Thursday, October 31, 2019

Adult learning and development theories applied to military education Assignment

Adult learning and development theories applied to military education - Assignment Example Established educational programs play an important role in influencing learning processes and program components, moderated by learning and developmental theories, empowers learning processes to success. Examples of learning theories are social cognitive orientation theory, transformational learning theory and self-directed learning theory while Piaget’s theory of cognitive development is an example of developmental theories. Class sessions, tutoring, advising, program evaluation, and mandatory assessment are examples of program components and this paper reviews them subject to learning theories and developmental theories. Transformational learning theory and educational learning components Transformational learning theory is core to adult learning program. The theory’s core construct is the learning approach in which adults transform their existing knowledge, opinions, and assumptions and assume a more open minded and comprehensive scope of their experiences. The theor y relies on meditations, based on positive and negative experiences that motivate an individual and those experiences that develop surprises to adult learners, leading to social change that may be evident in reduced poverty level in the society, enhanced knowledge base in the learners, or reduced level of oppression. Transformational learning also relies on learners’ rationale from which new knowledge constructs are developed from experiences (Merriam, Caffarella and Baumgartner, 2012; Westby, 2007). Class session defines the traditional learning process in which a teacher teaches students belonging to a given class. It is a common approach to adult education, especially because of fixed schedules converges learning time, and constrained facilities. The foundation of class session exposure of the learner to new knowledge and this identifies with diversified aspects of the transformational learning theory. Exposure to new knowledge offers a basis for reflection into the learne r’s experience, a process that triggers the transformational learning theory’s aspect of reconstruction of perspectives. Developed knowledge in class sessions also offer a benchmark for determining the motivational aspect of an experience as lower benchmarks would enlist positive attitude while high benchmarks would identify discouragements in a learner’s experience. Interactive class sessions also exhaust learners’ perspectives and rationale to transform approach to knowledge development and to changed held perspectives (King, 2009; Boylan, Bliss and Bonham, 1997). Unlike class sessions, tutoring focuses on small number of students per educators and may sometimes be done on a one-on one basis. Its scope is similar to the scope of class session and therefore identify with transformational learning theory. The tutor, in a facilitator role, exposes learners to constructs that evoke reflection and meditation upon experience to motivate new perspectives. Lear nt knowledge from the program component also establishes standards that motivate learners into reflections and meditations. Consequently, tutoring identifies with the transformational learning theory through its concepts that promote reflection, among learners, of their experience, meditation upon the experiences, and integration of the experiences and learnt concepts for a new perspective. Advisory and counseling initiatives are other major components of educational programs and apply to adult education. The adult learner prefers an active approach to knowl

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

A nobel economist's caution about government Essay

A nobel economist's caution about government - Essay Example For example, the U.S. Affordable Care Act has brought little change since its implementation in 2010, lowering the number of individuals without health insurance to 13 percent down from 16 percent. While there are some elements of truth that the American economy has exacerbated and that some policy interventions usually worsen off the economy, it is prudent to acknowledge that without a logical economic framework, the economy would simply shut. Economics provides the framework, which influences the performance of the economy for the betterment of the society. Economics as a science focuses on ensuring that the most is achieved out of limited and scarce resources as opposed to perfecting the society as Boudreaux and Zywicki postulate. Achieving the desired results out of an economic decision inclines on the dexterity with which policy makers or governments choosing which economic policy to implement for a given problem. As such, the dismal achievement realized in Obama Care and many other botched government intervention attempts are exhibitions of inaccurate policy choices rather than deficiency in economic thoughts. Nonetheless, the article is a food for thought that evokes de eper thinking and understanding of economic

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Effect of Resource Diversity on Joint Venture Performance

Effect of Resource Diversity on Joint Venture Performance A STUDY OF RESOURCE BASED VIEW: HOW DOES RESOURCE DIVERSITY AND RESOURCE SHARING AFFECT INTERNATIONAL JOINT VENTURE (IJV) PERFORMANCE? ABSTRACT The study of resource based view (RBV) has transcended the limited focus of a single firm by arguing that RBV can be applied to the area of strategic alliance. As the most instrumental alliance form, IJVs are susceptible to the resource characteristics of parent firms. Albeit RBV has been used to explain research topics from IJV formation to performance measurement, more in-depth study is needed for exploring the association between resource characteristics and IJV performance. By analyzing data from 82 IJVs in China, the present research proposes that resource sharing mediates the positive relationship between Resource diversity and IJV performance. And cooperation effectiveness moderates the relationship between resource diversity and resource sharing. INTRODUCTION Barney (1991) believes that the resource based view (RBV) theory can be used to explain the relationship between firm resources and sustained competitive advantage in that valuable, rare, inimitable and unsubstituted resources have the potential to bring sustained competitive advantage to a firm. Transcending the limitations of excessive focus on the study of a single firm, Das and Teng (2000) further contend that resource based view can be applied to explain the entire mechanism of strategic alliance on a continuum from alliance formation to performance measurement. Their research takes RBV study to the next level by introducing more perspectives in studying strategic alliance which has been admitted as a critical device loading corporate strategy (Wassmer, 2010). As the most instrumental alliance form, international joint ventures (IJVs) combine both tangible and intangible characteristics of parent firms that allow resource sharing (including knowledge sharing and tangible resourc e sharing) to happen within the partnership because employees from the parent firms literally work together in IJVs (Kogut, 1988). It is critical for researchers and practitioners to understand how the characteristics and dynamics of two parent firms resources affect IJV performance. Why do firms form IJVs? Resource sharing and inter-organizational learning are the key reasons (Lane, Salk Lyles, 2001). By bringing diversified valuable resources into the IJV, both parent firms strive for a balance between protecting their own valuable resources and absorbing the partners resources (Das Teng, 2000). Therefore, the cooperation effectiveness of IJVs would inevitably affect the way resources are synthesized and shared between partners. However, when an IJV is formed, how are the resources of partner firms synthesized? How do both parties share their resources to maximize the IJV performance? These questions remain underexplored. The present research focuses on studying the dynamism of resource diversity, resource sharing and IJV performance and the moderating role that cooperation plays. Normally, an IJV is formed by two parties: a local firm and a foreign firm. These two parent firms possess different types of resources which are complementary to each other, so they could combine their resources to exploit mutual goals (Ren, Gray Kim, 2009). To contribute to IJV outcome, the resource of parent firms have to be dissimilar and complementary, and the utilization and similarity of resources should be considered synchronously (Das Teng, 2000). Extending their argument, the level of similarity and complementarity can be reflected by resource diversity, and how well the resources are utilized can be reflected by resource sharing. Moreover, to consider resource diversity and resource sharing synchronously, cooperation effectiveness plays an important role (Ren et al., 2009). As shown in figure 1, I propose that in an IJV, the resource diversity is positively related to IJV performance, the more resource diversity the partners have, the better IJV performance they are able to achieve. And resource sharing will mediate the association between resource diversity and IJV performance. Since two partners work in concert in an IJV, cooperation effectiveness inevitably moderates the relationship between resource diversity and resource sharing. Therefore, I put forth following hypotheses: The contribution of the present research is twofold. First, this research expand the resource based view theory by theorizing the model that tap into the relationship between resource diversity and IJV performance by examining the moderating effect of cooperation and the mediating effect of resource sharing. Second, this research also has managerial implications, it helps researchers and practitioners better understand the mechanism of resource diversity and sharing in an IJV, thus they can better deploy different types of resources and facilitate resource sharing accordingly. METHOD Data and Sample IJVs have played a critical role in helping China becoming the best player in the world absorbing foreign direct investment (FDI) (Fang Zou, 2009; Yao, Yang, Fisher, Ma Fang, 2013). Therefore, I draw samples of 200 IJVs in Guangdong Province because it is known as the economic engine of China partly by virtue of its capacity in attracting foreign investment. In their prior studies, Fang and Zou (2009), has adopted IJV sampling in a similar region Jiangsu Province. As suggested by prior researches, considering the validity requirement, solely rely on secondary data is not acceptable, a method combining both survey and secondary data here would be more accurate (Das Teng, 2000). Therefore, I administer surveys and draw on archival data for this research. Data are collected from IJV managers representing both parent firms. I measure IJV performance (the dependent variable) by using archival data. I also measure resource diversity (the independent variable), cooperation effectiveness (the moderating variable) and resource sharing (the mediating variable) by using survey data of CEOs, board members and senior managers from both parent firms to eliminate bias. Measures Resource diversity (the independent variable).As suggested by Das and Teng (2009), I assess the resource diversity by administering survey on IJV senior managers representing different parent firms to gather the response on the degree to which each parent firm brings different types of resources such as: financial resources, physical resources, human resources, technological resources, reputation and organizational resources (Grant, 1991, p.6). Adapting the method that Yao et al. (2013) used to measure knowledge complementarity, a survey on resource diversity will be used in the present research to ask senior managers representing each parent firm in sample IJVs how diversified the resources characteristics are from the parent firms by using a seven-point semantic scale. Since the method of Yao et al. (2013) is also conducted in similar regions in China, the content validity is ensured. In the survey, I ask questions such as: How do you compare your partys industry design with your a lliance partner? (strongly overlapping to strongly complementary). Appendix A includes the form of the items for resource diversity. Cooperation effectiveness (the moderating variable).Following the multi-step process (Churchill Jr, 1979) measure developed by Yao et al. (2013) on knowledge absorption effectiveness, I assess cooperation effectiveness in a similar way by asking top managers representing each parent firm in sample IJVs how effective the partners cooperate in the IJVs using a five-item, seven-point Likert-type scale. I ask questions such as: How do you rate the cooperation effectiveness between partners in your IJV: Our joint venture has been very effective in transferring resources among different partners? (strongly agree to strongly disagree). Appendix B includes the form of the items for cooperation effectiveness. Resource sharing (the mediating variable).Adopting the same rationale of measuring cooperation effectiveness, I develop my own items andassess resource sharing in a similar way by asking top managers to rate the level that the partners share the resources in the IJVs using a four-item, seven-point Likert-type scale. I ask questions such as: How do you rate the resource sharing level between partners in your IJV: IJV partners can easily acquire tangible resources occupied by each other for manufacturing activities? (strongly agree to strongly disagree). Appendix C includes the form of the items for resource sharing. IJV performance (the dependent variable).I will use secondary data to assess IJV performance by two constructs: its financial performance (Return on Investment), and also its longevity (Ren et al., 2009). Control variables.Following the study of Yao et al. (2013). I treat IJV size as control variable measuring by the IJV employee number. Since the market dynamism may be another confounding factor, I also control for market dynamism by using Miller (1987) five items. My data collection procedure is: gather the contact information of sample IJVs through the administrative offices of local development zones that are normally the administrative agencies and service providers of IJVs. Then phone calls and emails will be used to reach out to these IJV CEOs and other senior managers to explain the purpose of the present research and solicit participation in the survey. The ideal target response size of IJV is 82 according to GPower 3.1 test (Effect size = .30, ÃŽÂ ± = .05, Power = .80). Im expecting a 40% response rate which is at the high range of typical response rate (15-40%) since I administer the survey through officials of local development zones who are familiar with the IJV leaders. The questionnaires are distributed to participants in 200 IJVs through email, for non-respondents, the first round of following up phone calls or emails will be carried out two weeks after the distribution of the questionnaires, the second round will be carried o ut four weeks after the distribution of the questionnaires. Following the general method adopted by extant researches, I evaluate responses from the respondents and decide which responses to discard depending on the validity. Given the multinational background of respondents, my original questionnaires are designed in English, they are translated into Chinese when assigning to Chinese respondents, then the responses will be back-translated into English. Statistical description of means and standard deviations is provided. Analysis To test hypothesis 1, resource sharing and IJV performance are separately treated as dependent variables in regression analysis. To test hypothesis 2, I measure the moderating effects of cooperation effectiveness by using moderated regression analysis. To avoid potential multi-collinearity, I take both mean-centered independent and moderating variables into the regression (Aiken, West Reno, 1991). DISCUSSION Prior studies has proved that resource based view can be applied to the study in the area of strategic alliance for about two decades (Das Teng, 2000), yet little has been disclosed about the dynamic relationship between resource diversity, resource sharing and alliance performance. In this research, after examining 82 IJVs in China, the results support my hypotheses that cooperation effectiveness will moderate the positive relationship between resource diversity and IJV performance mediated by resource sharing. Theoretical and Managerial Implications The present research focuses on discovering the relationship between resource diversity, resource sharing and IJV performance, and the moderating role that cooperation effectiveness plays. The influence of resource sharing on IJV performance is examined subsequently. Resource based view has been proved a strong tool used to disclose the relationship between firm resources and sustained competitiveness. This research extended the study of resource based view to a more intricate and in-depth level: IJVs, in that compare with average firms, IJVs are formed by parent firms to utilize and share their resources thus achieve the goal of mutual benefits. Therefore, the research brings new insights about how firm resources are constituted and shared and thus affect firm performance in an ever-changing global context. Prior researches has shown that knowledge complementarity has positive effects on new product performance in IJVs (Yao et al., 2013). This research extends the study to a higher level regarding resources occupied by parent firms and bring more generalizability to researchers. It also helps top managers engaging in alliances better utilize their resources. LIMITATIONS AND FUTURE RESEARCH As other researches, this research has its limitations. First, as pointed out by other scholars, the sample source is somewhat monotonous because it only reflects the IJVs in a certain region in China, and the resource diversity might be pre-established since the IJVs in my sample are all formed by a Chinese firm and a foreign firm, this fact shows a certain pattern of partnership that the Chinese firms offer resources to reach local market while the foreign firms offers technological and financial resources (Yao et al., 2013). Future research may extend the study of resource diversity patterns by examining how different resource diversity relationships effect research sharing and IJV performance. Second, I only discussed the model regarding IJVs, however, there are other equity and non-equity inter-organizational collaborations such as technical exchange and consortia (Majchrzak, Jarvenpaa Bagherzadeh, 2014). The effect in the other types of collaborations may vary a lot from the model I examine in IJVs. However, the limitation here also leads to fruitful future research. Study of the resource dynamism and alignment can be delivered on different forms of strategic alliance. APPENDIX A APPENDIX B APPENDIX C REFERENCES      Ã‚   Aiken, L. S., West, S. G., Reno, R. R. 1991. Multiple regression: Testing and interpreting interactions: Sage. Barney, J. 1991. Firm resources and sustained competitive advantage. Journal of Management, 17(1): 99-120. Churchill Jr, G. A. 1979. A paradigm for developing better measures of marketing constructs. Journal of marketing research: 64-73. Das, T. K., Teng, B.-S. 2000. A resource-based theory of strategic alliances. Journal of Management, 26(1): 31-61. Fang, E. E., Zou, S. 2009. Antecedents and consequences of marketing dynamic capabilities in international joint ventures. Journal of International Business Studies, 40(5): 742-761. Grant, R. M. 1991. The resource-based theory of competitive advantage: implications for strategy formulation. California management review, 33(3): 114-135. Kogut, B. 1988. Joint ventures: Theoretical and empirical perspectives. Strategic Management Journal, 9(4): 319-332. Lane, P. J., Salk, J. E., Lyles, M. A. 2001. Absorptive capacity, learning, and performance in international joint ventures. Strategic Management Journal, 22(12): 1139-1161. Majchrzak, A., Jarvenpaa, S. L., Bagherzadeh, M. 2014. A review of interorganizational collaboration dynamics. Journal of Management: 0149206314563399. Miller, D. 1987. The structural and environmental correlates of business strategy. Strategic Management Journal, 8(1): 55-76. Ren, H., Gray, B., Kim, K. 2009. Performance of International Joint Ventures: What Factors Really Make a Difference and How? Journal of Management, 35(3): 805-832. Wassmer, U. 2010. Alliance portfolios: A review and research agenda. Journal of Management, 36(1): 141-171. Yao, Z., Yang, Z., Fisher, G. J., Ma, C., Fang, E. E. 2013. Knowledge complementarity, knowledge absorption effectiveness, and new product performance: The exploration of international joint ventures in China. International Business Review, 22(1): 216-227. Figure 1 Conceptual model of the current research

Friday, October 25, 2019

Essay on Number Theory -- Mathematics Math

Research Paper Throughout math, there are many patterns of numbers that have special and distinct properties. There are even numbers, primes, odd numbers, multiples of four, eight, seven, ten, etc. One important and strange pattern of numbers is the set of Fibonacci numbers. This is the sequence of numbers that follow in this pattern: 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, etc. The idea is that each number is the sum of its previous two numbers (n=[n-1]+[n-2]) (Kreith). The Fibonacci numbers appear in various topics of math, such as Pascal?s Triangle and the Golden Ratio/Section. It falls under number theory, which is the study of whole or rational numbers. Number Theory develops theories, simple equations, and uses special tools to find specific numbers. Some topic examples from number theory are the Euclidean Algorithm, Fermat?s Little Theorem, and Prime Numbers. Strangely, the Fibonacci numbers appear in nature too. One familiar way in which the Fibonacci numbers appear in nature is the rabbit family line (and bee family line as well). Another strange way in which the Fibonacci numbers relate to nature is the plant kingdom. Because of these strange relationships, I ask the question: How and why do the Fibonacci numbers appear in nature? In this paper, I will attempt to answer this question. Pascal?s Triangle - Golden Rectangle 2 The man behind the Fibonacci numbers, Leonardo Fibonacci, was born in Pisa in 1175 A.D. During his life, he was a customs officer in Africa and businessman who traveled to various places. During these trips he gained knowledge and skills which enabled him to be recognized by Emperor Fredrick II. Fredrick II noticed Fibonacci and ordered him to take part in a mathematical tournament. This place would eventuall... ...its relation to the Golden Angle, which appears in the primordia of plants in order to give the maximum number of primordia for plants. I like to think of an idea in the book, ?Life?s Other Secret,? which says that it?s not just Fibonacci Numbers that matter; it?s also the matter in which they arise (Stewart). 9 Works Cited Adam, John. Mathematics in Nature. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 2003. Knott, Ron. ?Fibonacci Numbers in Nature? 18, July 2005. 03, Aug 2005. Kreith, Kurt. COSMOS Professor. Davis, California. Muldrew, Lola. COSMOS Teacher Fellow. Davis, California. Stewart, Ian. Life?s Other Secret. Canada: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. University of Cambridge. ?The Life and Numbers of Fibonacci? Sep 1997. 03, Aug 2005. Essay on Number Theory -- Mathematics Math Research Paper Throughout math, there are many patterns of numbers that have special and distinct properties. There are even numbers, primes, odd numbers, multiples of four, eight, seven, ten, etc. One important and strange pattern of numbers is the set of Fibonacci numbers. This is the sequence of numbers that follow in this pattern: 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, etc. The idea is that each number is the sum of its previous two numbers (n=[n-1]+[n-2]) (Kreith). The Fibonacci numbers appear in various topics of math, such as Pascal?s Triangle and the Golden Ratio/Section. It falls under number theory, which is the study of whole or rational numbers. Number Theory develops theories, simple equations, and uses special tools to find specific numbers. Some topic examples from number theory are the Euclidean Algorithm, Fermat?s Little Theorem, and Prime Numbers. Strangely, the Fibonacci numbers appear in nature too. One familiar way in which the Fibonacci numbers appear in nature is the rabbit family line (and bee family line as well). Another strange way in which the Fibonacci numbers relate to nature is the plant kingdom. Because of these strange relationships, I ask the question: How and why do the Fibonacci numbers appear in nature? In this paper, I will attempt to answer this question. Pascal?s Triangle - Golden Rectangle 2 The man behind the Fibonacci numbers, Leonardo Fibonacci, was born in Pisa in 1175 A.D. During his life, he was a customs officer in Africa and businessman who traveled to various places. During these trips he gained knowledge and skills which enabled him to be recognized by Emperor Fredrick II. Fredrick II noticed Fibonacci and ordered him to take part in a mathematical tournament. This place would eventuall... ...its relation to the Golden Angle, which appears in the primordia of plants in order to give the maximum number of primordia for plants. I like to think of an idea in the book, ?Life?s Other Secret,? which says that it?s not just Fibonacci Numbers that matter; it?s also the matter in which they arise (Stewart). 9 Works Cited Adam, John. Mathematics in Nature. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 2003. Knott, Ron. ?Fibonacci Numbers in Nature? 18, July 2005. 03, Aug 2005. Kreith, Kurt. COSMOS Professor. Davis, California. Muldrew, Lola. COSMOS Teacher Fellow. Davis, California. Stewart, Ian. Life?s Other Secret. Canada: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. University of Cambridge. ?The Life and Numbers of Fibonacci? Sep 1997. 03, Aug 2005.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

How Psychological Research Has Helped in the Understanding of Criminal Behaviour Essay

Albert Bandura created the bobo doll experiment in 1961, the aim of this experiment was to show that if children where witnesses to aggressive displays by an adult of some sort they would imitate this behaviour when given an opportunity. The tested group contained 36 young girls and 36 young boys all aged between 4 and 5 years which was then divided into 3 groups of 24 – the aggressive condition, the non aggressive condition and the control group. The first group involved the children watching aggressive models, where the children where then subdivided by sex of the role model they were exposed to. The second group involved the children watched non aggressive models, where the children were also subdivided by the sex of the role model which they were exposed to. This left the two conditioned groups subdivided into eight experimental groups each containing 6 subjects. They were 6 boys with the same sex model, 6 boys with opposite model, 6 girls with the same sex model and 6 girls with the opposite model. With 3 different groups, Bandura had created a complicated design for the study which resulted in 3 independent variables; the conditions the children were exposed to, the sex of the child and the sex of the role model. Each child was then tested individually and the findings where then recorded. The experiment was done in an artificial environment and the researcher manipulated the independent variables into the conditions. In stage one of the experiment, the children were brought into the experimental room by the examiner. The room was set out as a nursery play room since that was the appropriate setting for the age of the children. One corner of the room had been arranged as a child’s play area consisting of a small table and chair and picture stickers. In the opposite corner of the room was where the adult models would be followed by a small table and chair, tinker toy set and a five foot bobo doll. In the aggressive condition the model began by playing with the tinker toy set but after a couple minutes the model turned its attention to the bobo doll and was aggressive towards the doll in a very distinctive way. Were as in the non aggressive condition the model ignored the bobo doll and played with the tinker toys in a gentle manner. After 10 minutes the children where then taken into new room. In stage two of the experiment the children were brought into a room with relativity attractive toys. In this room the children were to be subjected to mild aggression arousal. Once the children started to play with the toys, the experimenter took them off the children claiming they had been reserved for the other children. The children were then taken into the last and final room for stage three of the experiment. In this room the children were told they could play with any toys in there, the toys in stage three consisted of both non aggressive and aggressive toys. The children were kept in the room for 20 minutes where observations were made through a one way mirror by judges. With the observation and findings of this experiment, three measures of imitation were obtained. For this study the observers’ looked specifically for responses from the children that were very similar to the display by the adult model. They included; imitation of physical aggression, imitation of verbal aggression and imitation of non verbal aggression. With these observations, the researchers were able to consider which children imitate the models, which models the children imitated and whether the children showed a general increase of aggressive behaviour. The main findings of this study were that the children in aggressive model condition made more aggressive responses than the children in the non aggressive condition. They also found that the boys made more aggressive responses than girls, as well as the sex of the children being more aggressive if the model was of the same sex. These findings support Bandura’s social learning theory that children learn social behaviour through observation learning, which children learn through imitation. This study has helped in the understanding of criminal behaviour as children learn through imitation and the environment which they grow up in have an effect on their behaviour. If a child has been brought up around abuse, criminal activity or consistent aggression then the child is most likely to offend by imitating their role model which could be a parent, sibling or even just a role model which they look up to. Philip Zimbardo (1971) – Stanford prison experiment – Dr Philip Zimbardo created the Stanford prison experiment in 1971, the aim of this experiment was to find out the psychological effects of prison life, and to what extent can moral people be seduced to act immorally. The study consisted of 24 students selected out of 75, the roles of these 24 men were randomly assigned, 12 to play prison guards and 12 to play prisoners. The prison set up was built inside the Stanford’s psychological department, doors where taken of laboratory rooms and replaced with steel bars in order to create cells. At the end of the corridor was the small opening which became the solitary confinement for the ‘bad prisoners’. Throughout the prison there were no windows or clocks to judge the passage in time, which resulted in time distorting experiences. After only a few hours, the participants adapted to their roles well beyond expectations, the officers starting displaying authorisation and subject some of the prisoners to humiliation and torture whilst the prisoners developed passive attitudes towards the guards and accepted the physical abuse that was given to them. On the second day with surprise an unexpected rebellion broke out, reinforcement was called and more guards where to be on duty however the prisoners refused to leave their cells, barricading themselves in. This early in to the experiment the prisoners had already felt a loss of identity to the extent they started to refer to themselves as their inmate number rather than name. Even Dr Zimbardo himself started to lose sight of his role in the experiment believing he was in fact a ‘prison superintendent’ rather than a psychologist. Due to the extent of the rebellion the guards were forced to show more authority over them which led to the creation of the ‘privileged cell’. In order to break down the ‘superior’ inmates the guards placed the good prisoners in the privileged cell for a few hours, then placed the good prisoners back into the bad cells causing confusion within the inmates, breaking the trust and isolating them. Within a week the study was abandoned as the experiment was no longer a simple simulation, instead the guards saw the prisoners as troublemakers they were made out to be. In response to this they began stepping up control, surveillance and aggression whilst the prisoner started breaking down emotionally being unable to handle the situation anymore. From the observations and information given by Dr Zimbardo’s reports, this study has helped in the understanding of criminal behaviour as it relates to imitation and conformity. The guards imitated the behaviour of real guards adapting the role quiet quickly. The prisoners also adapted the role quickly falling into depression and conforming to each other. This also helps how a person mental state can change their behaviour, with the prisoners they soon became depressed and mentally unstable, and this shows that when put into a certain disciplinary situation the mind adapts causing them to act immorally. Solomon Ashce (1951) – Conformity experiment- Solomon Ashce conducted the conformity experiment in 1951. The aim of this experiment was to investigate the extent of social pressure from a majority group can affect a person to conform. For this experiment Ashe used a lab experiment. Ashe used 8 participants for this experiment, 7 confederates and 1 naive participant. The 7 confederates had previously agreed to what their responses would be when presented with the line task. However the real participant had no knowledge of this and was led to believe that the other 7 participants were also real. With this experiment each person had to state aloud which line was most like the target line, (A, B or C). The answer was always an obvious one. The real participant always gave his or her answer last in order to see if they conformed or not. In some trials, the confederates gave the wrong answer whereas in some they gave the correct obvious answer. In the experiment there was 18 trials altogether and the confederates gave the wrong answer 12 out of the total 18. Ashce main observation was to find out if the real participant would end up conforming based on the majority views given by the other 7 participants. The results were then drawn up and out of the 18 trails, around 75% of the trials the real participant conformed even though he or she knew the answers were wrong. From the observations, this study has helped in the understanding of criminal behaviour as it explains that criminals may have previously been highly exposed to such aggressive behaviour causing them to conform. This shows that publicly any source of aggressive behaviour or criminal activity can lead to conformity causing more criminal behaviour. Anderson and Dill (2000) – Violence in video games study- Both Anderson and Dill conducted the relation between violence and video games study in 2000. The aim of this study was to find out how violent video games relate to aggressive behaviour. Their first study consisted of 227 students which were given a questionnaire in order to get data on their aggressive behaviour patterns. This study looked at the long-term exposure to video games and what effect it has on aggression towards people. The findings of the first study relating to the questionnaire came back with positive relations between the violence portrayed in video games and aggressive behaviour. The second study which Anderson and Dill conducted was to approach the impact that video games have on aggressive thoughts, social view and mood of a person. This study consisted of 210 students which were given a choice of 2 video games a non violent game ‘Myst’ or a violent interactive video game ‘Wolfstein 3D’. With the non violent game the objective was to travel the island of Myst, finding clues and making your own ending depending on the journey you took. With the violent game the objective was to eliminate the enemy ‘Adolf Hitler’ choosing your own hero and variety of weapons. With each game the students were allocated 3 slots for a period of 15minutes each. The findings of this study concluded Anderson and Dills knowledge and opinions that those exposed to the violent video game gained more aggressive behaviour than those who were not exposed to violence. From the observations, this study has helped in the understanding of criminal behaviour as it states that playing video games may increase aggressive behaviour because the violent acts are continually repeated throughout the game. Video games also encourage players to identify and interact through role play of their favourite characters causing them to imitate the character they are playing. Referring to first person in a game, it causes lead players to make their own decisions in the game affecting the actions of the character. Anderson and Dills studies show that after a limited amount of time playing violent video games, a player can start to automatically prime aggressive thoughts which can lead to aggressive behaviour. This shows that continually playing violent video games can affect a person’s thought patters leading to automatic aggressive behaviour through imitation of their favourite characters which could lead to criminal activity. Jahoda name study (1954)- Jahoda created the name study or as it is also called the self fulfilling prophecy. Jahoda studied the Ashanti tribe people who gave their boys ‘soul names’ depending on what day of the week they were born. For example, boys born a Monday were expected to be peaceful and full of good, whereas boys born on Wednesday which were called ‘Kwaku’ were expected to be aggressive and quick tempered. Jahoda found that when looking at prison and court records 13. 5% of boys that had been referred to court to court where from boys that were born on Wednesday, yet they were responsible for over 22% of violent crimes which was significantly higher than would be expected and shows that Wednesdays boys tended to live up to their reputation. However as for the boys born on Monday, they found that only 6. 9% of all juvenile cases where of minor offences. This implies that stereotypes of the boys behaviours depending on which day of the week they were born caused them to live up to expectations of their names. Jahoda concluded from all this that there was indeed nothing magical about the day of the week the boys were born on but of effect of expectations has on a person’s behaviour. From the observations and findings, this study has helped in the understanding of criminal behaviour as it links to the effect of rehabilitation and the study of the self fulfilling prophecy. If the offenders have the expectation that they should behave in such a way, rehabilitation may be more difficult. Overall the psychological theory of criminal behaviour suggests that negative expectations cause curtain’s to behave towards others in a specific way because their stereotypes – self fulfilling prophecy. Rosenthal and Jacobson (1968) – Self fulfilling prophecy- Both Rosenthal and Jacobson also conducted a self fulfilling prophecy study and the way that people behave according to profiling or being stereotyped in 1968. Their study was conducted on students in a classroom which was also known as the ‘Pygmalion in the classroom’. The students were then put into groups of what the students think they will achieve, where they were then treated in a way that their ability group could achieve. All students completed an IQ test before the study. The findings of this study concluded Rosenthal and Jacobson’s theory that when people are put into groups or have been stereotyped into a group can cause people’s behaviour to change as they will live up to the expectations of the stereotype. The findings found were that after two years the students that were put into the group for higher levels achieved higher than the other students in any other group. These students were known to have been given additional feedback and extra attention so the finding expected had were correct. From the findings, this study has helped in the understanding of criminal behaviour as it shows that when categorised into a stereotype, people soon learn to live up to that expectation, behaving in a certain way. This also has an impact on a person’s self esteem, causing them to act undesirably and maybe even lead them to turn to crime. Eden (1990) – Self fulfilling prophecy- Eden also conducted the self fulfilling prophecy study in 1990, this study explains why some people turn to crime due to the way they have been stereotyped or labelled into a certain group. For this study, Eden looked at the training of 1000 Israeli soldiers and had them organised into 29 platoons. Some platoon trainers were told their groups were above the average potential but other trainers were told nothing. The findings of this study showed that after 10 weeks the performance of all soldiers were assessed and was found that on both the written exam and weapon test, the soldiers who had been told they were above the average potential did overall better than others, even though all soldiers were at an average level. These findings concluded Eden’s expectations that when labelled into a certain group, a person can adjust to behave according to expectations within the labelled group. This study has helped in understanding of criminal behaviour as it shows the stereotypes and labelled groups can influence a person’s self esteem leading them to behave in a certain way and if the stereotype is negative it can cause a person to turn to crime. Sheehan (1983) – TV violence and aggression Sheehan conducted the TV violence and aggression study in 1983. This study consisted of a group of middle class children aged between 5 and 10 to help find the link between children’s TV viewing and aggressive behaviour. Throughout the study data was gathered about the participants’ parents and the researchers also asked about the children’s aggressive fantasies to whether it would physically injure a person. Sheehan found that there were correlations between viewing violence and peer rated correlations for children that were aged between 8 and 10, with the correlations being stronger for the boys than the girls. The results were recorded by looking whether the child injured of irritated another person. These findings can relate to the social learning theory as he found that boys were more likely to imitate male models but overall looking at the data Sheehan collected, those who watched violent TV and films became more aggressive towards others than those who did not. This study has helped in understanding of criminal behaviour as it shows that continuously watching violent and aggressive TV programmes can affect a person’s thought patterns leading to automatic aggressive behaviour and imitation of their favourite characters which could lead to criminal activity.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Moral choice of Hamlet

Hamlet was the only son of the late King that was named too as Hamlet. His father was murdered when Hamlet was away from home. He had an uncle, a brother of his father, named Claudius and later married Hamlet’s mother named Gertrude. Since Hamlet’s father was murdered, it was Claudius who took over the palace and became a king. On the other, Hamlet had a girlfriend named Ophelia. Ophelia was dearly loved by Hamlet. But there were many obstacles and hindrances that tested their love as lovers. Ophelia’s father, Polonius, and brother, Laertes, had strongly disagreed with their affair. They even reprimanded Ophelia not to talk again with Hamlet due to the reason that it was not inappropriate for Hamlet and Ophelia to have a relationship because they both came from different world. Moreover, Hamlet was very depressed and sad when his father died. He really searched and did not stop in finding for the truth in order to have justice for his father’s death. Hamlet had an intuition that his uncle, King Claudius, was responsible for the death of his father but Hamlet did not have enough evidences to prove the said accusation. But since he was clever enough, Hamlet made a plan that surely helped him find out who was the master mind of the death of his father. Then he found out something from the plan he set. When he identified and discovered that it was King Claudius who was responsible for his father’s death, he started to set another plan on how to kill King Claudius as a revenge and retaliation to his uncle. This plan he set up made the people, especially his uncle and Ophelia, puzzled what made him like that and this plan was to act out as insane. Hamlet believed that this plan will be the best way to kill his uncle. Now, when Hamlet showed himself to Ophelia, the love of his life was very terrified and startled because she knew that Hamlet was going insane and she was afraid what Hamlet might do to her. Because of that, Ophelia was set by King Claudius and Polonius to be used in finding out on what were the causes and reasons why Hamlet was going crazy. They speculated that Hamlet was insane because he and Ophelia were not permitted to see each other. But when the time they’ve met, Hamlet continually acted out as insane and Ophelia was very sad and depress. So King Claudius and Polonius were very disturbed on what made Hamlet that way and the King assumed that there must be another reasons that made him insane. Furthermore, there was an incident that Hamlet and Ophelia went out to watch a dramaturgical performance and Hamlet acted again as insane because King Claudius was there and he thought it would be the time to verify and confirm Claudius’ contriteness in the killing of his father. That incident made Ophelia very humiliated. After that incident, Hamlet accidentally killed Ophelia’s father that result to Ophelia’s suicide by drowning herself in the riverbank. Hamlet’s morals: Hamlet’s heart was full of hatred and selfishness in such a way that due to his plan to revenge to his stepfather and an uncle at the same time, the lives of others were affected and destroyed. He only thinks for himself. It is not wrong to find out the truth but if you cause pain and hurts to other people in order to get your desired plan, then, that made it bad. Hamlet had good intentions in doing such plan because through that, he will be able to find justice for his father’s death. But the act itself in carrying such plan was morally wrong because he involved other people’s lives like Ophelia’s father that he killed because of his anger and that caused Ophelia’s depression and ended up killing her on life.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Shianne Buie Compare and Contrast Chap 17 Both the Essays - Racism

Shianne Buie Compare and Contrast Chap 17 Both the Essays - Racism Shianne Buie Compare and Contrast Chap 17 Both the Jewish people and Native Americans were discriminated and targeted by political leaders, F hrer Adolf Hitler and President Andrew Jackson . Both men subjected these cultural groups to terribly devastating treatment and will forever be known as monsters for their actions. Even worse is the fact that these people were simply subjected to so much torture simply because of their different race s and religio n. The Holocaust and The Trail of Tears showcase the real horrors these cultural groups had to endure at the hands of these men. After Jackson issued the Indian Removal Act of 1830, numerous Native American tribes were gathered up by US soldiers to be taken to a reservation the government had set up for them. These people were forced out of their homes and told that if they didn't cooperate, they would be killed. They were then shuffled, on foot, by the army from their Southeastern US territ ories all the way to the Mississippi River. The Jews were also treated inhumanly by the Nazi army, they were dragged out of their homes in the night and forced into rundown Ghettos. Then they were all crowded into cattle cars and shipped off to Concentration Camps,also set up by the government, where they faced truly unspeakable horrors. Along the Trail of Tears many lives were lost by means of starvation, exhaustion, disease and even freezing to death. There was no regard not burial given for the dead, soldiers merely threw blankets over their bodies and pushed the others on their way. The way the Jews died was pretty much the same, there was also no type of proper burial for the deceased. It is said that there were actually mass graves that the Nazi ' s dumped the countless bodies of the dead in. Even after a century it seems men still hadn ' t learned how to act like human beings, in fact they seemed to have gotten worse. There were also a fair number a differences between these horrific events, one being the final death counts. From 1831 to 1838 nearly fifty-thousand Indians had walked the Trail of Tears, resulting in the deaths of 6,000. While during 1941 to 1945, nearly six million Jews, out of the 9.5 million that had populated Europe, had been killed. While they shared some of the main causes of death with the Native Americans on the Trail of Tears, the Jews also had to face gas chambers, being burned alive, exhaustion from overworking and even fatal medical experiments. Another difference between the two is the fact that the Trail of Tears was more of a periodic occurrence, only happening five times in a seven year period. While the Jewish victims were at the mercy of German soldiers for the entirely of the Holocaust period. The reasoning for these disasters is also different, t he Jews were targeted because Hitler managed to convince everyone that they were to blame for the failure of the economy in G ermany . As for the Indians, it was just a matter of white farmers wanting their land and needing a way to get them off it. Both causes were completely despicable all the same. While reading about the Trail of Tears in this chapter, I happened to recall a presentation my friend gave in high school about political leaders who had committed terrible crimes. Hitler was obviously on the list, but when she mentioned Jackson a lot of people were surprised, one guy even said and I quote, " But he was an American president. " My friend had responded that it didn't matter who the heck he was, because treating people like he did was absolutely repulsive and horrifying. I agreed with her reasoning and thought the presentation itself was really interesting, so I figured comparing and contrasting these two events would prove even more informative to me, as it certainly did.