This commentary reviews the existing research literature concerning support for talking about objects in mediated communication, drawing three conclusions: (a) speech alone is often sufficient for effective conversations; (b) visual information about work objects is generally more valuable than visual information about work participants; and (c) disjoint visual perspectives can undermine commun...

It has been pointed out repeatedly (1,2) that reported associations between race and illness should be subject to careful scrutiny. Establishing race as an independent risk factor for a disease is even more complicated than the usually difficult task of establishing epidemiologic association. Among the usual difficulties are selection of a representative sample, collection of accurate data, ide...

In all that has been written about organizational knowledge in recent years, the voices of organizational actors have rarely been heard. This paper presents the findings from a study that explored how Human Resource (HR) professionals talked about knowledge in relation to their practice within large organizations. They talked about areas of knowledge, the importance of knowledge and the use of ...

The paper discusses mechanisms for topic management in conversations, concentrating on interactions where the interlocutors react to each other’s presentation of new information and construct a shared context in which to exchange information about interesting topics. This is illustrated with a robot simulator that can talk about unrestricted (open-domain) topics that the human interlocutor show...

Language can be ambiguous at all levels – at the level of the word, of the phrase, of the sentence, as well as of the text or dialogue. The source of ambiguity is often lexical or morphological, but ambiguities also emerge when passing from one level of linguistic analysis – morphology, syntax, semantics, pragmatics – to another. This transition from one level of representation to another can, ...

s: Articles should not include an abstract. Please note that we will consider articles outside of the theme.The Residents’ Journal accepts manuscripts authored by medical students, resident physicians, and fellows; manuscripts authored by members of faculty cannot be accepted. To submit a manuscript, please visit http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/appi-ajp, and select “Residents” in the manusc...

This paper outlines the development of childrens' understanding about the concept of death, and describes common grief reactions. Using this framework, the principle elements of talking with children on such a sensitive topic are discussed. A variety of potential clinical interventions at individual, family and group levels are proposed.

Elizabeth Churchill is an applied cognitive psychologist with interests in science and technology studies, sociology and anthropology. She is a Senior Research Scientist at FX Palo Alto Laboratory in Palo Alto, California, designing technologies for mediated communication. Thomas Erickson is an interaction designer with interests in rhetoric, sociology and architecture and urban design; he is a...

Jeannette Pols and Tamar Sharon kindly reviewed my case study of the art of living with technology as an engagement with technomoral change. I am indebted to them for their careful reading and critical suggestions to further elaborate the project. In my response I focus on the question whose art we are talking about, while further elucidating the reflexivity addressed in my essay. I conclude wi...