microanalytic

Microanalytic (often written micro-analytic) is an adjective used across disciplines to denote analysis conducted at a small scale or with close attention to detail. In the social sciences and psychology, microanalytic methods involve the close, moment-by-moment examination of processes as they unfold. Researchers may code transcripts, video recordings, or task protocols to identify discrete steps, cognitive strategies, emotional responses, or interactional sequences. Such work aims to trace how individuals think and act as a sequence of micro-events, rather than reporting only aggregate outcomes.

In linguistics and discourse analysis, microanalysis examines talk-in-interaction at the level of turns, pauses, overlaps, repairs, and intonation, seeking to understand how social actions are accomplished in real time.

In education and learning sciences, microanalytic assessment may track a learner's problem-solving steps, reasoning, or metacognitive judgments during a task, providing a fine-grained view of learning processes.

In the natural and applied sciences, microanalysis can refer to chemical, biological, or materials analyses performed on very small samples or at microscopic scales, using techniques such as electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy or microprobe analysis.

Overall, microanalytic approaches contrast with macro-level analyses by prioritizing detailed, sequence-based examination of small units of data to illuminate underlying mechanisms and processes.