Comparative Analysis: From Human Insights to AI Perspectives

Introduction: The Value of Multiple Analytical Lenses

After students have completed their museum fieldwork, they return with rich, multifaceted data about their connections to artwork and the psychological dimensions of aesthetic experience. This chapter guides you through a structured process for helping students analyze this data using both human-centered thematic analysis and AI-assisted analysis. By comparing these different analytical approaches, students gain deeper insights into the nature of interpretation, the role of positionality in qualitative analysis, and the distinctive value of human perspective in understanding complex psychological phenomena. One of my biggest goals for my students when I do this activity is for them to know how much their voice, their perspective, their way of seeing the world matters so that they can more effectively engage with tools like AI.

The process outlined in this chapter serves multiple pedagogical goals:

1. It provides students with hands-on experience applying thematic analysis to real data they’ve collected
2. It demonstrates the systematic nature of qualitative analysis while honoring interpretive flexibility
3. It makes visible how different analysts (human peers and AI systems) might see different patterns in the same data
4. It helps students critically reflect on what their unique positioning brings to their analysis
5. It creates space for nuanced discussions about the role of AI in psychological research

Part I: Human-Centered Thematic Analysis

Step 1: Preparing the Data for Analysis

In-Class Activity: Data Organization Workshop (45-60 minutes)

Begin by helping students organize and prepare their museum fieldwork data for analysis. The following worksheet provides a structure for this process:

WORKSHEET 1: DATA ORGANIZATION AND FAMILIARIZATION

Instructions: Complete this worksheet individually to organize your museum fieldwork data and begin the familiarization process.

1. Data Inventory List all the data you collected during your museum fieldwork:

• Number of artworks documented: _______
• Types of data collected for each artwork:
  • [ ] Written observations
  • [ ] Photographs
  • [ ] Audio reflections
  • [ ] Sketches/visual notes
  • [ ] Other: _______________________

2. Data Compilation For each artwork you documented, compile all related data in one place:

• Artwork #1 Title: _______________________
  • Basic information (artist, period, medium): _______________________
  • Your initial response: _______________________
  • Personal connections noted: _______________________
  • Embodied responses: _______________________
  • Interpretive notes: _______________________
  • Other observations: _______________________

(Repeat for each artwork)

3. Initial Reflections After reviewing all your data, note your initial thoughts:

• What patterns do you notice across your responses to different artworks?
• What aspects of your data surprise you upon review?
• What questions emerge as you review your data?
• What aspects of your personal background might be influencing how you see these artworks?

4. Preparation for Coding Create a clean document or set of index cards containing just the data you will code, making sure each data segment (observation, reflection, description) is clearly identified with the artwork it relates to.

Faculty Guidance:

• Allow sufficient time for this organizational phase; good data preparation makes subsequent analysis much more effective
• Encourage students to immerse themselves in their data by reading through everything at least twice before moving to coding
• Remind students that this is an active process of familiarization, not just administrative organization

Step 2: Initial Coding

In-Class Activity: Collaborative Coding Workshop (60-90 minutes)

Guide students through the process of generating initial codes for their museum data. This worksheet structures the coding process:

WORKSHEET 2: INITIAL CODING PROCESS

Instructions: Apply line-by-line coding to your museum fieldwork data using this worksheet. Remember that codes capture features of interest in the data related to how you connected with the artwork.

Coding Guidelines:

• Create codes that identify what is interesting or meaningful about each data segment
• Focus on both explicit content (what is directly stated) and implicit meanings (what is suggested)
• Use active, specific language for your codes
• Include both descriptive codes (summarizing content) and interpretive codes (identifying concepts)
• Code generously—it’s better to create too many codes initially than too few

Coding Process:

Coding Reflection: After completing your initial coding, reflect on:

1. What types of connections to artwork appear most frequently in your codes?
2. What aspects of the artworks drew your attention most consistently?
3. How do your codes reflect your personal interests, background, or perspectives?
4. What surprised you during the coding process?

Small Group Activity: Code Comparison (30 minutes)

Have students form groups of 3-4 to share and compare their coding approaches:

WORKSHEET 3: CODE COMPARISON

Instructions: Share your coding approach with your group members and explore similarities and differences.

1. Code Sharing Take turns sharing 3-5 of your most interesting codes and the data extracts they relate to.

2. Comparison Questions As a group, discuss:

• What similarities do you notice in how group members coded their data?
• What differences in coding approach or focus emerged?
• How might each person’s background or interests have shaped their coding?
• What insights did you gain from seeing how others coded similar phenomena?

3. Code Refinement Based on your group discussion, identify 2-3 codes you might revise or develop further in your own analysis:

Faculty Guidance:

• Circulate during the coding workshop to help students who are struggling to move beyond purely descriptive codes
• Provide examples of different types of codes (e.g., descriptive, interpretive, process, in vivo) to expand students’ coding repertoire
• Emphasize that there is no “right way” to code, but codes should capture meaningful aspects of the data related to the research focus
• Encourage students to notice when their codes reflect their own interests, experiences, or disciplinary background

Step 3: Developing Themes

In-Class Activity: Theme Development Workshop (60-90 minutes)

Guide students through the process of moving from codes to themes with this structured activity:

WORKSHEET 4: FROM CODES TO THEMES

Instructions: Use this worksheet to identify patterns across your codes and develop potential themes.

1. Code Clustering Review all your codes and begin grouping related codes together. List the clusters you identify:

2. Potential Themes For each significant cluster, develop a potential theme:

3. Thematic Map Create a visual representation of how your potential themes relate to each other. Draw it in the space below or on a separate sheet:

[Space for thematic map]

4. Theme Review Questions For each potential theme, consider:

• Does this theme tell a coherent story about an aspect of the data?
• Is this theme distinct from other themes?
• Is there enough meaningful data to support this theme?
• Does this theme address an important aspect of how people connect with art?

5. Theme Refinement Based on your review, list themes you will keep, combine, split, or discard:

Class Activity: Gallery of Themes (30-45 minutes)

Have students create visual displays of their developing themes to share with the class:

WORKSHEET 5: THEME PRESENTATION

Instructions: Create a visual presentation of one of your strongest themes to share with the class.

Theme Name: _______________________

Theme Definition: [1-2 sentences defining what this theme is about]

Key Supporting Data: [Include 3-5 compelling data extracts that illustrate this theme]

Visual Representation: [Create a visual that represents this theme – could be a diagram, word cloud, sketch, or other visual format]

Connection to Psychology: [How does this theme connect to psychological concepts or theories?]

Faculty Guidance:

• Remind students that themes are not just summaries of topics but interpretive patterns that tell us something meaningful about the data
• Encourage students to test their themes by seeing if they can articulate in one sentence what each theme reveals about human connection to art
• Model the difference between a weak theme (“Different artwork styles”) and a strong theme (“Seeking emotional resonance: The search for artwork that reflects personal emotional states”)
• Help students recognize when a potential theme might actually be two distinct themes merged together, or when two weak themes might form one stronger theme when combined

Step 4: Refining and Defining Themes

Individual Assignment: Theme Definition and Analysis

Provide students with this worksheet to guide them in refining and defining their final themes:

WORKSHEET 6: THEME DEFINITION AND ANALYSIS

Instructions: For each of your final themes, complete this detailed analysis worksheet.

Theme Name: _______________________

Theme Definition: [Write a clear, concise paragraph defining what this theme is about and what it tells us about human connection to art]

Key Characteristics: [List 3-5 key characteristics or components of this theme]

Supporting Evidence: [Include 5-7 compelling data extracts that illustrate different aspects of this theme]

Variations Within the Theme: [Describe any important variations or nuances within this theme]

Relationships to Other Themes: [Explain how this theme relates to other themes in your analysis]

Psychological Significance: [Discuss what this theme reveals about psychological aspects of human-art connections]

Theoretical Connections: [Connect this theme to relevant psychological theories or concepts]

Reflexive Notes: [Reflect on how your own positioning may have influenced your identification and interpretation of this theme]

Small Group Activity: Theme Feedback Circle (45-60 minutes)

Organize students into theme feedback circles to provide peer review on their refined themes:

WORKSHEET 7: THEME FEEDBACK

Instructions: Share your theme definition with your feedback circle. Group members will provide constructive feedback using the prompts below.

Theme Presenter: _______________________ Theme Name: _______________________ Theme Definition: _______________________

Feedback Questions (to be answered by group members):

1. What aspects of this theme are most compelling or insightful?
2. How well does the theme name capture the essence of what’s being described?
3. Are there aspects of the theme that could be clarified or developed further?
4. What additional data or examples might strengthen this theme?
5. How might this theme connect to broader psychological concepts?

Synthesis of Feedback: After receiving feedback, summarize the main suggestions for improving your theme: 1. 2. 3.

Theme Revision Plan: Based on feedback, note specific changes you plan to make to strengthen your theme: 1. 2. 3.

Faculty Guidance:

• Emphasize that theme development is iterative; students should expect to revise their themes multiple times
• Encourage students to choose theme names that capture the interpretive essence rather than just describing a topic
• Remind students to maintain connections to their original data throughout the refinement process
• Help students recognize when their themes are becoming too abstract or disconnected from the data

Part II: AI-Assisted Analysis

After students have developed their own analyses, introduce the AI comparison component. This creates a powerful learning opportunity about the role of positionality in qualitative analysis.

Step 1: Preparing Data for AI Analysis

In-Class Activity: Data Preparation for AI (30-45 minutes)

Guide students in preparing their museum fieldwork data for AI analysis:

WORKSHEET 8: PREPARING DATA FOR AI ANALYSIS

Instructions: Organize your museum fieldwork data into a format suitable for AI analysis.

1. Data Compilation Compile all your museum fieldwork observations and reflections into a single document, making sure each entry is clearly labeled with the artwork it relates to.

2. Context Preparation Write a brief introduction (100-150 words) explaining:

• The purpose of your museum visit
• The types of observations you made
• The specific question you were exploring (how humans connect with art)

3. Prompt Preparation Develop a clear prompt for the AI that explains the analysis task. Use this template as a starting point:

“The following text contains my observations and reflections from a museum visit where I documented my responses to several artworks. Please analyze this data to identify patterns in how I connected with the artwork. What themes emerge regarding the psychological aspects of my art experience? What factors seemed to influence my connection to different artworks? Please organize your analysis into 3-5 main themes with supporting evidence from my notes.”

4. Ethical Reflection Before submitting your data to an AI system, consider:

• Does your data contain any sensitive personal information that should be removed?
• What limitations might the AI have in understanding the context of your museum experience?
• What biases might the AI bring to analyzing your experience?

Faculty Guidance:

• Advise students to use a large language model with strong analytical capabilities (e.g., GPT-4, Claude, etc.)
• Remind students not to include identifying information about themselves or others in the data they submit
• Suggest students keep their prompts focused on analysis rather than interpretation to better compare with their own analytical process

Step 2: Conducting the AI Analysis

In-Class or Homework Activity: AI Analysis Session (30-60 minutes)

Have students submit their prepared data to their chosen AI system and save the analysis they receive. Provide this reflection worksheet to complete immediately after receiving the AI analysis:

WORKSHEET 9: AI ANALYSIS REFLECTION

Instructions: Complete this worksheet immediately after receiving the AI analysis of your museum data.

1. Initial Reactions What were your first thoughts or feelings when reading the AI analysis?

2. Identified Themes List the main themes identified by the AI: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

3. Evidence Selection Note any observations about how the AI selected and used evidence from your data:

4. Surprising Insights Identify anything in the AI analysis that surprised you or offered a perspective you hadn’t considered:

5. Missing Elements What aspects of your experience do you feel the AI overlooked or failed to capture?

6. Technical Observations Note any observations about the AI’s analytical approach or techniques:

7. Overall Assessment How would you evaluate the quality and depth of the AI analysis on a scale of 1-10? Explain your rating:

Step 3: Comparative Analysis

In-Class Activity: Human vs. AI Analysis Comparison (60-90 minutes)

Guide students through a structured comparison of their thematic analysis and the AI analysis:

WORKSHEET 10: COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS CHART

Instructions: Use this chart to systematically compare your thematic analysis with the AI analysis of your museum data.

Key Insights from Comparison: 1. 2. 3.

What Your Analysis Captured That AI Missed: 1. 2. 3.

What the AI Analysis Captured That You Missed: 1. 2. 3.

Small Group Discussion: Positionality in Analysis (45-60 minutes)

Facilitate small group discussions using this guiding worksheet:

WORKSHEET 11: POSITIONALITY IN ANALYSIS DISCUSSION

Instructions: Discuss the following questions in your small group, taking notes on key insights.

1. Personal Positioning How did aspects of your identity, background, interests, or experiences influence:

• Which artworks you initially selected in the museum?
• What features of the artworks you noticed and documented?
• How you interpreted the significance of your responses?
• The themes you identified in your analysis?

2. AI Positioning What assumptions, priorities, or limitations seemed to shape the AI’s analysis?

• What did the AI seem to prioritize in its analysis?
• What aspects of human experience did the AI struggle to understand?
• How did the AI’s training and design influence its analytical approach?

3. Value of Multiple Perspectives

• What do the differences between analyses reveal about the nature of qualitative research?
• How does the comparison illuminate the concept of situated knowledge?
• In what ways might human and AI analyses complement each other?

4. Implications for Psychological Research

• What does this comparison suggest about the role of AI in psychological research?
• How might researchers balance the efficiencies of AI with the insights of human analysis?
• What types of psychological phenomena might be particularly difficult for AI to analyze?

Group Synthesis: As a group, develop 2-3 key takeaways about positionality in qualitative analysis based on your discussion: 1. 2. 3.

Faculty Guidance:

• Emphasize that the goal is not to determine which analysis is “better” but to understand what each analytical approach contributes
• Encourage students to be specific about how their personal experiences shaped their analysis
• Help students connect their observations to broader discussions about situated knowledge in qualitative research
• Guide students to move beyond superficial observations about AI limitations to deeper insights about the nature of interpretation

Step 4: Integrative Analysis

Individual Assignment: Integrative Analysis Paper

Assign students to write an integrative analysis that synthesizes insights from both the human and AI analyses:

ASSIGNMENT: INTEGRATIVE ANALYSIS PAPER

Instructions: Write a 1000-1500 word paper that integrates insights from your thematic analysis and the AI analysis of your museum fieldwork data. Your paper should address the following components:

1. Introduction (150-200 words)

• Briefly describe your museum fieldwork and the focus on human connection to art
• Introduce the dual analytical approach (human thematic analysis and AI analysis)
• Present your paper’s purpose and structure

2. Methodological Approach (200-250 words)

• Describe your process of thematic analysis (data familiarization, coding, theme development)
• Explain how you prepared and obtained the AI analysis
• Discuss your approach to comparing and integrating the analyses

3. Presentation of Themes (400-500 words)

• Present 3-4 key themes about human connection to art that emerged from integrating both analyses
• For each theme, include:
  • A clear definition
  • Supporting evidence from your data
  • How this theme appeared in both human and AI analyses
  • Any differences in how the theme was understood

4. Positionality and Analysis (200-250 words)

• Reflect on how your positioning influenced your analytical focus and interpretations
• Discuss what the AI analysis revealed about your implicit assumptions or blind spots
• Consider what your human perspective added that the AI couldn’t capture

5. Implications (150-200 words)

• Discuss the psychological implications of your findings about human-art connection
• Consider how these insights might relate to human responses to AI-generated art
• Reflect on the methodological implications for psychological research

6. Conclusion (100-150 words)

• Summarize key insights from your integrated analysis
• Reflect on what you learned about qualitative analysis through this process
• Suggest directions for future exploration

Assessment Criteria:

• Thoughtful integration of human and AI analytical perspectives
• Clear presentation of themes with appropriate supporting evidence
• Nuanced reflection on the role of positionality in analysis
• Connections to relevant psychological concepts and theories
• Critical consideration of the strengths and limitations of both analytical approaches

Faculty Guidance:

• Emphasize that the integrative paper should go beyond simply comparing analyses to develop a richer, more nuanced understanding of the phenomena
• Encourage students to be transparent about how they made decisions about which analytical insights to prioritize in their integration
• Remind students that reflexivity about their own analytical process is a key component of the assignment

Part III: Class Synthesis and Discussion

In-Class Activity: Collective Knowledge Construction (60-90 minutes)

Facilitate a whole-class synthesis discussion that builds collective understanding from individual projects:

ACTIVITY: COLLECTIVE KNOWLEDGE BOARD

Materials needed:

• Large whiteboard or digital collaboration tool
• Sticky notes or digital note cards
• Markers or digital annotation tools

Process:

1. Have each student contribute 2-3 key insights from their integrative analysis to a shared board
2. Collectively organize these insights into clusters of related ideas
3. As a class, name each cluster and discuss its significance
4. Identify patterns, contradictions, and nuances across the collective findings
5. Document the resulting “collective analysis” of human connection to art

Guiding Questions for Discussion:

• What patterns in human-art connection emerged consistently across multiple analyses?
• What unique perspectives emerged from particular students’ analyses?
• How did different positionalities contribute to a richer collective understanding?
• What does our collective analysis suggest about the psychological dimensions of aesthetic experience?
• How did the integration of human and AI analyses enhance our understanding?

Final Reflection: Learning Integration

Provide students with this final reflection worksheet to consolidate their learning:

WORKSHEET 12: INTEGRATING LEARNING FROM COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS

Instructions: Reflect on what you’ve learned through the process of human and AI analysis of your museum fieldwork data.

1. Methodological Insights What have you learned about qualitative analysis through this process?

2. Content Insights What have you learned about human connection to art and aesthetic experience?

3. AI Understanding How has your understanding of AI capabilities and limitations evolved?

4. Positionality Awareness How has this process deepened your understanding of the role of positionality in research?

5. Future Applications How might you apply these insights in future research or professional contexts?

6. Connection to Course Concepts How does this experience connect to other psychological concepts or theories we’ve explored in this course?

7. Personal Growth How has this process changed your thinking about your own relationship with art or other cultural forms?

Assessment Rubric for Faculty

This rubric can be used to evaluate student engagement with the comparative analysis process:

Addressing Common Challenges

Challenge: Students Struggle to Move Beyond Description

Strategies:

• Provide examples of the same data excerpt with descriptive versus interpretive analysis
• Model the process of asking “what does this tell us about how humans connect with art?”
• Create a “description to interpretation” exercise where students transform descriptive statements
• Use peer feedback focused specifically on analytical depth

Challenge: Students Overvalue AI Analysis as More “Objective”

Strategies:

• Discuss the concept of “algorithmic authority” and its psychological impact
• Demonstrate specific examples of AI limitations in understanding context or nuance
• Highlight instances where student analyses captured important dimensions the AI missed
• Have students research and discuss the human decisions that shape AI design and training

Challenge: Students Undervalue Their Own Analytical Insights

Strategies:

• Explicitly validate the unique perspectives students bring to analysis
• Share examples of important psychological research driven by researchers’ lived experiences
• Create opportunities for students to see how their unique positioning revealed insights others missed
• Discuss the concept of “strong objectivity” (Harding) that comes from acknowledging subjectivity

Challenge: Students Struggle with Comparative Analysis

Strategies:

• Provide clear, structured frameworks for comparison (like the comparison chart)
• Model the difference between superficial and substantive comparison
• Break the comparison into smaller, focused components
• Use small group discussions to help students articulate comparative insights

Conclusion: Connecting to Broader Learning Goals

This comparative analysis process connects to broader learning goals in psychology education by:

1. Developing Methodological Literacy: Students gain hands-on experience with qualitative analysis while developing critical awareness of its strengths and limitations
2. Fostering Reflexivity: The comparison between human and AI analysis makes visible how positioning shapes interpretation, developing students’ capacity for reflexive thinking
3. Building Critical AI Literacy: Students move beyond viewing AI as either magical or meaningless to a nuanced understanding of its capabilities and limitations
4. Enhancing Psychological Understanding: The analysis of aesthetic experience develops students’ appreciation for the complex, embodied, and contextual nature of human psychology
5. Practicing Collaborative Knowledge Construction: The movement between individual analysis, small group discussion, and class synthesis models how psychological knowledge is collectively constructed

By guiding students through this structured process of analyzing their museum fieldwork data through both human and AI lenses, you provide them with a powerful learning experience that develops both methodological skills and deeper insights into the nature of human experience and its interpretation.

References and Resources

Thematic Analysis Guides

• Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77-101.
• Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2019). Reflecting on reflexive thematic analysis. Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health, 11(4), 589-597.
• Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2021). To saturate or not to saturate? Questioning data saturation as a useful concept for thematic analysis and sample-size rationales. Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health, 13(2), 201-216.

Positionality and Reflexivity

• Berger, R. (2015). Now I see it, now I don’t: Researcher’s position and reflexivity in qualitative research. Qualitative Research, 15(2), 219-234.
• Harding, S. (1992). Rethinking standpoint epistemology: What is “strong objectivity?” The Centennial Review, 36(3), 437-470.