The Natural History of an Interview and the microanalysis of behavior in social interaction: A critical moment in research practice

The Natural History of an Interview (NHI) began in 1955 at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences. NHI was an applied project, as well as multi-, inter-, and transdisciplinary, involving a core group of well-established researchers, all of which were central to its results and influence. The result was a new framework for thinking about communication in face-to-face interaction, including the development of new tools, and a set of principles for analysis. The natural history method focuses on fine-grained observation and analysis of observable behavior during social interaction. Originally involving half a dozen researchers for an academic year, then several dozen scholars over a decade, the assumptions and methods of NHI contributed significantly to the assumptions and techniques used to study interaction today.