THE NON VERBAL INTERVIEW METHOD

INTRODUCTION .

The Researcher chose to adjust his own plans very early in the period of the Main Study of this research. The Rep Grid method appeared to have • failed. • A feasibility study and a pilot study had been used to develop a form of Repertory Grid, thought to be suitable

for use with the young deaf adult. This method was tried

and tested. But what had been clearly overlooked, in the

small sample population of these earlier studies was that

all those sampled were literate. It was not anticipated

that there would be young deaf adults who were not able to

recognise words in their written form. This experience

was repeated several times. There were many deaf found

who do not read. The choice was then to either abandon

this non-reading group or devise a form of interview which

gave emphasis to non-verbal communication. In the sub­

sample, each person placed in ’the non-reading group’ is a

young person who could not hear, could not speak; could

not lip-read; could not read, nor write, could not

fingerspell and could not use the formal structure of

British Sign Language. They all seemed to live in a world of non-verbal communication. They are thought to form the

main canditure for Denmark's psychiatric assessment (see

the discussion in Chapter 2, p l 7 ).

After reflecting upon this situation, and after a

period of further study it was decided that an approach to

these young people could be made. An interview routine,

thought to be entirely novel which attempted to make significant in existential terms the non verbal content of an interview with a deaf person was developed. (Grant and Ashworth 1985). This in turn allowed the development of the non verbal interview now described. Such an emergency

plan would ensure that the entire projected sample

population could be interviewed.

The pre-interview routine was retained and consists of the four tests:

1. The Visiting Card; in which SPACIALITY is negotiated in sign

2. The Photographs; in which TEMPORALITY is

negotiated in sign

3. The Word Game; in which the PERSONAL is

negotiated in sign

4. The People Game; in which the INTERPERSONAL is negotiated in sign

These have been described earlier.

The Repertory Grid together with its attended

statistics and computing were thought to be entirely

unsuitable for this sub-group, largely because of the

heavy dependence upon a verbalised form of communication. The REP is abandoned and the non verbal interview routine

is substituted. In the REP GRID single flash cards

carried the name and the identity of the sixteen elements of the personal - interpersonal dimension. These sixteen flash-cards would also form the structure of the non verbal Routine. They are used differently and in reverse order. (See Appendix A 8 ).

PROCEDURE .

The Respondent is shown all sixteen flash cards and is encouraged to believe that these also represent a game which is easy and enjoyable to play. The cards are each modified to carry a pictorial representation of a man or a woman. Then pantomime, gesture and drawing, together with

all the aspects of total communication are used to

convince the respondents that these cards represent real

people; just a^photographsrepresent real people. First,

the Researcher became demonstrator and by way of example, used the bared teeth, the struck blow, the grasping hands,

all ' directed to the flash card representing . 'the hated

person'. The respondent is being asked whether he has

similar feelings to express? The respondent is led on to identify any person who might be also hated' in a similar way and asked whether this person is a man or ' a woman? whether young or old? whether known locally or in -some other place? whether known by name or by initial? whether

physical description of this person was possible?

Negotiations then show which part of this earlier non­

verbal description be recorded. Second an attempt . is

made to promote a small scenario in which -the respondent gives meaning'to such a term (eg ’A HATED PERSON’). This non-verbal account is summarised in verbal form upon the

flash card itself. It was quickly realised that any

•personal difficulty in all of this, was due to the

inadequacies of the Researcher. He had chosen to enter

into the world of the non-verbal- expression. The deaf,

the illiterate deaf, are the complete masters of this form of communication. They are capable of "thinking without words". (Mycklebust 196^, Furth 1966).

The non verbal interview then moved slowly along the

personal - interpersonal dimension. This is represented

by the sixteen flash cards. Moving step by step, towards

a description of Self, the Researcher became aware, that

the respondent became aware of the nature of this 'game'.

Giggles, frowns, mock rejections were aimed by each

respondent at the card marked 'Self', long before this

card was reached. These respondents' clearly possessed

'self-awareness'.

The record of these exchanges, made in front of the

respondents, (upon the back of each flash card), represented only the merest abstract of the performance. It is with much regret that the Researcher knew of. no other way of initiating these unique experiences and then of recording them,' in such a way as to leave the exchange in its non-verbal form. The possible role of the hidden camera and the video studio was not explored in this late stage of the research. It is suggested that such provision could only inhibit the free expression of the young deaf person. The young person is judged to be conversing from a position of security, ’on his home ground'. No doubt the extent to which the reporting of these conversations depends upon the skill or otherwise of the researcher places at some risk the objectivity (ie public replicability) of the research.

ANALYSIS

In this method there are several distinct stages to the analysis of the interview transcript. First, there is the verbalised record of the non-verbal experience, written out in the time order that the scenario developed.

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Second. there is the translation and interpretation of this record into a formal language. The third stage records any discrete observations made upon the first or second stages, observations which may make either or both earlier stages more relevant to the final stage. The fourth and final stage, occurs after a period of study and reflection. The Researcher draws upon his own personal experiences of the world of the deaf, to r e ­ examine the three earlier stages. An extrapolation and

interpolation of the above adds to the whole. This group analysis of responses, concerning each single element in the personal - interpersonal dimension is added to those of the full group of sixteen elements. The fourth stage is written under the heading 'FINDINGS *. These sixteen 'Findings', are used to create a psychological profile of the respondent. This profile is thought to be a first ever attempt, to describe in existential terms each deaf person's way-of-being in our hearing world.

EXAMPLE

To explain the complexities of all this, an example is provided.

The Scenario of 'Bad Teacher' (Drawn from Case Study No 2. Gilbert)

This scenario was recorded, part way through an interview with Gilbert. Gilbert and the Researcher had at this stage established some rapport. Gilbert was using a little of each aspect of total communication. He had failed completely in the word game. He is one of the illiterate.deaf.

Placed on a table, the flash card number E.6. had the title, 'X' is a bad teacher' upon it. The Researcher signed, "now can we talk about a person who is a Bad Teacher". Gilbert nodded agreement. Gilbert was asked, "Is this a man or a woman?" Gilbert signed. "Woman". He was then asked, "Have you a name?" Gilbert indicated he could not remember her name. The Researcher drew an idiograph of a woman on the flash card and added 'Mrs' to the title. Gilbert nodded a confirmation that this was

correct. The Researcher slowly f ingerspel-led the questions Mrs. .'A', Mrs. ’B', Mrs. 'C', and continued

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until Gilbert showed an excited reaction to Mrs. fH'. This became the full title, on the flash card. "Mrs, H. is a bad teacher". After repeating the process, a second confirmation showed that this was correct. He was then asked, "what is the problem", and, "why is Mrs. 'H' a Bad Teacher?" Gilbert then non-verbally pantomimed his response (a person, who is breathing-in, deeply, through the nose* having tightly.compressed lips, then, snorting- out, a fast, short, exhalation of air). Gilbert had demonstrated, that this represented a very angry person. Gilbert then mimicked in silence, a person talking, pointing and nodding. Gilbert signified that he, Gilbert, is being reproached. Then Gilbert signed, "time-ago". The question was asked, "a little time ago?", "One year?", "Two years?". Gilbert reacted to the question "10 years ago?". . This might have meant, that the event took place when Gilbert was 10 years old, or that the event itself is ten years past. Gilbert then pointed, to an unseen, far distant place and looked past, h i s .own outstretched hand and finger. The Researcher established that ’the event’ took place at Gilbert’s school, when Gilbert was a younger person. Gilbert confirmed this. The question was asked, "Were you a very bad person?", making Gilbert the subject of the conversation. Gilbert nodded and signed "it is true, I .was very bad". Gilbert then transposed the action, dramatically. He became Mrs. ’H ’, stood up from his chair, changed his arms and hands into claw shapes-, and raised one hand as though to strike a blow. Gilbert

had changed identity and he became the Mrs. 'H' for a short period of the scenario. Gilbert then reverted to being Gilbert, and non verbally exhaled a long slow blow of air, fanning this air with loose fingers. He made it clear that he had -been in a very dangerous situation with this woman. The other person being the aggressor. Then, Gilbert pantomimed "I play silly", and "she said to go home". To end this scenario, Gilbert smiled, a personal eye contact, at the Researcher, relaxed his body, and then effectively rested his case.

During the time that Gilbert was acting out this scenario, the Researcher was engaged in jotting notes, and in making sketches on a small* drawing pad, placed in full view of Gilbert. At the end of the sequence (above), with a smiled sign of gratitude and warmth and encouragement, the Researcher replicated the major features of Gilbert's non-verbal expression and explanation and at the same time, made the briefest of written records, on the reverse side of the particular flash card. The Researcher explained the nature of this record to Gilbert, who then authenticated the same by returning the flash card to the researcher. In this way the Researcher now tentatively claims 'a valid record'. The interview then moved onto flash card No. 5 'Good Teacher' and began a repetition. This was further repeated, until all sixteen flash-cards were used up.

At another time, after a period of some weeks, and after much .reflection on this non verbal experience, a fuller record of the event was made.