social psychology

Ethnomethodology

2

Rule violated: Assume typical rules for games when no modifications are explicitly stated beforehand.

Ethnomethodology

Tic-tac-toe Example

1. ‘Typical rules’-interpretation fails: Player realizes that I’m violating the typical rules.

Ethnomethodology

2. Interpretive Void Opens Player is momentarily at a loss for how to interpret my actions.

Ethnomethodology

3. Tries out new interpretive frames a. Humorous response: Testing whether it

is a joke. b. Frustration/impatience: Testing to see if

I am purposefully being difficult. c. Adopts my new rules: assumes I’m

playing with a stable set of modified rules.

d. Makes up their own.

Ethnomethodology

Breaching Experiment Identifies the implicit social rules that we expect each other to follow.

Ethnomethodology

Ethnomethodology’s (EM) Thesis Understanding is an accomplishment based on invisible rules.

Ethnomethodology

Implicit Social Rules* Allow for people to coordinate activity and build society

*The real social glue

Ethnomethodology

Ethnomethodology* The study of the methods individuals use to make sense of others in interaction

*methodologies of the people

Ethnomethodology

13

Most Important Method Applying shared, implicit social rules

Ethnomethodology

Mead and Goffman Treated sense-making as largely unproblematic

Ethnomethodology

15

16

EM identifies: 1. Implicit social rules necessary for sense-

making. 2. How violations are responded to. 3. The moral order of following the rules.

Ethnomethodology

2. Responding to Violation “Repair after next turn”: A technique for re-establishing sense-making

Ethnomethodology

“Repair after next turn”

Ethnomethodology

Repair after next turn

Ethnomethodology

3. Moral order in following the rules

Example: People get annoyed in breaching experiments

Ethnomethodology

Rule breaches can be uncomfortable.

Ethnomethodology

Example of how we try to avoid violations of social rules:

Forecasting bad news A technique we employ to gradually reveal difficult news to facilitate understanding.

Ethnomethodology

We have everyday measures for limiting misunderstanding.

• Quick adaptation to alternative rules • Repair work

Ethnomethodology

(S): “I had a flat tire” (E): “What do you mean you had a flat tire?”

Breaching Examples

Breaching Examples

Breaching Examples

When students treated their family homes as hotels…

Breaching Examples

Field Study 3

EM identifies: 1. Implicit social rules necessary for sense-

making. 2. How violations are responded to. 3. The moral order of following the rules.

Ethnomethodology (review)

If a social rule exists, what should the response be when you breach it?

Disturbance and repair work

EM Review

Implicit social rules are the foundation for all social life. How?

They allow us to “accomplish” understanding.

EM Review

Why are breaching experiments useful in EM? They reveal:

1. Implicit social rules 2. Moral order of rule following 3. Repair work

EM Review

EM says that __________ allow people to accomplish understanding in everyday life?

A: Sign equipment B: Minds C: Thinking as usual D: Implicit social rules

Potential Exam Question

Semantic processes How people convey meaning

Deborah Tannen

Semantic Processes

When to talk Culture shapes what is perceived as silence and when it is deemed appropriate

When to Talk

What to say Can one ask questions? What can one ask them about? Do people tell stories? About what? Can people tell jokes? When and what type? Sarcasm?

Semantic Processes

What to Say

Pacing and Pausing How fast does one talk? How long does one wait to reply? Do people allow space/silence?

Semantic Processes

Pacing and Pausing

Listenership How do people show they are paying attention?

Semantic Processes

Listenership