The purpose of this study was to describe the attentional characteristics of Athletic Training Students (ATS) during the application of knowledge and skill in the clinical environment. This exploratory study occurred in two phases. Phase one involved administration of The Attentional and Interpersonal Style Inventory (TAIS) (Nideffer, 1976) to junior (n=51) and senior (n=38) students enrolled in eight CAAHEP accredited athletic training education programs. Factor Analysis of the 20 TAIS subscales supported a six-factor structure. A Two-way Multivariate Analysis of Variance (Status in program x Gender on the six factors) indicated no significant main effect for status in program, and no significant interaction effect. Discriminant function analysis revealed the Focus factor as a significant predictor of gender group membership; however, correct classification of subjects was moderate (66.3%). Large within group variance on the six factor scores indicated TAIS sensitivity to individual differences. TAIS factor profiles were used to select three juniors with large differences between the Overloaded/anxious factor and the Problem solving factor and three seniors with a small difference between the two factors. Data for phase two were field observations, videotaped injury evaluations and stimulated recall interviews for each of the six ATS. Qualitative data were analyzed using microscopic analysis, open and axial coding, and selective coding and coding for process. Two core themes that focussed on different aspects of how students used information to solve problems emerged. Information gathering and information processing, as continua interacted to form an informed problem-solving dynamic. At the core of this dynamic is effective or open problem solving, and at the periphery is less effective or directed problem solving. Open problem solving is facilitated through the integration of knowledge and experience. The implications of this study point to the importance of increasing educational emphasis on cognitive processes used by ATS in an injury evaluation to supplement the existing emphasis on clinical outcomes.

Qualitative and quantitative methods were combined to examine the experience of eight adults referred for mindfulness meditation training (MMT) within the context of a group, out-patient, hospital-based, stress reduction clinic. Through interviewing, observation and document analysis, three aspects of experience were investigated: the subjective experience of learning meditation; the application of meditation-based coping skills in daily life; and the effects of the training on perception of self. Individual and cross-sectional case study methods were used to examine longitudinally, the classes and common patterns of experience of participants during and following the conclusion of the intervention. In addition, the experience of participants was examined within the theoretical framework of Self-Knowledge Development Theory (SKT) in an attempt to understand how people at differing stages of self-knowledge, as delineated by the theory, experienced and utilized MMT. Results suggest that: (1) the majority of participants showed reductions in medical symptoms (MSCL) and in clinically elevated levels of psychological distress (SCL-90R) on outcome measures; (2) common patterns of experience characteristic of mindfulness meditation practice emerged progressively during and following the intervention among patients with diverse diagnoses; (3) the interdependent nature of the formal and informal dimensions of mindfulness meditation may be particularly important in the development of positive long-term changes in health behavior in the lives of medical patients; (4) there is an interactive, learning cycle between skill development (formal meditation), application of skills in daily life (informal meditation), and perception of self that functions as a self-motivating force, fostering continued skill development following the conclusion of the intervention; and (5) there is variance in the participant's use of the intervention that appears to be consistent with and further defines elements of the Situational and Pattern stages of Self-Knowledge Development Theory.