Infinite Reality - the Hidden Blueprint of Our Virtual Lives Assignment - 5

Infinite Reality - the Hidden Blueprint of Our Virtual Lives - Assignment Example Most of them are shocked to find out that the person they were talking to the whole time was a different gender or perhaps used a different persona, usually one that easily fits into the world’s idea of beauty. Relating this concept of the show to the author’s view in â€Å"Infinite Reality†, where he says â€Å"appearance and behavior is up for grabs, such that a person could be effortlessly transformed into another sex, race, age, even a different species of animal,† I would say that though it is easy to make up a make believe virtual reality because there is not really any sort of way to check online whether a certain person is really who he or she says they are, behavior is apparently not one for grabs. Just like how a real person who is made up of a physical, mental and emotional dimension, virtual accounts pretty much operate the same way except the fact that the physical aspect can be easily altered based on the limitation of a non-personal interaction. One can easily use someone else’s picture and create a new persona online. However, while this works for the physical aspect, the mental and emotional aspects which is part of the â€Å"everything† of a being is really telling of a person’s virtual blueprint even without a personal encounter. One can stop looking like a nerd by just the act of changing a profile picture but one does not stop being a nerd. This is because the moment one creates messages, comments and shares one’s life to another through chat, no matter how one avoids the reality he or she wants to run away from, the virtual blueprint easily seeps in exposing bits of the reality behind a certain virtual persona. Let us take a look at our virtual encounters. I am sure all of us have had an experience creating a profile and interacting with other people online.

Whistle blowing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Whistle blowing - Essay Example Internal whistle blowing is whereby a whistleblower communicates any form of misconduct to their supervisor, who then applies the established procedures in the organization to address the misconduct. External whistle blowing is whereby a whistleblower communicates any form of misconduct to external parties like the media or law enforcement agencies (Lewis, 45). A whistleblower can report misconducts, illegal actions, or neglect of duties at work, including; In most cases, an employee cannot suffer a dismissal because of whistle blowing, since this is would amount to an unfair dismissal. In other words, the law will protect them if there was a fulfillment of certain standards. These standards are known as the qualifying disclosures. Normally, the individuals protected include agency workers, employees, individuals who are training with an employer and have not yet gotten employment, and supervised self-employed workers. An employee is only entitled to protection if they sincerely feel that whatever they are reporting is factual and they feel they are informing the right person. In addition, the whistleblower must also believe that their exposure is in the interest of the public. Employees are, however not protected from dismissal when they break the law while reporting misconduct. For instance, when an employee had earlier on signed the Official Secrets Act, or when the misconduct became discoverable in an event whereby another person was seeking legal advice. Moreover, those workers who are not employed.

Data Collection Essay Example for Free

Data Collection Essay * The Rough was excluded during the calculation of the mean as the rough was a trial to indicate the general whereabouts of the end point, which is inaccurate of the exact end point. Table 2. Observations collected during the experiment. Table contains observations which were recorded during each trial of the experiment. Trials Observations Before trials * When water was added to the crystals of oxalic acid, it dissolved almost instantly with a light stirring of the beaker. Rough * When two drops phenolphthalein was added to the solution of sodium hydroxide, the solution turned pink. * After adding about 20.8dm3 of oxalic acid into the sodium hydroxide solution, while swirling the conical flask, the solution turned completely clear the oxalic acid was filled up to 21dm3 to have a rounded rough end point to work with. 1 * When two drops of phenolphthalein was added to the sodium hydroxide solution, the solution turned pink. * After adding about 20dm3 of oxalic acid solution, while swirling the conical flask gently, each drop of oxalic acid solution began to turn the pink solution slightly clear. * After about 20.6dm3 oxalic acid solution was added, the pink solution turned completely clear. 2 * Two drops of phenolphthalein was added to sodium hydroxide solution, producing a pink coloured solution. * After about 20dm3 of oxalic acid solution was added, each drop began turning the pink solution slightly clear. * After adding around 20.4dm3 of oxalic acid solution, the pink solution turned completely clear. 3 * Two drops of phenolphthalein was added to the sodium hydroxide solution, turning the solution in the conical flask pink. * After adding about 20dm3 of oxalic acid solution, each drop began turning the pink solution slightly clear. * When about 20.3dm3 of the acid was added, the pink solution turned completely clear. Data Processing 1. Write an equation for the reaction. (COOH)2 + 2NaOH 2NaCO3 + 2H2O 2. What amount (in moles) of NaOH is present in 20.0 cm3 of 0.097 mol dm-3 sodium hydroxide solution? c = n/v c = 0.097mol dm-3 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½0.001 = 0.097mols à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ (0.001/0.097 x 100%) = 0.097mols dm-3 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½1.03% v = 20.0cm3 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½0.04 = (20.0/1000) à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ (0.04/20.0 x 100%) = 0.020dm3 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½0.2% n = ? n = c x v n = 0.097 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½1.03% x 0.020 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½0.2% n = 0.00194 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ (1.03 + 0.2)% ? n = 0.00194 mols à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½1.23% 3. What amount of oxalic acid was present in the average volume required to react exactly with the sodium hydroxide solution? Using the molar ratio of 1:2 for acid : base respectively: 0.00194 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½1.23% / 2 = 0.00097 mols ? amount of oxalic acid present = 0.00097 mols à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½1.23% 4. What amount of oxalic acid was present in your 250 cm3 volumetric flask? Concentration of acid in 250mL is the same as the concentration of acid in 1L. Therefore the concentration of acid in 1 dm-3 of acid solution is the same as concentration of acid in 250mL: c = n/v c = 0.0119à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½2.03% / 0.25 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½(0.15/250 x 100%) c = 0.0476 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ (2.03+0.06)% ? c = 0.05 mols dm-3 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½2.09% (concentration of acid) c = n/v 0.05à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½2.09% = n / 0.25 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½0.06% 0.05à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½2.09% x 0.25à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½0.06% = n ? n = 0.0125 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ (2.09 + 0.06)% ? moles of oxalic acid in 250mL solution = 0.0125 mols à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½2.15% 5. What is the mass of one mole of oxalic acid? n = m/MM MM = m/n MM = 1.5g à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½0.02 / 0.0125mols à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½2.15% MM = 1.5 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½(0.02/1.5 x100%) / 0.0125à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½2.15% MM = 120 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½(1.33+2.15)% MM = 120 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½3.48% m = n x MM m = 1 x 120à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½3.48% ? mass of one mole of oxalic acid = 120g à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½3.48% 6. How many molecules of water of crystallisation are present in one mole? MM of (COOH)2 = 2(12.01 + 32 + 1) = 90.04 MM of H2O = (2.02 + 16) = 18.02 (COOH)2.xH2O = 120g à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½3.48% ? 90.04 + 18.02x = 120g à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½3.48% ? 18.02x = 120g à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½3.48% 90.04 ? 18.02x = 29.96à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½3.48% (/18.02) ? x = 1.6626à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½3.48% ? Molecules of water of crystallisation = 1.66à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½0.06 Conclusion and Evaluation Discussion 1. Estimate the degree of uncertainty in your readings using the balance, the volumetric flask, the pipette and the burette. How accurately can you quote your answer? Balance = à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½0.02g Volumetric flask = à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½0.15mL Pipette = à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½0.04cm3 Burette = à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½0.15cm3 The equipments used were relatively accurate as the uncertainties compared to the collected values are small. 2. Compare your answer with the correct answer and work out the percentage error. Percentage error = [(experimental value actual value) / actual value] x 100% = [(1.6626 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½3.48% 2) / 2] x 100% = 16.87% à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½1.74% 3. Suggest any other reasons for possible error. Other reasons for possible error include the uncertainty of equipments, human errors and mistakes, possibility of contaminated solutions, air bubbles and transference of solution between equipments. This experiment was conducted to find the ratio of water in hydrate oxalic acid crystals. This included calculations of the theoretical and experimental values for the ratio of water in the hydrate oxalic acid crystals and the percentage errors of values compared. The equation for the reaction between the sodium hydroxide solution (NaOH) and the oxalic acid solution ((COOH)2) was worked out, with the product being a salt (NaCO3) and water (H2O). As the oxalic acid solution is a dibasic acid solution, the reaction ratio with sodium hydroxide is 1:2. The amount of NaOH, in moles, was also calculated by multiplying the concentration of the sodium hydroxide solution and the volume of sodium hydroxide solution used. The equation c = n/v was used to calculate this. The result was 0.00194 moles of NaOH in the sodium hydroxide solution with an uncertainty of à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½1.23%. The amount of oxalic acid presented in the average volume required to react exactly with the sodium hydroxide solution was also calculated; by dividing the moles of NaOH (0.00194à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½1.23%) by 2, based on the 1:2 reaction ratio stated before. The result was 0.00097 moles with an uncertainty of à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½1.23%. The amount of oxalic acid present in 250cm3 was also calculated. The concentration of acid in 250mL is the same as the concentration of acid in 1L, therefore, the concentration of acid in 1dm-3 of the oxalic acid solution is the same concentration as the acid in 250mL. With this understood, the equation c = n/v was used once again. The concentration was first calculated by dividing the moles of NaOH by 0.25dm3. The result (0.05mols dm-3 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½2.09), was used in further calculations to determine the moles of oxalic acid by multiplying the previous calculated concentration (0.05mols dm-3 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½2.09) with 0.25dm3, resulting in the moles of oxalic acid in the 250mL solution as 0.0125mols à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½2.15%. This value was used in the calculation of the mass of one mole of oxalic acid. The equation n = m/MM was used in this calculation. The MM (molar mass) was first calculated, dividing the mass of oxalic acid crystals by the moles of oxalic acid (1.5 / 0.0125). The mass (m = n x MM) was calculated with the result of this (1 x 120à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½3.48%), resulting in the mass of one mole of oxalic acid being 120à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½3.48%. Finally, the molecules of water of crystallisation presented in one mole were calculated. This was done by using the mass of one mole of oxalic acid (120à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½3.48%), subtracting the MM of (COOH)2 (90.04) from it and dividing the result by MM of H2O (18.02). The final result of the number of molecules of water in crystallisation equalled 1.66 with an uncertainty of à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½3.48% or 0.06. With this final result, the percentage error was calculated, being 16.87%à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½1.74%. All the uncertainties within the values used were calculated into percentage through dividing the uncertainty by the value and multiplying it by 100%. The uncertainties were converted into percentages before doing calculations were done. There were several limitations found during this experiment which would have been the cause of an inaccurate final result the variation between the theoretical value of 2 and the experimental value of 1.66à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½0.06. These limitations include the uncertainties of the equipment, human errors and mistakes, possibility of contaminated solutions, air bubbles found in solutions and the transference of solution between equipments. The significance of these errors and the improvements are listed in the table below. Limitations Significance Improvements Uncertainty of equipments Uncertainties were obtained during the experiment through the use of equipments. The inaccurate recording of data would have affected the results in the end. Eg. The readings on the electronic scale werent fully stable and consistent at one value, it varied increasing and decreasing slightly. In the case of the electronic scale, it was suggested that the variation in weight value was due to the air-conditioning blowing down on it. The air-conditioner could be turned off to reduce the uncertainties and variations. Students could also prevent themselves from breathing heavily down onto the scale while measuring, this could have contributed to the variation as well. Human errors and mistakes Mistakes could affect the outcome and accuracy of results. Eg. While adding water into the volumetric flask to dissolve the oxalic acid crystals, a student accidentally added a little too much, over the 250cm3 that was intended. This would have over diluted the oxalic acid. This could have been avoided through patience while adding the water into the volumetric flask. This could also have been done slowly and carefully, probably using a pipette towards the end at the 250cm3 mark. Reading the measurement of the pipette, burette and volumetric flask could have been inaccurate, causing results to be inaccurate and in turn affecting the calculations. Inaccuracy could have been due to improper way of reading the measurement. Students should have bent down slightly with the measurement at eye level. Student`s heads should not be tilted but level with the equipment as well. The measurement should also be read at the parallax, not above or below it. Possibility of contaminated solutions The experiment was conducted with the use of several different solutions. These solutions could have accidentally been mixed in with each other, causing the solution to be contaminated. The results obtained due to this could have been inaccurate, affecting the final results. Being careful with the solutions used would help avoid this. Using clean equipments for each different solution, making sure the solutions that are not meant to be placed together do not get mixed with each other. After the use of some of the equipments, they were to be washed and reused for another solution. The equipments were not dried before being used again; this could have diluted the solution and contaminated it. Drying the equipment each time after it is washed/cleaned would prevent access water and dilution of solutions. Air bubbles When transferring the dissolved oxalic acid into the burette, there were some tiny air bubbles. This would have because the measurement to be inaccurate as the air bubbles would have caused the reading of the solution to be greater than it actually is. Over time when the bubbles removed itself from the solution which would have caused a decrease in solution. The inaccurate measurement reading would have affected the final results of the experiment. The burette could have been left alone for awhile to allow the bubbles to float to the top. Whatever the amount the bubbles made up for, fill the burette up again with the use of a pipette. Transference of solution between equipments When transferring solutions between two or more differing equipments would have caused an increase of decrease in measurement. An inaccurate amount of solution would have affected the results or recorded data. When using a funnel during the transference of solution into the burette, it caused some increase in the desired amount. This is due to the tip of the funnel having some drops of solution left in it and when the funnel was removed, the movement could have caused those drops to drop into the burette, causing an increase in amount of solution. This could be prevented by either slowly removing the funnel or using the funnel up to a certain mark, remove it and fill up to the desired amount with the use of a small pipette drop by drop. When using the 20mL pipette to transfer the sodium hydroxide into the conical flask, the tip of the nozzle had a drop that was tempted to drop out of the pipette. Avoid touching the sides and move the pipette over the flask slowly would reduce the chances of it dripping out and altering the volume of solution. A small amount of the solution was also stuck at the tip of the nozzle after being emptied. By touching the tip to the side of the flask would help that tiny bit of solution flow out. If possible have the nozzle flat on the side of the flask, this would allow it to flow out smoothly. To avoid or reduce these significant errors, these solutions and improvements should be taken into consideration during future repetition of this experiment. The experiment overall was invalid. Though the values in data collection may have been to a 0.10cm3 difference, the final calculation of the percentage error, 16.87%à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½1.74%, was much greater than the desired 1% causing the experiment to be invalid.

Discrimination Essay Effects of Discrimination

Discrimination Essay Effects of Discrimination As far as historical records show, no society or nation has been immune to discrimination, either as victim or victimizer. Contemporary forms of discrimination date back to when European colonizers penetrated and transformed previously isolated societies and peoples. The more extreme forms of discriminatory practices include genocide, slavery, legislated discrimination (such as Apartheid), discriminatory immigration laws, and disenfranchisement. Less extreme forms of prejudice and discrimination, but nevertheless pervasive and oppressive, include social exclusion at the institutional level (such as in schools and hospitals), and the more subtle forms practised by the media. Some groups appear to suffer from more persistent forms of discrimination, such as Jews (as in anti-Semitism) and the Roma (a.k.a. Gypsies), regardless of time and place. The keywords that need to be looked into before delving the topic in question are discrimination and disturbing. According to the Oxford Dictionary, disturbing means causing distress or worry or anxiety, upsetting, an unpleasant mental state by such effects as irritation, unfairness and distraction. Discrimination, brings the meaning unfair treatment of a person or group on the basis of prejudice and partiality. It can lead to emotions such as frustration and anger. In humans, it is a mild or serious form of suffering, often with anger about this, in particular, if applicable, anger at the person or persons who caused it. This essay examines the cause and effects of discrimination in its various forms, on an individual, society or nation. Our world has always been faced with the problem of discrimination. It is one of the most discussed topics nowadays and throughout history. In all countries there is most likely at least one type of discrimination that affects different groups of people. The definition of discrimination is the denial of opportunity or equal rights for a specific group of people that may be differentiated by things such as their religion, color of skin, or gender. Discrimination can be confused with other terms such as prejudice and stereotype. The world we live in has been struggling with this sensitive subject for as long as we have recorded. Stereotypes are images held in our minds in regards to certain racial or cultural groups, without consideration of whether the images held are true or false. Stemming from stereotypes is prejudice. The prejudicial attitude occurs when we prejudge a person, good or bad, on the basis that the stereotypes associated with the person or group being prejudged are tru e. Discrimination is the combination of the terms mentioned above, but involves actually acting out with unfair treatment, directing the action towards the person or group. Prejudice and discrimination do not just occur racially, but it is found among gender, religion, culture, and geographical background. Remember that prejudice is a result of attitude and discrimination is a result of action. Many people believe discrimination has made big steps forward, but has it really? If it has, why do people still get turned down, receive hate mail, or get ridiculed simply because they differ from each other. I guess these are questions we must ask ourselves. I guess you could also ask yourself if you have ever called anybody a name, looked at them different or judged them when you did not even know them or understand them. You may be thinking That is not discrimination, but, in fact, it is. CAUSE AND EFFECTS OF DISCRIMINATION There are many forms of discrimination, besides the more familiar forms like race and gender, based on ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, age , disability or handicap, and sexual harassment. The mentioned characterization refers to a situation of the direct discrimination, in which a person is treated adversely directly on the basis of a prohibited ground. Indirect discrimination, refers to a situation in which an apparently neutral provision or practice is discriminatory in its effects. Besides direct and indirect discrimination, we may use the term institutional discrimination. Institutional discrimination refers to the practices or procedures in a company or an institution, or even the society as a whole, which are structured in a way that tends to produce discriminatory effects, for example in the Apartheid regime in South Africa. As to the root cause, discrimination appears to be no clear acceptance of any theory of causation but that discrimination often causes a chain reaction of disadvantages. For instance, it should be noted that there is a connection also between discrimination and social distance, given that it is usually psychologically easier to discriminate against people that one is not familiar with. Although there is no wide agreement as to the cause of discrimination, there is a consensus that they constitute a learned behavior. The internalization of discrimination starts with parents and, later, teachersthe groups primary in the formation of attitudes within children. The media and social institutions solidify discriminatory attitudes, giving them social legitimacy, since discrimination is learned. At best, one can reduce discrimination. Society looks most often to education and legislation to alleviate discriminationfor reasons still not clearly known, intergroup contact alone is not enough to reduce discrimination. On one hand, multicultural education, whether direct or indirect, constitute the mainstay of educational efforts to eliminate discrimination. On the other hand, the emphasis on civil rights, enlightened immigration policies, and mandates for quota hiring are the cornerstone of legal approaches to alleviating the effects of discrimination. The most overlooked area in resolving the problems of discrimination lies in the web of close relationships where genuine feelings of love can be fostered and strengthened. Discrimination produces immense effects in the psychological, social, political, and economic domains. Whether intended or not, the effects are compounded by the loss of self-worth, a sense of alienation from the wider society, political disempowerment, and economic inequalities. Prejudice and ethnic hostilities constitute a major danger to peace both within a nation and among nations. As a consequence, the emergence of a new global moral order increasingly provides a leverage point to counter the effects of prejudice and discrimination. While many agree that the various international instruments to protect people against prejudice and discrimination are still not universally followed or even implemented, it is clear that a new international consciousness is indeed emerging and is, in fact, intensifying. The effects of discrimination in society are reflecting on race, religion, and disable discrimination. One of the main reasons cause violence is race discrimination. It is easy to find evidence from Hollywood movies. The black people always fight with white people because they were discriminated. Now in Australia, the aborigines are discriminated. Many people do not understand their culture, so the Australian looks down on these people. In addition religion discrimination can endanger the world peace. Different religion has different god and the numbers of believers are huge. Once the conflict between different religions break out, which can easily cause a world war. Discrimination is about exclusion an d subordination and it effectively conveys an explicit message of differentness and inferiority of the victim Humiliation. Studies carried out in the field of racial discrimination provide also direct proof of this humiliating nature of discrimination, as it has been found that experiences of racism and racial discrimination have a direct bearing to the psychological well-being of persons w ho have suffered ethnic discrimination: such experiences were found to increase symptoms related to anxiety and depression. There are no reasons to believe that the same would not apply with regard to the other grounds as well. Victims of discrimination cope with these experiences in a variety of ways. As a response to experiences of discrimination, victims often consciously or unconsciously develop a strategy of survival. Some engage themselves in what might be called denial of discrimination. They may explain the incident in terms other than discrimination, or even believe that the discriminatory framework was legitimate, blaming themselves for what happened. One very typical strategy of survival is avoidance, by way of which an individual seeks voluntarily to avoid situations in which the probability to end up discriminated against is particularly high, by way of self-imposed restrictions. From the point of view of the society this is not however a desirable strategy, as lessened social contacts ruin the possibility of integrating vulnerable groups to the general society. Discrimination leads to disunity which results in the dissolving of society, through strife and war. World peace will elude our gras p while discrimination continue to bedevil the collective life of humanity CONCLUSION Discrimination runs against the most fundamental values of a modern society. In fact, it is a threat to democracy, which is predicated on the idea of a society in which arbitrary hierarchies and preferences based on, for example gender, ethnic origin, and wealth have been eliminated with a view to achieving equality. Democracy recognizes worth and equal rights of all whereby, equality prohibits discrimination which is also the cornerstone of human rights. Discrimination not only forms a menace to the society, but also to the individual who is subjected to such an adverse treatment as it is a direct denial of the equal worth of the victim. It is a violation of a persons identity. The consequences of discrimination match the severity of the offence, a causal link to alienation, exclusion, radicalization and decreasing psychological well-being. Therefore, discrimination is wrong because it is selfish. Discrimination throughout the world today occurs to many extremes. From one extreme to another, it is in any way wrong. Discrimination is happening all over the world, today for many reasons. One being because parents have taught their children to believe and think the way they do. The only thing we can do about it is to raise our children to not discriminate against others. It could lead to more tension and fighting within people and groups. To sum up, the discrimination can cause many problems. The government should constitute laws to avoid it, and society should also set up some organizations, programs or communities to help build a better plateau rid of discrimination.

A Cognitive Model of New Data on Human Problem Solving Essay -- Psycho

A Cognitive Model of New Data on Human Problem Solving I. Project Description Cognitive modeling is the creation of models which resemble and explain the way in which humans do things. What makes them so interesting to me is the process though which cognitive scientists go in order to create these models. Cognitive scientists often use a generative theory in creating such models. A generative theory is a theory that explains a set of empirical observations by actually generating them (as opposed to just summarizing them or characterizing them with equations or logic). Thus, a generative theory has to be executable, like a computer program or a "recipe". The system on which I'm basing my work is named Cascade (VenLehn, Jones & Chi, 1991). Cascade was originally developed to explain the cognitive mechanisms involved in the self-explanation effect (Chi et al., 1989; Fergusson-Hessler & de Jong, 1990; Pirolli & Bielaczyc, 1989). Simplifying a bit, the effect shows that people learn more effectively by studying examples when they are careful to explain to themselves as many steps of the example as they can. Students who do not carefully explain worked out example steps do not perform as well on subsequent problems. Cascade models the potential learning mechanisms that cause this effect. I now wish to apply the Cascade model to a new problem domain and a new set of psychological data. Originally, Cascade was written to solve problems in Newtonian physics, the domain used in Chi et al.'s study. Since Cascade was first created additional psychological research has been done in other problem domains. Due to the versatility of Cascade, applying the Cascade model to other problem domains would be beneficial. In the fall of 2000 I... ...nnual Conference of the Cognitive Science Society. Newell, A., & Simon, H. A. (1972). Human Problem Solving. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall Inc. Pirolli, P., & Bielaczyc, K. (1989). Empirical analyses of self-explanation and transfer in learning to program. In G. M. Olson & E. E. Smith (Eds.), Proceedings of the Eleventh Annual Conference of the Cognitive Science Society (pp. 450-457). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum. Renkl, A., Atkinson, R. K., & Maier, U. H. (2000). From studying examples to solving problems: Fading worked-out solution steps helps learning. In L. R. Gleitman & A. K. Joshi (Eds.), Proceedings of the Twenty-Second Annual Conference of the Cognitive Science Society (pp. 393-398). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum. VanLehn, K., Jones, R. M., & Chi, M. T. H. (1991). A model of the self-explanation effect. Journal of the Learning Sciences, 2, 1-59.

The Integrity and Strength of Mark Twains The Adventures of Huckleberr

The Integrity and Strength of Huckleberry Finn  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   When one is young they must learn from their parents how to behave. A child's parents impose society's unspoken rules in hope that one day their child will inuitivly decerne wrong from right and make decisions based on their own judgment. These moral and ethical decisions will affect one for their entire life. In Mark Twains, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Huck is faced with the decision of choosing to regard all he has been taught to save a friend, or listen and obey the morals that he has been raised with. In making his decision he is able to look at the situation maturely and grow to understand the moral imbalances society has. Hucks' decisions show his integrity and strength as a person to choose what his heart tells him to do, over his head.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Huck has been raised in a high-class society where rules and morals are taught and enforced. He lives a very strict and proper life where honesty and adequacy is imposed. Huck being young minded and immature, often goes against these standards set for him, but are still very much a part of his decision-making ability and conscience. When faced to make a decision, Hucks head constantly runs through the morals he was taught. One of the major decisions Huck is faced with is keeping his word to Jim and accepting that Jim is a runaway. The society part of Hucks head automatically looks down upon it. Because Huck is shocked and surprised that Jim is a runaway and he is in his presence, reveals Hucks prejudice attitude that society has imposed on him. Huck is worried about what people will think of him and how society would react if they heard that Huck helped save a runaway slave. The unspoken rules th... ... Ed. Paul Lauter, et al. 2nd ed. Vol. 2.   Lexington:   Heath, 1994.   236-419.   Hoffman, Daniel.   "Black Magic--and White--in Huckleberry Finn."   Adventures of Huckleberry Finn:   An Authoritative Text Backgrounds and Sources Criticism.   Ed. Sculley Bradley, et al.   2nd ed.   New York:   Norton, 1977.   423-436.   Jones, Rhett S.   "Nigger and Knowledge.   White Double-Consciousness in Adventures of Huckleberry Finn."   Satire or Evasion?   Black Perspectives on Huckleberry Finn. Ed. James Leonard, et al.   Durham:   Duke UP, 1992.   173-194.   Kaplan, Justin.   "Born to Trouble:   One Hundred Years of Huckleberry Finn."   Mark Twain Adventures of Huckleberry Finn:   A Case Study in Critical Controversy.   Eds. Gerald Graff and James Phelan.   Boston:   St. Martin's, 1995.   348-359.     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  

System Thinking and Action Research

System Theory and Action Research Susan M Ross Dr. Tyler Zerwekh September 15, 2012 Abstract Public health practices and policies are largely influenced by the population involved and seek to improve the overall health of the public. Achieving success in systems thinking requires making strategic decisions about what processes will best achieve the public health goals. Systems Theory Information Technology Systems Theory evaluates the relationship between information systems, and information technology, and people.Action Research is used in the field of public health to alleviate adverse conditions in communities by addressing the determinants of health, community-wide interventions, and health promotion. Examples of Action Research evaluate the computer usage and health information technology and health collaboration groups as well as promotion of information health management techniques. An emphasis on relationship is the heart of systems orientation.Systems thinking involving huma ns require an understanding of the nature of the system and its dynamics requires and an understanding of the people involved and the interaction with each other in the applicable network of the system. Action Research is a participatory, democratic process concerned with developing practical knowledge in the pursuit of worthwhile human purposes, theory and practice, in participation with others in the pursuit of practical solutions to issues of pressing concern to people, and more generally the flourishing of individual persons and communities. Reason & Bradbury, 2001). This paper will present a demonstration of a thorough analysis of a systems theory, action research, and an action research proposal to analyze the theory in relation to Caucasian socio-economic group. Systems Theory Fundamental systems-thinking perspectives and approaches that are shared across different fields are: (1) increased attention to how new knowledge is ained, managed, exchanged, interpreted, integrated, and disseminated; (2) emphasis on a network-centric approach that encourages relationship-building among and between individuals and organizations across traditional disciplines and fields in order to achieve relevant goals and objectives; (3) the development of models and projections, using a variety of analytic approaches in order to improve strategic decision making; and (4) systems organizing in order to foster improvements in organizational structures and functions (Leischow, et. al, 2008).Achieving success in systems thinking requires making strategic decisions about what processes will best achieve the public health goals for the designated population and how new discoveries can be disseminated effectively, and what structures and functions are needed to deliver the new knowledge. Effective knowledge flow results in better network performance, which allow for the achievement of systems-level change. Systems organizing have evolved from traditional management theory to a learn ing organizational theory, or an adaptive-systems perspective within other systems environments.Information Technology Systems Theory Information Systems (IS) theory is de? ned as concepts that speculate on social and technical relationships between Information Technology, Information Systems and social outcomes. Much IS theory originated in other disciplines and has been re? ned or applied to examine IT/IS issues. IS theory would also be classified as to include the technology acceptance model (TAM) and structuration theory and IT productivity models as applied to IS/IT phenomena (Chiasson, Davidson,2004) . Over the past years public health systems have evolved significantly.As personal computers became more powerful and operating systems became more usable with the advent of Microsoft Windows, Computer information systems were updated to make use of more modern features, capabilities and software. Public health agencies began to recognize that information technology was a legitima te target for investment to improve their ability to perform core public health functions. As agencies began to upgrade replace or create new systems that were more robust and specialized using modern database management systems and tools on more reliable platforms, and the Internet began to come into its own.The Center for Disease Control promoted its first System wide area communication and system integration projects through its Information Network for Public Health Officials (INPHO) initiative in 1993. (Artz, Salkowitz, 2007). Computer technology moved fairly quickly from the glass confines of the dedicated computer room to the general-purpose office. Over the past thirty years standards for technology have become an important fixture of organizational computing life.Enforcement of standards also varies greatly depending on the political support for Information Technology (IT). As applications became more network-aware and network dependent, the need to leverage network investme nts became critical. Public health agencies became more ambitions as technology became more enabling. Computer Information Technology has a lot to offer Public Health agencies: existing data sets may be consolidated and population-based, including experiences negotiating data sharing agreements and memoranda of understanding.With advancing technology national and international standards are being quickly developed to guide this functionality. (Artz, Salkowitz, 2007). Standards with compliance for patient information data sharing among different agencies, and back-up systems in the event of system failure and crisis are also among the concerns for globalizing Information Systems. Action Research Action research is a collaborative approach to research that provides people with the means to take systematic action in an effort to resolve specific problems.Action research focuses on methods and techniques of investigation that take into account the study population’s history, cult ure, interactive activities and emotional lives. Although action research makes use of many traditional data-gathering strategies, its orientation and purpose are slightly different. The basic action research procedural routine involves four stages; (1) identifying the research question (s), (2) gathering the information to answer the questions (s), (3) analyzing and interpreting the information and (4) sharing the results with the participants (Berg, 2004).Action Research is used in the field of public health to alleviate adverse conditions in communities by addressing the determinants of health, community-wide interventions, and health promotion. Indeed, action research is less a methodology and more a set of guidelines for the roles of the researcher and collaborators, interweaving theory and action and the function of the research knowledge.There are many subtle variations and iterations of action research, but a gross distinction could be made between action research that is co nducted by a researcher implementing an intervention at a community level for the dual purposes of change and knowledge outcomes versus community based participatory action research where those affected by the change and other important stakeholders participate in all stages of the research from design, implementation, and data gathering to analysis.Participatory action research approaches often have the additional goal of promoting critical consciousness where through cyclical stages of dialogue participants attain a greater understanding of their situation, which in turn may result in political or major social change (Mullett, Fletcher, 20). Critics of Participatory Action Research (PAR) have questioned whether the reality of participatory research is ideal for promoting a healthy community.The language of participation in health promotion research, and the inattention to gender, social and cultural (as in the use of universal terms like â€Å"the oppressed†) differences in participation in research processes do not always comport with the outcome values of PAR. Further, while participatory approaches can stimulate capacity building and community development, they can also bring unequal players to an uneven table to participate in difficult predetermined decision making (Minkler, 2000).Action research also called participatory research is an alternative philosophy of social research. Three particular attributes are often used to distinguish participatory research from conventional research: shared ownership of research projects, community-based analysis of social problems, and an orientation toward community action. Critical action research expresses a commitment to bring together broad social analysis—the self-reflective collective self-study of practice, the way in which language is used, organization and power in a local situation, and action to improve things.Critical action research is strongly represented in the literatures of educational action research, and there it emerges from dissatisfactions with classroom action research that typically does not take a broad view of the role of the relationship between education and social change. Critical action research has attempted to take account of disadvantage attributable to gender and ethnicity as well as to social class in its initial point of reference (Kimmis, McTaggart, 2007). Examples of Action Research Lau and Hayward (1997) used an action research approach in a study to explore the structure of Internet-based collaborative work groups.Over a two-year period, the researchers participated as facilitators in three action research cycles of problem-solving among approximately 15 instructors and project staff, and 25 health professionals from various regions striving to make a transition to a more community-based health program. The aim was to explore how Internet-based communications would influence their evolution into a virtual collaborative workgroup. The first phase was taken up with defining expectations, providing the technology and developing the customized workgroup system.The next phase saw the full deployment of the system, and the main lesson learned was that the steepness of the learning curve was severely underestimated, with frustrations only minimally satisfied by a great deal of technical support provided by telephone. The final cycle saw the stabilization of the system and the emergence of the virtual groups. The interpretations of the study suggest that role clarity, relationship building, information sharing, resource support, and experiential learning are important aspects in virtual group development.There was also a sense that more research was needed on how group support systems can help groups interact with their external environment, as well as on how to enhance the process of learning by group members. Comstock and Fox (1995) have written about their experiences in integrating computer conferencing into a learning co mmunity for mid-career working adults attending a Graduate Management Program at Antioch University in Seattle. Their findings relate to establishing boundaries to interaction, creating a caring community, and building collaborative learning.Students were expected to use the system for collaborative learning using three forms of conversation – dialogue, discussion and critical reflection. Dialogues were enjoined as a result of attempts to relate classroom lessons to personal situations at work, with a better understanding provided by multiple opinions. Discussions, distinguished by the goal of making a group decision or taking an action, required a fair degree of moderation, insofar as participants found it difficult to reach closure.The process of reflecting critically on ideas was also difficult – participants rarely took the time to analyze postings, preferring a more immediate, and more superficial, conversational style. The authors conclude with four recommendatio ns: 1) be clear about the purpose of the computer conference and expectations for use; 2) develop incentives for widespread and continuous participation; 3) pay attention to affects of the software on the way the system is used for learning; and 4) teach members of the community how to translate face-to-face collaborative processes to the on-line environment (Reason, & Bradbury, 2001).Action Research Proposal The Affordable Care Act calls for a greater reliance on the internet as a means of communicating health and coverage information, yet variations in the current usage of the internet by some populations have important implications for implementation. Based on the results of The Washington Post, the Kaiser Family Foundation, and Harvard University Race and Recession  Survey(2011),  six in 10 adults overall say they have ever used the Internet to access health information, and access differs by race and  income.Forty-three percent of Hispanics report having ever used the Int ernet to access health information, while 56 percent of blacks and 65 percent of whites report doing so. The differences are even more striking among those with lower incomes. Just three in ten Hispanics with incomes under $40,000 say they have ever used the Internet to access health information, compared with 44 percent of blacks and half of whites with similar incomes. More than 70 000 websites disseminate health information; in excess of 50 million people seek health information online, with likely consequences for the health care system.The Internet offers widespread access to health information, and the advantages of interactivity, information tailoring and anonymity. However, access is inequitable and use is hindered further by navigational challenges due to numerous design features (e. g. disorganization, technical language and lack of permanence). Increasingly, critics question the quality of online health information; limited research indicates that much is inaccurate. Meag er information-evaluation skills add to consumers' vulnerability, and reinforce the need for quality standards and widespread criteria for evaluating health information (Kline, Haynes, 2001).An action research project evaluating the effects of the information technology theory on Caucasians over a period of time would be helpful in providing evidence based research for the Information Technology Systems Theory. The research project would review a group of Caucasian males and females in the same age range, the same level of computer skills and education. The focus of the research is to determine if the majority of access to healthcare was through the use of Information Technology would it create a healthier group then a group with minimal access to healthcare period.The group would be evaluated for a year. During the time frame the group would have an in-person visit with a doctor once every six months except for an emergency. The visit would include a complete physical and required wellness checks. Follow-up visits would be via Skye or video-conferencing. The group would be deemed physically and mentally fit excluding family history of health issues. The group would be given a pass to a fitness center for a year to maintain their health, and would have to maintain contact with a nutritionist and their physician via the computer e-mail o a regular basis.The group would also have access to the Internet anytime they want for the evaluation time. The rest of the environmental and social aspects would be determined by each participate of the research project, meaning that each participates could be local or global as long as there is consistent monitoring of the all of the participates. The evaluation would incorporate Action Research and Critical Action research as some instances would take into account the social economic status of the participants. Given that the largest percentage of whites used the computer and there is a large portion of people that lack acce ss to healthcare in all races.Minimizing variables, such as computer knowledge and education levels and providing all necessary tools to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Researchers would have options to focus the variable changes if there are any on the social economic condition of the individual participants. In conclusion Systems thinking involving humans require an understanding of the nature of the system and its dynamics requires and an understanding of the people involved and the interaction with each other in the applicable network of the system.Public health agencies began to recognize that information technology was a legitimate target for investment to improve their ability to perform core public health functions. Computer Information Technology has a lot to offer Public Health agencies: existing data sets may be consolidated and population-based, including experiences negotiating data sharing agreements and memoranda of understanding. Action research approaches can stimulat e capacity building and community development in designated social status groups if the focus is correctly designated. References Arzt, N. H. Salkowitz, S. M (2007), Evolution of public health information systems: Enterprise-wide approaches, p4-6, 11-13, 18-22. Berg, B. L. , (2004), Qualitative research methods for the social sciences, retrieved on August 23, 2012, from http://digilib. bc. edu/reserves/sc210/piat/sc21007. pdf Chaisson, M. W. , Davidson, E. , (2004), Pushing the contextual envelope: developing and diffusing IS theory for health information systems research, Elsevier Ltd. pg 157, retrieved on September 13, 2012, from http://www. butlercommonplace. org/thoughts/images/d/d0/Chiasson_et_al_2004__Info_and_Org. df Comstock, D. , ; Fox, S. , (1995),  Ã‚   Computer conferencing in a learning community: opportunities obstacles. †Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www. seattleantioch. edu/VirtualAntioch/DRAFT7HT. HTM (14/04/1998). Kemmis, S. , McTaggart, R, (2007), Participatory action r esearch, Communicative action and the public sphere, retrieved on September 13, 2012, from http://www. corwin. com/upm-data/21157_Chapter_10. pdf Cline, R. J. W. , & Haynes, K. M. , (2001) Consumer health information seeking on the Internet: the state of the art, Oxford Journals, Volume, 16, Issue 6, pp671-692, etrieved on September 13, 2012, from http://her. oxfordjournals. org/content/16/6/671. long Lau, F. , and Hayward, F. 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London: SAGE. Retrieved on September 7, 2012