The current state of much research on written patient education materials (WPEM) suggests that they are written in a manner that is too difficult even for educated patients to understand and remember. Much of the research in this area is focused on modification of the readability of WPEM, which has shown to be relatively ineffective. In this study, an attempt was made to determine if a theory-based method in revising WPEM for improved comprehensibility and memorability was effective. The effectiveness of three versions of WPEM regarding breast self-exams (BSEs) was examined; the original version without illustrations obtained from the American Cancer Society website, a version that was written at a lower readability level as measured by the Flesch-Kincaid readability formula, and a version with a lower readability level as measured by the Flesch-Kincaid readability formula and the increased use of concrete language as suggested by Dual Coding Theory. The researcher compared the percentage of recall of idea units recalled by 76 participants at two time periods: immediately after reading the randomly assigned version of WPEM and seven days after the initial reading. The WPEM that contained the lower readability level and concrete language was most recalled by participants both at immediate recall and delayed recall. In fact, the delayed recall of the WPEM that contained the lower readability level and concrete language after the seven-day period was almost equivalent to the immediate recall of the participants in the other two groups. A significant main effect was found for the forms of WPEM, F(2, 73) = 27.69, p = .00, n2 p = .43 with an observed power of 1.00. A significant main effect was found for time, F(1, 73) = 161.94, p <.00, n2 p = .69 with an observed power of 1.00. A significant interaction of WPEM and time was found, F(2, 73) = 5.07, p = .01, n2 p = .12 with an observed power of .80. Reported levels of frequency of performing BSEs and levels of confidence in performing BSEs were also analyzed using the Wilcoxon Signed Ranks Test in relation to the three WPEM versions over time. Reported frequency was significantly greater after seven days, regardless of form of WPEM (WPEM A, p = .32; WPEM B, p = 1.00; WPEM C, p = .74). Levels of confidence were significantly greater after seven days, regardless of form of WPEM (WPEM A, p = ..02; WPEM B, p = .00; WPEM C, p = .00). Overall results indicate that combining reduced readability and increased concrete language is beneficial. The writing of WPEMs in a way that patients can understand should be supported by a theory, and infusing Dual Coding Theory in the writing of selected WPEMs may be beneficial for patients.

When we probe into how on-line games affect the interaction between teenagers and their families, we find that the parents¡¦ teaching attitude is the key factor of affecting the children¡¦s behavior in the games. If the parents and the children have a better interaction, or even they can play the games together, then the development of the children are comparatively healthier and better. From the analysis of this study, we see that on-line games did not bring about bad effects to the children, on the contrary, under the guidance of the parents, the children can successfully go in and out the world of on-line games. Such an unharmed result is just what most of the parents like to see: not to indulge, not to be deceived, not to contract bad habits from bad friends and so on. However, comparatively, the children¡¦s experience in on-line games could lack spirit of adventure. No matter in a fictitious or a concrete society, the grownups have a higher capacity of awakening after all. The guidance of the parents can inspire unlimited possibilities in the children, and they can ward off the chance of getting hurt under the parents¡¦ protection. ¡§Defeat is the motivation of growth; deception is the turning point of development!¡¨ Don¡¦t forget to reserve the room for defeat during the process of children guidance and assistance. When the grownups shake off the self-centered and subjective viewpoints, they are conscious of a transformation of a hero. In the fictitious world, making a mistake is a rare chance to launch an unexpected discovery, and life starts to liaise the unknown power. Regardless of old or young, and which life stage you are at, conjuration can always unveil the overture of mythic transformation. When you fulfill a spiritual trial and ritual, it is like you are experiencing a circle of death and resurrection. Experiences are past concepts and modes of thinking in a familiar living domain which are applicative no more, and it is time to cross the threshold. After returning I hope to provide some corresponded and balanced viewpoints to the past one-way discourse, and let the teenagers to show more distinctive features of themselves.

Since Plato first banished poets from his Republic, the relationship between the aesthetic and moral value of literature has been subject to philosophical, critical, and pedagogical debate. In this philosophical investigation, I sought to explain how the evocation of the senses during literary transactions shapes the phenomenal experience of the reader. Recent developments in neuroscience (Damasio, 1999, 2003; Edelman, 1992) provide strong evidence in support of embodied theories of cognition in which imagery and affect play a central role. The purposes of this philosophical investigation were to describe the structure and function of imagery and affect in the cognitive act of reading, to provide a detailed account of how we exercise our capacity for imaginative thought in order to achieve literal, inferential, and critical comprehension, and to explore the implications of an embodied mind for reading and responding to literary texts. The investigation yielded a critical review of contemporary theories of reading (Kintsch, 1998; Rumelhart, 1977; Sadoski & Paivio, 2001) to examine their ability to explain the phenomena associated with the literary experience. Dual coding theory (Sadoski & Paivio, 2001) which maintains an empirical and embodied view of the mind was shown to have considerable theoretical advantages over rationalist computational theories of cognition in explaining phenomena associated with reading and responding to literary texts. A neurobiological account of consciousness provides support for the idea that literature can engage readers imaginatively in the process moral deliberation (Dewey, 1932/1985). In addition, I concluded that considerable evidence exists to suggest that somatic and visceral changes experienced as a result of undergoing the text can potentially incite individual and social change.

xiii, 205 p. : ill. A print copy of this thesis is available through the UO Libraries. Search the library catalog for the location and call number. / This study examined idiom understanding in 120 neurologically healthy adults, ages 20-29 (20s Group), 40-49 (40s Group), 60-69 (60s Group), and 80-89 (80s Group) years old. Each participant was administered a familiarity task, definition explanation task, mental imagery task, and forced-choice comprehension task. Twenty idioms, 10 transparent and 10 opaque, were used with no supporting contexts. Participants were asked to rate the familiarity of each idiom, to provide a definition of each, to generate a mental image of each, and to select the best definition of each from among four options. It was predicted that younger and older adults would perform equally well on the comprehension task but that older adults would perform poorer than younger adults on the explanation task. Additionally, mental imagery of idioms was expected to become more figurative with advancing age, and participants were expected to perform better on highly familiar and transparent idioms than on less familiar and opaque ones. Participants rated all 20 idioms as highly familiar, with the lowest familiarity rating for participants in the 20s Group. No significant differences were found on the forced-choice comprehension task across the four age groups although the 20s Group scored the lowest among all age groups. The 60s Group performed significantly better than the 20s Group on the definition explanation task, but no significant differences were found between the other age groups. No significant differences were found in generating mental images between transparent and opaque idioms, and mental images tended to be figurative rather than literal for both types of idioms. The present study adds to our knowledge of idiom understanding across adulthood. Familiarity seemed to play a stronger role than transparency in idiom understanding in adults. Once an idiom was learned and stored as a lexical unit, people used the idiomatic meaning and generated figurative mental imagery immediately without accessing the literal meaning or the literal mental image. / Committee in charge: Marilyn Nippold, Chairperson, Special Education and Clinical Sciences; Roland Good, Member, Special Education and Clinical Sciences; Deborah Olson, Member, Special Education and Clinical Sciences; Nathaniel Teich, Outside Member, English

Four experiments were carried out to explore the intluence of imaging capacity and image type (normal or bizarre) on immediate and delayed recall of word lists. Experiments 1 and 2 studied immediate serial recall of 16- and 28-item word lists, and experiments 3 and 4 studied serial recall of 16- and 28- item word lists one week after their presentation. Imaging capacity, as measured by the Space Scale of the Primary Mental Abilities Test, affected immediate recall of long lists. Image type affected immediate recall of short lists. In four experiments there was a significant difference between the performance of subjects who used mental imagery for recall and those who did not. / El  artículo estudia a través de cuatro experimentos la influencia de la capacidad de los sujetos para formar imágenes y del tipo de imagen que utilizan, en el recuerdo serial inmediato y retardo de palabras. En los experimentos 1 y 2 se analiza la influencia de estas variables en el recuerdo serial inmediato de listas cortas (16 ítems) y largas (28 ítems), y en los experimentos 3 y 4 se investiga la influencia de las mismas variables en el recuerdo serial retardado (una semana). La capacidad de los sujetos de formar imágenes, medida a través de la Escala Espacial del Test de Aptitudes Mentales Primarías, influyó en el recuerdo serial inmediato de listas largas. El tipo ele imagen (normal y rara) influyó en el recuerdo inmediato serial de listas cortas. En todos los experimentos se encontró diferencia entre los sujetos que utilizaron imágenes mentales y los que no las utilizaron.

O objetivo desta investigação foi avaliar a eficácia de uma estratégia de psicoterapia breve e grupal baseada em exercícios de fantasia dirigida, e se tal eficácia estava relacionada à atitude das pessoas atendidas frente à imaginação, à vivacidade de suas imagens mentais e ao controle que tinham sobre estas. Os exercícios imagéticos foram realizados com o intuito de promover estados levemente alterados de consciência que, por sua vez, permitissem a ativação de potenciais psicológicos supraconscientes. Isso com o propósito de auxiliar estudantes universitários a superarem problemas de ansiedade em situações de prova e exame. As medidas de um grupo experimental (n=32) em escalas de ansiedade e atitude frente à imaginação, bem como de vivacidade e controle de imagens mentais, tomadas antes e após a realização do tratamento psicoterápico, foram comparadas às de um grupo de controle (n=50). E a análise estatística dos resultados obtidos forneceu indícios claros do sucesso da terapêutica empregada, mas não da relação entre esse sucesso e as variáveis ligadas a imagens mentais que foram levadas em conta. / This investigation\'s purpose was to evaluate the efficacy of brief group psychotherapy based on guided imagery, and if this efficacy was related to clients\' attitude toward imagination and clients\' imagery vividness and control. Guided imagery, aimed to promote slightly altered states of consciousness, were used with the purpose of activating supra conscious psychological potentials to help undergraduates with test anxiety problems. Measures of an experimental group (n=32) on test anxiety, attitude toward imagination, imagery vividness and control scales, taken before and after the therapeutic strategy\'s implementation, were compared with measures of a control group (n=50). Statistical analysis indicated the success of the therapeutic method employed but no clear connections between this success and the imagery related variables considered.

Le médicament est un objet social qui est au coeur de diverses relations matérielles et symboliques. Pour connaitre les formes d’opinions et de savoirs qui lui sont associés au sein de la population française, nous avons mobilisé le cadre théorique des représentations sociales. En raison de la propagation massive des images dans les nouveaux médiums de communication, nous avons choisi d’aborder les différentes recherches qui constituent ce travail de thèse sous l’angle de la perspective iconographique. A ce titre, nos investigations s’articulent autour de deux axes : Le premier axe (N=946) s’intéresse à l’implication de l’imagerie mentale dans la formation de la représentation sociale du médicament. Les trois recherches réalisées en ce sens nous permettront de constater le caractère collectif de l’imagerie mentale, encourageant ainsi la recherche sur les images. Le second axe (N=615) se focalise quant à lui sur les processus mobilisés par les individus quand il s’agit de sélectionner, mémoriser et comprendre des images relatives à des associations prototypiques de la représentation sociale du médicament. Les résultats obtenus suggèrent le développement d’une méthodologie avec les images. Dans leur ensemble, les travaux invitent le lecteur d’une part, à considérer l’importance des représentations sociales dans l’exercice de décryptage des images visuelles, d’autre part, à approfondir l’iconographie dans la perspective méthodologique de la théorie des représentations sociales. / The medicine is a social object that is at the heart of many material and symbolic relationships. In order to know the opinions and knowledge associated with it within the French population, we mobilized the theoretical framework of social representations. Due to the massive spread of images in new mediums of communication, we chose to limit the research that constitutes this PhD in the iconographic perspective. As such, our investigations revolve around two axes: The first axis (N = 946) is concerned with the involvement of the mental imagery in the formation of social representation of the medicine. The three investigations carried out with this focus allowed us to observe the collective nature of mental imagery, encouraging research on the images. The second axis (N = 615) focuses in the processes mobilized by individuals when it comes to selecting, memorizing and understanding the images associated with the prototypical words of the social representation of the medicine. The results suggest the development of a methodology with the images. As a whole, the investigations invite the reader on one hand, to consider the importance of social representations in the deciphering of visual images, on the other hand to dig deeper in the iconography of the methodological perspective of the theory of social representations.

The purpose of this study was to explore the union of technical and imagery-based instruction (hereinafter, T-I instruction) in two phases. Phase one: The researcher (1) explored T-I instruction’s influences on aspiring performing artists’ acquisition of learning and performing newly composed pieces and improvisation, and; (2) observed aspiring performing artists’ feelings of learning with T-I instruction versus technical instruction. Phase two: The researcher investigated (1) listeners’ perceived expressivity of aspiring performing artists’ performances that were either influenced by T-I instruction or technical instruction; (2) listeners’ perceived expressivity of aspiring performing artists’ performances of newly composed pieces versus improvisations; (3) whether there was a statistical significant difference of T-I instructions’ influence on the progressive differences in the means of listeners’ perceived expressivity between the aspiring performing artists across the time frame of the study; (4) the explanations for their ratings, and; (5) information that helps listeners perceive music as expressive using the Perceived Expressivity Questionnaire (PEQ). Results for Phase one: 60 sub-themes and 13 themes emerged from the data relating to two meta-themes: Learning and Quality of Life. Results for Phase two: Cronbach’s alpha statistical procedure revealed an unacceptably low internal consistency for listeners’ perceived expressivity of aspiring performing artists’ performances (α = .02). Hence, no further statistical analysis was implemented to answer research questions one through three. Explanations for their ratings dealt primarily with aspiring performing artists’ use of 11 musical components. The Brief Essay Responses from the Perceived Expressivity Questionnaire (PEQ) provided possible explanations for the low internal consistency and insight on what kind of information help listeners’ perceive music as expressive. Further discussion on the finding and implications for performing artists and educators’ use of T-I instruction are offered in this document.

The research investigates the dynamic relations between sound, space and the audience perception as related to an artist’s intention. What is the relation between sound and space in the sonic arts, and to what kind of merger does it lead? What relationship exists between the intention of the composer and the perception of the audience regarding architectural and environmental spaces? Is there a common thread of perception of architectural and environmental spaces among participants? Is embodiment a key for the perception of the dynamic relations of sound and space? The framework for the investigation is based on a map of three defined spaces (Real, Virtual, and Hyperbiological) included in a portfolio of six works (three electroacoustic compositions, two sound installations, and one performance), which lead to the analysis of the perception of space, namely, the perception of architectural and environmental spaces as required by the portfolio. The original knowledge resides in the exploration of a potential common representation (space and sound perception being, of course, a personal representation) of internal perceptual spaces and mental imageries generated by the works. The act of listening plays a major role in the development of the portfolio presented and includes Pauline Oliveros’ concept of deep listening (Oliveros 2005). Sound and space are intimately related in the portfolio. One particular element emerging from this relationship is the plastic quality of sound, meaning that sound is considered and observed as a material that is shaped by space. From this perspective the research investigates the ‘sculptural’ and morphological quality of the relationship between sound and space. The results include the specific language and signature of the artworks that delineate the intersection of music and fine arts. The portfolio pays a large tribute to several iconic artists present in the outposts of sound blurred by space. Composers and artists are therefore presented in the theoretical section in order to highlight how their pioneering works have influenced and informed the present research portfolio. The analysis of the perception of the artworks relates to a methodology based on an empirical survey inspired by phenomenology.

This study was an investigation of the effects of physiologically-oriented mental imagery on immune functioning. College students with normal medical histories were randomly selected to one of three groups. Subjects in Group 1 participated in short educational training on the production of secretory immunoglobulin A. They were then tested on salivary IgA, skin temperature and the Profile of Mood States (POMS) before and after listening to a 17-minute tape of imagery instructions with specially-composed background "entrainment" music, designed to enhance imagery. Subjects in Group 2 (placebo controls) listened to the same music but received no formal training on the immune system. Group 3 acted as a control and subjects were tested before and after 17 minutes of no activity. Treatment groups listened to their tapes at home on a bi-daily basis for six weeks. All groups were again tested at Weeks 3 and 6. Secretory IgA was analyzed using standard radial immuno-diffusion techniques. Repeated measures analyses of variance with planned orthogonal contrasts were used to evaluate the data. Significant overall increases (p < .05) were found between pre- and posttests for all three trials. Groups 1 and 2 combined (treatment groups) yielded significantly greater increases in slgA over Group 3 (control) for all three trials. Group 1 (imagery) was significantly higher than Group 2 (music) in antibody production for Trials 2 and 3. No group differences were noted in saliva volume or skin temperature, indicating that autonomic physiological mechanisms were not responsible for differences in antibody production. POMS changes more often favored Group 1. Symptomatology, recorded by subjects at weeks three and six, was significantly lower for three symptoms (rapid heartbeat, breathing difficulty, and jaw clenching), again favoring both treatment groups over the control group. Conclusions were that CNS-mediated immunoenhancement through mental imagery is possible.