Observational research and verbal protocol methods

This paper describes observational research and verbal protocols methods, how these methods are applied and integrated within different contexts, and how they complement each other. The first case study focuses on nurses’ interaction during bandaging of patients’ lower legs. To maintain research rigor a triangulation approach was applied that links observations of current procedures, ‘talk-aloud’ protocol during interaction and retrospective protocol. Maps of interactions demonstrated that some nurses bandage more intuitively than others. Nurses who bandage intuitively assemble long sequences of bandaging actions while nurses who bandage less intuitively ‘focus-shift’ in between bandaging actions. Thus different levels of expertise have been identified. The second case study consists of two laboratory experiments. It focuses on analysing and comparing software and product design teams and how they approached a design problem. It is based on the observational and verbal data analysis. The coding scheme applied evolved during the analysis of the activity of each team and is identical for all teams. The structure of knowledge captured from the analysis of the design team maps of interaction is identified. The significance of this work is within its methodological approach. The maps of interaction are instrumental for understanding the activities and interactions of the people observed. By examining the maps of interaction, it is possible to draw conclusions about interactions, structure of knowledge captured and level of expertise. This research approach is transferable to other design domains. Designers will be able to transfer the interaction maps outcomes to systems and services they design.

Dissociating verbal and nonverbal audiovisual object processing

This fMRI study investigates how audiovisual integration differs for verbal stimuli that can be matched at a phonological level and nonverbal stimuli that can be matched at a semantic level. Subjects were presented simultaneously with one visual and one auditory stimulus and were instructed to decide whether these stimuli referred to the same object or not. Verbal stimuli were simultaneously presented spoken and written object names, and nonverbal stimuli were photographs of objects simultaneously presented with naturally occurring object sounds. Stimulus differences were controlled by including two further conditions that paired photographs of objects with spoken words and object sounds with written words. Verbal matching, relative to all other conditions, increased activation in a region of the left superior temporal sulcus that has previously been associated with phonological processing. Nonverbal matching, relative to all other conditions, increased activation in a right fusiform region that has previously been associated with structural and conceptual object processing. Thus, we demonstrate how brain activation for audiovisual integration depends on the verbal content of the stimuli, even when stimulus and task processing differences are controlled.

Comparison of IQS and verbal-performance IQ discrepancies estimated from two seven-subtest short forms of the WAIS-R

The present study compared IQs and Verbal-Performance IQ discrepancies estimated from two seven-subtest short forms of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised (WAIS-R) in a sample of 100 subjects referred for neuropsychological assessment. The short forms of Warrington, James, and Maciejewski (1986) and Ward (1990) yielded similar correlation coefficients and absolute error rates with respect to WAIS-R IQs, although the Warrington short form requires more time to administer and score. Both short forms were able to detect significant Verbal-Performance IQ discrepancies 70% of the time. However, they incorrectly yielded significant discrepancies for approximately 25% of the sample who did not have significant differences on the full WAIS-R. The results do not support reporting and interpreting significant Verbal-Performance IQ discrepancies estimated from these short forms.

Cerebral regions associated with verbal response initiation, suppression and strategy use

Cerebral activation associated with performance on a novel task involving two conditions was investigated with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). In the response initiation condition, subjects nominated the general superordinate category to which each of a series of exemplars (concrete nouns) belonged. In the response suppression condition, subjects were required to nominate a general superordinate category to which each exemplar did not belong, with the instruction that they were not to nominate the same category response twice in a row. Both conditions produced distinct patterns of activation relative to an articulation control condition employing identical stimuli. When initiation and suppression conditions were directly compared, response suppression produced activation in the right frontal pole, orbital frontal cortex and anterior cingulate, left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and posterior cingulate, and bilaterally in the precuneus, visual association cortex and cerebellum. Response latencies were significantly longer in the suppression condition. Two broadly-defined strategies associated with the correct production of words during the suppression condition were a self-ordered selection from among the superordinate categories identified during the first section of the task and the generation of novel category responses. The neuroanatomical correlates of response initiation, suppression and strategy use are discussed, as are the respective roles of response suppression and strategy generation.

Colours as Non-Verbal Signs on Packages

Colour is an essential aspect of our daily life, and still, it is a neglected issue within marketing research. The main reason for studying colours is to understand the impact of colours on consumer behaviour, and thus, colours should be studied when it comes to branding, advertising, packages, interiors, and the clothes of the employees, for example. This was an exploratory study about the impact of colours on packages. The focus was on low-involvement purchasing, where the consumer puts limited effort into the decision-making. The basis was a scenario in which the consumer faces an unpredictable problem needing immediate action. The consumer may be in hurry, which indicate time pressure. The consumer may lack brand preferences, or the preferred brand may be out of stock. The issue is that the choice is to be made at the point of purchase. Further, the purchasing involves product classes where the core products behind the brands are indistinguishable from each other. Three research questions were posed. Two questions were answered by conjoint analysis, i.e. if colours have an impact on decision-making and if a possible impact is related to the product class. 16 hypothetical packages were designed in two product classes within the healthcare, i.e. painkillers and medicine against sore throats. The last research question aimed at detecting how an analysis could be carried out in order to understand the impact of colours. This question was answered by conducting interviews that were analysed by applying laddering method and a semiotics approach. The study found that colours do indeed have an impact on consumer behaviour, this being related to the context, such as product class. The role of colours on packages was found to be threefold: attention, aesthetics, and communication. The study focused on colours as a means of communication, and it proposes that colours convey product, brand, and product class meanings, these meanings having an impact on consumers’ decision-making at the point of purchase. In addition, the study demonstrates how design elements such as colours can be understood by regarding them as non-verbal signs. The study also presents an empirical design, involving quantitative and qualitative techniques that can be used to gain in depth understanding of the impact of design elements on consumer behaviour. Hannele Kauppinen is associated with CERS, the Centre for Relationship Marketing and Service Management of the Swedish School of Economics and Business Administration

Ensaios sobre consórcios intermunicipais de saúde : financiamento, comportamento estratégico, incentivos e economia política

Traça o perfil dos Consórcios Intermunicipais de Saúde (CIS) no Brasil, principalmente quanto aos aspectos econômico-financeiros, e analisa sua formação e sustentabilidade político-financeira, utilizando o instrumental oferecido pela teoria dos jogos.

Comportamento dos idosos diante da violência sofrida na família e na sociedade

Consultoria Legislativa - Área XVII - Segurança Pública e Defesa Nacional.

Comportamento e capacitação da secretária executiva na Câmara dos Deputados de Brasília/DF

Aborda o comportamento e as capacitações desejáveis ao profissional de Secretariado Executivo na Câmara dos Deputados. Analisa o grau de competências por intermédio de conhecimentos, habilidades e atitudes necessárias para a obtenção de resultados efetivos junto à Câmara dos Deputados. Define o perfil desejável para a função de secretária executiva na Câmara dos Deputados. Indica fatores que podem contribuir para o aperfeiçoamento profissional e desenvolvimento pessoal dos indivíduos que exerçam a atividade.

Cláusula de barreira: comportamento eleitoral e desempenho partidário nas eleições de 2002 e perspectivas para 2006

Trata da discussão da cláusula de barreira instituída nos artigos 13 e 57 da Lei dos Partidos Políticos nº 9.096/95, que regulamenta o Inciso IV do Artigo 17 da Constituição Federal. Estuda a aplicação da cláusula e analisa o desempenho dos partidos políticos brasileiros nas eleições de 2002 e 2006. O estudo tenta provar que, com a aplicação dessa cláusula, ocorre uma diminuição, em termos de funcionamento parlamentar, da pulverização partidária existente atualmente no país. Analisa a cláusula de barreira sob os aspectos favoráveis e contrários, o funcionamento parlamentar, o período de transição e a necessidade desta para a organização e valorização dos partidos. Propõe a elaboração de nova lei ordinária para regulamentar a Constituição Federal no Artigo 17, Inciso IV, que diz respeito ao funcionamento parlamentar. Propõe que seja votado e aprovado o PL nº 2679/2003, ora tramitando na Câmara dos Deputados, que trata de algumas alterações no sistema eleitoral e político do Brasil.

Um estudo sobre as necessidades e o comportamento informacional dos consultores legislativos da Câmara dos Deputados

This is a research that studies the needs and information behavior (the use, frequency of use, relevance conception of information sources and search forms) of the Legislative Consultants of Chamber of Deputies. The objective is identify these facets in order to support projects of improvements of the information services offered to them by the Centre for Documentation and Information (CEDI) of the Chamber of Deputies.

O uso do twitter pelos deputados federais brasileiros : estudo sobre atuação e tendências de comportamento

Estudo dos perfis parlamentares e padrões de comportamento dos deputados federais brasileiros, da 54ª Legislatura, na rede social Twitter. Analisa os diferentes usos da ferramenta na rede mundial de computadores pelos mandatários do poder político, com o objetivo de identificar tendências de atuação, bem como correlações entre liderança na Câmara e liderança no Twitter. Busca também relacionar os níveis de participação interatividade do mandato parlamentar às variáveis faixa etária e votação nas últimas eleições. Utiliza metodologia de análise de conteúdo de base documental, quantitativa amostral e observacional do comportamento político no Parlamento e na rede. Conclui que há coincidência entre liderança no Parlamento e liderança na rede social, havendo um padrão de atuação especialista entre líderes, ressalvadas exceções pontuais; que parlamentares mais votados também tendem a ter atuação diferenciada no Twitter; e que os parlamentares mais jovens tendem a ser mais participativos, embora não prevaleça entre eles o uso pessoal de sua conta.

Ficha limpa e a resposta congressual : comportamento legislativo e processo decisório

O analisa, no âmbito da Câmara dos Deputados, o comportamento parlamentar e os processos decisórios subjacentes à tramitação do projeto de lei que culminou com a edição da Lei Complementar nº 135/2010, intitulada Lei da Ficha Limpa.

Comportamento parlamentar estratégico na Câmara dos Deputados : um estudo a partir do fim do voto secreto

Analisa aspectos e circunstâncias que circundam a dinâmica do comportamento parlamentar no âmbito de processos decisórios envolvendo matérias que extinguem privilégios e prerrogativas dos mandatos parlamentares