Methodological thinking aimend at the study of social representations: overview and analysis of previous research
Social representations have been the subject of study and analysis in social sciences and humanities for over fifty years. According to the central nucleus theory, social representation can be defined as a structured and a hierarchical organization according to two systems: one central, and one peripheral. By analyzing participants answers, several different studies have been previously published by researchers from the University of Sherbrooke. These studies have identified central core elements as well as peripheral elements by using lexicometrical analysis and textual statistics. This contribution aims to put into perspective our methodological orientations as well as to reconsider the need to use pluri-methodological approaches and to propose alternative models for small samples.