Psychology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Psychology - Essay Example Behaviorism Strength- the learner targets a clear goal and is very familiar with the goals’ requirements. Weakness- the learners may occasionally not find the right stimulus for the right response. Answers for question # 2 Sapir-Whorf’s linguistic relativity hypothesis proposes that â€Å"the particular language we speak influences the way we think about reality† (Dennis & John, 2008). This hypothesis, however, has met a lot of critics from other psychologists. For example, Carol suggested that this hypothesis still needs much attention as there are controversies that still surround it. She stated, â€Å"Perhaps it is the suggestion that all one’s life one has been tricked, all unaware, by the structure of the language into a certain way of perceiving reality† (Dennis & John, 2008). The essence of her statement is that, when people grow up and begin realizing reality from their own experiences, they may start disputing what their languages initially taught them. Answers for question # 3 Crystallized intelligence this is the capacity to utilize knowledge, experience and skills. It should not be likened to knowledge or memory as it does not depend on finding information from long-term memory. Fluid intelligence also called fluid reasoning is the ability to solve problems and think logically in every situation irrespective of the acquired knowledge. It includes both the deductive and inductive reasoning. It involves application of the best logics in solving problems. Answers for question # 4 Both the aptitude and achievement tests determine a learner’s general performance over a wide range of mental capabilities. However, the amplitude test further measure specialized abilities including numerical and verbal skills to guess the student’s earlier academic performance in educational programs. Achievement tests are closely associated with the current achievements on specific school subjects. Answers for question # 5 Th e validity of a standardized test is its usefulness and accuracy. Reliability of a standardized test on the other side is the capacity of the standardized test to give consistence results. Both the parameters are used by psychologists to effectively measure what they are testing. It is important to note that validity depends on reliability i.e. validity is not applicable without reliability. Answers for question # 6 Mental retardation refers to an individual’s current level of functioning. The primary levels of mental retardation that psychologists use to classify people include limitation in adaptive behavior and limitation in intelligence. Accurate diagnosis involves three components; origins of disability before 18 years of age, determinations of adaptive behavior shortfalls, and IQ score of about � or below. Answers for question # 7 Intellectually gifted people are more efficient at leaning new ideas and performing activities more than normally intelligent individuals. The success of an individual in life based on the IQ score is relative in, that intellectually gifted people have to exercise their gifts effectively to achieve success in life. But generally, intellectually gifted people have been observed to come up with new ideas, discoveries and developments that have made them more successful in life than the normally intellectual individuals. Answers for que

President Eisenhower and the NATO Essay Example for Free

President Eisenhower and the NATO Essay Stephen Ambrose, in his book Eisenhower: The President (pp. 215 – 216) gives a picture of the president as the driving force behind the NATO solution embodied in the Paris accords of late 1954. Is he right or wrong? The abrupt end of the World War II following the bombing of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki using atomic bombs heralded a period of heightened tension between the Western World represented by the US and the Eastern World represented by Soviet Union. Each of the two sides formed a myriad of alliances in bid to assert themselves across the face of the world. NATO was one such alliance that was purposely formed by the Capitalists (US and allies) to contain Communists (Soviet and allies). Though initially the alliance was more of a political organization than a military one, subsequent happenings in Europe, particularly the Korean War electrified the member states into forming a strong military alliance, with an integrated military structure built under the direction of two US military commanders, one of them Eisenhower. The militarization of the alliance was necessary especially having in mind that the opposing blocs (communists) were in the process of building their own strong military arsenals and therefore there was need for a balance of power between the two blocs. Again, this was a period marked by costly defense spending, immense conventional and nuclear arms race, and a number of proxy wars. [Rosenberg, 1979] In his book, Ambrose seeks to differ with Eisenhower’s friends as well as critics who regarded him as largely unprepared for the presidency. He depicts Eisenhower as one person who carried the best credentials among persons to ever been elected to the Presidency, particularly in matters concerning foreign affairs. Ambrose has got all the reasons to throw his weight behind Eisenhower’s foreign relations capabilities, given the success that he (Eisenhower) achieved when he served at various military ranks in international duty during the World Wars and the Cold War, the most notable one being his appointment as the first commander of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). [Ambrose, 1984] Until his election as the 34th US President, Eisenhower was serving as the supreme commander of the NATO forces in Europe. Moreover, in his inaugural speech he vowed to use his experience to end the Korean War. Being an experienced soldier and therefore understanding the painful impact of the modern weapons than any other person, he resolved to appeal for peace. To achieve this he advocated for high level of cooperation among the nations even among those who disagreed. He rejected the notion of an isolated America from the rest of the world, save behind its nuclear shield. He harbored the argument that active participation of the US in the world affairs was the most appropriate method of making sure that democracy was achieved in nations that were susceptible to the encroachment of Communism. He also harbored the belief that sustained dialogue between the US and the Soviet would be the best option for the provision of security to the entire world. To achieve this, he advocated for military and economic unification of the nations that formed the Western alliance, since according to him that was the only avenue for providing the much needed peace and freedom in the Western Europe. For example, he pursued the reinforcement of NATO’s southern flank by helping Italian-Yugoslavian struggle over Trieste and proposed at the Geneva summit meeting a shared aerial inspection, a move that was aimed at preventing a surprise nuclear attack. He also proposed for a project known as ‘atoms for peace’ program, that sought to provide loans to American uranium to ‘have not’ nations for peaceful purposes. [Boll, 1988] In what seems to a support for the argument that Eisenhower understood the painful repercussions of war, Campbell Craig claims that Eisenhower used the policy of nuclear weapons deterrence to scare his advisors to shy from pushing him to declare war against the communists, and also to deter the communists themselves into going into war with the West, represented by the US. In his book Destroying the Village: Eisenhower and Thermonuclear War; Campbell Craig argues that Eisenhower’s policy of defending the United States international interests was through general thermonuclear war. [Craig, 1998: p. xi] He reasons that between 1956 and 1957 Eisenhower rearranged the official American basic security policy in a way that, in the event of a war with the Soviet Union, the war would automatically escalate into general thermonuclear war. [p. 67]. The very threat of a thermonuclear war would serve as a deterrence of such a war on a national level since the US policy makers will definitely resist escalation in a crisis. Craig puts it this way, â€Å"Eisenhower’s strategy to evade nuclear war was to make American military policy so dangerous that his advisors would find it impossible to push Eisenhower towards war and away from compromise. † [p. 69]. This also served as deterrence to the Soviet Union as the prospect of going into a war that would escalate into thermonuclear war was so scarring. A fair analysis on Craig’s work is that, it is short of neither supporting the use of rigid defense of nuclear weapons nor rejecting their strategic use. Consequently, Craig does not seem to support or refute the claim that Eisenhower was directly behind the NATO solution to the encroachment of the Soviet Union and its allies. He lets his audience to make a conclusion; however, his arguments seem to lean more on the notion that Eisenhower used nuclear weapon diplomacy and the strengthening of the NATO and unification of the states that formed the treaty. He argues that â€Å"American avoidance of nuclear war †¦ did not just â€Å"happen. † Actual people, above all Eisenhower, sought to evade nuclear war; many powerful figures at the center of decision believed that such a war was justifiable and regularly called for steps that would have begun one. [P. xii] Soman argues that, during the period of crisis, between the years 954-1955, the Eisenhower’s administration was mainly concerned on the fate of the treaty for the Western European Union and the admission of Germany to NATO, which was to be ratified by the European nations. Particularly, the secretary of state, John Foster Dulles was filled with the fear that any event leading to a war with China that would involve nuclear weapons would move the European opinion away from the United States and therefore leading doubts on the ratification of the treaty. Soman argues that Eisenhower’s success just like many other US Presidents of post-World War II era in maintaining the United States national security and the strengthening of the NATO in the face of military threats from the Soviets was through the use of nuclear weapon diplomacy. For instance, he explains how American atomic capabilities contributed to the working out of a truce in the North Korean war. He reasons that, Eisenhower had no option in the use of nuclear diplomacy to counter the encroachment of the Soviet Union and its allies: he had inherited â€Å"†¦ a stalemated war in the Korea, a costly military build up, and armed forces that despite nearly three years of massive conventional rearmament still left the United States heavily dependent on atomic arsenal. † [Soman, 2000: p. 36] He therefore chose to reject any Soviet proposal to ban nuclear weapons knowing very well that this was his only trump card.

Asian-Pacific Markets Essay -- Economy, Emerging Market

Asian-Pacific markets have been enjoying an extremely favorable economic climate generated by high global liquidity over the past three years. In 2006, for example, the excess of liquidity and the overall positive economic performance of these countries led to the lowest sovereign spreads in history falling below 200 basis points, as shown in Exhibit 1. Among the mechanisms contributing to this process are: 1) the low interest rates in mature markets (the U.S., the U.K., Europe, and Japan), until recently declining due to the burst of the dotcom bubble in 2000; 2) the steep yield curve, providing incentives for carrying leveraged positions; and 3) the low long- term interest rates in the U.S. relative to the country’s economic growth rate. The overall liquidity, together with the reduction on risk perception that it creates, have encouraged global institutional investors to take strategic positions in Asian-Pacific markets, thus narrowing the spreads even more. Furthermore, the average credit classification provided by international rating agencies for the countries composing the EMBI+ has gone up to the highest level ever (Ba1/BB+ as of September 2006), expanding the base of investors even more. This scenario has allowed Asian-Pacific economies to finance their debt via local currency issues in the domestic and foreign markets, thus allowing them to improve the composition of their public debt by extending its maturity profile, reducing the proportion denominated in foreign currency and accumulating reserves. Nevertheless, the crucial issue for Asian-Pacific markets is whether the current level of sovereign spreads is sustainable in the face a potential reversal of cyclical factors, such as those involving liquidity, ch... ... the dependent variable (interest rate), a common approach for determining sovereign spreads that significantly raises the coefficient of fit (R2 ). Third, the model uses macroeconomic fundamentals and gover- nance indicators specific to each country as explanatory variables, instead of proxies for repayment capacity. These proxies, generally ratings or other holistic constructs, are usually subject to criticism regarding the methodology for scale conversion or their ability to predict currency crises in Asian-Pacific economies.5 Furthermore, the proposed model analyzes the country-specific vulnerability (sensitivity) to a global risk shock. Such elasticities are further decomposed into eco- nomic fundamentals and governance indicators, with the objective of assessing whether, and to what extent, country vulnerability can be mitigated by improving such variables.

Animal Farm: Equality of Animal Among Others Essay

â€Å"All animals are equal†¦ but some animals are more equal than others.† The largest single struggle throughout the entire story of Animal Farm would have to be the animals struggle for equality. The animals are forced to suffer through terrible conditions under the leadership of Mr. Jones. The brainwashing effect the pigs had on the farm caused many of the animals to forget the principles of equality and accept the hypocritical nature of Napoleon and his minions. A time when the animals had the least amount of rights and the least amount of equality was during the reign of Mr. Jones. Under the leadership of Mr. Jones, the animals had to suffer through terrible conditions while the humans got to stay in warm and comfortable beds. The animals also had to supply for not only themselves, but also the gluttonous humans who were constantly mooching off the animals and eating most of the food. Finally the animals suffered a terrible amount of neglect during the time of Mr. Jones and were all beaten savagely. Although the humans were far more prosperous than the animals, the animals were all equal among one another. The greatest time of equality among the animals would be during the time of their great leader Snowball. Snowball proved to be the best leader the farm ever had and constantly campaigned to make animals equal. Snowball displayed his lust for equality by creating weekly meetings were the animals had time to discuss what was happening on the farm and argue points. Snowball also made every animal work to their own capacity and no animal took on a harder work load than they could handle. Finally Snowball pushed to have a windmill that would bring electricity to each animals stall. With the passing of Snowball and rise of Napoleon, the animals found themselves back to suffering under the same conditions that they faced during the reign of Mr. Jones. For one the pigs decided to sleep in the beds of the farmhouse where none of the other animals were allowed. Also the pigs started slaughtering other animals seemingly at random due to ludicrous conspiracy theories. Finally the common everyday animals were killed if they tried to retire while the pigs were rewarded a long and peaceful retirement. The government of the farm had made a complete circle during the course of its three prominent leaders. The government went from total dictatorship to a democracy and then back to a dictatorship. It is uncertain as to what the animals lives would have been like with Snowball but one thing is certain. The animals are not equal. The only thing that remains true under the leadership of Napoleon is the hypocritical oxymoron that is, â€Å"All animals are equal†¦ but some animals are more equal than others.†

Environmental Impacts of Aviation Essay

Noise is said to have a variety of definitions. For people who are inclined towards acoustics, noise is identified as a complex form of sound waves that have irregular vibrations and has no known pitch. In the field of engineering, noise is considered as a signal that interferes with the detection and quality identification of another signal. However, for psychoacoustic studies which are focused on the study of human response to sound, noise is deemed as an unwanted form of sound (American Speech-Language-Hearing Association [ASHA], 2008). According to K. D. Kryter (1996), noise is an enhanced form of sound signals that post a negative effect in the physiological and psychological aspect of an individual (Kryter, 1996 cited in ASHA, 2008). For the most part, noise is something that could be identified as an unwanted sound which is a pollutant and a hazard to the health of human beings (ASHA, 2008). Noise can be derived from a variety of contributors, and such noises have their own levels that are detrimental to the hearing of an individual. Noise levels are measured in decibels. Sounds that are louder than 80 decibels are considered to be hazardous. One of the leading sources of potentially hazardous noise is the airport. Noises from airports could come from constructions and operating machines. However, the major contributor for airport noise is caused by the aircrafts. There are two ways on how aircraft noises are generated. First, airframe noise appears whenever air passes through the fuselage or body and wings of the plane. The activity causes friction and turbulence which often result in the production of unwanted sound. Gliders which are planes without engines produce noise during its flights. Second, engine noise is derived from the action of the moving parts of the aircraft’s engine. Such noise is also produced whenever the sound of air passes through the engines during high speed. Engine noise mainly comes from the plane’s exhaust or the jet situated behind the engine whenever the air sound from the engine combines with the air surrounding it (Wellington Airport, 2008). Based from the study carried out by Daniel Nunez (1998), airplane noise poses disturbance in the human sleep more than any other forms of noises. It was also indicated that more than 50% of the people residing near airports are awakened by airplane noise (Holland-Wegman, 1967 cited in Nunez, 1998). The onset of aircraft noise as a major problem began during the time when there is an upsurge in the need of air transportation after World War Two. By the end of 1950’s, the introduction of jet planes became widely known which later on catapulted the â€Å"aviation revolution† where commercial air passengers were also introduced (Nunez, 1998). The augmentation in the aircraft use also resulted in the increase in the noise level produced by air transportations. Because of the outstanding length of service and success of aircraft operations, airports gradually become larger and noisier. The attractive activities of airports also began to grab the attention of people, wherein surrounding communities started to spread all throughout the nearby areas. The more airports become bigger and nosier, the more residential structures, churches, and schools come closer to the area. Eventually, conflicting issues arise. Aside from the land expansion of airports which often cause nearby residents to act defensively, noise is also regarded as an issue that is very much integrated with airport operations (Bachman, 2003). As such, the painful sound from aircraft take offs and landings were viewed as the primary reasons of annoyance by the residents living near the area. From then on, airport noise has become a complex psychophysiological and economic issue (Nunez, 1998). The issues regarding aircraft noise are said to be complicated because of the aviation industry’s significance in the economy of developing countries. Without the presence of the aviation industry various economic industries would be gravely affected, some of which include the tourism business and mail transportation (Nunez, 1998). Many airports have spent large amounts of money in order to provide sound insulation for residential buildings and community owned structures to reduce aircraft noise (Bachman, 2003). One of the airports that have reached an agreement regarding their noise issue with the people in the surrounding community is the Wellington International Airport Limited (WIAL) situated in New Zealand. WIAL was constituted as a legal corporation on October 16, 1990. The aviation company is partly owned by the Wellington City Council which shares 34% of the total stocks, while the other 66% are owned by Infratil Limited. Wellington International Airport is known as the third largest airport in New Zealand and is classified as a regional hub that extends its international flight service not only in New Zealand but also to the Eastern part of Australia and the neighboring island countries in the south-west Pacific. Almost 90% of the passengers of WIAL travel domestically and majority of whom are business people (Ministry of Economic Development [MED], 2005). As it was said, no other cities in the world have an airport location that could be compared to Wellington International Airport. WIAL is situated on a narrow strip of land in the center of the residential areas. The airport is just minutes away towards the capital’s centre. It is also accessible through a short coastal scenic drive or passing through the tunnel at Mount Victoria. Although the location of the airport is said to be unique, the airport is faced with substantial challenges in terms of its environmental impact, specifically the aircraft noise. The location of Wellington International Airport which is close to the residential area became a ground for the residents to organize the Residents Airport Noise Action Group, the noise abatement requirement, as well as different actions from the internal operations of the airport in order to decrease the noise pollution (Wellington Airport, 2008). Residents Airport Noise Action Group In 1963, Maxine Harris first moved into her home at Strathmore which is near Wellington International Airport. Five years after, Harris reported that the jet noise began. According to documents, Harris and her neighbors were not at all bothered by the jet noise. However by 1980’s, Harris and her neighbors started hearing the night-time acceleration of the airplane engines of National Airways. Harris even noted that they heard the revving of the airplane engines that sounded like a high-pitched whining that would wake her up in the middle of the night and would not allow her to get back to sleep. Harris complained about the noise issue, but an airport official told her that no other individual complained about the noise. Harris talked to her other neighbor about the issue and her neighbor told her that he had also complained, yet the airport official also told him that no other person called the airport to complain. Both Harris and her neighbor responded to the issue by putting leaflets in the mailboxes of their neighbors. The leaflet called for the other residents to phone the airport whenever they were disturbed by the aircraft noise (Samson, 1997a). Because of this, the neighbors responded well, and in 1986, the Residents Airport Noise Action Group was established. The group was focused on performing two tasks: to halt the engine testing at night and to lessen the noise produced by the 737’s. It was in 1986 when the group had their first meeting with the city council. During that time, they have voiced their complaints regarding the noise issue. Their first attempt became successful after the city passed the first by-law which is focused on the engine-testing. The by-law limits the testing times of the National Airways Friendship fleet. However, subsequent efforts of the group were not as successful as their first attempt. The noise problem of the Boeing 737’s still remains (Samson, 1997a). In 1987, the Ansett Airlines became a part of the internal air service market. In return, Air New Zealand has to expand their operations. It was stated that the residents regarded 1987 as the year of â€Å"big explosion† because of the noise produced by the aircrafts. In response to the growing issue of the airport noise, the residents put forward a proposal, stating that all the 737’s should be phased out in 1997. Three months after the proposal was passed, Ansett acknowledged the residents’ plea by replacing the fleets with whisper jets that are much quieter compared to the 737’s. On the other hand, the city council framed a proposed by-law that would have ordered the Air New Zealand to reduce its fleet on a stage by stage process. However, the propose by-law did not take in effect (Samson, 1997a). By 1992, Air New Zealand promised that by the following year seven of their Boeing 737-200’s would have devices that would reduce noise known as hush kits and other fleets would be phased out and will be replaced by 737-300’s. However, the residents did not agree with this. Arguments were once again raised that have even reached the select committees of the parliament, yet the resolutions were unidentifiable (Samson, 1997, p. 19a). As a response to the noise issue that has been gaining public interest, the city council put forth a proposed district plan, but the residents opposed to it. However, in order to resolve the issue, environment court judge Shonagh Kenderdine ruled out in August of 1997 that the airport and the airlines should adhere to the strict rules as proposed by the district plan regarding the air noise boundary wherein a specific maximum noise level will be set. Furthermore, the noise boundary would later on be dissolved if there is an improvement with the airport and airlines noise management. Other regulations that were included in the ruling involve the night curfew, engine-testing, ground noise control, and land-use. The first three issues being disputed were already progressive after the issues were ruled out. The last dispute which was focused on the land use was not settled until November of 1997 (Samson, 1997a). As a follow up to the court ruling done on August of 1997, in order to end the ten-year fight regarding the acceptable noise level in Wellington area, and to finally conclude the last remaining area of dispute which was focused on the land use, Judge Shonagh Kenderdine ended the noise issue on November 20, 1997. The major players during the court case involved the Residents airport noise action group, the board of airline representatives, the Wellington city council, and the Wellington international airport. It was stipulated in the ruling that: â€Å"All new housing developments within the airport’s air-noise boundary would be deemed unrestricted discretionary activity† (Samson, 1997b, p. 3). Under the said ruling, any individuals who are interested to build residential structures within the surrounding airport area and all the application permits have to be approved by the Wellington City Council. Therefore, the council has the right to refuse or consent the details of the application depending on the criteria that are still to be set by the district plan (Samson, 1997b). Despite the criteria being on the process of completion, the interested party should be governed by the assessments set in the ruling wherein new homes that will be built within the airports air-noise boundary should use construction materials that could pass the standards of noise reductions. Such materials include: thicker gib boarding, double or thicker window glazing, and the installation of noise insulations. The ruling also required the city council to implement stricter rules regarding the development of new housings compared to the original proposition of the district plan (Samson, 1997b).