Discussion between doctors and patients has long been regarded as the vehicle by which much of the curing and caring of medicine is conveyed. Sometimes regarded as the art or heart of medicine, its importance was well noted in antiquity and is recognized in modem times. However, it is only since the mid-1960s that the actual dynamics of the therapeutic dialogue have been observed in any systema...

Heteronormativity is the presumption of heterosexuality as the default sexual orientation and can result in discrimination against the lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) population. This study serves as one of the first experimental studies to examine heteronormative perceptions in communication and their effects on practitioner-patient relationships. LGB participants were randomly assigned to re...

Agent interaction protocols are usually specified in terms of permissible sequences of messages. This representation is, unfortunately, brittle and does not allow for flexibility and robustness. The commitment machines framework of Yolum and Singh aims to provide more flexibility and robustness by defining interactions in terms of the commitments of agents. In this thesis we identify a number o...