This chapter describes the wide variety of interview and observation techniques commonly used by clinical psychologists in their work as therapists and researchers. It categorizes interviews according to their goals, including intake, diagnosis, orientation for treatment or research, problem-referral, termination or debriefing, and crisis intervention. It then describes the characteristics of structured, semi-structured, and unstructured interviews, the typical stages of interviews and what research has revealed about the reliability and validity of differing types of interviews. Clinical observational techniques are described in much the same manner, including discussion of their goals and types as well as research on their strengths and limitations. The chapter also highlights various factors – particularly interview and observation structure, client diversity, and clinicians’ biases – that can affect the results of interviews and observations.

This chapter extends on the previous one by investigating the validity of preexisting theories of intersubjectivity within psychology. Operationalizations of children’s intersubjectivity are applied to narrative vignettes used to exemplify alternative theories. This analysis demonstrates how each theorization illuminates some dimensions of interaction while excluding others. The vignettes are contrasted to show how the measurement of interactions determines the form of intersubjectivity observed. The conclusion argued for in this chapter is that although all theories depict some component of intersubjective behavior, a theory in line with the principles elaborated in the previous chapter is necessary.

Children practice coping every day in response to stressors big and small. Coping develops iteratively with repeated exposure to developmentally normative stressors. The everyday perspective on coping focuses on the immediate functions of coping. Children’s experiences with various coping strategies in daily life shape the development of coping over the long term. The interpersonal perspective on coping focuses on the involvement of close others, including peers and family members, in children’s coping. Interactions with others are intertwined with and shape children’s responses to stressful events. The participation of peers and family members in children’s coping is connected to the adaptiveness of their responses in the short term, and their psychological well-being over the long term. These perspectives inform the conceptualization and measurement of coping. Moreover, they provide suggestions for interventions and the direction of future research on coping development.