Listen up! You're tuning out! emotional triggers that serve as listening barriers in senior populations
File(s)
Date
2009-08-31Author
Froemming, Kristin J.
Advisor(s)
Penington, Barbara
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
The United States Census Bureau (2008) projects the number of U.S residents over 65 to
more than double from 40.2 million in 2010 to 81.2 million in 2040. This population's
rapid growth indicates the importance of dedicating energies toward uncovering ways to
more effectively communicate with older adults, including how to prevent them from
"tuning out" of a listening interaction. Related to tuning out is the concept of noise
which is defined as "factors that interfere with the accurate exchange of messages"
(Brownell, 2006, p. 42). Forms of noise, especially behaviors and words, can become
"hot buttons" for people. Given the scarcity of scholarly studies on the impact of
emotional triggers on listening in the senior population, this study sought to determine
how emotional triggers contribute to ineffective listening in older adults. Participants
with a mean age of 84 participated in one of four focus groups designed to gain insights
into how emotional triggers can provide barriers to effective listening. The results of the
focus groups were analyzed using Miles and Huberman's (1994) methods of qualitative
data analysis. Results of this study found language barriers to include pause fillers,
incorrect word usage, words that implied false familiarity, assumptive words, and poor
topic choice. Non-verbal behaviors serving as barriers to effective listening included
repetition, poor turn taking skills and the quality of the speaker's voice. Older adult
listeners noted that they react to emotional triggers by experiencing the desire to be
somewhere else, feelings of guilt, and a drifting mind. A deeper understanding of how
the older individual perceives his or her own listening ability and effectiveness is an
important step in offering them, and those with whom they interact, information that is
practical and appropriate.
Subject
Listening
Older people -- Communication
Emotions
Permanent Link
http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1793/47507Description
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