Epistemological questions for a psychology of dialogue

Michael J Baker (1, 2, 3)

1 IP Paris - Institut Polytechnique de Paris
2 INTERACT - Interaction, Technologies, Activités
3 SES - Département Sciences Economiques et Sociales

Notwithstanding the magisterial work of the psychologists H. H. Clark and A. Trognon, in comparison with sociology and linguistics a veritable psychology of dialogue still remains little elaborated. This paper analyses epistemological obstacles facing such an enterprise, arguing that dialogue can not be understood as a 'window' on the individual mind. A vision of dialogue as a process of collective thinking, with the exchange as the fundamental unit of analysis, is sketched out. Dialogue is a complex system, involving multidirectional relations between situational representations, communicative action and emergent thinking.

Keywords: dialogue collective thinking interaction analysis methodology complex systems

Domains: Psychology; Linguistics

Michael J Baker. Epistemological questions for a psychology of dialogue. Studia Universitatis Babeș-Bolyai Philosophia, 2022, 67 (3), pp.11-24. ⟨10.24193/subbphil.2022.3.01⟩. ⟨hal-03888658⟩