Abstract
Ellis (1979), in his study of interaction patterns in groups, discovered that his data did not satisfy the assumptions of a simple Markov model. In particular, he found that his data failed to satisfy the assumption of stationarity. In response to this, Ellis employed a new composite matrix procedure to generate a single set of predicted one‐step transition probabilities. This essay argues that this procedure (1) does not generate one‐step probabilities, (2) does not produce legitimately interpretable results, and (3) is a fundamentally inappropriate response to the discovery of nonstationary data. The composite matrix procedure used by Ellis is discussed and appropriate responses to the discovery of nonstationary interaction data are proposed.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 146-153 |
Number of pages | 8 |
Journal | Human Communication Research |
Volume | 8 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Dec 1982 |
Externally published | Yes |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Communication
- Developmental and Educational Psychology
- Anthropology
- Linguistics and Language