UNDERSTANDING NARRATIVES
FOR NATIONAL SECURITY
PROCEEDINGS OF A WORKSHOP
Elizabeth Townsend, Rapporteur
Board on Behavioral, Cognitive, and Sensory Sciences
Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education
THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS
Washington, DC
www.nap.edu
THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS 500 Fifth Street, NW Washington, DC 20001
This activity was supported by Contract No. 2014-14041100003-009 between the National Academy of Sciences and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of any organization or agency that provided support for the project.
International Standard Book Number-13: 978-0-309-47639-3
International Standard Book Number-10: 0-309-47639-9
Digital Object Identifier: https://doi.org/10.17226/25119
Additional copies of this publication are available for sale from the National Academies Press, 500 Fifth Street, NW, Keck 360, Washington, DC 20001; (800) 624-6242 or (202) 334-3313; http://www.nap.edu.
Copyright 2018 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Printed in the United States of America
Suggested citation: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2018). Understanding Narratives for National Security: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: https://doi.org/10.17226/25119.
The National Academy of Sciences was established in 1863 by an Act of Congress, signed by President Lincoln, as a private, nongovernmental institution to advise the nation on issues related to science and technology. Members are elected by their peers for outstanding contributions to research. Dr. Marcia McNutt is president.
The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964 under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences to bring the practices of engineering to advising the nation. Members are elected by their peers for extraordinary contributions to engineering. Dr. C. D. Mote, Jr., is president.
The National Academy of Medicine (formerly the Institute of Medicine) was established in 1970 under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences to advise the nation on medical and health issues. Members are elected by their peers for distinguished contributions to medicine and health. Dr. Victor J. Dzau is president.
The three Academies work together as the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to provide independent, objective analysis and advice to the nation and conduct other activities to solve complex problems and inform public policy decisions. The National Academies also encourage education and research, recognize outstanding contributions to knowledge, and increase public understanding in matters of science, engineering, and medicine.
Learn more about the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine at www.nationalacademies.org.
Consensus Study Reports published by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine document the evidence-based consensus on the study’s statement of task by an authoring committee of experts. Reports typically include findings, conclusions, and recommendations based on information gathered by the committee and the committee’s deliberations. Each report has been subjected to a rigorous and independent peer-review process and it represents the position of the National Academies on the statement of task.
Proceedings published by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine chronicle the presentations and discussions at a workshop, symposium, or other event convened by the National Academies. The statements and opinions contained in proceedings are those of the participants and are not endorsed by other participants, the planning committee, or the National Academies.
For information about other products and activities of the National Academies, please visit www.nationalacademies.org/about/whatwedo.
STEERING COMMITTEE ON UNDERSTANDING NARRATIVES FOR NATIONAL SECURITY PURPOSES: A WORKSHOP
CARMEN MEDINA (Chair), MedinAnalytics, LLC
SARA COBB, School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution, George Mason University
BETTY SUE FLOWERS, Department of English, University of Texas, Austin
JEFFREY C. JOHNSON, Department of Anthropology, University of Florida
DAVID MATSUMOTO, Department of Psychology, College of Science and Engineering, San Francisco State University
DOUG RANDALL, Protagonist
SUJEETA BHATT, Study Director
ELIZABETH TOWNSEND, Research Associate
RENÉE L. WILSON GAINES, Senior Program Assistant
COMMITTEE ON A DECADAL SURVEY OF SOCIAL AND BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES FOR APPLICATIONS TO NATIONAL SECURITY
PAUL R. SACKETT (Chair), Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota
GARY G. BERNTSON, Psychology Department, Ohio State University
KATHLEEN M. CARLEY, School of Computer Science, Institute for Software Research International, Carnegie Mellon University
NOSHIR S. CONTRACTOR, McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science, School of Communications, and Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University
NANCY J. COOKE, The Polytechnic School, Fulton Schools of Engineering, Arizona State University
BARBARA ANNE DOSHER, Department of Cognitive Science, University of California, Irvine
JEFFREY C. JOHNSON, Department of Anthropology, University of Florida
SALLIE KELLER, Biocomplexity Institute, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, National Capital Region
DAVID MATSUMOTO, Department of Psychology, College of Science and Engineering, San Francisco State University
CARMEN MEDINA, MedinAnalytics, LLC
FRAN P. MOORE, CENTRA Technology, Inc.
JONATHAN D. MORENO, Department of Medical Ethics and Health Policy, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania
JOY ROHDE, Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, University of Michigan
JEFFREY W. TALIAFERRO, Department of Political Science, Tufts University
GREGORY F. TREVERTON, Dornsife College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences, School of International Relations, University of Southern California
JEREMY M. WOLFE, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Departments of Ophthalmology and Radiology, Harvard Medical School
SUJEETA BHATT, Study Director
ALEXANDRA BEATTY, Senior Program Officer
JULIE ANNE SCHUCK, Program Officer
ELIZABETH TOWNSEND, Research Associate
RENÉE L. WILSON GAINES, Senior Program Assistant
BOARD ON BEHAVIORAL, COGNITIVE, AND SENSORY SCIENCES
SUSAN T. FISKE (Chair), Department of Psychology and Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University
JOHN BAUGH, Department of Arts & Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis
LAURA L. CARSTENSEN, Department of Psychology, Stanford University
JUDY DUBNO, Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Medical University of South Carolina
JENNIFER EBERHARDT, Department of Psychology, Stanford University
ROBERT L. GOLDSTONE, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University
DANIEL R. ILGEN, Department of Psychology, Michigan State University
NANCY G. KANWISHER, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
JANICE KIECOLT-GLASER, Department of Psychology, Ohio State University College of Medicine
BILL C. MAURER, School of Social Sciences, University of California, Irvine
STEVEN E. PETERSEN, Department of Neurology and Neurological Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine
DANA M. SMALL, Department of Psychiatry, Yale Medical School
TIMOTHY J. STRAUMAN, Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University
JEREMY M. WOLFE, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Departments of Ophthalmology and Radiology, Harvard Medical School
BARBARA A. WANCHISEN, Director
THELMA COX, Program Coordinator
This page intentionally left blank.
Acknowledgments
This Proceedings of a Workshop was reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in making each published proceedings as sound as possible and to ensure that it meets the institutional standards for quality, objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the process.
We thank the following individuals for their review of this proceedings: Michael Schrage, Sloan School of Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Leah C. Windsor, Department of Political Science, University of Memphis.
Although the reviewers listed above provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the content of the proceedings, nor did they see the final draft before its release. The review of this proceedings was overseen by Philip E. Rubin, Haskins Laboratories, New Haven, Connecticut. He was responsible for making certain that an independent examination of this proceedings was carried out in accordance with standards of the National Academies and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content rests entirely with the rapporteur and the National Academies.
Carmen Medina, Chair
Steering Committee on Understanding Narratives
for National Security Purposes: A Workshop
This page intentionally left blank.
Contents
The Decadal Survey of Social and Behavioral Sciences for Applications to National Security
Objectives for the Six Workshops
Introduction to the Workshop on Understanding Narratives for National Security Purposes
2 NARRATIVE RESEARCH IN THE SOCIAL AND BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES
Identifying Narrative Structure with Quantitative Methods
Advancing Narrative Research with Big Data Science
Function Words and the Arc of Narrative
The Small-Story Approach to Narrative Research
3 THE SCIENCE OF NARRATIVE COMMUNICATION
Narrative Processing and Sensemaking
Narrative, Culture, and Digital Technology