An Information Processing Procedure for Scoring Flanders’ Interaction Analysis Categories

Abstract

In coding verbal behavior there is always a certain amount of disagreement among coders regarding the most appropriate category for particular segments of behavior. Unlike the scoring procedures for many category systems, the Uncertainty Reduction Index weights S’s response in proportion to the degree of uncertainty exhibited by all Ss responding to a given segment of verbal behavior. A comparison is made between Ss’ responses when scoring transcripts of verbal behavior with the Flanders’ system and the Uncertainty Reduction Index. The Uncertainty Reduction Index appears to have certain advantages when applied in the circumstances outlined in this paper.