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Courageous Methods in Cultural Psychology pp 131–155Cite as

Multimodal Interaction Analysis in Cultural Psychology Research

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Abstract

In this chapter, I will argue that established methodological procedures such as Conversation Analysis, Discursive Psychology and Multimodal Video Analysis constitute a fruitful avenue for future research in Cultural Psychology. Particularly, I will argue that combining Charles Goodwin’s approach to studying social interaction with conversation analytically informed Discursive Psychology lends itself to study meaning-making processes that go beyond language. The strength of these approaches lies in their potential to study meaning-making processes and ‘shared’ normativity as they arise in mundane every day social interaction. While meaning-making practices have in the past largely been studied by focusing on verbal data little attention has been given in the past to the role of other modalities, e.g., embodied practices in social interaction, the shape of which is always situational and ecologically embedded. I will illustrate this approach with examples from a recent study carried out in a preschool in India. I will conclude by discussing challenges and potentials as well as future avenues for this line of research in the field of Cultural Psychology.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    All names are pseudonyms in order to grant anonymity of the participants.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark

    Carolin Demuth

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  1. Carolin Demuth
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Correspondence to Carolin Demuth .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Sigmund Freud University, Berlin, Germany

    Meike Watzlawik

  2. Sigmund Freud University, Berlin, Germany

    Ska Salden

Appendix

Appendix

Explanation of transcription conventions used in the above excerpts (Jefferson, 1984):

↑↓:

Vertical arrows precede marked pitch movement

Underlining:

Signals vocal emphasis

CAPITALS:

Mark speech that is obviously louder than surrounding speech

(4):

Numbers in round brackets measure pauses in seconds

(.):

A micropause, hearable but too short to measure.

::

Colons show degrees of elongation of the prior sound

> <:

“Greater than” and “lesser than” signs enclose speeded-up talk

< >:

“Lesser than” and “greater than” signs enclose slower talk.

((text)):

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Demuth, C. (2022). Multimodal Interaction Analysis in Cultural Psychology Research. In: Watzlawik, M., Salden, S. (eds) Courageous Methods in Cultural Psychology. Theory and History in the Human and Social Sciences. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-93535-1_8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-93535-1_8

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