METHODOLOGY OF SURVEY-DESIGN FOR INTER-CULTURAL SEXOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS

7. Elements of semantic composition

To clarify, the chain of quanta is activated during communication, the individual units of which are called transactions. Transactional interactions are concrete, and they form the basis of the "fabric" of communication. A transaction is a connection which has qualitative characteristics. It is not possible to apply a personality category to a transaction outside of a communicative context. A "quantum" is the place where a transaction is applied; it has as its structural basis engrams, and is active during the process of communication, and remains in place after its conclusion. It is possible to apply a quantum to a particular personality category outside outside of communicative context. To do this, we must design a semantic group so that it consists (as does the quantum itself) of the three elements (cognitive, emotional, and anticipatory). If this is done, the semantic group will reflect the respondent's corresponding mental processes (on the condition, of course, that the respondent has the necessary engrams).

A "semantic composition" is a set of statements with defined parameters. On the one hand, it enables the revelation of the respondent's quanta, and on the other, the semantic group reflects the categories under investigation. As a result, the semantic construction is a link between the researcher's ideas about a particular behavioral pattern, and the actual nature of this pattern, as realized by the respondent. In any case, a "semantic composition" is the factor which differentiates respondents according to the specifics of their sexual experiences.

So all that remains is to construct the sentences and assign to them the correct parameters.

The first element of a composition is the concrete information which the respondent has to process cognitively. This is the linguistic meaning of the statement or question. The second element is the emotional content - statements and questions are designed with a certain emotional shading. Finally, the third element is the general structure of the parameters, which the respondent usually does not consciously consider when completing a questionnaire form. The mental processing of the general parameters induces in the mind of the respondent some intuitive components, corresponding to the structure of "quanta". This is because reflection on past experience is carried out through a process of "reverse anticipation" - the memory is activated, and the respondent decides which of the statements corresponds maximally to his own experience. If the respondent does not have the relevant experience, induction does not occur, and the respondent answers accordingly, ticking, for example, the box marked "It is difficult for me to answer."