ABSTRACT
This chapter describes how categorical measures based on qualitative findings can be revised into ordinal measures, opening the way to a new generation of inquiries that fuse both qualitative observations and quantitative predictive modeling. Model building in task analysis is a form of intensive analysis distinguishable from other qualitative inquiries in at least four important ways purpose, use of theory, the nature of data collection, and measurement development in the interest of predictive modeling. A typical project using task analysis is finished when both the discovery and validation phases of research are complete. During the rational analysis, the researcher assumes the role of theoretician, allowing for more liberal conjectures rooted in sound theory and inspired by expert insight. Task analysis in psychotherapy is an investigative strategy for illuminating steps in the successful completion of a therapeutic task and providing a detailed understanding of a participant's performance in completing the complex change task.
