State space grids: Analyzing dynamics across development

Abstract

Developmentalists are generally interested in systems perspectives and this is reflected in the theoretical models of the past decade. However, the methodological tools to test these models are either nonexistent or difficult for many researchers to use. This article reviews the state space grid (SSG) method for analyzing synchronized event sequences based on dynamic systems (DS) principles. Following a review of these DS concepts and the basics of the SSG method, several studies are reviewed. Greater emphasis and detail are provided for three longitudinal studies that relate real-time socioemotional dynamics to processes of developmental change and stability. The concluding sections provide guidelines for researchers interested in using the SSG method and some suggestions for future SSG studies.

Client's immersed and distanced speech and therapist's interventions in emotion-focused therapy for depression: an intensive analysis of a case study

“…These grids show all possible states or behaviors occurring in the dyad in a given time frame (Hollenstein, 2007(Hollenstein, , 2015. In our study, each grid represents the dyadic exchanges occurring in a given session, by showing the shift between therapist interventions and client speech categories (immersed or distanced).…”

“…Additionally, as a SSG allows representing the temporal evolution of the dyadic exchange, each line and arrow between circles (and cells) depicts the trajectory and the succession of exchanges, given the direction from one interaction to another. Finally, the hollow circle represents the first behavior occurrence in the session (Granic & Hollenstein, 2003;Hollenstein, 2007Hollenstein, , 2015Ribeiro et al, 2011). To specify with an example, a dyad may start a session with an exploratory intervention from the therapist how are you today?, followed by a client attributive statement I'm sad (depicted by a hollow circle in a cell that intersects therapist exploratory intervention and client attributive statement) and then, in the next turntaking, the therapist can use an action intervention let's talk about it.…”

“…To make this concept clearer, Hollenstein and collaborators (2004) provide some examples that illustrated this pattern in a family dynamic: a state of mutual hostility can be understood as an attractor for a particular family that means that they easily get drawn toward a hostile pattern of interaction and once the conflict has begun, it is difficult to pull out of this (p. 597). The process of change is evidenced when there is movement between and variability in different attractors over time (Hayes, Yasinski, Barnes, & Bockting, 2015;Hollenstein, 2007;Howertwe, Hollenstein, Boon, Niemeyer, & Brulee, 2012;Lewis et al, 1999Ribeiro et al, 2011, for other studies using this type of analysis).…”

“…On the other hand, measures such as flexibility also provide important information about the dyadic exchange. Flexibility is the system ability to adapt to changes that occur throughout the different dyadic behaviors (Hollenstein, 2007), in other words, the dispersion and transition of circles through the cells of the grid. According to Hollenstein and Lewis (2006), flexibility is the sum of the squared proportional durations across all cells, adjusted for the total number of cells in the grid matrix, and inverted so that values range from 0 (no dispersion: all behavior in one cell) to 1 (maximum dispersion: behavior equally distributed across the grid) (p. 659).…”

Emotional inertia: A key to understanding psychotherapy process and outcome

“…For example, Katerndahl and Wang (2007) used a two dimensional phase space in a study on the dynamic covariation of symptoms of anxiety and depression among different diagnostic groups. These authors used the state space grid method (Hollenstein, 2012;Lewis, Lamey, & Douglas, 1999). The x axis was a 1 to 10 anxiety scale and the y axis was a 1 to 10 depression scale, so that the point at (5.5) should be read as the state of the system when the anxiety level was 5 and the depression level was 5.…”