ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses studies that have attempted to measure deliberation directly and indirectly. Deliberative talk leads to more reflective and refined political judgment than individualized processing of information. The chapter begins with a brief explanation of a model of small group deliberation proposed by Stephanie Burkhalter-2002 and elaborated on by John Gastil and Laura W. Black-2008 that has provided a basis for measures in some of the studies. It divides measures of deliberation into two main types: those that directly measure aspects of a theoretical definition of deliberation, and those that attempt to measure deliberation by studying variables that can be seen as indicators of deliberative processes. Micro analysis involves assessing the deliberative quality of discussion discourse through closely analyzing the content of people's comments during the deliberation. The chapter argues that a more rapid advance in deliberation research requires a more consistent definition and corresponding operationalization of small group deliberation.
