Video-Based Research Methods Curtis LeBaron Marriott School Brigham Young University February 26, 2016

Agenda Beginnings Fundamentals of video methods o Conversation Analysis o Context Analysis Advantages of video methods Frequently asked questions

Beginnings While doing ethnographic research at FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia… Access to a collection of videotaped interrogations (FBI and police departments). Some confessions were extracted from people later proven innocent. How did this happen?

Video-Based Research is Interdisciplinary anthropology social psychology linguistics semiotics sociology communication media studies education

Convergence of competencies (both theory and method)… Conversation Analysis (study of vocal behavior, from the field of sociology) Context Analysis (study of visible behavior, from the field of psychology) Video-Based Research is Interdisciplinary

Conversation Analysis…

Conversation Analysis Harvey Sacks… “There is order at all points…. A detailed study of small phenomena may give an enormous understanding of the way humans do things and the kinds of objects they use to construct and order their affairs.” Sacks (1966/1984). “Notes on Methodology.”

Conversation Analysis Words don’t just mean—they do (action) Talk is more than action: it is interaction Through talk, people interactively negotiate their social relationship and context Each turn at talk provides an interpretation of the prior turn and projects next relevant action

Conversation Analysis

Conversation is like social “chess”: People take turns What a move is (e.g., good or bad) depends on other moves (prior and after) Regardless of what people think, we can see the outward consequences of moves Turns respond and project Conversation Analysis

Context Analysis…

Context Analysis Proxemics: The study of how people use social and personal space to accomplish and display social roles and relationships.

Context Analysis Proxemics: 1.orientation (use eyes, face, and full body) 2.distance (decrease to do closer relations) 3.posture (lean in for activity, out to withdraw)

Context Analysis

Kinesics: The study of how people move their bodies (through gaze, gesture, touch, facial expression, posture, etc.) in semiotic events.

Context Analysis “In important respects nonverbal conduct is subordinate to the verbal conduct with which it is intermeshed; it’s probably true to say that none of the practices, devices, or patterns identified in conversation analysis research are shaped or altered in any significant ways by accompanying nonverbal conduct.” (Drew, 2005, p.78)

Situated action (Schutz) Sociology of the workplace (Hughes) Ethnomethodology Indexicality (Garfinkel) Situated action (Suchman) Cognitive Artefact (Norman) Technology as material and discursive practices (Suchman, Trigg and Blombers) Manipulation of physical objects (Mead) Situated system of action (Goffman) Conversation Analysis (Sacks and Schegloff) Cognitive Sociology (Cicourel) You Are Here Workplace Studies (Health and Luff) Ecology of Mind (Bateson) Distributed Cognition (Hutchins) Activity Theory (Vigotsky) Cultural Learning (Cole) Practical Reasoninig (Scribner) Expansive Learning (Engestrom) Situated learning (Lave and Wenger) Communities of practice (Wenger) Context Analysis (Scheflen, Kendon) Kinesics & Proxemics (Birdwhistell) Some Interdisciplinary Influences Embodied interaction (Goodwin and Streeck)

Embodied Interaction Methods used to analyze social action and its packaging Gets at “big” issues through study of “small” things Interpretive claims are rigorously grounded in the empirical details of naturally occurring behavior recorded Used in both qualitative and quantitative studies

Advantages of Video Methods Practical Empirical Ontological

Practical Advantages Relatively inexpensive Rather easy to use Readily accessible (technology and data)

Empirical Advantages Video recordings can be slowed, zoomed and replayed, enabling better analysis. Video recordings provide a permanent record that others can watch and verify. Audio and video can be decoupled and analyzed separately.

Ontological Issues Materiality Embodiment Spatio-temporality Multimodality

Materiality Organizations are usually teaming with things: objects, artifacts and tools that deserve the careful attention and consideration.

Embodiment Although the human body is absent or only implied in most organization research, video recordings often capture the body at the center of social interaction and organizational work.

Spatio-temporality Human activity unfolds through time and space, which are scarce organizational resources that must be carefully negotiated and strategically allocated.

Multimodality Within organizations, people regularly engage through a variety of modes or semiotic systems that must be carefully orchestrated: talk, text, pictures, drawings, gestures, facial expressions, embodied maneuvers, and more can all be captured on video.

Frequently Asked Questions How can I get access? Get help from a personal or professional ally. Frame your study as a “win” for the research subjects and organization. Satisfy concerns about confidentiality (de- identifying, time capsuling, data masking, etc.)

What are the most common mistakes during data collection? Poor audio (use an external microphone and avoid background noise) Poor lighting (don’t shoot into the light) Poor framing (crop but don’t leave things out; use multiple cameras as needed) Frequently Asked Questions

Don’t people behave differently when they are being recorded? Researchers who use video cameras have found that their “presence does not continue to pervade the action,” that “within a short time the camera is made at home,” and that “participants have a job or work to do, and have to accomplish their various responsibilities in routine and recognizable ways.” (Heath et al. 2010, p. 49)

Frequently Asked Questions When does behavior matter? For instance, when is it important to analyze nonverbal behavior? Explicate the moments and behaviors that are important to your research claims and findings. Behavior is especially relevant when the participants themselves treat it as such. People are always visible, but they have ways of making their behavior noticeable and recognizable.