Patient preference for and reports of provider behavior: impact of symmetry on patient outcomes.

Objective: Research has suggested that congruence between patient characteristics and contextual characteristics is a more robust predictor of outcomes than either patient or context characteristics alone. The goal of the present study was to examine the degree of congruence between patient preferences for the clinical encounter and reports of analogous dimensions of provider behavior and the effects of this congruence on patient outcomes.

Design: Two hundred eighteen patients with diabetes (predominately Type II) completed measures of preference for and ratings of perceived provider behavior in three domains (1) information sharing, (2) behavioral involvement, and (3) socioemotional support.

Surface textures improve the robustness of stereoscopic depth cues.

This research develops design recommendations for surface textures (patterns of color on object surfaces) rendered with stereoscopic displays. In 3 method-of-adjustment procedure experiments, 8 participants matched the disparity of a circular probe and a planar stimulus rendered using a single visible edge. The experiments varied stimulus orientation and surface texture.