In recent years medical societies have begun to recognize the effects and benefits of good communication between physician and patient. Like any other relationship, the exchange of information with fluent understanding creates a stronger bond of trust. Most applied research conducted in the area of physician-patient communication concentrates on physician behaviors which the patient views as problematic. This thesis focuses on patient assertiveness and its relationship to physician-patient satisfaction in the consultation process. Specifically, the study focuses on the relationship between patient assertiveness and physician-patient satisfaction. For the study the researcher developed a patient questionnaire and pre- and post-physician questionnaires to assess patient assertiveness. This factor relates to outcomes of satisfaction from the physician-patient consultation. Twenty doctors and two hundred patients participated in the study. The implications of these finding should provide insight into the patient-physician consultation process.

Research on projectably multi-unit tellings (e.g., stories) has largely focused on their contexts of emergence, beginnings, endings, and uptakes (or lack thereof), rather than on their ‘middles.’ The relatively small literature on such ‘middles’ has focused on different types of responsive behaviors when they do occur (e.g., continuers). However, there is virtually no research on relevance rules that might systematically organize these ‘middles,’ including the production of responsive behaviors (or lack thereof) and the management of intersubjectivity. This thesis describes and defends one such relevance rule: Advisors are strongly accountable for responding – either vocally and/or nonvocally – at each and every complex possible-completion place. This relevance rule provides an inferential framework with which to monitor and manage advisors’ understanding of ‘middle’ units. The method used is conversation analysis – including the analysis of deviant cases – complemented by the coding of data and resultant distributional patterns. Data are dual-camera-videotaped, drop-in, advising sessions conducted in English between 20 non-native-English-speaking international students and native-English-speaking advisors working for a university's Office of International Affairs. Specifically, data involve students’ projectably multi-unit problem presentations (e.g., related to Visa status, course scheduling, international travel, housing, etc.).

Research has identified that one limitation of traditional mentoring occurs when there is a mismatch between the mentor and the protégé in work styles and personalities. Further, most of the literature on mentoring has not examined the informal mentoring that occurs between college students. Recent research has identified this type of peer mentoring as collaborative mentoring. The purpose of this study was to examine the role of interpersonal attraction in the development and success of collaborative mentoring relationships and to further examine which attraction dimension was the best predictor of the success of the relationship. Multiple regression analysis showed task attraction was the best predictor of the overall success of a collaborative mentoring relationship. This work is significant because it shows a person's perceived level of competence directly influences the success of a collaborative mentoring relationship more than likeability or physical appearance.

Introduction: Nursing presence occurs when nurses expend themselves on the behalf of a unique patient. This phenomenon requires further research to develop instruments. The Presence of Nursing Scale (PONS) measures the patient’s perspective (Kostovich, 2012). Psychometric testing of PONS-Revised using exploratory factor analysis is warranted to further develop a reliable and valid measure of nursing presence. Contextual workplace variables need exploration in inpatient settings for correlation with nursing presence. Method(s): A convenience sample of 122 adult inpatients from ten acute-care nursing units in a Southeastern Magnet hospital were surveyed to conduct the first psychometric testing of this revised instrument using exploratory factor analyses. Seven research questions evaluated potential correlations between the PONS-R, patient satisfaction using nurse-sensitive measures of HCAHPS, nursing unit-specific workforce factors and patient demographic factors. Results: PONS-R demonstrated high internal consistency reliability (r = .974), test-retest reliability (statistically significant at the .01 level) and divergent validity (p=.002). PONS-R compared to nurse HCAHPS measures was statistically significant at the .01 level, (r = .736). EFA revealed one factor (eigenvalues over 1), with a weak secondary factor centered on intimacy factors suggesting addition of items and repeated study with a larger sample size to further psychometrically develop the instrument. Unexpected negative correlations were found with unit-workforce factors including average RN experience level (r= -.185, significant at the .05 level), and average RN age (r = - .218). An unexpected positive correlation was found - percentage of Associate degree nurses (r = .269, statistically significant at the .05 level. The Triangle region was correlated with a higher PONS-R score (p = .038; n=4), otherwise no statistically significant correlations were found for PONS-R and patient demographics nor patient-specific variables such as estimated number of RN providing care, nor length of stay on the unit. Discussion & Conclusions: Further psychometric testing is indicated with larger samples and perhaps with the inclusion of intimacy factor items. Additional correlational studies focused on other patient quality outcomes measures with expansion of nurse demographics is indicated to explore for confounding variables.

This poster presentation describes the group dynamics within a collaborative learning setting. In the Parenting class, which is a requirement within the Human Development and Family Science major, students are encouraged to choose their own groups which will then function as family units for the duration of the semester. The learning principle behind these team exercises is twofold: on the one hand the groups have to cover curricular material and access information related to best parenting practices. On the other hand, by being part of a group themselves, they have to reflect on the challenges that may occur within family units, and this entails meta-cognition. The groups have to collaborate to complete tasks similar to the way families deal with real-life challenges. One of the first tasks concerns parenting techniques in the case of disruptive behavior of children. The groups have to access best parenting practices and resources by accessing sites that list and describe evidence based parenting programs. They have to find best outcomes as a family, and outline the appropriate parenting techniques. It becomes apparent to group members that a family unit has a permanence that has to be accepted, respected, and used a as tool. Not exiting from a group necessitates negotiating skills, display of mutual acceptance and collaboration. The instructor of the class has been trained in the basics of group dynamics, and serves as a resource to guide the students; and can comment on the observed process. Theoretically groups are predicted to go through phases of forming, norming, storming, performing and ultimately adjourning, first described by Tuckman (1965). This sequence is illustrated with descriptions of real-life events occurring in the classroom. When students choose their own groups, the underlying learning principle is to make them responsible for their choices and deal with the unanticipated surprises and challenges. This strategy is intentional. Inevitably, during the semester, cracks appear in these happy units, and students complain that they cannot work in this group, or with that person. When there is dissent in the group, it also provides the perfect learning opportunity. Dynamics of dissent can occur in any group, including family groups. Students are reminded that family groups have permanence and in a similar fashion they cannot change their groups once they have chosen them. Hence the focus shifts to finding techniques and ways of restoring the group homeostasis and thereby implied functioning. In doing so, students are encouraged to follow several steps: one is to understand their group’s behavior according to a systems approach and becoming acquainted with systems theory. Subsequently they need to find ways to resolve the conflict in a respectful manner and become productive. Students realize the parallel between their functioning as a group and many parenting situations. As part of the conflict resolution they need to implement structure in combination with the welcoming qualities of nurture. The student working groups find that just like families, they ultimately have to display constructive coping strategies to support group cohesion and functionality.

Working from a communication theory paradigm and from previous literature, the purpose of this study was to empirically examine significant receiver correlates which predict adoption behavior of Sigma Nu Fraternity on three campuses. Drawing from past research, the present study utilized a unique combination of social and communication variables as predictors of fraternity membership. A stepwise multiple discriminant analysis using five factors derived from the thirteen independent variables yielded a highly significant three factor discriminant function (p < .001) which explained 46.65 percent of the common variance in adoption/non-adoption behavior of Sigma Nu. The significant factors were labeled peer group behavior, parental economic support, and social attitudes. Based on intuitive interpretation features of the data, the researcher suspects that adopters are more socially oriented, have a wider variety o: friends, are less dependent on parental economic support, and exhibit higher scores on measures such as self-esteem, liberalism, conservatism, and the need for identification with groups.

This thesis details a study of the interlanguage of advanced speakers of English as a Second Language. The purpose of the study was to see what errors these students made when speaking the language in a communicative environment. In approaching the issue of interlanguage, the writer surveys the research in language acquisition as well as in interlanguage, error analysis and language learning theories. Based on this research and the results of this study, the writer explores the implications of both the research and the study and offers suggestions to teachers of advanced conversation classes.

The purpose of this investigation was to determine at which age levels, between four and eight years, children express Praise, Apology, Commiseration, Blame, Challenge, Endearment, and both a Positive and Negative State. Subjects were thirty children, six from each age level between four and eight years, selected from an elementary and preschool within the Portland area. Sixteen picture cards and stories were designed to elicit the eight different feelings. Each subject responded to questions at the end of the story and was given two chances to express the appropriate feeling. Each response was judged as appropriate or inappropriate and scored accordingly.

The purpose of this study was to compare expressive communication, receptive communication, and socialization achievement in 18- to 34-month-old ELD toddlers to the same skills in normally-speaking children. The questions this study sought to answer were, how do the three skill areas in ELD toddlers compare with the same skills in normal toddlers?, will ELD subjects evidence specific profiles of deficits involving not only expressive but receptive and social skills as well? and, within the ELD subjects will two subgroups emerge, one group having poor expressive skills only, and a second group having deficits in addition to expression.

Communication problems and conflict may occur between partners in intimate dyads when systematic gender differences in language contribute to misinterpretations. This research investigated effects of gender on interpretations of hypothetical conversations between dyads, and also on judgments of likelihood of conflict.