Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of figures
- List of tables
- Acknowledgments
- Prologue Overview of the research problem and summary of findings
- 1 Relationships as developing systems: theoretical foundations
- 2 Mother-infant relationship development in the first six months: from face-to-face play to object play
- 3 Relational-historical research on developmental change
- 4 Relational-historical research: the multiple case study approach, frame analysis, qualitative and quantitative analysis
- 5 Research propositions about relationship change processes
- 6 Research methods for the current investigation: subjects, procedures, and data analysis
- 7 Results of the current investigation: quantitative analysis of developmental changes in relationship frames and in infant actions
- 8 Results of the current investigation: qualitative analysis of Richard and his mother
- 9 Results of the current investigation: qualitative analysis of Betsy and her mother
- 10 Results of the current investigation: qualitative analysis of Lewis and his mother
- 11 Results of the current investigation: qualitative analysis of Susan and her mother
- 12 Summary of findings on relational-historical change
- Epilogue Laws of change: implications for theory and practice
- References
- Author index
- Subject index
4 - Relational-historical research: the multiple case study approach, frame analysis, qualitative and quantitative analysis
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 22 September 2009
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of figures
- List of tables
- Acknowledgments
- Prologue Overview of the research problem and summary of findings
- 1 Relationships as developing systems: theoretical foundations
- 2 Mother-infant relationship development in the first six months: from face-to-face play to object play
- 3 Relational-historical research on developmental change
- 4 Relational-historical research: the multiple case study approach, frame analysis, qualitative and quantitative analysis
- 5 Research propositions about relationship change processes
- 6 Research methods for the current investigation: subjects, procedures, and data analysis
- 7 Results of the current investigation: quantitative analysis of developmental changes in relationship frames and in infant actions
- 8 Results of the current investigation: qualitative analysis of Richard and his mother
- 9 Results of the current investigation: qualitative analysis of Betsy and her mother
- 10 Results of the current investigation: qualitative analysis of Lewis and his mother
- 11 Results of the current investigation: qualitative analysis of Susan and her mother
- 12 Summary of findings on relational-historical change
- Epilogue Laws of change: implications for theory and practice
- References
- Author index
- Subject index
Summary
In this chapter we suggest how the relational-historical perspective, outlined in Chapter 3, can be translated into a research program on developmental change processes. Relational-historical research is the study of how relationships change with respect to their own history. The purpose of this method is to describe not only the quantitative changes in the relationship, but also the historical changes in the meaning of the actions for the participants. The detection of differences that make a difference can only be done with respect to the bases for intersubjectivity that have been established in the past within the relationship.
Relational-historical research is an adaptation of a research approach that has come to be called microgenetic. The microgenetic research design has three features. First, observations begin before the onset of a change, continue through the change process, and conclude once a new pattern has clearly emerged. Second, observations are made frequently across this period of time in order to observe the system while it is changing. Finally, analyses focus on the study of processes that contribute to an understanding of how change occurs (Fogel, 1990; Granott & Parziale, 2002; Lavelli, Pantoja, Hsu, Messinger, & Fogel, 2005; Overton, 2002; Siegler & Crowley, 1991). This is illustrated in Figure 4.1, in which the time between observations (t) is considerably less than the time taken for the developmental transition (T).
Microgenetic designs are typically carried out with large numbers of observations on a relatively small number of cases.
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- Chapter
- Information
- Change Processes in RelationshipsA Relational-Historical Research Approach, pp. 69 - 85Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2006