CamFish Project

Choose which conversation you would like to analyze: Fishman or Cameron. The
Fishman conversation should be held between opposite sex participants; two is best.
Ideally, the participants should be significant others, but if that is not possible, they
should be intimates: parent-child, siblings, good friends, etc. The Cameron conversation
should be held by 3-4 male participants, not necessarily intimates, but a level beyond
acquaintances. Remember: the participants must give their consent to the recording.
Because of the recording, the conversation may be unnatural. To circumvent this, you
can record for 30 minutes and use the last 10 minutes for your project. The
conversation will be more natural once the participants get used to the device. Or, once
the participants give their consent, you can “hide” the device. Once it is out of sight, it is
often “out of mind.” Notes: 1.) You must not be a participant in the conversation. 2.)
All participants must be 18 or older. 3.) Do not give the participants a topic for the
conversation.

Both conversations need to be recorded, which can be done with a laptop/cell phone.
You can upload your recording to your group db, or you can also transcribe your
conversation the old-fashioned way. If you don’t know how to upload, you’ll need to call
ATRC.

It is not necessary to upload your recordings as long as the findings are reported
accurately. However, it would be nice if everyone in the group could hear the
conversation.

What should you look for in these conversations?

In Fishman:

• questions

• attention beginnings

• minimal responses

• statements

• topic initiation

In Cameron:

• sports talk

• women talk
 • gossip/talk about homosexuals

• competition

For either conversation, can you confirm the author’s conclusions? Which ones?
Explain.

After everyone in the group* has discussed the conversation and the findings, write out
a summary of the conversation (include a description of participants) and findings and
post to the CamFishProj Whole Class db by the due date noted on the Instructions
page.

*If you are not in a group, you will, of course, conduct this project by yourself.