School of Health Sciences
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Item Single-route and dual-route approaches to reading aloud difficulties associated with dysphasia.(Queen Margaret University, 1999) Mack, S. K.The study of reading aloud is currently informed by two main types of theory: modular dual-route and connectionist single-route. One difference between then theories is the type of word classification system which they favour. Dual-route theory employs the regular-irregular dichotomy of classification, whereas single-route considers body neighbourhoods to be a more informative approach. This thesis explores the reading aloud performance of a group of people with dysphasia from the two theoretical standpoints by employing a specifically prepared set of real and pseudoword stimuli. As well as being classified according to regularity and body neighbourhood, all the real word stimuli were controlled for frequency. The pseudowords were divided into two groups, common pseudowords and pseudohomophones, and classified according to body neighbourhood. There were two main phases to the study. In the first phase, the stimuli were piloted and the response time performances of a group of people with dysphasia and a group of matcehd control people were compared. In the second phase, a series of tasks was developed to investigate which means of word classification best explained the visual lexical decision and reading aloud performance of people with dysphasia. The influence of word knowledge was also considered. The data was analysed both quantitatively and qualitatively. The quantitative analysis of the number of errors made indicated that classification of items by body neighbourhood and frequency provided the more comprehensive explanation of the data. Investigation of the types of errors that were made did not find a significant relationship between word type and error type, but again the results indicated that the influence of frequency and body neighbourhood was stronger than that of regularity. The findings are discussed both in terms of their implications for the two theories of reading aloud and their relevance to clinical practice.Item An investigation of motor control for speech in phonologically delayed children, normally developing children and adults.(Queen Margaret University, 1992) Waters, D. M.Difficulty with phonological acquisition in children is currently widely regarded as a linguistic/cognitive disability but, since speech is a motor as well as a linguistic activity, speech motor control abilities must have a bearing on acquisition of the speech sound system. On the basis of previous studies, measures of speech rate and temporal variability are regarded as indices of level of speech motor control ability. Evidence was sought concerning the possibility that slow maturation of speech motor control abilities may underlie phonological delay in children. Speech timing characteristics were compared in 12 adult speakers (Group A), 12 normal preschool children (Group N, aged 3;8 years -4;10 years, mean age 4;3 years) and 12 age-matched phenologically delayed children {Group P). Measurements were made of phrase and segment durations and temporal variability in multiple tokens of an experimental phrase. The phonological structure of the speech data was also analysed and a measure of speech rate {in segments/second) was derived. The N Group were found to exhibit slower speech rates, generally longer mean phrase and segment durations and higher levels of temporal variability than the A Group. The P Group exhibited significantly slower speech rates than the N Group and there was a trend towards longer phrase and segment durations in the P Group data. With one marginal exception, no significant differences were found between the two child groups on measures of temporal variability. The weight of evidence indicated that speech motor control was less mature in the P Group than in the N Group. The findings lend some support to the view that differences in speech motor maturity may be implicated in phonological acquisition differences. Some implications for the design of therapy procedures are explored. The importance of analysing and taking account of the phonological form of speech data in investigations of speech rate is highlighted.Item Spiritual aspects of nursing: a descriptive study of nurses' perceptions.(Queen Margaret University, 1992) Waugh, L. A.This descriptive, exploratory study examines nurses' perceptions of spiritual care. Having reviewed the literature it became apparent that the spiritual dimension can influence health, well-being and quality of life. Moreover, the nursing literature considers spiritual care part of the nurse's role, however, guidelines for its practice are absent. Research on spiritual care, particularly of British origin, is very much in its infance and nothing is known about how British nurses perceive their role in this. A conceptual framework for giving spiritual care using the Nursing Process is, therefore, offered by the researcher, although this still requires testing. The study, believed to be the first of its kind in Britain, ascertain how nurses, working in care of the elderly hospitals in Scotland, perceived spiritual need and spiritual care and professed to have given this care in practice. This was achieved by distributing a purpose designed postal questionnaire to the population of nurses (n=1170) in 1991. A response rate of 67.8% (n=793) was achieved, 58.5% (n=685) of questionnaires being usable. In addition, factors which appeared to influence the spiritual care nurses were identified. Initially clues to possible factors were obtained by conducting a certain statistical analysis using nurses' responses in the questionnaires. Further exploration of factors influencing spiritual care took place through interviewing a sample (n=12) of nurses. Findings revealed that nurses in the larger sample (n=685) seemed able to identify patients' spiritual needs and evaluate the care given, mainly through using non-verbal / indirect verbal cues displayed by patients. Nurses were, however, less willing / able to personally respond to these needs. Whereas for some nurses their reluctance to respond to patients' spiritual needs may have been due to their disclaim of responsibility for spiritual care, for others it seemed to be due to feelings of inadequacy. Charge nurses claiming religious affiliation and working on varied wards in certain geographical locations were most likely to have claimed to have identified patients' spiritual needs. However, it seemed, from the limited sample interviewed, that personal characteristics of the nurse were perhaps more important than the forementioned factors in determining the spiritual care given. Furthermore, factors relating to other professionals, the ward environment and the patient appeared to influence the way in which spiritual care was given to patients. The limitations of the study are acknowledged and the implications of the findings discussed. Given the descriptive nature of the study its prescriptive function is limited which highlights the need for further research in this important area of patient care.