The Digital Video-Recall System: A Procedure for Examining

Observational Data and Subjective Understanding

Deborah P. Welsh, Joseph W. Dickson,

Melinda S. Harper, & Catherine M. Grello

University of Tennessee

Abstract Many contemporary developmental theories (e.g., attachment

theory) include at their core constructs assessing the meanings people attribute to their behaviors. In order to best test these theories, researchers need a technique in which observational data is assessed in conjunction with data on the subjective understanding of the participants. We demonstrate a Digital Video-Recall System developed for the Study of Tennessee Adolescent Romantic Relationships (STARR). It digitally records participants’ interactions and then plays back segments for participants (and trained coders) to rate their interpretations of their own behavior and of their partner’s behavior. The system is fully automated, very flexible, and the data is directly loaded into a database. The program is available for interested researchers to use with their own projects.

The Digital Video-Recall System: What Does It Do?

It allows researchers to assess participants’ own meaning (or subjective understanding) of their interactions in observational research.

It digitally captures participants’ conversations and replays sequences for participants (and coders) to rate on a variety of microanalytic codes.

Theoretical Utility of the Digital Video-Recall System

Child Development: "The child's personal interpretation of experience, not the

event recorded by camera or observer, is the essential basis for the formation of and change in [the child's] beliefs, wishes, and actions" (Kagen, 1984, p. 241).

Attachment Theory Research: Peoples’ working models of relationships impact their interpretations of their own behaviors and those of others in specific, predictable ways.

Psychotherapy and Supervision Process Research.

Examples of Studies Using Video-Recall Procedures

Marital interactions (Gottman & Levenson, 1985; Halford & Sanders, 1988)

Family interactions (Christensen, 1979; Sanders & Dadds, 1992)

Parent-adolescent interaction (Powers & Welsh, 1999; Welsh, Galliher, & Powers, 1998)

Triads (Gordis, Margolin, & John, 1997) Adolescent romantic couples (Welsh, Galliher,

Kawaguchi, & Rostosky, 1999; Galliher, Welsh, Rostosky, & Kawaguchi, in press)

History of Video-Recall Procedures Joystick rating one dimension (positive/negative),

continuous (Gottman & Levenson, 1985). Video-mediated recall using self-reported thought listing

on audio (Halford & Sanders, 1990) and paper (Halford, Sanders, & Behrens, 2000).

Video-mediated recall using rating scales - analogue (Powers & Welsh, 1999).

Digital technology allows for video-recall procedures to be more streamlined, flexible, and faster, making it more appealing to researchers.

Adaptability

The video-recall system can be adapted to meet the needs of your studyOptions within the recording program:

Number of interactions recorded Order of interactions (can be counter-balanced) Time of recording Instruction clips Where to save recorded conversations

Options within the recall program Which tasks are coded When in the conversation to begin coding Segment length Number of segments to be coded Number of dimensions coded Specific dimensions coded Scale for rating dimensions Instruction clips

STARR: An example using the Digital Video-Recall System

Study of Tennessee Adolescents’ Romantic Relationships (STARR) 5 year study funded by NICHD

designed to gain a greater understanding of the development of adolescent romantic relationships and their association with adolescents’ individual and relational functioning

Includes an intensive study of 100 middle adolescent dating couples and 100 late adolescent dating couples

Procedure

Couples come to our lab for 3 hours: Complete questionnaires (approx. ½

hour) Videotape couple having 3 interaction

tasks (approx. ½ hour) One member does video-recall

procedure while second member completes remaining questionnaires (approx 1 hour)

Couple members switch (approx 1 hour)

Video Interaction Tasks in STARR

Plan a party (5 minutes) First Issue (as selected by

one couple member) (8 min 40 sec)

Second Issue (as selected by the other couple member)

(8 min 40 sec)

Video-Recall Procedure

View conversations twice Rate own behavior Rate partner’s behavior

40 twenty-second segments are rated

Video-Recall Codes

I was feeling connected (or close) to my partner.

I was being conflictual (or challenging) with my partner.

I was being sarcastic. I was trying to persuade my

partner. I was giving in to my partner. I was feeling uncomfortable. I was feeling frustrated.

This is segment 1 of 40 total segments

I was feeling CONNECTED (or close) to my partner

Distant Very Connected

0 1 2 3 4

Video-Recall Codes

My partner was feeling connected (or close) to me.

My partner was being conflictual (or challenging) with me.

My partner was being sarcastic. My partner was trying to

persuade me. My partner was giving in to me. My partner was feeling

uncomfortable. My partner was feeling

frustrated.

This is segment 1 of 40 total segments

I was feeling CONNECTED (or close) to my partner

Distant Very Connected

0 1 2 3 4

My partner was feeling CONNECTED (or close) to me.

Mean Couple Members’ Codes

MM FMConnected 2.78 2.84Conflictual 1.39 1.29Sarcastic 0.94 0.96Persuade 1.25 1.25Giving In 0.75 0.69Uncomfortable 0.89 0.74Frustrated 0.92 0.83

FF MFConnected 2.84 2.73Conflictual 1.35 1.46Sarcastic 0.88 0.97Persuade 1.22 1.34Giving In 0.59 0.83Uncomfortable 0.73 0.98