Observing Interaction: An Introduction to Sequential Analysis

This book provides a straightforward introduction to scientific methods for observing social behavior.

Mothers and infants exchanging gleeful vocalizations, married couples discussing their problems, children playing, birds courting, and monkeys fighting, have this in common: their interaction unfolds 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. Observing Interaction provides a straightforward and clear introduction to scientific methods for observing social behaviour. Due to the importance of time in the dynamics of social interaction, sequential approaches to analysing and understanding social behaviour are emphasized. This book constitutes a guide for anyone who wants to study social behaviour in a systematic fashion. An advanced knowledge of statistical analysis is not required. Instead, the authors present conceptual fundamentals and offer considerable practical advice.