Concurrent analysis: a pragmatic justification

Abstract

Concurrent analysis (CA) is a process of synthesizing conceptually equivalent data for the purpose of producing a coherent and predictive model in social science. The process of CA is detailed. In short, CA uses Thagard's concept of coherence as a method of explicating links between mental representations. The product is a wide analysis of all pertinent data. This paper provides a philosophical justification for the need and function of CA. The paper is divided into three sections. The first section reviews some problems with the metasynthetic literature. The purpose of this is that CA can be initially understood as a branch of this type of synthesis. The second section links Risjord's post-paradigmatic position to Rorty's version of pragmatism in order to show the importance of the concept of coherence to these views. The reason for linking these issues is that CA is grounded in rejection of ontological priority. Instead it prioritises a pragmatic conception of coherence. The final section details the mechanics of CA. Concurrent analysis is presented as the most coherent method of synthesizing certain types of narrative evidence if pragmatism is prioritized over ontology. Examples are given from published studies using CA to illustrate the detail of the analysis and the practical value of the product. The examples show that CA appears useful under certain circumstances. These circumstances will be specified, and strengths and weaknesses of the method will be discussed.

When holistic care is not holistic enough: The role of sexual health in mental health settings

“…The method remains controversial. Any attempt to synthesise qualitative findings is arguably anathema to the epistemology of qualitative research (Snowden & Atkinson, ). Despite this, the pragmatic drive to generalise where possible from qualitative research has been stronger, and so a range of methods has arisen over the last 25 years designed to integrate findings from disparate sources (Toye et al., ).…”

Concurrent analysis: validation of the domains within the Birth Satisfaction Scale

“…Concurrent analysis is a method of analysing narrative data for the purpose of articulating salient connections (Snowden & Atkinson, 2012). The method uses Thagard's concept of coherence to connect representations on the basis of analogy or explanation (Thagard, 2007).…”

“…For the purpose of concurrent analysis, first-hand data published in high-quality, peer-reviewed journals was considered conceptually equivalent to primary data such as that generated by the 207 women in the pilot study. The endpoint of this analysis is a more thorough integration of the wider literature than would usually be the case by integrating this literature at a later stage (Snowden & Atkinson, 2012).…”

A screening tool for predicting gatekeeping behaviour

“…It is a pragmatic method of synthesizing primary data with literature to produce more generalizable results than doing either alone (Snowden & Martin, ,b). For a detailed description of the philosophy of Concurrent Analysis please see Snowden and Atkinson ().…”