Final answer:
Ethnomethodologists study accounts in conversations, which are explanations individuals give for their actions, categorized as excuses or justifications. These accounts are context-dependent and contribute to the negotiation of social norms and meanings within conversations.
Step-by-step explanation:
Ethnomethodologists, who study conversations as a part of the broader social interactions, focus on the ways people make sense of their world and produce a shared social order. They are particularly interested in the accounts people provide in their conversations.
An account is the explanation individuals give for their actions, and it is considered indexical, meaning it is tied to the specific context of the conversation and cannot be fully understood without that context. In conversation analysis, ethnomethodologists may distinguish between excuses and justifications, as two primary types of accounts.
Excuses are explanations that mitigate responsibility, while justifications are explanations that acknowledge the action but argue for its appropriateness under the circumstances.
Furthermore, studying conversations involves analyzing how conversational partners negotiate the social structure, norms, and meanings inherent in their communication. For instance, the pattern of turn-taking, the construction and challenge of authority, and the kinds of truth or knowledge claims made are all significant topics within ethnomethodological studies.