The director of an assisted-living housing complex was puzzled by the following situation. after she let the residents choose their own dinner time, as well as what they wanted to eat, she came to the realization that there were far fewer health problems and deaths among the residents. to what might she attribute this?

Perceived control

Explanation:

In geriatry people often tend to feel like their are loosing control of their life, with their schedules, medicines, diet, and everything else that is being taken from them, it becomes harder and harder to actually feel like you are in control of your life, with this new rules, she gave control back to the residents who were feeling more and more in control of their own life and decisions and allowed them to feel they had a life worth living.

low context culture   (lc.):

association:    

relationships begin and end quickly. many people can be inside one's circle; circle's boundary is not clear.

things get done by following procedures and paying attention to the goal.

one's identity is rooted in oneself and one's accomplishments.

social structure is decentralized; responsibility goes further down (is not concentrated at the top).

interaction:

low use of nonverbal elements. message is carried more by words than by nonverbal means.

verbal message is explicit. context is less important than words.

verbal message is direct; one spells things out exactly.

communication is seen as a way of exchanging information, ideas, and opinions.  

disagreement is depersonalized. one withdraws from conflict with another and gets on with the task. focus is on rational solutions, not personal ones. one can be explicit about another's bothersome behavior.

territoriality:

space is compartmentalized and privately owned; privacy is important, so people are farther apart.

temporality:

things are scheduled to be done at particular times, one thing at a time. what is important is that activity is done efficiently.

change is fast. one can make change and see immediate results.

time is a commodity to be spent or saved. one’s time is one’s own.

learning:

reality is fragmented and compartmentalized. one source of information is used to develop knowledge. thinking is inductive, proceeds from specific to general. focus is on detail.

learning occurs by following explicit directions and explanations of others.

an individual orientation is preferred for learning and problem solving.

speed is valued. how efficiently something is learned is important.

hope that                                         : )