Making use of Bales' interaction process analysis (IPA), a tool used successfully in many fields to collect interaction data, the text investigates the link between successful projects and the effectiveness of communication, finding that participants in the construction process exhibit regular patterns of interaction and, most significantly, that there are different patterns of interaction associated with successful and unsuccessful projects. Putting forward a number of practical suggestions to assist all actors involved in construction projects, this insightful publication will be of interest to researchers in the fields of building design and construction management.

Family Observational Coding Systems

Family Observational Coding Systems
Author: Patricia K. Kerig
Publisher: Psychology Press
Total Pages: 305
Release: 2000-08
Genre: Family & Relationships
ISBN: 1135667616

CODING MANUAL INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE FROM THE CHAPTER AUTHORS, AND THEIR E-MAIL ADDRESSES CAN BE FOUND ON PAGE XV OF THE BOOK. Family studies is an area that has enjoyed the benefits of conceptual and methodological advances in recent years including the widespread adoption of observational research techniques. The selection of an appropriate coding system is critical to achieving a better understanding of the complex family processes related to normative and pathological development. This book presents 14 examples of family observational coding systems, chosen for the wide range of constructs and phenomena they capture. Each system is described in detail, and excerpts from the coding manual are presented (links to the full coding manuals are available to purchasers of the book at LEA's Web site, www.erlbaum.com). Each chapter follows a consistent outline, so that the different coding systems can be more easily compared to one another. They include the theoretical underpinnings of the measure, its reliability and validity, the coding process, strategies for coder training, and examples of studies in which it has been used. This volume will prove invaluable to students and researchers in family studies, clinicians, and other practitioners who need to interpret data from family observations.

Analyzing Quantitative Behavioral Observation Data

Analyzing Quantitative Behavioral Observation Data
Author: Hoi K. Suen
Publisher: Psychology Press
Total Pages: 350
Release: 2014-03-05
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 1317766695

This volume provides a comprehensive summary of developments in theories and techniques within the areas of sampling, measurement, and statistical methods for analyzing behavioral data. By unifying new theories, techniques, methodologies, terminology, and language in behavioral observation research, the authors provide a comprehensive source for students and researchers.

Multi-Agent Systems and Applications III

Multi-Agent Systems and Applications III
Author: Vladimir Marik
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 676
Release: 2003-08-03
Genre: Computers
ISBN: 3540450238

The refereed proceedings of the International Central and Eastern European Conference on Multi-Agent Systems, CEEMAS 2003, held in Prague, Czech Republic, in June 2003. The 58 revised full papers presented together with 3 invited contributions were carefully reviewed and selected from 109 submissions. The papers are organized in topical sections on formal methods, social knowledge and meta-reasoning, negotiation, and policies, ontologies and languages, planning, coalitions, evolution and emergent behaviour, platforms, protocols, security, real-time and synchronization, industrial applications, e-business and virtual enterprises, and Web and mobile agents.

Family Therapy

Family Therapy
Author: William A. Griffin
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 207
Release: 2013-10-28
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 1135063699

First published in 1993. should be used as opposed to focusing on the techniques-with-theories­attached approach of other books in the same genre. The first volume in the Basic Principles Into Practice Series, this book provides an easy to under­stand, basic approach that eschews the latest treatment trends and buzzwords in family therapy to focus on a new way of thinking about using family relation­ships in treating behavioral disorders. Throughout, Dr. Griffin stresses the importance of learning to view and treat the family as a whole, often requiring a difficult conceptual shift in one's view of aberrant behavior. Readers will be rewarded with a core, rudimentary understanding of family therapy that will serve them well regardless of which family therapy models they later use in practice.

Participant Observation

Participant Observation
Author: Kathleen Musante DeWalt
Publisher: Rowman Altamira
Total Pages: 291
Release: 2011
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0759119279

Participant observation is the foundation of ethnographic research design and supports and complements other types of qualitative and quantitative data collection. Qualitative research in such diverse areas as anthropology, sociology, education, medicine draws on the insights gained through the use of participant observation. The authors have written a guide to the collection of systematic data in naturalistic settings - communities in many different cultures - to achieve an understanding of the most fundamental processes and patterns of social life. This book serves as a basic primer for the beginning researcher and as a useful reference and guide for experienced researchers in many fields who wish to reexamine their own skills and abilities in light of best practices of participant observation. This new edition includes discussions of participant observation in nontypical settings, such as the Internet, participant observation in applied research, and ethics of participant observation. It also explores in greater depth the use of computer-assisted analysis of textual data in issues of sampling and in linking method with theory.

Computer-mediated Communication

Computer-mediated Communication
Author: Susan C. Herring
Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing
Total Pages: 337
Release: 1996
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 9027250510

Text-based interaction among humans connected via computer networks, such as takes place via email and in synchronous modes such as “chat”, MUDs and MOOs, has attracted considerable popular and scholarly attention. This collection of 14 articles on text-based computer-mediated communication (CMC), is the first to bring empirical evidence from a variety of disciplinary perspectives to bear on questions raised by the new medium. The first section, linguistic perspectives, addresses the question of how CMC compares with speaking and writing, and describes its unique structural characteristics. Section two, on social and ethical perspectives, explores conflicts between the interests of groups and those of individual users, including issues of online sex and sexism. In the third section, cross-cultural perspectives, the advantages and risks of using CMC to communicate across cultures are examined in three studies involving users in East Asia, Mexico, and students of ethnically diverse backgrounds in remedial writing classes in the United States. The final section deals with the effects of CMC on group interaction: in a women's studies mailing list, a hierarchically-organized workplace, and a public protest on the Internet against corporate interests.