I learned how to speak clearly with participants and to discern how to communicate best with participants who were hard of hearing. Elderly participants seemed especially confused by technical language, and I learned to translate my study into laymen's terms. I also noticed that participants seemed to take cues from my body language and voice inflection. If I seemed more at ease and positive, participants seemed to relax and be more willing to complete research requirements. On days where I was more stressed and less sure of how I was going to conduct the session, participants also seemed to feel less at ease.
Bedside manner seems extremely important when working with the elderly.
Interacting with the staff and directors of nursing homes additionally helped me improve my ability to communicate and be assertive. I needed to learn a certain diplomacy in order to reassure the nursing homes of my intentions and the purpose of the research. As I spent time with the staff, their views of work in nursing homes made me realize the necessity for extreme patience, and a positive outlook, in their field of work. The experience I gained from this research will likely have far-reaching effects both in my personal and professional life. My work allowed me to explore the field of psychological research while gaining information and developing skills that will be helpful in a career emphasizing the importance of patient-therapist relationships.