The thesis examines the problems of the "observer" and "objectivity." I review Thomas Kuhn's concept of "paradigm shift" in order to access wider debates in the history and philosophy of science concerning epistemological development. I argue against traditional notions of "objectivity" and "rationality" that proceed to "naturalize" the binary opposition between the natural sciences and other intellectual pursuits. To make this argument I draw from feminist critics of science, including Sandra Harding, Evelyn Fox Keller, and Donna Haraway, who reconsider more palpable conceptions of "objectivity" and "rationality" for a feminist science project. / Jonathan Crary's revisionist, and non-linear approach to a history of vision and the modern observer suggests that feminist critiques of science represent an epistemological shift imperfectly constituted in the nineteenth century. In conclusion, I analyze Donna Haraway's multi-dimensional approach to cultural, and feminist theory as a visual metaphor that resonates with the nineteenth-century technology of the stereoscope.

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This thesis explains the "systematic" refinement of Kenneth Burke's theoretical process through his development of a theological paradigm for the dramatistic vocabulary. It describes the merging metaphysical and dialectical issues in Burke's critical thought and locates a theoretical shift in A Grammar of Motives, where Burke posits the prototype for his key term, "act." The study then interprets the formal treatment of the prototype in The Rhetoric of Religion: Studies in Logology, and demonstrates how the derived paradigm maintains and advances the convergence of metaphysics and dialectics, and how it reestablishes the interaction between language structure and usage in two types of definition or explanation (temporal-logical, narrative-tautological). This thesis also describes the purpose and functional range of Logology.

This study investigated how a medium's richness, the type of organizational communication message, and organizational level of the respondent affected two dimensions of communication competence: appropriateness and effectiveness. In total, 93 employees of a single organization responded to a three-part questionnaire that posed episode specific questions assessing the competence that they would attribute to the use of each of five media in each of the three episodes. Research questions addressed the effects of the richness of five media (face-to-face; voice mail; electronic mail; written memo; and typed document) on communication effectiveness and appropriateness ratings when episodes involving production-, innovation-, and maintenance-type organizational functions were considered. Also considered as an independent variable was respondent occupation level (physical, clerical, managerial) to determine if ratings of communication competency change given the organizational level of the respondent. A 3 x 3 x 5 factorial analysis of variance (AN OVA) was employed to analyze the effect of the three independent variables on perceived communication effectiveness and appropriateness. Results showed that the effect of type of medium on perceived communication effectiveness and communication appropriateness of a message depended on the nature of the situation in which the medium was used and that the effect of organizational level on perceived communication competence depended on the type of medium used. Organizational level alone did not have an effect on perceived effectiveness and appropriateness, nor did the interaction of organizational level and type of message affect communication competency ratings. Strong support was found for the role of face-to-face communication as the most effective and appropriate medium for organizational communication regardless of the situation.

This study explored the interaction between three individual variables, need for cognition and tolerance of ambiguity, and the symbol system used in messages. Goodman's (1976) dimension of notationality of systems is proposed as the continuum of interest upon which sources of information vary. It was hypothesized that high tolerance for ambiguity and need for cognition would lead to increased numbers of interpretations of nonnotational messages over notational ones, and over people low in these traits. Methods utilized in the study are overviewed. Results indicate that subjects high in need for cognition do generate more interpretations of messages in general than do others, however no effect was found for ambiguity tolerance or for message type. Reasons for these results are offered, and directions for further research suggested.

The purpose of the study is to study social workers' experiences of communicating with children within the frame of child protection work. This includes the key factors that social workers experience in professional communication with children, how the conversations are designed and implemented, as well as the obstacles and opportunities that may arise in communication with children. The study is based on a qualitative approach, as the purpose of the study is to investigate the social worker's own experience and experiences of communication with children ´s. The empirical material of the study has been acquired through six semi structured interviews with qualified social worker in a children and family. The result shows that there are key aspects that play an important role in professional communication with children, one aspect was the importance of the circumstances and the environment of the conversation. The study shows that the social secretary uses different methods and tools in the implementation of child talks. The result identifies obstacles and opportunities in communication with children, an obstacle raised by social workers was situations where the child did not want to participate and an opportunity is a good conversation environment. Furthermore, the results of the study are discussed based on previous research and theoretical reference framework, which largely confirms what the social worker emphasized for the outcome of the study.

The problem of this experimental study is to determine to what extent visual information may dominate over audio information. Additionally, the experimental design addresses problems with previous research in this area and emphasizes simplified approaches to the study of channel condition effects. The study does not include investigations of learning theory or short-term memory, but processes of listening and long-term memory are incorporated into the design. A stimulus of sound effects and slides was utilized in one audio and two audio-visual channel conditions, and results showed a high recall among all subjects in all three conditions. The study concludes that channel condition has little effect at low levels of information.

Studiens syfte är att studera socialsekreterares upplevelser av barnsamtal inom ramen för arbetet inom den sociala barnavården. Med detta innefattas att undersöka vilka centrala faktorer som socialarbetaren upplever är gemensamma i professionella barnsamtal, hur samtalen utformas och genomförs samt vilka hinder och möjligheter som kan uppkomma. Studiens empiriska material har införskaffats genom sex semistrukturerade intervjuer med socialsekreterare. Studien grundar sig på en kvalitativ metod. Studiens teoretiska referensram baseras på Haldor Øvreeide (2010), Ann-Christin Cederborg (2000) samt Greta Marie Skau (2007) och kommer att användas för att analysera studiens empiri. Resultatet visar att det finns centrala faktorer som har en betydande roll i professionella barnsamtal, en faktor var samtalets omständigheter samt skapa en relation. Studiens resultat visar också på att socialsekreteraren använder olika metoder som exempelvis tejping och verktyg som bland annat dockor i genomförandet av barnsamtal. Resultatet identifierar hinder och möjligheter i samtal med barn, ett hinder som lyftes fram av socialsekreterarna var situationer där barnet inte ville delta. En möjlighet är att en bra samtalsmiljö ger mer utförlig information om barnets situation utifrån barnets perspektiv. Vidare diskuteras studiens resultat med utgångspunkt från tidigare forskning samt studiens teoretiska referensram, vilket bekräftar i stor utsträckning det som socialsekreterarna framhävde för studiens resultat. / The purpose of the study is to study social workers' experiences of communicating with children within the frame of child protection work. This includes the key factors that social workers experience in professional communication with children, how the conversations are designed and implemented, as well as the obstacles and opportunities that may arise in communication with children. The study is based on a qualitative approach, as the purpose of the study is to investigate the social worker's own experience and experiences of communication with children ´s. The empirical material of the study has been acquired through six semi structured interviews with qualified social worker in a children and family. The result shows that there are key aspects that play an important role in professional communication with children, one aspect was the importance of the circumstances and the environment of the conversation. The study shows that the social secretary uses different methods and tools in the implementation of child talks. The result identifies obstacles and opportunities in communication with children, an obstacle raised by social workers was situations where the child did not want to participate and an opportunity is a good conversation environment. Furthermore, the results of the study are discussed based on previous research and theoretical reference framework, which largely confirms what the social worker emphasized for the outcome of the study.

Computer mediated communication (CMC) fundamentally influences the function of communication. It influences the organization's management and administration, but it most affects the dynamics of middle and lower level employees. The most simplistic model is that of an electronic office in which its employees need to know and understand the role of CMC. The purpose of this study is to investigate the performance and satisfaction of co-workers who use CMC to communicate within their organization, and to check employees' performance when using CMC.

The purpose of this project is to develop a way of communication between school and parents. It aims to help parents to be more involved in their children's education. One of the main aspects and focus of this project is the analysis of the use of streaming video.