Expected mindreading is the belief that romantic partners should know one’s needs and feelings without overt communication. This dysfunctional belief is predicted to undermine relationship satisfaction, yet previous research provides mixed support. In two studies, I test my prediction that individuals higher in expected mindreading would be more reactive to misunderstandings by assessing relationship quality and attributions after participants imagined feeling understood or misunderstood by their romantic partner. In Study 1 (introductory psychology students), participants who felt misunderstood and were higher in expected mindreading were more likely to attribute misunderstandings to their partner’s lack of love than those who felt understood or were lower in expected mindreading. In Study 2 (community sample), satisfaction was lower for individuals who felt misunderstood and were higher in expected mindreading, compared to those who felt understood and were lower in expected mindreading. These findings have important implications for relationship counseling. / October 2016

This netnographic and autoethnographic study examines self-presentation and impression formation through photographs presented on a gay online dating community, Qruiser. The theoretical framework of Goffman’s performance of self and Asch’s formation of impression was developed based on semiotic signifiers and signified. The study was carried out through participant observation of 200 gay daters’ photographs, online interviews, group discussions and narratives of the author’s personal experience. Observation showed that gay daters primarily presented six categories of photographs: self-portrait, daily pictures, travel pictures, sexually explicit pictures, pictures of objects, and black and white pictures. The daters were asked to justify their photographs in self-presentations, and the responses showed that the signs in the photographs could be both intentional and unintentional. Online interviews and group discussion participants suggested that there were distinctions of central and peripheral signifiers in impression formation. Furthermore, participants felt that misunderstanding of impressions resulting from dating photographs was unimportant, due to the compensation of textual presentation and messages.

In this study, I used to use a variety of accommodative techniques to conduct oral interviews with young adult participants who presented with unique social language needs. Their needs highlighted and allowed critique of the research methods that I have learned, bringing up important ethical and pedagogical issues regarding difference and (dis)ability in research and research populations. I asked them what they thought about and wanted from their social experiences and learned that they perceive themselves as being perpetually misunderstood. I analyzed the data for potential misunderstandings and uncovered alternate readings of communication that are naturally not considered when typical assumptions of communication prevail. Avoiding misunderstandings can be as easy as changing one’s assumptions about communication. With small changes in assumptions, meanings change, and outcomes improve. The project revealed themes that speak to larger cultural conversations about ability and young adulthood. These millennials are not using social media; they think differently about the “high-functioning vs. low-functioning” autism dialectic; and they critique adult programs and services. Suggested tips for cross-cultural communication are provided.

This thesis is concerned with student understanding of key concepts in electrical engineering teaching within higher education. Anecdotal evidence suggests that many students struggle to understand threshold concepts and therefore encounter difficulties in learning theoretical models which are underpinned by such theoretical concepts. This research utilised a mixed methods approach to investigate the factors that influence student understanding of key theoretical concepts within electrical engineering. The initial study used a questionnaire to evaluate student understanding of concepts which were identified by teaching staff as being core to a particular module. The study identified that students commenced the module with poor understanding and that instruction on the module ELC040 Electrical Machines and Systems did not lead to improved understanding of core concepts. This suggests that the roots of student misunderstanding lay elsewhere. Desk research was subsequently employed to explore the sources of student misunderstandings. Performance data was analysed and demonstrated that the roots of the student misunderstanding of Electrical Machine Theory lay in the pre-requisite module Electrical Power B. Students routinely failed to achieve high levels of understanding in this module and as a result were unable to successfully build upon it in the third year module. Semi-structured interviews were then undertaken with Part C students who were undertaking the Electrical Machines and Systems module. In addition, structured interviews were administered with the Part B students. The interviews aimed to establish the study practices adopted by students across both years. The study showed that students found the ELA001 module difficult, and the majority believe that most other students felt the same way as they did. Students provided evidence of poor study techniques, by reporting last minute sessions to complete coursework and last minute revision for exams. This research informed the development of an interactive learning tool which was piloted on a small cohort of students. The research has also established that there are many influences on the development of student understanding of threshold concepts within electrical engineering and argues for a more active style of teaching in order to address student misunderstanding.

Fondé en 1997 par de jeunes économistes-financiers, à l’aube de l’expérience d’alternance consensuelle au Maroc et la fin du règne d’Hassan II (1961-1999), Le Journal (LJ ci-après) est considéré comme l’emblème de la presse dite indépendante de cette époque. En trouvant un rayonnement à l’étranger, son influence et sa visibilité vont au-delà des élites du Maroc. Les transformations survenues néanmoins sur la ligne éditoriale de cet hebdomadaire francophone, jugée critique vis-à-vis du Pouvoir par l’audace de ses dossiers et couvertures (monarchie, gouvernance, droits de l’Homme), donnent lieu à des crises de différente nature (procès, boycott publicitaire, gestion interne, etc.) qui débouchent sur sa fermeture par les autorités en janvier 2010, sous le règne de Mohammed VI, après une « vie » dense empreinte de rapports tantôt positifs tantôt négatifs avec le Pouvoir. Au lieu de proposer une seule perspective dans l’étude du LJ, cette recherche espère relever le défi d’offrir trois perspectives qui se complètent : par l’analyse de l’environnement externe du LJ (partie I), par l’étude de son pouvoir d’influence (partie II), et enfin par l’analyse de son environnement interne (partie III). La première partie part d’une énigme simple celle de savoir comment on peut passer au niveau des rapports sociaux (ici entre journalistes et politiques) de situations dans lesquelles on est plus ou moins « bien » entendu à des situations de « mal » entendu. À partir du concept de malentendu (V. Jankélévitch), nous verrons ainsi comment Le Journal, d’abord « bien-entendu », devient, au fil du temps, un titre « mal » entendu, à la fois par ses supporters et par ses adversaires. Si le concept de « bien-entendu » rend compte de ce qui a fait l’originalité et le succès du LJ, comme projet d’innovation, dans un contexte historique marqué par la libéralisation politique ; le malentendu lui est un malentendu d’ordre politique qui porte sur les représentations différentes qu’ont les journalistes et les Politiques de la « transition démocratique », leurs appréciations divergentes de la situation politique au Maroc ainsi que sur le rôle que la presse est censée jouer dans de pareils contextes. La deuxième partie, qui est peut-être l'originalité de ce travail, questionne le pouvoir d'influence des médias (du Journal) à travers les concepts de « compétence » journalistique (comme pouvoir adaptatif aux situations nouvelles), de « l’étiquette d’indépendance » (ce qu’elle permet en termes de visibilité/crédibilité) et enfin de « leadership médiatique » de l’éditorialiste et directeur de publication du LJ. Et elle entend souligner leur interdépendance. Enfin, la dernière partie, concernant la vie interne du LJ, s’appuie sur les acquis des sociologies du journalisme, de l’engagement-désengagement, du loyalisme et de la défection, pour interroger ce qui a amené des journalistes à « entrer », à « rester » et à « partir » du Journal. L’exit nous renvoie encore une fois, dans une espèce de boucle, au malentendu et nous conduit à défendre la thèse selon laquelle Le Journal a été, à son corps défendant, le promoteur du trône. Si cette entreprise de recherche a l’ambition d’être une « psycho-socio-anthropologie historique du journalisme politique », elle en appelle également à une libération épistémo-méthodo-logique. / Initiated in 1997 by young financial economists at the start of the experience of consensual alternance government in Morocco and at the end of the reign of Hassan II (1961-1999), Le Journal (LJ) is considered the symbol of the so-called independent press of that time. By finding an influential voice abroad, its weight and visibility goes beyond Morocco's elites. The transformations that still occurred on the editorial line of the weekly French newspaper were considered critical vis-à-vis the ruling power by the audaciousness of its topics and a la-Une coverage (monarchy, governance, human rights), gave rise to different crises in nature (trials, advertising boycott, internal management, etc.) that led to its closure by the authorities in January 2010, under the reign of Mohammed VI after a dense "life" impregnated with positive and negative relations with regime. Instead of proposing only one perspective in the study of LJ, this research hopes to meet the challenge of offering three outlooks that complement each other: by analyzing the external environment of LJ (Part I) by studying its influence (Part II), and finally by investigating its internal environment (Part III). The first part starts with a simple puzzle: how one can we move in social relations from (here between journalists and political) a situation of understanding to a situation of misunderstanding. Based on the concept of misunderstanding (V. Jankélévitch), we will see how well the Journal, first "well-understood," becomes, over time, a "misunderstood” newspaper, by both its supporters as well as its opponents. If the concept of 'understanding' reflects what made the originality and success of LJ as an innovative project, in a historical context marked by political liberalization on the one hand; on the other hand, the misunderstanding was a political misunderstanding which focuses on the different representations journalists and politicians made of "the democratic transition", their divergent assessments of the political situation in Morocco and the role that the press is supposed to play in such contexts. The second part, which is perhaps the originality of this work questions the power of influence of the media (le Journal) through the concepts of Media "competence" (as adaptive to new situations), of the " independent Label "(what it allows in terms of visibility / credibility) and finally "media leadership" of the columnist and the editor of the LJ. And intends to emphasize their interdependence. Finally, the last part concerns the internal life of LJ, builds on the achievements of the sociology of the press, of engagement-disengagement, of loyalty and defection to question what brought journalists to "enter", to "stay" or to "leave" Le Journal. The exit brings us once again to the misunderstanding and leads us to defend the thesis that Le Journal was, against its will, the publicist of the throne. If this research has the ambition to be a "psycho-historical anthropology of political Press," it also calls for a logical-epistemological-methodological liberation.

The present paper focuses on exploring the usage of communicative strategies (CSs) by business professionals who use business English as a lingua franca (BELF) in telephone negotiations. The purpose of the study is also to analyze the occurrence of misunderstanding and non-understandings. The data consists of nine naturally-occurring spoken ‘buy-sell’ negotiations between business professionals from seven different countries around Europe and Asia.  The negotiations summed up to 1 hour and 30 minutes of recorded material. The transcripts of these negotiations were analyzed in detail by using the qualitative method ‘conversation analysis’ (CA). The results show that business professionals use CSs as pre-empting measures to prevent misunderstanding. In addition, CSs in the present data appear to be used to create cooperativeness and subsequently reach successful communication. The present study also found two scenarios where communicative breakdown occurred but were subsequently repaired through ‘clarity requests’, ‘confirmation checks’ and repetition. Lastly, the present paper recognizes that previous knowledge of the other party is an effective aspect in keeping upbeat negotiations and reaching mutual understanding.

Countless articles and monographs have been published which have paid attention to the various themes in Mark’s Gospel. However, to date there is no publication that attempts to understand the theme ‘unbelief’ in Mark’s Gospel. This study attempts to investigate the literary-theological functions of unbelief as a theme in Mark. This approach is based on the exegetical perspective of several passages (2:1-12; 3:1-6; 4:35-41; 6:1-6; 8:14-21; 9:14-29; 11:27-33; 15:27-32) in which the theme of unbelief appears. Given this approach, it becomes clear that, although at different points of his Gospel, Mark applies the term ‘unbelief’ used to depict Jesus’ opponents to the disciples as well, he distinguishes between the two groups. This applies also to his description of the unbelief of both the groups. The opponents’ unbelief does not mean primarily a lack of insight, but rather a conscious refusal to believe Jesus’ claims and demands. Throughout Mark’s Gospel the opponents, due to their hardened hearts, they are ever seeing and hearing but never understanding (3:5; 4:12). Similar to 1QS 3:18-21, in Mark 4:15 the fundamental source of the opponents’ rejection is the result of Satan-inspired opposition (1QS 3:18-21; Mark 4:15) Since Satan prevents the opponents from listening to Jesus’ message, they do not understand it and reject him and eventually bring about his death (3:6). Thus, to the opponents, Jesus’ salient teachings and miracles have only produced rejecting questions, rather than belief (cf. 3:6, 21, 22-29, 30-31; 6:1-6). Therefore, their obstinate rejection necessarily excludes them from obtaining forgiveness of God. However, if they repent of their sins and accept His prophetic message, they will gain God’s forgiveness as a benefit in the Kingdom (cf. 12:34). On the other hand, the disciples’ unbelief, unlike the opponents’ unbelief, does not consist in the wilful rejection of Jesus. But, the disciples’ unbelief implies their failure to believe in Jesus’ identity (4:35-41; 6:45-52; 8:14-21; 9:14-29 etc.) shown in his teachings and actions. The disciples are in danger of being the outsiders whose hearts were hardened, having eyes but not seeing, and ears but not hearing (8:17-18; cf. 3:5; 4:11-12). Although the hardness of heart, which is associated with Jesus’ opponents, is also attributed to the disciples, the use of this term is not meant to suggest that the disciples have sided with the opponent of Jesus. Rather, it is indicative of an attempt by Jesus, by bombarding them with a series of rhetorical questions, to warn his disciples who are in mortal danger of succumbing to the same unbelief that has afflicted the opponents. Thus, unlike a direct statement regarding the opponents’ hardness of heart in 3:5 and 4:12, the disciples’ hardness of heart is obliquely described through rhetorical questions in 8:17-18. The theological perspective that is presented in the theme of unbelief in Mark is that an attempt is made to emphasize faith, which stands literally in contrast to unbelief. Through speech acts concerning unbelief, Mark emphasizes the fact that those who are the true disciples must follow Jesus with faith under difficult circumstance. For this purpose, he uses specific individuals as examples (the woman with a haemorrhage, Jairus, the paralytic, and the Syrophoenician woman) who respond to Jesus’ demand with faith and spiritual insight, in order to move Christians toward faith or trust in him along with a perceptiveness of his identity. / Thesis (PhD (New Testament Studies))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / New Testament Studies / unrestricted

The following research presents a study of communication in requirement elicitation meetings. Achieving consensus of requirements is difficult in mostsituations, but even more so in requirement elicitation meetings. This report proposes and validates questions regarding requirement elicitation meetings between different stakeholders by modelling their subjective perspectives using the conceptual metaphor theory. Through a case study, qualitative data was collected from project managers and communicators from 5 Swedish companies. The result shows that misunderstanding is not detected until further into the process as a result of carrying different notions behind terms. The importance of shared experiences of words presents itself, and the use of metaphorisation is suggested as a useful approach to reach consensus.

Background: Therapeutic misunderstanding (TMU) and its three facets: therapeutic misconception, therapeutic misestimation, and therapeutic optimism have been identified as major challenges to the ethical conduct of clinical research and obtaining informed consent from research participants. However, the prevalence of TMU among clinicians and researchers has not been explored. Since most physicians will be exposed to clinical research over the course of their career, the understanding of clinical research procedures is important. In this study we attempted to determine the prevalence of TMU among medical students: future clinicians. Methods: Twenty-two BUSM undergraduate medical students took part in a two-part, survey evaluating the prevalence of therapeutic misunderstanding using "The Therapeutic Misunderstanding Scale". The attitudes of the students towards increasing the exposure to clinical research topics through the medical school curriculum were also determined. Results: The majority of the medical students exhibited therapeutic misunderstanding, particularly in the area of therapeutic misconception. In particular, the misunderstanding the difference between evidence-based clinical care versus hypothesis driven clinical research was exhibited. Although there was strong agreement that education in clinical research and clinical research ethics was important, the participants though increases of clinical research topics in the curriculum was not needed. Conclusions: The increased prevalence of TMU among future physicians underscores the need to teach clinical research and research ethics. Further research on a larger sample needed to validate the findings.

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