Scores of a sample of Australian medical students on the Profile of Nonverbal Sensitivity are compared with the normative data. The comparison suggests that these medical students' scores are generally slightly higher than those of the normative group but comparable to those of USA college and medical student samples. A comparison of 4th and 6th Year medical student samples indicated no differences between measures. These data will be further used in a longitudinal study of the effects of traditional medical education on students' consulting skills.
References
1.
Ben-SiraZ.Affective and instrumental components in the physician-patient relationship: an additional dimension of interaction theory. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 1980, 21, 170–180.
2.
DiMatteoM. R.A social-psychological analysis of physician-patient rapport: toward a science of the art of medicine. Journal of Social Issues, 1979, 35, 12–33.
DiMatteoM. R.TarantaA.Non-verbal communication and physician-patient rapport: an empirical study. Professional Psychology, 1979, 10, 540–547.
5.
DiMatteoM. R.TarantaA.FriedmanH. S.PrinceL.Predicting patient satisfaction from physicians' nonverbal communication skills. Medical Care, 1980, 18, 376–386.
6.
EvansB. J.StanleyR. O.BurrowsG. D.SweetB.Comparison of skills related to effectiveness of consultations: an Australian sample of medical students. Psychological Reports, 1987, 61, 419–422.
7.
PooleD. A.Sanson-FisherR. W.Understanding the patient: a neglected aspect of medical education. Social Science and Medicine, 1979, 13, 37–44.
8.
RosenthalR.HallJ. H.DiMatteoM. R.RogersP. L.ArcherD.Sensitivity to nonverbal communication: the PONS test. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins Univer. Press, 1979.
