Quantifying Family Process:Issues in the Analysis of Interaction Sequences

The analysis of behavior sequences can be a useful technique for understanding family process and has been increasingly employed as a result of developments in family theory. Some of the most popular sequential analytic methods are reviewed, and problems of applying these methodologies to investigations of family interaction are discussed. Independence-of-observations, nonstationarity, and autocontingency are differentiated as three distinct types of serial dependence. In addition, issues concerning the choice of data type, analysis of low base rate behaviors, and the decision as to whether to correct for base rates are considered. Guidelines are presented for dealing with each of these issues in the context of the research or clinical question being addressed.