A conceptual and graphical method for converging multisubject behavioral observational data into a single process indicator

Typically, in observational research, each behavior of a subject is assigned a code that represents theoretically relevant and contextually sensitive events. These discrete behavioral acts are then strung together to denote a process. With multiple interactants, the investigator has two choices: ignore subject interdependence and analyze as if the data strings are discrete, or treat the strings as interdependent and create a summary index that represents the combined codes across subjects. This article illustrates a method of combining discrete within-subjects behavioral indicators into behavior-specific domains and then conglomerating the disparate domain strings across subjects in such a way that the aggregate reflects the observed process. This aggregation is represented by a coordination index, expressed as either interactant disparity or coherence. Also, animation and visualization methods are presented that illustrate how social processes can be modeled by using either the coordination index or the separate domain values.