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Verbal Expression (verbal + expression)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Business, Economics, Finance and Accounting	28%

Selected Abstracts

Verbal probabilities: a question of frame?

JOURNAL OF BEHAVIORAL DECISION MAKING, Issue 1 2003
Karl Halvor Teigen
Abstract Verbal expressions of probability and uncertainty are of two kinds: positive (,probable', ,possible') and negative (,not certain', ,doubtful'). Choice of term has implications for predictions and decisions. The present studies show that positive phrases are rated to be more optimistic (when the target outcome is positive), and more correct, when the target outcome actually occurs, even in cases where positive and negative phrases are perceived to convey the same probabilities (Experiments 1 and 2). Selection of phrase can be determined by linguistic frame. Positive quantifiers (,some', ,several') support positive probability phrases, whereas negative quantifiers (,not all') suggest negative phrases (Experiment 3). Positive frames induced by numeric frequencies (e.g. the number of students to be admitted) imply positive probability phrases, whereas negative frames (e.g. the number of students to be rejected) call for negative probability phrases (Experiment 4). It is concluded that choice of verbal phrase is based not only on level of probability, but also on situational and linguistic cues. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

Analysis of the circumstances at the end of life in children with cancer: Symptoms, suffering and acceptance

PEDIATRICS INTERNATIONAL, Issue 1 2003
TERUAKI HONGO
AbstractBackground: In an effort to improve the quality of life of children with cancer, this study analyzes the signs and symptoms at the end of life in such children. It is hoped that these data will contribute to the development of appropriate programs to address the challenges faced by these children. Procedure: Between 1994 and 2000, 28 children died after treatment for cancer at Hamamatsu University Hospital, Japan. The circumstances, signs and symptoms at the end of life of these children were analyzed through their medical records. Results: Of the 28 children, the underlying diseases were leukemia/lymphoma (LL group; n=11), brain tumors (BT group; n=7), and other solid tumors (OST group; n=10). Records showed poor appetite (100%), dyspnea (82.1%), pain (75.0%), fatigue (71.4%), nausea/vomiting (57.1%), constipation (46.4%) and diarrhea (21.4%) among these children. Anxiety was reported in 53.6% of the entire group of 28 children; however, no child in the BT group manifested anxiety. However, disturbance of consciousness was reported in all children in the BT group, which was significantly greater than in the other groups. Awareness, fear or acceptance of the imminence of his/her own death as indicated by verbal expression was reported in nine children (32.1%). Conclusions: Using the data obtained in the present study, we describe situations faced in the terminal care of children. It is important to address the problems revealed by this analysis in order to achieve improvements in both the physical and psychological care of children with terminal cancer. [source]

The effects of wording on the understanding and use of uncertainty information in a threshold forecasting decision

APPLIED COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 1 2009
Susan L. Joslyn
Many believe that information about small chances of severe weather would be useful to the general public for precautionary action. What is the best way to explain this kind of information to a non-expert audience? The studies reported here investigated effects of framing (negative vs. positive), format (frequency vs. probability), likelihood (low vs. high) and compatibility (task-match) on interpretation of verbal expressions of forecast uncertainty and on subsequent forecasting decisions. The crucial factor was the match between the verbal expression and the overall task goal. Errors increased when there was a mismatch between the expression (e.g. winds less than 20,knots) and the task (e.g. post an advisory when winds will exceed 20,knots). However, framing and format had little impact. We conclude that consideration of user expectations arising from the overall task goal is crucial in explaining uncertainty information to a naïve audience. Global expectations overpower other potential effects. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

Computer-graphics and the literary construct: a learning method

BRITISH JOURNAL OF EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY, Issue 1 2002
Avril Henry
This paper describes a third-year undergraduate module, Text Through Images (TTI; known at first as Texts with Computers) which ran for some years in the School of English, University of Exeter, UK. Instead of using only words, TTI students made their own computer graphics both to discover and to describe literary structures in texts of their choice. The results were surprising: whatever their "academic" ability, students on this course regularly produced genuinely original literary perceptions, and their natural creativity was released. The module's innovative methods are eminently transferable to other disciplines. This paper is designed to be read in conjunction with a website: for further details, go to http://www.blackwellpublishers.co.uk/asp/journal.asp?ref=0007-1013 presenting a selection of students' graphics produced on the course; these appear by generous permission of their makers, who hold copyright. The reasons for the module's success are elusive. Perhaps students feel unfettered by the attitudes associated with traditional verbal expression, the absence of preconceptions about the new process enabling them to bypass old habits of thought. Perhaps the interplay of word and image is particularly fruitful because images and words activate different areas of the brain. It may be that the computer creates the illusion of distance between design and designer, so that the latter feels less personally exposed than when drawing on paper. Perhaps success lies in the combination of individual freedom and on-screen group work, or on the way in which students are enabled to make small but publishable original discoveries. Educational psychologists may be able to explain why the mix works (it has been suggested that it represents a "constructivist/generative learning strategy that Dave Jonassen terms ,elaboration'") but more importantly, teachers may find the model useful. What interests me about the module is not the structure of the teaching, but the way in which the use of diagramming apparently enables the learner productively to bypass previous mental conditioning about how literature works, and what is acceptable in analysing it. [source]

Can you trust a customer's expression?

PSYCHOLOGY & MARKETING, Issue 10 2010
Insights into nonverbal communication in the retail context
Synthesizing knowledge from psychology and marketing research, an understanding of nonverbal communication can help address when and how customers express their underlying feelings in retail interactions that are not evident in direct verbal expressions. Examining nonverbal behavior as an indirect measure of consumer response can enable retailers to better understand the needs of their customers. Nonverbal communication theory is used to develop a conceptual framework that builds on prior research on the situation, expressivity, social status, display rules, and their effects on customer expression. Lay wisdom suggests that customer expression should be revealing (e.g., "the eyes are the windows to the soul"). However, research reveals a myriad of situational factors that may lead customers to mask their true feelings. This paper offers nine theoretical propositions and summarizes research evidence related to these pro-positions from various substantive domains for marketing research. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source]

The effects of wording on the understanding and use of uncertainty information in a threshold forecasting decision

From tears to words: the development of language to express pain in young children with everyday minor illnesses and injuries

CHILD: CARE, HEALTH AND DEVELOPMENT, Issue 4 2010
L. Franck
Abstract Background Little is known about the development of language to express pain in the young or how children and parents verbally communicate when young children have everyday minor illnesses and injuries. Methods UK parents of children between the ages of 1 and 6 were invited to complete an Internet survey on children's pain language during everyday situations of minor illness or injury. Results Of the 1716 parents completing the survey, 45% reported their child had at least one word to express pain by 17 months of age, increasing to 81% by 23 months of age. Children used different words based on their age and in the contexts of minor illnesses and injuries, with words for expressing pain related to illness emerging slightly later. Children's language was purposeful in describing causes of pain and requesting specific forms of assistance from parents even in the very youngest age groups. Parents' communicated with their children primarily to gain further information about the source and nature of pain and to direct children's behaviour. Conclusions Children rapidly develop an extensive vocabulary to describe pain between 12 and 30 months of age, with words for pain from injury emerging first and reflecting the development of normal speech acquisition. The differences in verbal expressions in the context of minor illnesses and injuries suggest that children make a cognitive distinction between the origins and sensory aspects of pain. These findings can help parents, childcare and healthcare professionals to appreciate the early communication capabilities of young children and to engage in more effective pain assessment and management for young children. [source]