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An Analysis By Means Of Naturalistic Approaches Of Two Complex Behaviors. In Gilbert, Nigel (Ed.) Proceedings Of The Workshop On Complex Systems, Ethnomethodology And Interaction Analysis., Barbara H. Kwasnik

School of Information Studies - Faculty Scholarship

This paper describes two studies I which naturalistic approaches were used to investigate complex human behaviors. The first study is a description of the way in which people organize their documents in their own offices; the second study aims for a functional description of the behavior known as “browsing”. Both studies use thinking-out-loud protocols, observation, and interviews in the setting in which behaviors take place. The rationale for the choice of techniques is presented along with a discussion of advantages and difficulties.