Longitudinal inquiry

Researchers compare selected encounters across time while examining changing interests, repeated questions, revised interpretations, unfinished or completed activity, cooperation. They preserve context and opportunity for each visit rather than treating repetition alone as a stable trait.

A participant returns to a camera question after months of unrelated activity. Another revises a family account after speaking with a relative. Staff can offer a revisable portrait, compare contributions, ask about the participant's current interpretation. The record may contain gaps chosen by the participant or caused by limited observation.

Selected continuity supports the account. Longitudinal portraits investigate usefulness for reflection, while convergence examines possible relations across participants. Researchers record changing explanations and the person's ability to challenge an institutional summary.