Table 3.

Bivariate correlations between emotional tone (im)balance, older target person’s characteristics, and perceiver’s self-system

Variable	M	SD	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
1. Emotional tone ratioa	1.65	.59	–
2. Patients’ cognitive statusb	10.75	8.44	− .29*	–
3. Patients’ functional statusc	60.39	28.54	.48***	− .56***	–
4. Patients’ communication behaviord	3.93	1.21	.32**	− .82***	.64***	–
5. Nurses’ evaluation of cognitive statuse	1.91	.94	− .38***	.64***	− .68***	− .65***	–
6. Nurses’ perceived stressf	2.28	2.65	− .20	.21	− .30**	− .28*	.20	–
7. Nurses’ psychogeriatric knowledgeg	3.73	.89	.16	− .19	− .05	.04	− .03	− .12	–
8. Nurses’ chronological age	38.93	12.30	− .03	− .15	.11	.13	− .16	− .08	.19	–

n varies between 81 and 92 due to missing data

*p < .05, **p < .01, ***p < .001

^aA higher ratio indicates a stronger tendency toward a person-centered tone of voice

^bLower error scores indicate a better cognitive performance

^c−dHigher values indicate a better functional status as well as a higher extent of communication behavior

^eNurses’ evaluation of patients’ cognitive status; possible range: 1 (no cognitive impairment) to 4 (severe cognitive impairment)

^fNurses’ perceived stress level during the care interaction; possible range: 0 (not at all) to 10 (extremely)

^gSelf-rated psychogeriatric knowledge; possible range: 1 (very low) to 5 (very high)