Protocol Analysis: Verbal Reports As Data

by K. Anders Ericsson, Herbert A. Simon

While psychologists have often employed the technique of protocol analysis--or the use of the subject's own verbal reports as data--in exploring cognitive processes, the nature and reliability of the method have been poorly understood. This book finally puts protocol analysis on firm ground by examining its underlying assumptions, techniques, and limitations. It addresses such key questions as what sorts of reports about what sorts of mental events are reliable; what the role of the investigator's interpretations should be in helping to understand such data; and what mental events cannot be explained by protocols.The authors describe a general theory of cognitive processes and structure, which, they argue, accounts for verbalization and verbal reports. The theory is presented in the form of an information processing model. Major issues surrounding the use and validity of verbal reports are taken up and empirical studies are discussed within the framework of the model. While the book focuses on reports of cognitive processes, the concepts and models it employs can be extended to such areas of verbal behavior as psychophysics, survey design, and measurement of personality traits."A Bradford Book"

Genres: Academic

264 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1984

About the author

K. Anders Ericsson (born 1947) is a Swedish psychologist and Conradi Eminent Scholar and Professor of Psychology at Florida State University who is internationally recognized as a researcher in the psychological nature of expertise and human performance.

Currently, Ericsson studies expert performance in domains such as medicine, music, chess, and sports, focusing exclusively on extended deliberate practice (e.g., high concentration practice beyond one's comfort zone) as a means of how expert performers acquire their superior performance. Critically, Ericsson's program of research serves as a direct complement to other research that addresses cognitive ability, personality, interests, and other factors that help researchers understand and predict deliberate practice and expert performance