Publication Date
2011
Document Type
Thesis
Committee Members
Kevin Bennett (Committee Member), John Flach (Committee Member), Valerie Shalin (Advisor), Debra Steele-Johnson (Committee Member)
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Abstract
Effective performance in dynamic domains requires experts to assess problems and implement solutions within the constraints of their work system, but these processes are not well accounted for in the expertise literature. I observed resident and attending emergency physicians to determine the behaviors that distinguish doctors as they manage patients and what contextual variables may affect these behaviors. Factor analyses revealed three types of behavior: goal establishment behavior, goal enactment behavior, and acknowledging uncertainty. Multilevel analyses indicated that doctors' experience and both the local and global context of care impact these behaviors. More experienced doctors appear to be more sensitive to contextual features when establishing goals. Less experienced doctors appear to be more sensitive to contextual features when enacting goals, which may be maladaptive. Doctors seem to acquire goal establishment and goal enactment skills at different trajectories, potentially due to differential emphases during training.
Page Count
138
Department or Program
Department of Psychology
Year Degree Awarded
2011
Copyright
Copyright 2011, all rights reserved. This open access ETD is published by Wright State University and OhioLINK.
