Harvey Sacks, Fall 1964, Lecture 1; Fall 1968, Lecture 3; Spring 1972, Lecture 1
E.A. Schegloff & H. Sacks 1973 Opening up Closings
John Heritage 1984, 'A Change of State Token and Aspects of Its Sequential Placement', in J. Maxwell Atkinson and John Heritage (eds), Structures of Social Action, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press: 299-345.
Charles Goodwin, Professional vision (1994)
Christian Heath 2002 Demonstrative suffering: The Gestural (Re)embodiment of Symptoms
C. Heath, J. Hindmarsh & P. Luff 1999 Interaction in isolation - train driver
Jon Hindmarsh & A. Pilnick 2002 THE TACIT ORDER OF TEAMWORK - anesthesia
Heath, C., Hindmarsh, J. & Luff, P. (1999). Interaction in Isolation: The Dislocated World of the London Underground Train Driver. Sociology. 33(3) 555-575.
RispondiEliminaThe article wants to explore ways in which individuals accomplish their day-to-day duties, however complex or mundane these duties may be. It also takes into account ways in which special equipment features in the production of workplace activities. More precisely, the authors aim to show how the operation of a subway train is systematically coordinated with the conduct of others: passengers and colleagues, even though most of the operation is done in solitude. They argue that the intelligence relied upon during the operation of these trains is embedded in a socially organized body of practice and reasoning.
The solitude of the driver is being emphasized by the fact that his view on what happens in and around the train is very limited. Communication through radios is often impossible due to bad connections. Train drivers are considered to be concerned with how people behave and they need to draw inferences on the people's behavior and how these most likely will behave in the near future. They therefore need to make practical discriminations. They are ought to be continuously assessing people's behavior to in order to accomplish their duties.
The article takes a lot of space to describe technicalities such as a train's brakes and buttons to open regulate the doors. Furthermore, it continues to describe the limits these bring along to the driver in terms of sight, getting the train to stop and to determine the right moment to close the doors. Train drivers anticipate on these limitations by learning to beware of certain signals given by the waiting public and actualities being provided to them through the radio or the mirrors at the end of the platform. All these sources of information need to be put together by the train driver in order to make sense of it all and this ability of combining the information to form coherent expectations enable the train driver to drive safely and in time as much as possible.
I stop here explaining the article further as it only chews on what has already been said before. In sum, train drivers of the London Subway are interesting examples of people who try to organize their duties based on a wide range of social signals to assess the situations on the platforms and make decisions to fulfill their duties in a responsible manner. In a way - although acting alone - they communicate in this way with the public by giving and receiving signals and steering the public by this to get in, get out or to behave as responsible passengers.
In fact, the article concludes that one could name subway drivers 'practical sociologists', by applying as many signals as possible to predict other people's behavior and by applying signs themselves to steer them while they adapt their own behavior to these circumstances in return.
Opening up Closings - Schegloff & Sacks
RispondiEliminaIn this research Schegloff and Sacks give an explanation of the basic features of conversational activities: “[…] two basic features of conversation are proposed to be: (1) at least, and no more than, one party speaks at a time in a single conversation; and (2) speaker change recurs. The achievement of these features singly, and especially the achievement of their cooccurrence, is accomplished by coconversationalists through the use of a machinery for ordering speaker turns sequentially in conversation.” (pages 71-72)
Then the authors find that the turn-taking machinery, works to achieve this two basic features.
Carry on the article turns to a first problem concerning closings that is: “how to organize the simultaneous arrival of the co-conversationalists ar a point where one speaker's completion will not occasion another speaker's talk, and that will not be heard as some speaker's silence” which devolves in to: “hot to coordinate the suspension of the transition relevance of possible utterance completion, not how to deal with its nonperation while still relevant”. (page 73)
So the question is: how it is possible to lifted the transition relevance of possible utterance completion? Well, the use of "terminal exchange" composed of conventional parts such as an exchange of good-byes, can be a good solution. The authors also note that the terminal exchange is a case of adjacency pair and so they provide a description of it: “ […] adjacency pairs consist of sequences which properly have the following features: (1) two utterance length, (2) adjacent positioning of component utterances, (3) different speakers producing each utterance.” After that, they show the way in which adjacency pair works as follow: " [...] given the recognizable production of a first pair part, on its first possible completion its speaker should stop and a next speaker should start and produce a second pair part from the pair type of which the first is recognizably a member."(page 74)
Talking about the organization of topic in overall conversation, Schegloff and Sacks shows that in a single conversation there are interesting considerations for conversationalists about the order and the distribution of talk about mentionables. They give the example of the position in a single conversation of “first topic”.
Another interesting point concerns empty object like “O.K” or “We-ell”.. In this case happens that the speaker does not contribute to a development of the topic. So, there is a possibility for his conversational partner to play a set of alternatives: from start a new topic, to respond in a similar way. In this last one case, we may assist at the finish of the conversation.
Interaction in isolation: the dislocated world of the london underground train driver
RispondiEliminaMemo
This paper present a very interesting isolated world, the world of metro drivers.
These people spend the most of the day in the „cockpit” separated from the outside world.
Technically the only contact with the outside world manifests through the radio contact. The drivers are receiving commands and informations from the „Line control room”. However the relation with the colleagues and the controllers is only one-sided. Drivers have moreover limited access to the environment surrounds them. They have no idea for instance about what is going on inside the tube.
Although they are able to look around the platform, it remains still a partial „field survey”. Though before the train rolls into the station drivers have some time to assess the scene, they can not act very effectively. For instance if someone looks suspicious from a distance and seems to be that the person is intending to jump and the particular perpetrator is within the braking distance there is nothing to do. As soon as the driver rolled into the station he can use the mirrors and two security camera which provides information about the boarding passengers and the passenger who are getting of the tube.
The following example illustrates well the isolation of the driver and the limited information regarding the surrounding environment that they possess: an old woman who has slipped down between the train and the platform. „Thinking there was nothing wrong the driver took the train out of the station, fatally injuring the woman on the track. It was not until he had travelled a further eight stations and he arrived at Acton Town that he was informed of the tragedy”.
The aforementioned example highlighted the fact that there are some „blind spots” in the camera coverage. Despite the apparently isolation competent and accomplished drivers are extremely sensitive regarding their surroundings , specially the passengers.
The author calls the drivers practical sociologists who rely upon practical perceptions and possess the skill of mapping the scene very quick and make the decisions inmediately in order to avoid any possible accidents.
Title: “Social influence and group pressure on behavior modification”
RispondiEliminaAbstract:
Societies in all its institutional complexity have lived to influence its member in number of forms. Which was a phenomena closely observed by ancients and contemporary philosophers and social scientists. Therefore, my aim through this brief paper is to first question the influence of social and individual pressure among other individuals. And then support my question with Ash and Milligram theories briefly. While trying to understand of the relationship between group dynamics, social influence in relation to change or modification of behavior and its need and proposed efficiency in developmental work.
Therefore, I aim to support my paper with two empirical studies; first on “Social Influence a key factor to behavior change in transport ( plug plug-in hybrid vehicles) by (Axsen, J. and Kurani, K. S., 2010). As for the second case it would be focused on Peer educators (G. Turner and J. Shepherd 1991) “A method in search of a theory: peer education and health promotion” and use data from project on HIV prevention project I worked on from 2011-2013 to mirror the thoughts and elements of (G. Turner and J. Shepherd 1991). Following I ought to reflect briefly on both cases. Finally I would conclude with how acknowledging and utilizing the power of social influence can have direct influence in reshaping developmental work.
Table of Content
A. Abstract
B. Introduction
The introduction would an abstract trial to question social and group influence, then slow breaking the thoughts and logical sequence of the report
C. Theories
I will briefly mention ash theory and mailgram experiment as sociological foundation to social influence and group pressure
D. Groups dynamic, social influence and its relation to change of behavior
I attempt to stress the importance of group dynamics, social influence and its relation to change behavior through narrative discussion of thought
E. Development work need for social influence utilization
Brief reflection how developmental work with no understanding of social influence have been a weak tool and the need for utilizing social influence
F. Empirical evidence
- Social Influence a Key Factor to Behavior Change in Transport ( plug plug-in hybrid vehicles)
Explain the methodology and the experiment, (Axsen, J. and Kurani, K. S., 2010) logic and the relation and tools that they proposed that has an impact on purchase behavior
- Reflection
- Peer educators in HIV prevention projects
I aim to use data from (G. Turner and J. Shepherd 1991) that shared the use of peer education and its importance and significance. Then I aim to build on this data based on final report of HIV prevention for Most At Risk Population, which I am responsible for from 2011-2013 using data on behavior change such visit to service center, change into safe behavior in second visits, referral to rehabilitation centers
- Reflection
G. Conclusion
Finally I would conclude with how acknowledging and utilizing the power of social influence can have direct influence in reshaping developmental work.
H. Reference
RispondiElimina• Axsen, J., 2010. Interpersonal Influence within Car Buyers' Social Networks: Observing Consumer Assessment of Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs) and the Spread of Pro- Societal Values. University of California, Davis, Institute of Transportation Studies, Dissertation.
• Axsen, J. and Kurani, K. S., 2010. Interpersonal influence within car buyers' social networks: Five perspectives on plug-in hybrid vehicle demonstration participants. University of California, Davis, Institute of Transportation Studies, Working Paper.
• G. Turner and J. Shepherd. 1999. “A method in search of a theory: peer education and health promotion”. Theory & Practice Pages 235–247. Health education Research Vol.14 no.2
• Elgamrawy, E, 2013, Hayat Drosos II project Final term report, FHI360, DROSOS, Cairo, Egypt
• Asch S. E. (1956). "Studies of independence and conformity: I. A minority of one against a unanimous majority",
• Milgram Stanley (1963), "Behavioral Study of Obedience". Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology