Unstructured Conversations Research Articles

Greater Social Interest Between Autistic and Non-autistic Conversation Partners Following Autism Acceptance Training for Non-autistic People.

Bi-directional differences in social communication and behavior can contribute to poor interactions between autistic and non-autistic (NA) people, which in turn may reduce social opportunities for autistic adults and contribute to poor outcomes. Historically, interventions to improve social interaction in autism have focused on altering the behaviors of autistic people and have ignored the role of NA people. Recent efforts to improve autism understanding among NA adults via training have resulted in more favorable views toward autistic people, yet it remains unknown whether these benefits extend to real-world interactions between autistic and NA people. The current study explores whether a brief autism acceptance training (AAT) program can improve social interactions between autistic and NA adults. Thirty-nine NA males were randomly assigned to complete AAT or a no-training control condition, then participated in a 5-min unstructured conversation with an unfamiliar autistic male (n = 39). Following the conversation, participants rated their perceptions of interaction quality, first impressions of their partner, and their interest in future interactions with their partner. In dyads where the NA individual completed AAT, both the autistic and NA person endorsed greater future interest in hanging out with their partner relative to dyads in which the NA adult did not complete AAT. However, other social interaction outcomes, including ratings of interaction quality and first impressions of autistic partners, largely did not differ between training and no-training conditions, and assessments of the interaction were largely unrelated for autistic and NA partners within dyads. Results also indicated that NA participants, but not autistic participants, demonstrated substantial correspondence between evaluations of their partner and the interaction, suggesting that autistic adults may place less weight on trait judgments when assessing the quality of an interaction. These findings suggest that the brief AAT for NA adults used in this study may increase mutual social interest in real-world interactions between NA and autistic adults, but more systematic changes are likely needed to bridge divides between these individuals. Future work with larger, more diverse samples is recommended to further explore whether interventions targeting NA adults are beneficial for improving autistic experiences within NA social environments.

The development of a preschool event management system using usability heuristic theory

Preschool Event Management System for Genius Aulad (PEMS) is a computerized prototype system, developed to facilitate preschool event management process handling. Genius Aulad Kuala Terengganu has been selected as a case study. Adapting a more systematic data management approach is critical to elevate problems inherent from the current manual way used in managing the event management related processes. The issues that lead to the proposal of the new system are difficult to inform the upcoming events to the parents, missing confirmation messages due to unstructured conversation, paper-based registration form used cause inefficient data storage and retrieval, the payment for event program always overdue and limited type of report can be generated. The System Development Life Cycle (SDLC) using Adapted Waterfall Model serves as a development methodology. Furthermore, the Usability Heuristic for User Interface Design is adapted in developing the system interface. The PEMS is tested and evaluated in terms of functionality and usability by the developer, and five target users. The test case and scenario are used to evaluate the functionality of the system. Meanwhile, the usability metric is applied to evaluate the usability of the system. The SUS score for PEMS is 82.5, which means the users are satisfied with the overall usability of the system. All the recommendations received during the testing session can be used as a reference for future work. With the existence of PEMS it is hoped that it will bring benefits to the organization when using this system.

Predicting One's Turn With Both Body and Mind: Anticipatory Speech Postures During Dyadic Conversation.

In natural conversation, turns are handed off quickly, with the mean downtime commonly ranging from 7 to 423 ms. To achieve this, speakers plan their upcoming speech as their partner’s turn unfolds, holding the audible utterance in abeyance until socially appropriate. The role played by prediction is debated, with some researchers claiming that speakers predict upcoming speech opportunities, and others claiming that speakers wait for detection of turn-final cues. The dynamics of articulatory triggering may speak to this debate. It is often assumed that the prepared utterance is held in a response buffer and then initiated all at once. This assumption is consistent with standard phonetic models in which articulatory actions must follow tightly prescribed patterns of coordination. This assumption has recently been challenged by single-word production experiments in which participants partly positioned their articulators to anticipate upcoming utterances, long before starting the acoustic response. The present study considered whether similar anticipatory postures arise when speakers in conversation await their next opportunity to speak. We analyzed a pre-existing audiovisual database of dyads engaging in unstructured conversation. Video motion tracking was used to determine speakers’ lip areas over time. When utterance-initial syllables began with labial consonants or included rounded vowels, speakers produced distinctly smaller lip areas (compared to other utterances), prior to audible speech. This effect was moderated by the number of words in the upcoming utterance; postures arose up to 3,000 ms before acoustic onset for short utterances of 1–3 words. We discuss the implications for models of conversation and phonetic control.

'Guid times wi the bad times': The meanings and experiences of befriending for people living alone with dementia.

Befriending is a service in which volunteers provide companionship and support usually to people who are lonely or isolated. Such services are promoted in Scotland’s national strategy to improve the lives of people with dementia, around a third of whom live alone. However, little is known about the perspectives of recipients. Taking a holistic qualitative case study approach, the aim of this research was to explore how people living alone with dementia experienced befriending and the contexts in which their befriending relationships were meaningful. Three people were visited on five separate occasions. Largely unstructured conversations allowed individuals to prioritise areas of importance to them within the broad topics of befriending, everyday life, social networks and biography. Participants also had the option of ‘showing’ how they spent their time with their befriender. Data were analysed using the voice-centred relational method. Three key messages emerged: befriending satisfied unmet needs and wishes for particular kinds of relationship; befriending was a facilitated friendship; and befriending was a human response to contingent and existential limitations.

Use of herbal medicine during pregnancy and attitudes of pregnant women in Jos, Nigeria

Herbal medicines have been used for disease prevention and treatment for both humans and animals worldwide. The present study was designed to determine the herbs used during pregnancy in Jos and to evaluate attitudes of pregnant women. The survey was carried out in antenatal clinics. Information was obtained from pregnant women (17-60 years) through both informal, unstructured conversations and the use of structured questionnaire. Botanical data were focused on the name and part of the herbs or plant used during pregnancy including herbs, herbal preparations and finished products having medicinal properties. In total, 300 pregnant women were enrolled for this study. The respondents were farmers (33.3 %), housewives (26.7%) and students (23.3 %). The most commonly used herbs were, garlic (16.7 %), pawpaw (13.6 %), ginger (13.0 %) and Moringa (8.0 %). Among the parts, bulb was the most used (16.7 %) followed by fruits (14 %). The most common reasons for the use were: herbal medicine is more effective than conventional medicine for some medications (20 %) and more easily accessed than conventional medicine (20 %). Most of the women were advised by family (31.3 %) and believed herbs had fewer side effects. The findings revealed their knowledge on medicinal plants. The women used one or more herbal medicine during pregnancy.
 Keywords: Pregnant women; Herbal medicine; Medicinal plants; Jos; Nigeria

Video-based tracking approach for nonverbal synchrony: A comparison of Motion Energy Analysis and OpenPose.

The present study investigated the comparability of two video-based tracking techniques, namely, Motion Energy Analysis and OpenPose, in the context of nonverbal synchrony research. Participants aged 23-69 years held a 15-min unstructured conversation with a same-gender partner of the same generation. Each participant's movements were quantified with two algorithms, which were separately submitted to a wavelet transform to assess synchrony between the partners. Wavelet coherence and information in the relative phase were used to measure the intensities and patterns of synchrony, respectively. As a benchmark of the test results, gender effects and correlation with the Big Five personality traits were examined. Irrespective of the tracking technique used, the results consistently illustrated gender effects: female dyads showed more synchrony than male dyads. Among the Big Five personality traits, only Extraversion was significantly associated with synchrony in either tracking technique. The gender effect remained significant in both the tracking techniques even when controlling for personality traits, indicating that both individual (i.e., personality) and social (i.e., gender) factors contribute to synchrony. The use of video-tracking techniques in the research on synchrony for future studies was also discussed.

Exploring Physiological Linkage in Same-Sex Male Couples.

We explore physiological linkage (i.e., covariation of physiological channels between interacting partners; PL) among 34 same-sex male couples. Interbeat interval, an indicator of cardiovascular arousal, was collected across four conversational contexts in the lab: (1) a baseline period that did not involve conversation, (2) a conversation about body image, (3) a conversation about health goals, and (4) a recovery period that allowed for unstructured conversation. We used a newly developed R statistical package (i.e., rties; Butler and Barnard, 2019) that simplifies the use of dynamic models for investigating interpersonal emotional processes. We identified two different PL patterns: (1) a simple one that was characterized by stable synchronization and low frequency of oscillation; and (2) a complex one that was characterized by drifting synchronization, high frequency of oscillation, and eventual damping. Guided by social baseline theory and the reactive flexibility perspective, we explored the interactions between couple relationship functioning (i.e., love, conflict, commitment, sexual satisfaction, and relationship length) and conversational context as predictors of the PL patterns. The results suggest that partners in well-functioning relationships and emotionally challenging situations may be especially likely to show complex PL patterns that may reflect (or support) coregulatory processes.

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Health in Cuba: A Report from the Field.

Very recent attitudes and public policy have promoted acceptance and health equity for LGBT people in Cuba. Based on unstructured conversations and observations with physicians, public health researchers, and community health workers in Cuba, current LGBT health priorities include HIV/AIDs prevention and treatment, mental and physical health, and aging-related issues.

Echolalia in patients with primary progressive aphasia.

This study aimed to examine echolalia and its related symptoms and brain lesions in primary progressive aphasia (PPA). Forty-five patients with PPA were included: 19 nonfluent/agrammatic variant PPA (nfvPPA), 5 semantic variant PPA, 7 logopenic variant PPA, and 14 unclassified PPA patients. We detected echolalia in unstructured conversations. An evaluation of language function and the presence of parkinsonism, grasp reflex, imitation behaviour, and disinhibition were assessed. We also measured regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) using single-photon emission computed tomography. Echolalia was observed in 12 nfvPPA and 2 unclassified PPA patients. All patients showed mitigated echolalia. We compared nfvPPA patients with echolalia (echolalia group) to those without echolalia (non-echolalia group). The median age of the echolalia group was significantly lower than that of the non-echolalia group, and the echolalia group showed a significantly worse auditory comprehension performance than the non-echolalia group. In contrast, the performance of repetition tasks was not different between the two groups. The prevalence of imitation behaviour in the echolalia group was significantly higher than that in the non-echolalia group. The rCBFs in the bilateral pre-supplementary motor area and bilateral middle cingulate cortex in the echolalia group were significantly lower than those in the non-echolalia group. These findings suggest that echolalia is characteristic of nfvPPA patients with impaired comprehension. Reduced inhibition of the medial frontal cortex with release activity of the anterior perisylvian area account for the emergence of echolalia.

Reimagining Crises in the Indian University

The public university in India was conceptualized to provide economically accessible and socially inclusive education. It has had the dual task of simultaneously critiquing and serving the nation. However, along with the declining quality of higher education, there has also been a significant decline in public funding recently. Increasing government intervention in the everyday life of university has further resulted in policies that inadvertently have much to do with increasing surveillance and regulation of university spaces. Placing this within the ambit of the national political situation, there was a lot of student activism and unrest on city streets and inside campuses. A global public health crisis in the midst of all this resulted in a tangential change from the above issues to those of infrastructure, access, and inclusion. At this juncture then, it becomes imperative to reevaluate the purpose of the existing institutions. The paper thus is an attempt to contextualize contemporary Indian higher education, in times of the pandemic. A qualitative approach using unstructured (physical and virtual) conversations along with literature survey has been used. An analysis of the factors, like research quality, institutionalized discrimination, infrastructure, and public funding, is used to decipher how the public university in India negotiates and exists as a prominent social institution in the country.

The effects of smoking on mood, rapport, and satisfaction in conversation among Japanese smokers in a first meeting: a randomized controlled trial

ABSTRACT Through a randomized control design, this study examines whether tobacco consumption contributes to mood change and social enhancement in dyadic conversation. In addition, we would like to focus on the difference between smoking device and cigarette use. Specifically, we compare the intrapersonal and interpersonal communication in dyadic conversation among the cigarette group, the smoking device cigarette group, the water group, and the nothing consumption group. In this study, 80 participants engaged in a dyadic, face-to-face, unstructured conversation with a stranger of the same gender. Regarding intrapersonal communication, no significant differences were found between the groups’ POMS 2 subscale scores (anger-hostility, confusion-bewilderment, depression-dejection, tension-anxiety, fatigue-inertia, vigor-activity, and friendliness). The smoking device and cigarette groups had greater rapport than the water group. Moreover, the smoking device group was more satisfied with dyadic conversation than the water group. Finally, there were no significant differences in verbal communication among all the groups.

Measuring Global Coherence in People With Aphasia During Unstructured Conversation.

Purpose Global coherence is an essential macrolinguistic discourse skill that speakers use to formulate discourse to convey meaning with maintenance to a topic. When global coherence is poor, the listener's ability to understand how the discourse makes sense as a whole is diminished. Measures exist to evaluate global coherence in people with aphasia during monologue tasks (e.g., picture description). The aim of the current research is to develop such a measure for unstructured conversation and to explore how global coherence is impacted by aphasia during conversation. A global coherence measure for conversation is required because markedly different cognitive and linguistic demands are made for production of different types of discourse. Thus, a structured monologue measure cannot be used with validity for unstructured conversation. To adequately evaluate global coherence during conversation, a measure specific to the demands of conversation is required. Method We adapted the 4-point Global Coherence Scale (Wright & Capilouto, 2012; Wright et al., 2013), a monologue-level measure of global coherence to conversation, resulting in the 4-point Global Coherence Scale in unstructured conversation (GCSconv). We conducted statistical evaluation of the reliability/stability of the 4-point GCSconv in 18 unstructured conversations held by nine people with aphasia. Utterances with low global coherence scores were classified following a recent methodology to describe how breakdown in these utterances contributed to diminished global coherence (Hazamy & Obermeyer, 2019). Results The 4-point GCSconv demonstrated excellent inter/intrarater reliability and test-retest stability. Nonspecific language and off-topic comments contributed most frequently to lowered global coherence. Conclusions Findings suggest the 4-point GCSconv may be a feasible and reliable measure of global coherence in conversation. This measure adds to a core of emerging reliable discourse measures for conversation. As such, it has potential to inform assessment and treatment of everyday conversation and to investigate the relationship of global coherence in structured monologue and unstructured conversation. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.12469187.

BLOCKCHAIN AS A TECHNOLOGY ADMINISTRATION OF FAMILY HOMESTEAD SETTLEMENTS

Human community, whose behavior is determined by the influence of biological and social systems, the ability to realize and evaluate the results of its activities, orientation, strategic decisions, to ensure the sustainable development of the ecosystem, in a context of increasing the factor of limited resources (energy, materials, information) is transformed into intellectualization public relations and institutions. Rural development in the context of decentralization has led to the search for effective public administration mechanisms. The purpose of the study is to establish a mechanism for improving the territorial communities management technology on the example of Family Homesteads. The research methodology is based on structured interviews and unstructured conversations with the inhabitants of family homesteads, leadership of local self-government and experts in the field of rural development. Activation of the processes of rural development through the implementation of the idea of "Family Homestate" involves the participation of the population in the normative regulation (the adoption of the relevant law); assistance in the development of new settlements in rural areas by changing the status of the land, creating a land bank; activation of activity of public organizations registered in territorial communities, organization of settlements at the level of territorial communities, including the exchange of experience, coordination of activities in the middle of the movement, establishment of positive relations between the local population and immigrants and others like that. The advantages of the practice of public administration of the territory are established with the help of blockchain technology, which allows to reduce administration costs and promote resource participation.

Preliminary Study on Work-related Musculoskeletal Disorder and Ergonomic Implementation Program among Wood Carvers in Chiang Mai Province, Thailand

Purpose: To survey the work-related risk from wood carving and preliminarily assess the effectiveness of an ergonomic implementation program among wood carvers. Methods: A survey on musculoskeletal disorder (MSD) was conducted by using unstructured conversation, observation, and a focus group. The nature and opinion of the workers, using tools, work station, postures, environment and opinion on adapting to ergonomic factors were investigated and developed for an ergonomic implementation program. Work-related MSD was assessed by the Rapid Upper Limbs Assessment (RULA) at before and after implementation for three weeks. Moreover, the knowledge and, satisfaction on implementation program, and pain sensation were evaluated. Results from the survey result from 25 male wood carvers aged 45.76±8.3 years old showed that. The size, dimension and design of the devices affected to MSD. Most of the wood carvers had low back pain. After ergonomic program was implemented by educated and trained in 14 wood carvers, the knowledge score improved significantly, except total RULA and total pain scores of all regions. But the RULA and pain scores at low back region showed significant improvement. Conclusion: Low back pain was predominantly in wood carvers and a specific ergonomic implementation program can improve posture and reduce pain. Keywords: Ergonomic; Wood carving; Work-related musculoskeletal disorder

Revisiting Preference Organization in Context: A Qualitative and Quantitative Examination of Responses to Information Seeking

ABSTRACTQuantitative studies applying conversation analysis to the study of the timing of answers to sequence-initiating actions expose anomalies in terms of what is known about preference organization. After briefly describing preference organization, anomalies in answer-timing research, and one explanation for such anomalies, this article presents one qualitative and one quantitative study of responses to one thickly contextualized action: positively formatted polar interrogatives implementing information seeking with a relatively ‘unknowing’ stance. Data include 249 questions gathered from videotapes of unstructured conversations. Qualitative results suggest that, rather than two basic answer types (i.e., affirmation/disaffirmation), there may be three: unconditional affirmation, unconditional disaffirmation, and conditional. Quantitative analyses of time to answer, eyeball shifting, and pre-beginning behavior suggest that unconditional disaffirmation may not be dispreferred relative to unconditional affirmation. Instead, conditional answers may be dispreferred. Results begin to reconcile anomalies and expand our current understanding of preference organization. Data are in American English.

“Bed Bugs and Beyond”: An ethnographic analysis of North America's first women-only supervised drug consumption site

BackgroundAttention to how women are differentially impacted within harm reduction environments is salient amidst North America's overdose crisis. Harm reduction interventions are typically ‘gender-neutral’, thus failing to address the systemic and everyday racialized and gendered discrimination, stigma, and violence extending into service settings and limiting some women's access. Such dynamics highlight the significance of North America's first low-threshold supervised consumption site exclusively for women (transgender and non-binary inclusive), SisterSpace, in Vancouver, Canada. This study explores women's lived experiences of this unique harm reduction intervention. MethodsEthnographic research was conducted from May 2017 to June 2018 to explore women's experiences with SisterSpace in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, an epicenter of Canada's overdose crisis. Data include more than 100 hours of ethnographic fieldwork, including unstructured conversations with structurally vulnerable women who use illegal drugs, and in-depth interviews with 45 women recruited from this site. Data were analyzed in NVivo by drawing on deductive and inductive approaches. FindingsThe setting (non-institutional), operational policies (no men; inclusive), and environment (diversity of structurally vulnerable women who use illegal drugs), constituted a space affording participants a temporary reprieve from some forms of stigma and discrimination, gendered and social violence and drug-related harms, including overdose. SisterSpace fostered a sense of safety and subjective autonomy (though structurally constrained) among those often defined as ‘deviant’ and ‘victims’, enabling knowledge-sharing of experiences through a gendered lens. ConclusionSisterSpace demonstrates the value and effectiveness of initiatives that engage with socio-structural factors beyond the often narrow focus of overdose prevention and that account for the complex social relations that constitute such initiatives. In the context of structural inequities, criminalization, and an overdose crisis, SisterSpace represents an innovative approach to harm reduction that accounts for situations of gender inequality not being met by mixed-gender services, with relevance to other settings.

Outcomes of real-world social interaction for autistic adults paired with autistic compared to typically developing partners.

Differences in social communication and interaction styles between autistic and typically developing have been studied in isolation and not in the context of real-world social interaction. The current study addresses this "blind spot" by examining whether real-world social interaction quality for autistic adults differs when interacting with typically developing relative to autistic partners. Participants (67 autism spectrum disorder, 58 typically developing) were assigned to one of three dyadic partnerships (autism-autism: n = 22; typically developing-typically developing: n = 23; autism-typically developing: n = 25; 55 complete dyads, 15 partial dyads) in which they completed a 5-min unstructured conversation with an unfamiliar person and then assessed the quality of the interaction and their impressions of their partner. Although autistic adults were rated as more awkward, less attractive, and less socially warm than typically developing adults by both typically developing and autistic partners, only typically developing adults expressed greater interest in future interactions with typically developing relative to autistic partners. In contrast, autistic participants trended toward an interaction preference for other autistic adults and reported disclosing more about themselves to autistic compared to typically developing partners. These results suggest that social affiliation may increase for autistic adults when partnered with other autistic people, and support reframing social interaction difficulties in autism as a relational rather than an individual impairment.

Client‐initiated disclosure of psychotherapists' sexual orientation: A narrative inquiry

AbstractIntentionThis study considers the effect on counsellors and psychotherapists when their sexual orientation is discovered and introduced into the therapeutic relationship by their clients.MethodUsing a narrative inquiry approach, four qualified and experienced counsellors/psychotherapists share their stories by means of unstructured conversations. The findings are presented and analysed through a reconstructed conversation illustrating the similarities and differences between these participants' stories, considered alongside my own.FindingsThrough this reconstituted dialogue, the process of unintended revealing of the participants' sexual orientation and the perceived effect on the client and on the therapeutic relationship are explored, and how these experiences altered the practitioner's view of themselves, clients in general and wider society.Implications for practiceThese stories suggest clients' curiosity into the lives of their counsellor/psychotherapist is inevitable with the growth of the availability of personal information in the public domain, and as such, practitioners are encouraged to take ownership of their narratives of their sexual orientation.

"By the Way"… How People With Aphasia and Their Communication Partners Initiate New Topics of Conversation.

Purpose The ability to initiate new topics of conversation is a basic skill integral to communicative independence and agency that is susceptible to breakdown in aphasia (Barnes, Candlin, & Ferguson, 2013), yet this discourse skill has received little research attention. Healthy adults (HAs) follow 3 established patterns of structural organization to cue the conversation partner when an utterance is intended to initiate a new topic (Schegloff & Sacks, 1973; Svennevig, 1999). In addition, speakers have the option to use these mechanisms of topic initiation (TI) individually or in conjunction with one another. Occasionally, speakers do not follow these conversational macrostructure expectations, in which case TI occurs abruptly, referred to as a noncoherent TI (NC-TI; Mentis & Prutting, 1991). Understanding how TI is disrupted by aphasia requires foundational knowledge regarding the relative use/combined use of TI mechanisms and NC-TI in HAs and persons with aphasia (PWAs). The purpose of this study is to investigate how PWAs and their conversation partners initiate new topics of conversation and to determine the relationship between the number of TI methods used and communicative success (CS) in persons with mild aphasia (PWA-Mild) and persons with moderate and severe aphasia (PWA-Mod/Sev). Method Six PWA-Mild and 4 PWA-Mod/Sev engaged in 15-min unstructured conversations with different HA partners. Utterances were coded for types of TI used by both partners and were evaluated for CS using a 4-point scale (Leaman & Edmonds, 2019) for PWAs. Results/Implications PWAs used NC-TI with a much greater frequency than HAs who never used NC-TI. The rate of NC-TI was associated with increased severity of aphasia. HAs and PWA-Mild used cohesion most often as the method for TI, while PWA-Mod/Sev used it least often. CS was moderately positively correlated with the number of methods of TI used in PWA-Mod/Sev. However, no such correlation existed for PWA-Mild; this group achieved a high degree of CS on TI utterances, independent of the number of methods of TI used. Findings include the clinical implication suggesting PWA-Mod/Sev may benefit from simultaneous use of TI mechanisms to achieve better CS during conversation. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.9765164.

Miracles, misconceptions and scotomas in the theory of solitary waves

ABSTRACTIn an age of billion dollar particle accelerators and Mars rovers, it is surprising that solitary waves were first discovered by a man on horseback with no tools but his own eyes. A century and a half later, more complicated patterns of ridges, so-called hyperelliptic two-polycnoidal waves, were discovered in the ocean during a beach vacation. The inverse scattering method, which solves nonlinear partial differential equations through a sequence of solving purely linear equations, is a blend of quantum theory and hydrodynamics that arose from informal, unstructured conversations (i.e. goofing off) among a group of postdocs from different disciplines who were randomly assigned to the same office. The cnoidal wave in the lemniscate case is well-approximated by a nonlinear solitary wave and equally well approximated by a linear sine wave. It is always and exactly the superposition of solitary waves even in the limit in which it is an infinitesimal sine wave. The history and science of solitary waves has the disorienting quality of an M. C. Escher drawing. Here, we cannot give an understanding of these deep subjects in so brief an article; rather we strive to unveil the beauty and unexpectedness of these topics to give the reader a reason to pursue these in the much more comprehensive reviews and books we cite. Further, we stress the “scotomas” (blind spots), misconceptions and surprises, the sociology and epistemology of science. It is true that failed theories, scotomas, serendipity and cognitive saltation (progress in jumps) is characteristic of science. It is also true that the invention of the train was the invention of the train wreck. Engineering learns from each disaster and science should do the same. The highly nonlinear history of nonlinear waves is reported not to disrespect the past but to replace scientific fatalism with a constructive wariness. We are not smarter or more enlightened than Scott Russell or Stokes or Landau, but we can learn from their scotomas and misconceptions as much as from their triumphs.