Dan O'Hair

Cancer Survivorship and Agency Model: Implications for Patient Choice, Decision Making, and Influence

Relative to other types of health communication research (acute care physician-patient communication, communication campaigns, compliance episodes, etc.), investigations of patient communication following the diagnosis of cancer are infrequent. Theoretically driven, empirical research is desperately needed in such postdiagnostic communication processes as survivorship, quality of life, palliative and hospice care, and loss, bereavement, and grief for those millions of people who have been diagnosed with the second leading cause of death in our nation. An organizational model of patient communication is needed that identifies and describes salient issues and processes involved when cancer patients attempt to negotiate the difficult courses of action following the diagnosis of cancer. The cancer survivorship and agency model (CSAM) proposes both general and specific strategies that serve as options for patients seeking to take greater control of the decision-making process related to their treatment and care of cancer. Although seemingly practical in its offering, CSAM is intended to serve as a heuristic springboard for theoretically based, applied communication research focusing exclusively on post diagnostic cancer processes.

Innovation, Corporate Strategy, and Cultural Context: What Is the Mission for International Business Communication?

A global economy requires business organizations to cultivate their international holdings by respecting the national differences of their host countries and coordi nating efforts for rapid innovation. In this essay we first review relevant literature in the areas of communication and innovation and explore how efforts toward innovative practices are directly related to globalism and business strategy. We then focus on issues associated with national culture, corporate culture, and pro fessional culture that are relevant to strategies for researching business communi cation in global contexts. Finally, we suggest directions for future work.

The Influences of Human Communication on Health Outcomes

This article examines the many assertions made in the health communication literature about the importance of communication as an essential process in promoting effective health care. If these assertions are true, then researchers should be able to demonstrate the ways in which communication influences the accomplishment of health care goals—how communication influences health outcomes. The links between health communication and health outcomes are examined, as well as the health outcomes literature. The authors propose a conceptual model of the role of communication in achieving advantageous outcomes in health care and health promotion based on the systems transformation model. The model can serve as a template for both guiding research on communication and health outcomes and for directing the health communication activities of interdependent participants in the modern health care system to promote desired health outcomes in health care/health promotion efforts.

Applied communication research: Scholarship that can make a difference

Abstract Applied research is an important form of scientific inquiry that has been widely misunderstood and unappreciated within the field of communication. This article first debunks five common misconceptions about the nature of applied communication research. Four criteria for conducting effective applied communication then are posed. The article concludes by examining three ways in which effective applied communication research promotes the disciplinary growth of communication knowledge.

Relational reconciliation: Toward a more comprehensive model of relational development

On the basis of a developmental model of relational growth, this paper seeks to extend the model through an exploratory examination of relational reconciliation strategy use. Thirty‐six couples were interviewed and asked to describe their reconciliation experiences. Strategic statements were inductively derived and submitted to Q‐sort and cluster analysis. This provided a typology of seven strategy types: (1) Spontaneous Development; (2) Third Party Mediation; (3) High Affeet / Ultimatum; (4)Tacit I Persistence; (5) Mutual Interaction; (6)Avoidance; and (7)Vulnerable Appeals. The study finds that many of the strategies used in other relational contexts are used in reconciliation as well. However, sufficient variations in reconciliation strategies compared to maintenance / repair strategies suggest that reconciliation strategies are substantively different and may be indicative of an additional period of relational development.

Machiavellian Beliefs and Social Influence.

Previous work (Hunter, Gerbing & Boster, 1982) determined that the MACH IV scale is not a unidimensional construct of Machiavellianism, but rather reflects a set of four beliefs about human nature: Deceit, Flattery, Immorality, and Cynicism. The present study replicated previous findings of separate Machiavellian belief constructs. Different constructs significantly predicted selection of compliance‐gaining strategies. For example, actors who were more Cynical used more distributive tactics on peers and coworkers than less Cynical actors, actors who scored high on Immorality used more referent influence on superiors, and actors who scored high on Deceit used fewer exchange tactics than their lower scoring counterparts. Implications of this study concerning a reconceptualization of the MACH construct and belief components are discussed.

A Cognitive-affective Model of Relational Expectations in the Provider-patient Context:

Patients and health-care providers bring a number of expectations to the medical encounter. Relational expectations are especially salient in this context given the emphasis placed on the need for effective communication. Relational expectations vary from one patient to the next and can vary widely among health- care professionals. These expectations are based on an individuals past history of similar relationships and a perception of current conditions. The purpose of this work is to advance a model of relational expectations based on the cognitive and affective processes that function before and during the communication interaction. A conceptual analysis will synthesize previous work, culminating in the construction of a theoretical model of relational expectations. Further, implications of relational expectations will be noted as they affect the relationship quality, communication patterns and health outcomes of both patients and providers.

Gender and Vocal Stress Differences During Truthful and Deceptive Information Sequences

The focus of this study was to determine the efficacy of the Mark II Voice Stress Analyzer as a means of discriminating between truthful and deceptive communications. A simulated job interview was manipulated so that participants in the deceptive condition told the truth on all questions except two, producing two types of deception: prepared and spontaneous lies. Participants in the truthful condition were truthful throughout the interview. Gender was introduced as a predictor variable. Results indicate that the Mark II can objectively and unobtrusively detect vocal stress indicative of deception for the prepared lie, but not for the spontaneous lie. Truthful participants demonstrated no significant differences for any of the information sequences, indicating that the Mark II avoids the problems of falsely identifying innocent subjects. Females exhibited elevated levels of vocal stress during the prepared deception, whereas males did not. Implications of this study and recommendations for future research were noted.

Communication Apprehension and Vocal Stress as Indices of Deception.

This study focused on the relationship between communication apprehension and vocal stress during deceptive and truthful responses generated in simulated job interviews. Vocal stress levels were determined by the Mark II Voice Analyzer. The design of the experiment produced prepared, spontaneous, and delayed deceptive responses. Results indicated that individuals who experience a high degree of communication apprehension evidence higher vocal stress levels during prepared lies. Significant elevated stress levels were not observed for the other types of lies. Low communication appre‐hensives did not demonstrate significantly higher vocal stress levels during any of the deceptive responses. These results provide support for earlier theories of anticipatory responses to communication interaction. Implications of these findings and recommendations for future research are noted.

The impact of situational dimensions on compliance‐resisting strategies: A comparison of methods

This study replicated and extended a study on compliance‐resisting and found that the factors of Intimacy and Rights to Resist each had predictable influences on strategy construction. Utilizing both constructed strategies and preference rating methods, similar situational effects on strategy selection were determined for negotiation, justification, and positive identity management strategies. For example, both procedures indicated that positive identity management strategies were selected more frequently in intimate situations than in nonintimate situations and both procedures indicated that rights to resist was not associated with this strategy selection. However, comparison of the methods indicated that participants underreported the likelihood‐of‐use of negative relational strategies in intimate situations and generally overreported the likelihood‐of‐use of positive identity management strategies. Recommendations for future research were discussed.