Microgenetic Analysis of Thought Trajectories: A Mixed Design

Abstract

This article reports the results of an investigation that used a mixed methodology with microgenetic orientation, to observe the genetic development of small acts of thought and their bodily manifestations. A qualitative design was carried out through a videographic record with 10 participants to explore thought trajectories and their genetic unfolding in gestures. In a second moment, a quantitative sequen- tial analysis was conducted with 50 participants, who were invited to the laboratory to participate in a tachistoscopic presentation. The procedure was videotaped and coded, identifying categories of thought and their respective gestural expressions. An analysis of diferent trajectories was carried out to observe the transitions that thought takes and its gestural movements. The results show trajectories in the forms of thought that are investigated through a qualitative microgenetic analysis, which shows the anticipation of verbal meaning through gestures and the transitions back- wards to then advance into more integrated forms of thought. On the other hand, tra- jectories between voluntary and involuntary forms of thought, as well as transitions in verbal and imaginative forms of thought are detected in a quantitative sequence analysis. Finally, the results are integrated and the utility of mixed designs to study the microgenesis of the consciousness phenomenon is discussed.