| This dissertation examines the role of formal features in the relationship of patient education intervention, knowledge gain, and reduction of anxiety. Assumptions about the effectiveness of patient education intervention stimuli are derived from the emotional response theory of cognitive psychology. The processing of information from a patient education intervention leads to patients gaining knowledge about a health care situation, which in turn leads to reduced anxiety about that situation. However, according to attribute theories of media studies, the specific characteristics of any media stimulus can affect the way information is processed. Different knowledge outcomes can be expected from different media stimuli.;A within-subjects, repeated measures experimental design was used in this study. Two groups were recruited as subjects: healthy and diabetic children ages nine to sixteen. The two subject groups were shown three different media stimuli. The three stimuli were similar in content, but differed in their use of formal features. The child form video contained animation, child voices, physical activity and visual special effects which are formal features that attract children's attention. The second video consisted of adult dialogue and character inactivity, formal features associated with a loss of visual attention in children. The third stimulus was a comic book. It was hypothesized that children would respond better to a child form video than to an adult form video.;The results of the experiment show that subjects perceived significant differences in all three stimuli. As expected, knowledge outcomes were different for each stimulus. Subjects showed the greatest knowledge gain from the child form video and the least gain from the comic stimulus. However, anxiety level was not affected by the stimuli. A low level of initial anxiety might account for a lack of stimulus effect on anxiety. Implications of the low initial level of anxiety are discussed.;Patient education is becoming an increasingly important part of the health care process. But a common problem remains: how to deliver full and accurate information to the patient. The results of this study suggest that for preadolescent and young adolescent patients a child form video is one viable alternative. |
