Violent Media Essay - 1316 Words

Gerard Jones is quite a fan of The Hulk and Tarzan comic books. In his essay â€Å"Violent Media is Good for Kids† Jones argues that the violence in those and other comics teach valuable lessons that will help children understand difficult emotions. Jones states that in â€Å"try (ing) to protect our children from their own feelings and fantasies, we shelter them not against violence but against power and selfhood.† Throughout the essay Jones relies on personal anecdotes that reveal his opinions about violence in comics and other media instead of citing formal research. Jones’ personal experience is that violent media is not generally harmful, and fills an important place in childhood imagination and play. It is true that as children we find†¦show more content†¦Social psychologist Brad Bushman at Ohio State University showed students violent pictures as part of a study: one picture was of a man shoving a gun down another man s throat; another was of a man holding a knife to a woman s throat. What we found is for people who were exposed to a lot of violent video games, their brains did not respond to the violent images, Bushman said. They were numb, if you will.[3] I believe that this numbness is what the concern about violence in the media is based on. It concerns society because of the potential threat to society posed by learned violence. Chris Ferguson, a psychologist at Texas AM International University said Many of the [video] games do have morally objectionable material and I think that is where a lot of the debate on this issue went off the rails, we kind of mistook our moral concerns about some of these video games, which are very valid — and then assumed that what is morally objectionable is harmful.[4] I personally find it hard to view the Tarzan comic books that got Jones’ son to climb a tree in the same category as Call of Duty. I think that the potential impact of much media has been exaggerated. Towards the end of his essay Jones mentions that he cannot argue that violent media is completely harmless saying â€Å"I think it [violent entertainment] has helped inspire some people to real-life violence. I am going to argue that it’s helped hundreds of of people for every one it’s hurt, and that it can helpShow MoreRelatedViolent Media Is Good for Kids Essay942 Words   |  4 PagesViolent Media is Good for Kids Analysis From infancy onward, parents and teachers have drilled into the young generation that violence should be avoided at all costs. They have preached cooperation, tolerance, and â€Å"using one’s words† as tactics to combat difficult situations. Although those lessons are valid, Gerald Jones claims there is an alternative way. In his essay, â€Å"Violent Media is Good for Kids,† Jones argues that â€Å"creative violence- bonking cartoons, bloody videogames, toy guns-givesRead MoreViolent Media Is Good For Kids Essay1083 Words   |  5 PagesViolent Comics Are the New Superheroes In the writing of Gerard Jones â€Å"Violent Media is Good for Kids† is very interesting essay in which he describes how violent media can help kids to overcome obstacles, but whether it is convincing or not, I am not truly sure because the way the essay is written is biased. Jones as writer is making this controversial topic to gain more audience to read his writings, in addition, this essay fails in detail, it needs more statistics to support the examples thatRead MoreEssay on Violent Media...Good for Kids? 970 Words   |  4 PagesIn â€Å"Violent Media is Good for Kids† Gerard Jones introduces us to his fearful and lonesome childhood. He lived in a world where he was taught to be the violence fearing, and passive boy his parents wanted him to be. But, when one of his mother’s students gave him a Marvel comic book, his fearfulness was transformed into inspiration. He found a way to escape these discouraging feelings through the â€Å"stifled rage and desir e for power† (Jones 285) that he had newly found. The popular comic book heroRead More Does a Violent Media create a Violent Society? Essay627 Words   |  3 PagesDoes a Violent Media create a Violent Society? This issue is one of constant debate, with no real solution. There are many things society as a whole and individuals can do to appease or inflame the issue, however each argument has a counter argument and a counter argument will exist for that and so on. Because it is an issue of such heated debate with no answer or possibility of an answer should we just leave the issue be and choose not to address it further? Or should we make the issue widelyRead MoreEssay about Violent Media Is Good for Kids1069 Words   |  5 PagesVIOLENT MEDIA IS GOOD FOR KIDS By Gerard Jones In our class book Practical Argument, I chose â€Å"Violent Media is Good for Kids† by Gerard Joneson page 36. In this article Jones states and tries to prove that violent media is undeniably good for children. He challenges this by saying what he believes also how he grew up too passive because he was sheltered from the media. Upon hearing that the media has lofty messages of pacifism and tolerance (par.2), his mother had borrowed some comics for himRead MoreEffects of Violent Media on the Youth Essay1700 Words   |  7 Pagesthe Xbox One, which is perhaps the hottest gift this season. Everybody wants it. But most of the Xbox games like Call of Duty, Assassin’s Creed, and Halo are extremely violent, depicting war, blood, and gore very nonchalantly. The television channel FX constantly shows movies such as the latest Batman trilogy which includes violent depictions of beatings, graphic shootings, dozens of explosions, neck snapping and back breaking, along with choking s, hand to hand combats, and dead bodies. These portrayalsRead More Media Violence and the Violent Male Adolescent Essays2229 Words   |  9 PagesMedia Violence and the Violent Male Adolescent      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   My research led me to form some new hypotheses on the correlation of violence in the media, namely television, movies, and video games, to the rise in violent behavior in adolescents. For this essay, I will focus on male adolescents. I will use multiple lenses for my research to (1) establish the increase in violent acts by adolescents in the past two decades; (2) use proven research to show the impact of media violence on the individual;Read MoreShould Violent Media Be Banned Essay818 Words   |  4 PagesShould violent media be banned? Many teenagers are now being introduced into playing or watching violent media at very young ages and society are wondering if they should be concerned about it; they are wondering whether it can cause aggressive behaviour within the children/teenagers. Violent video games and violent action films normally have age restriction son them so that children under the age of 15 or in some cases 18 cannot buy them. You see many teenagers with these games and moviesRead MoreViolent Media Does Not Have an Effect on Children Essay1974 Words   |  8 Pages Violent media is a prominent part of Americas culture. America is the home to dozens of multimillion dollar industries that specialize in making violent media. This media usually has a rating label on it, categorizing it as being made for young children, teens, or adults. The purpose of this is to protect children from the disturbing and/or violent scenes depicted in the media. Yet, millions of children under the age of 17 still have free access to violent media. However, even though childrenRead MoreEssay on Media Violence Does NOT Cause Violent Behavior2932 Words   |  12 Pagesthe human psyche. This is an assertion that could be supported, in no small part, by the manifestations o f the human psyche we see in our own violent, erotic and chaotic dreams. As a culture, again with religious fundamentalist and perhaps politically-correct feminist exceptions, we pretty much take these literary forms for granted in terms of their violent and seemingly antisocial content. Parents lovingly read their children to sleep with images of forced drudgery, painful mutilations, and vengeful

Research Critique 2 Patient Falls - 1128 Words

Research Critique, Part 2 Jennifer Bullard Grand Canyon University Introduction to Nursing Research NRS433 Martha Schmidt October 07, 2012 Research Critique, Part 2 The purpose of this paper is to critique an article on the circumstances and characteristics of why patients fall in the hospital setting. The article being critiqued defines a fall as an unexpected drop from a sitting, standing, and lying position, which include an assisted fall (where someone helps guide them to the floor), slipping from a chair to the floor, and when a patient is found on the floor (Hitcho et al., 2008). This critique will discuss data collection, data management, analysis, and interpretation of the findings. The Washington University†¦show more content†¦There was some researcher bias because some of the information that was collected from different sources conflicted, and the person who collected the data best judgment was used. Many patients recall of the circumstances surrounding their fall was not dependable. The study’s findings revealed that of the 183 patients that fell while hospitalized, the average age was 63.4 with the ages ranging from 17 to 96. It also discovered that many of the falls were unassisted, occurred in the evenings and in the patient’s hospital room, and had fallen during ambulation. It was also discovered that falls related to elimination increased the risks for injury. Out of the medical, cardiology, neurology, surgical, oncology, orthopedic, and women/infant units that were included in the study, the medical and neurology units had the highest incidence of falls. These units also had the highest patient to nurse ratios (Hitcho et al., 2008). These findings also determined that falls occurred when patients were unassisted, ambulating, and were related to elimination needs. Because of these findings, prevention measures should focus on increasing staff assistance while patients are ambulating and supervised/assisted toileting schedules need to be p rovided. The findings can be applied to all areas of nursing. Despite prevention efforts, threats to reimbursement, and good intentions, falls still remain a serious and costlyShow MoreRelatedRestraints Review Of Qualitative And Quantitative Studies1517 Words   |  7 PagesRestraints Review of Qualitative and Quantitative studies The purpose of this paper is to critique the research article, Mohler Meyer’s â€Å"Attitude of nurses towards the use of restraints in geriatric care: A systemic review of qualitative and quantitative study 2014. The incident I am going to discuss in this paper is of Mr. P., an 85-year-old man, admitted to this facility about 4 months ago. His history includes coronary heart disease, cataract, dementia, hypertension, macular degeneration andRead MorePurpose And Hypothesis Of The Pediatric Pain Management Of Pediatric Patients Essay981 Words   |  4 Pageslevel of knowledge and attitude of the nurse, however no research existed between each component and self-efficacy. Stanley and Pollard predicted that a nurses job performance concerning adequate pain management of pediatric patients would be affected by the two components examined. (Review of literature ) They presented the problem by citing previously conducted peer-reviewed studies indicating that proper pain managemen t of pediatric patients was lacking and which emphasized the importance of knowledgeRead MoreEffects of Nursing Rounds on Patients’ Call Light Use, Satisfaction, and Safety Introduction to Nursing Research980 Words   |  4 PagesEffects of Nursing Rounds on Patients’ Call light Use, Satisfaction, and Safety Introduction to Nursing Research Effects of Nursing Rounds This is a critique study on â€Å"effects of nursing rounds on patients’ call light use, satisfaction, and safety by Christine Meade, PHD, Amy Bursell, PHD and Lyn Ketelsen MBA,RN(2006)†outline as quasi-experimental research design. The author states in this article about  patient’s frequent usage of call light in the hospital. 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However, condition with similar meaning, was described back in 1914 in a publication â€Å"The Diseases of Old Age and their Treatment† (Nascher, 1914). In this publication Nascher describes a condition of his elderly patients as â€Å"senile disability† or â€Å"senile cachexia† manifesting in general physicalRead MoreDiabetes Neuropathy : A Neurological Disorder Associated With Diabetes Mellitus Essay1401 Words   |  6 PagesDiabetes neuropathy (DN) is a neurological disorder associated with Diabetes Mellitus (DM), also known as Type-2 diabetes (Menz, Lord, St George, Fitzpatrick, 2004). Diabetes neuropathy has many integral complications that circulate around the biomechanical impairments of the feet, especially in the elderly population with diabetes (Richardson, Thies, DeMott, Ashton-Miller, 2005). DN has worrying health risks as it has harmful effects on stability, gait efficiency and function (Menz, Morris,Read MoreEffectiveness Of Aromatherapy Within Palliative Care Patients1124 Words   |  5 Pagesexplore the effectiveness of aromatherapy within palliative care patients. It will then undertake a critical literature review and it will then identify aspects of practice which require improvement and develop a service improvement plan relating to one of these issues. Palliative care is a holistic approach to support a patients symptoms who have an advanced progressive condition. Healthcare professional’s objectives are for the patient and families to have the best quality of life throughout theirRead MoreRecognizing the Need for Cultural Change1137 Words   |  5 Pages Recognizing the Need for Cultural Change Table of Contents 1. Introduction 2. Cultural awareness 3. Cultural sensitivity 4. Cultural competence 5. Cultural humility 6. Conclusion 7. 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The Great Gatsby and King Midas free essay sample

Gatsby is portrayed as a modern day King Midas in the novel, The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald. King Midas was a Greek man who was greedy and wished for the â€Å"golden† touch – everything he touched would turn to gold. When this was granted, he realized that the power didn’t make life any better and that it just harms him. Gatsby was similar to Midas in the sense that he took things for granted and turned small money into wealth. In the novel, The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby is a businessman who has turned his small amount of saving into a million dollars, which is very similar to when King Midas turns everything into gold. Gatsby is a very well known businessperson with lots of money after ‘stealing’ from many people. Gatsby is also known for creating social bonds as a bonds man in West Egg and knows how to cheat people out of money. We will write a custom essay sample on The Great Gatsby and King Midas or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page (http://poetry. rapgenius. com) Gatsby was a wealthy man who sought out the opportunity to replicate his wealth while King Midas was a Greek man who was granted the wish of having a golden touch. This wish was granted by the Greek god, Dionysis, as a reward for an unknown reason; at first, Midas rejoiced and loved the gift because it brought him fortune. (The Midas Touch is the golden touch†Ã¢â‚¬ ) Gatsby and Midas are similar in the sense that they both enjoyed have a fortune to their name even though it would only harm themselves in the end. King Midas is greedy Greek man who took a single wish for granted just like Gatsby takes his wealth for granted. Midas was a thoughtless man who didn’t care for anyone but himself and his own happiness. He decided that having the â€Å"golden touch† was more important that anything else, including his own daughter. (The Chronology and Historical Context of Midas.  ) Gatsby does something similar because he just cares about the parties he throws and the people he interacts with. It is said that in both the myth of King Midas and The Great Gatsby, there is a romance of money where that is what both main characters love. King Midas cares so much about his wish that he even turns his own daughter into gold – the wish only ends up harming his self instead of making his life better. (The Midas Touch is the golden touch. †) Gatsby and King Midas are both very similar because they both only cared about being wealthy.

Circadian rhythm essay Essay Example

Circadian rhythm essay Paper Introduction Circadian is a combination of two Latin words, â€Å"circa† that means about and â€Å"dia† that means day. The literal meaning of circadian is â€Å"about a day.† Simply put then, Circadian Rhythm is the regular flow of activity within a day. Human Circadian Rhythms are biological activities that follow a 24-hour cycle regulated by the human â€Å"biological clock† (Klein, et al., 2007). This â€Å"biological clock† tells the body how to respond accurately to the changing settings in the environment. One of the most evident bodily functions related to the Circadian Rhythm is sleep. Sleep helps the body â€Å"re-set† at least every 24 hours. It is controlled by external cues, particularly the rising and setting of the sun. This is called the sleep-wake pattern. It relies on light (Silva, Albuquerque and Araujo, 2005) to indicate time. The rising and setting of the sun is the most powerful control of the rhythms. This is the reason why humans are normally asleep at night and awake in the day. We will write a custom essay sample on Circadian rhythm essay specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Circadian rhythm essay specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Circadian rhythm essay specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer The Circadian Rhythm has both endogenous and exogenous components (Thomas, 2003). The endogenous component is the human internal clock that is controlled by the brain’s hypothalamus. It sets cues as to when a certain body function is expected to run. On the other hand, the exogenous component comprises external cues from the environment. These external cues act as stimuli to body functions. Circadian Rhythms need both components to work. Regulated temperature is an example of the endogenous and exogenous components working together. The onset of the Circadian Rhythms is believed to be during the fist 6 months of life (Pobojewski, 2007). During this time the human body already adapts to certain cycles and set of normal activities. The body learns periods of sleeping, eating, excreting and maintaining of vital signs. Discrepancies in these cycles usually create an unwanted response. It is safe to assume that once the human body learns such cycles, it would be very difficult to break them. The Human Circadian Rhythm is as individual as humans themselves. No two Circadian Rhythm patterns are alike. Each is developed and enhanced according to the individual’s set of cues, both endogenous and exogenous. There are some instances when an individual has to ignore the Circadian Rhythm. This is possible only for a short period of time. Many diagnosed illnesses are often related to prolonged disruption of the Circadian Rhythm.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Arguably the most common characteristic present among things with life, the Circadian Rhythm, is as prominent in animals as it is in human beings. The storing of nuts by a squirrel, the spinning of webs by a spider, the burying of eggs in the beach by a turtle, the feeling of hunger during lunch by a human being are all controlled by the Circadian Rhythms. In fact, animals rely heavily on their own â€Å"biological clocks† to complete many of their regular activities (Labak, 2005).   Animals are driven by their â€Å"biological clocks† to mating so that they can give birth during the mild seasons, when food is abundant. The light/dark pattern is important to animals. Animals that rely on vision to forage for food are most active in the day. On the other hand, those that are capable of activity with minimal dependence to sight are usually active at night. Animals take their cues for migration and hibernation from the length of days that indicate the turn of seasons. What humans normally refer to as instincts in animals are actually Circadian Rhythms in action. They are the driving force to all animal activities. A number of studies have been conducted that correlates body functions with the Circadian Rhythm. Studies have been conducted to assess the effects of the rhythms to various mental and psychological disorders. It has also been scrutinized against many physiological illnesses, more specifically when the rhythms are disrupted. However in more recent times, the Circadian Rhythm has been studied for the purpose of performance enhancement. In fact, more and more studies are being conducted of the Circadian Rhythm and its relation to athletic performance. In many cases, the rhythms have been found to have a significant effect (Klein, 2007). The Circadian Rhythm and its effects are now slowly being considered in design of training regimens and performance assessments. This paper aims to present a clearer understanding of the relationship between the Circadian Rhythm and human activity. Through experimentation, the significance of the Circadian Rhythm will be highlighted. In the end an inference of how to maximize this relationship will be drawn. Materials and Method Section Animal physiology 433 laboratory class designed a lab experiment to study biological rhythms. The study of biological rhythms took place during the winter quarter of 2008. There were eighty-nine students selected to participate in this study. Four types of measurement tests were chosen to study rhythms. These tests included measurements of pulse rate, eye-hand coordination, adding speed, and body temperature. The measurement were collected every two hours during the 24-hour period. Each student had one week to gather their data. While collecting the data, the student was required to disturb their â€Å"normal sleep and awakening time†, meaning that students had to wake up in the middle of the night or interrupt their daily schedule to collect data. The collection data during the rest phase needs to be gathered right away when student wakes up without getting up from the bed. It is recommended that each student divided their rest phase measurement for different nights, instead of taking all measurements in one night. They performed the pulse measurement. There were several ways to measure the pulse rate. One way was to place the index finger on the side of the wrist, just above the wrist bone, and press lightly. The beats were counted for one minute or for 10 seconds and multiplied by six. Another way to measure pulse was by taking the pulse from the artery to the right or left near the Adam’s apple and counting the beats per minute. Students performed the eye-hand coordination test. Using the dominant had, touch the index finger with the thumb and count â€Å"1†, then take the thumb and touch the middle finger and count â€Å"2†. Once the thumb is touching the little finger get to the little finger, count â€Å"4†. Now count by going backward, first touching the ring finger and count â€Å"5†, then the middle finger and count â€Å"6† and to the index finger and count â€Å"7†. Perform these procedures until have reached the count to â€Å"25†. At â€Å"25†, the thumb and the index finger must be touching each other. Try to practice the movement before doing the actual measurement. If a student makes a mistake then is required to start counting over again. Student needs to record how many times it takes to complete the correct count.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Student measured adding speed. For this test, the required material is a table of one digit numbers placed in columns. Using a piece of paper, the student should place it at the bottom of the second row of numbers. As the student moves the paper down to the third row the student needs to add the first and the second row numbers. Move the paper down to the third row and add second and third line. Add only two lines at the same time by continuing to count until added the entire column. Finally record the time that is took to complete this procedure. Use different column for each circadian time period.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Measurement is oral temperature. Student should beging by using a reusable thermometer to measure the temperature. Taking the thermometer and place it under the tongue for one minute. After a minute passes readily read the thermometer by looking at the last black dot, it will show the temperature in Fahrenheit. Finally, rinse the thermometer with soapy water or wipe with rubbing alcohol. Dry it and store in the thermometer case. Results   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The study of circadian rhythms over the 24-hour period has shown the following results. According to Figure 1, the highest heart rate was recorded between 1200-2000 and lowest heart rate was at 400. The maximum heart rate was approximately 78 beats per minute during the hours 1200-2000 or from 1000-2200. The minimum heart rate was at 0400 about 65 beats per minute or between 0200-0600.   The mean heart rate is significantly different between midnight and daytime (P0.05, Turkey’s HSD test).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The highest eye-hand coordination count is at 400 in the morning and lowest at 1200. It takes about 11 sec to perform eye-hand coordination test at 0400 or between hours of 0200-0600. And the minimum is at 1200 (7 sec) or between hours of 0800-2200.The mean eye-hand coordination is significantly differ at 0400 than eye-hand coordination count between noon (Figure 2, P0.05, Turkey’s HSD test).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The maximum number of mistakes is at 0400 (1 number of mistakes) or between 0200-0400. On the other hand, the minimum is from 0600-2400 (between 0.2-0.6 number of mistakes). The mean number of trials with mistakes have differ significantly during the night that during the daytime (Figure 3, P0.05, Turkey’s HSD test). The highest values for adding speed occur at 0400 and lowest value is between   1200-1400 and 2000. Being maximum at 0400 (77 sec) or from 2400-0800 and minimum is between 1200-1400 and 2000 (approximately 53 sec) or between 0600-2400 The mean adding speed is significantly differ at 400 than during the daytime (Figure 4, P0.05, Turkey’s HSD test). The highest body temperature observed between 1400-1800 hours and the lowest at 0400. Maximum at 1400-1800 (97 °F) or 1000-2200 and minimum at 0400 (96 °F ) or 2400-0800. The mean oral temperature at midnight is also significantly lower than temperature between 1400-1800 (Figure 5, P0.05, Turkey’s HSD test). Discussion: In the past, several studies have been conducted to demonstrate the diurnal variations that occur in the heart beat.   One of the main factors that control the heart beat include the two components of the autonomic nervous system, namely, the sympathetic component and the parasympathetic component.   Both these components have opposing actions.   A study conducted by Stein et al (2006) demonstrated that the heart rate variations are very much dependent on the circadian cycle compared to the ultradian cycle.   Stein et al involved about 113 subjects in his study between the ages 48 to 68.   He included about 68 men and 48 women.   One of the main instruments utilized in his study was an overnight polysomnographic ECG, which could help determine the heart rate and record the diurnal variation. In another study conducted by Bonnemeier et al (2003), demonstrated that during vagal stimulation had a significant role over the heart rate.   In turn, the vagus stimulation was controlled by the circadian cycle.   With age, there was a decrease in the vagal stimulation leading to decreased in the parasympathetic activity at night times.   Bonnemeier et al utilized 166 healthy subjects who did not suffer from any cardiac disorder.   About 85 women and 80 men, between the ages of 30 to 55 years formed a part of this study. Several external and internal factors helped to control temperature including circadian factors, menstrual factors, etc.   Sund-Levander et al who conducted several experiments on temperature variation found that the time of the day and then season, had a significant role over temperature.   Recently, it was found that time of the day controlled the temperature from an internal mechanism rather than an external.   Between the 1960’s, 1970’s and the 1980’s, more than 2700 articles have been published the internal role the circadian cycle has over body temperature variation.   Some of the factors that had a role over the circadian cycle included the light and day cycles and the meal timings.   Earlier study conducted by Kelly Greg et al in 2006 demonstrated that the temperature of the body was lowest between 3 am to 6 am and highest between 4 pm to 9 pm.   The difference between these two temperatures was about 1.8 degrees F.   Greg also found that se veral other factors could affect this variation in temperature. Although no current evidence is available to demonstrate that maximum number of human errors occurs during 2 am to 4 am, current literature suggest that the human tendency to make mistakes is higher during the early morning period.   This is because relatively fewer research studies have been conducted in this area.   One of the vital areas in which attention is required by the personnel is the night shifts in the trauma unit of a hospital.   Studies have shown that as these personnel experience a disruption of the circadian cycle, they are bound to make mistakes in the early morning hours.   Fatigue has been one of the causes for these errors.   In the past, 4 major disasters in the World have occurred due to disasters by the personnel during the early morning hours.   Scientists suggest that the human body circadian cycle is tuned in such a way that during the early morning hours, human physical and mental activity is minimized (Duncan, Jha, Bates, 2001). A study was conducted by Edwards et al (2008) to determine the level of accuracy at different times of the day in order to determine the effect on circadian cycle.   The individuals had to aim at a target and reach the center of the target as close as possible.   This task required a great level of eye-hand coordination.   Before the performance of the task, the oral temperature was recorded.   This study demonstrated a close relationship between the oral temperature and performance levels (Edwards et al, 2008).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Thus it can be said that the findings of this study have been consistent with that of the past studies.   The results of this study seem to be very specific and precise, as it points out to specific periods in a 24-hour cycle.   Such data needs to be studied further through advanced studies, and of in consistent results are obtained, could the results of this study be utilized for practical purposes.   Besides, long-term studies need to be performed in individuals with a disturbance in the circadian cycle. References: Bonnemeier H, Richardt G, Potratz J et al (2003). †Circadian profile of cardiac autonomic nervous modulation in healthy subjects: differing effects of aging and gender on heart rate variability.† J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol, 14(8), 791-799. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12890036?ordinalpos=1itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVAbstractPlusDrugs1 Duncan, B. W., Jha, A.K., Bates, D. W. (2001). â€Å"Chapter 46. Fatigue, Sleepiness, and Medical Errors.† In. Shojania, K. G., Duncan, B. W., McDonald, K. M. et al (Ed). Making Health Care Safer A Critical Analysis of Patient Safety Practices, Rockville: AHRQ. http://www.ahrq.gov/Clinic/ptsafety/index.html#toc Edwards, B., Waterhouse, J., Reilly, T. (2008). â€Å"Circadian rhythms and their association with body temperature and time awake when performing a simple task with the dominant and non-dominant hand.† Chronobiol Int., 25(1), 115-32. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18293153?ordinalpos=1itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum Kelly, G. (2006). â€Å"Body Temperature Variability (Part 1): A Review of the History of Body Temperature and its Variability Due to Site Selection, Biological Rhythms, Fitness, and Aging.† Alternate Medicine Review, 11(4). 278-293. http://www.thorne.com/altmedrev/.fulltext/11/4/278.pdf Stein, P. K., Domitrovich, P. P., Lundequam, E. J. et al (2006). â€Å"Circadian and ultradian rhythms in heart rate variability.† Biomed Tech (Berl), 51(4), 155-158. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17061928?ordinalpos=1itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVAbstractPlusDrugs1 Number of pages: 2 (Double Spaced) [?] Deadline: February 27 7:33 [?] T Number of sources: 5 [?] Style: APA  [?] Urgency:   Ã‚   4 days Time remaining: 1 days 23 hours 48 minutes Status: Order is available Messages: 0 [?] Files: 3 Description: [?] Preferred language style: English(U.S.) Draft Discussion and Literature Cited Sections Dear writer, Now I need to write a discussion section for my paper. You already wrote the introduction section for me, I wrote the material method section, and the result. Can you please help me to write a discussion. It needs to contain the following information: 1. Provides 4-5 general statements that interpret the results of the current study. 2. These general statements are the topic (first) or concluding (last) sentences of the paragraphs. 3. The general statements are expanded upon with support from the current study, including whether or not the current results agree with previously reported results. 4. The general statements are expanded upon with support from the literature. The supporting statements are referenced with Figure numbers ( Figure 1, 2,3,4 or 5) or literature citations that are in one of two forms (Last names of authors, year of publication) or (number from literature cited section). 5. The final paragraph in the Discussion section contains a concluding statement that summarizes the current findings in relation to previous work and a sentence that states whether or not the current findings support or refute the original hypothesis. 6. General: a. Flow of the narrative, i.e. is there a logical organization to the sentences in the text? Is the reader taken on a journey by the author that culminates in the final conclusion? b. The narrative provides the average biological scientist with a general understanding of the results of the current study and their relationship to previous research findings. Literature Cited: 1. Includes at least 5 references, at most one reference is a textbook and 1 is a review article. 2. References are numbered and listed in alphabetical order. 3. All references cited in the text are found in the Literature Cited section. 4. All references cited in the Literature Cited section can be found in the text. The sources must be primary because last time they were not. A primary source articles contain a full research report including all of the details necessary to duplicate a study. A primary source article usually contains the followings sections: an abstract that summarizes the paper, an introduction that contains the rationale for the study, a method section that describes in detail the subjects or participants in the study and the procedure, stimuli and equipment used in the study, a results section that describes what was found and any statistical analyses that were performed, a discussion section that explores the implications of the findings, and a references section that lists the literature cited throughout the paper. Primary source articles are most often found in scientific journals. I will also attach the lecture notes that my teacher gave us on circadian rhythm. You cant use lecture as a primary source, but the pdf file with graph contain some primary sources underneath the graphs that could be used for this paper. The lecture notes explain the details of each graph very well. You can use 2 sources from the pdf file, then one has to be a book, and another 2 primarily articles. Please paraphrase the text and do not use direct quotes as you did for the introduction section. Also use simple language so that the paper will flow. Contact me if you have any questions.

Biography of Elizabeth Proctor

Biography of Elizabeth Proctor Elizabeth Proctor was convicted in the 1692  Salem witch trial. While her husband was executed, she escaped execution because she was pregnant at the time she would have been hanged. Age at time of Salem witch trials:  about 40Dates:  1652 - unknownAlso known as: Goody Proctor Before the Salem Witch Trials Elizabeth Proctor was born in Lynn, Massachusetts.  Her parents had both emigrated from England and had married in Lynn.  She married John Proctor as his third wife in 1674; he had five (possibly six) children still living with the eldest, Benjamin, about 16 at the marriage. John and Elizabeth Bassett Proctor had six children together; one or two had died as infants or young children before 1692. Elizabeth Proctor managed the tavern owned by her husband and his eldest son, Benjamin Proctor. He had a license to operate the tavern beginning in 1668. Her younger children, Sarah, Samuel and Abigail, ages 3 to 15, probably helped with tasks around the tavern, while William and his older stepbrothers helped John with the farm, a 700-acre estate south of Salem Village. Salem Witch Trials The first time Elizabeth Proctor’s name comes up in the Salem witch accusations is on or after March 6, when Ann Putnam Jr. blamed her for an affliction. When a relative by marriage, Rebecca Nurse, was accused (the warrant was issued March 23), Elizabeth Proctor’s husband John Proctor made a public statement to the effect that if the afflicted girls were to have their way, all would be â€Å"devils and witches.† Rebecca Nurse, a highly respected member of the Salem Village community, was the mother of John Nurse, whose wife’s brother, Thomas Very, was married to John Proctor’s daughter Elizabeth from his second marriage.  Rebecca Nurse’s sisters were Mary Easty and Sarah Cloyce. John Proctor’s speaking out for his relative may have drawn attention to the family.  About this same time, a Proctor family servant, Mary Warren, began to have fits similar to those of the girls who had accused Rebecca Nurse.  She said she had seen the ghost of Giles Corey.  John threatened her with beatings if she had more fits, and ordered her to work harder. He also told her that if she had an accident while in a fit, running into a fire or into water, he would not help her. On March 26, Mercy Lewis reported that Elizabeth Proctor’s ghost was afflicting her. William Raimant later reported he’d heard the girls at Nathaniel Ingersoll’s house saying that Elizabeth Proctor would be accused.  He said that one of the girls (perhaps Mary Warren) had reported seeing her ghost, but when others said that the Proctors were good people, she said that it had been â€Å"sport.†Ã‚  He didn’t name which of the girls said that. On March 29 and again a few days later, first Mercy Lewis then Abigail Williams accused her of witchcraft. Abigail accused her again and also reported seeing the ghost of John Proctor, Elizabeth’s husband. Mary Warren’s fits had stopped, and she requested a prayer of thanks at the church, bringing her fits to the attention of Samuel Parris, who read her request to the members on Sunday, April 3, and then questioned her after the church service. Accused Capt. Jonathan Walcott and Lt. Nathaniel Ingersoll signed a complaint on April 4 against Sarah Cloyce (Rebecca Nurse’s sister) and Elizabeth Proctor for â€Å"high suspicion of several acts of witchcraft† done on Abigail Williams, John Indian, Mary Walcott, Ann Putnam Jr, and Mercy Lewis. A warrant was issued on April 4 to bring both Sarah Cloyce and Elizabeth Proctor into custody for an examination at the town public meeting house for an examination on April 8, and ordering as well that Elizabeth Hubbard and Mary Warren appear to give evidence.  On April 11 George Herrick of Essex issued a statement that he had brought Sarah Cloyce and Elizabeth Proctor to the court and had warned Elizabeth Hubbard to appear as a witness. No mention is made of Mary Warren in his statement. Examination The examination of Sarah Cloyce and Elizabeth Proctor took place on April 11.  Thomas Danforth, the Deputy Governor, conducted the verbal examination, first interviewing John Indian.  He said that Cloyce had hurt him â€Å"a great many times† including â€Å"yesterday at the meeting.† Abigail Williams testified to seeing a company of about 40 witches at a sacrament at Samuel Parris’ house, including a â€Å"white man† who â€Å"made all the witches to tremble.† Mary Walcott testified that she had not seen Elizabeth Proctor, so had not been hurt by her. Mary (Mercy) Lewis and Ann Putnam Jr. were asked questions about Goody Proctor but indicated that they were unable to speak. John Indian testified that Elizabeth Proctor had tried to get him to write in a book. Abigail Williams and Ann Putnam Jr. were asked questions but â€Å"neither of them could make any answer, by reason of dumbness or other fits.† When asked for her explanation, Elizab eth Proctor replied that â€Å"I take God in heaven to be my witness, that I know nothing of it, no more than the child unborn.†Ã‚  (She was pregnant at the time of her examination.) Ann Putnam Jr. and Abigail Williams then both told the court that Proctor had tried to get her to sign a book (referring to the devil’s book), and then began to have fits in the court. They accused Goody Proctor of causing them and then accused Goodman Proctor (John Proctor, Elizabeth’s husband) of being a wizard and also causing their fits. John Proctor, when asked his response to the accusations, defended his innocence. Mrs. Pope and Mrs. Bibber then also displayed fits and accused John Proctor of causing them. Benjamin Gould testified that Giles and Martha Corey, Sarah Cloyce, Rebecca Nurse and Goody Griggs had appeared in his chamber the previous Thursday. Elizabeth Hubbard, who had been called to testify, had been in a trance state the whole examination. Abigail Williams and Ann Putnam Jr., during the testimony against Elizabeth Proctor, had reached out as if to strike the accused. Abigail’s hand closed into a fist and touched Elizabeth Proctor only lightly, and then Abigail â€Å"cried out, her fingers, her fingers burned† and Ann Putnam Jr. â€Å"took on most grievously, of her head, and sunk down.† Samuel Parris took the notes of the examination. Charges Elizabeth Proctor was formally charged on April 11 with â€Å"certain detestable arts called witchcraft and sorceries† which she was said to have â€Å"wickedly and feloniously† used against Mary Walcott and Mercy Lewis, and for â€Å"sundry other acts of witchcraft.† The charges were signed by Mary Walcott, Ann Putnam Jr., and Mercy Lewis.  Ã‚   Out of the examination, charges were placed against John Proctor as well, and the court ordered John Proctor, Elizabeth Proctor, Sarah Cloyce, Rebecca Nurse, Martha Corey, and Dorcas Good (misidentified as Dorothy) to the Boston jail. Mary Warren’s Part Notable by her absence was Mary Warren, the servant who had first brought attention to the Proctor household, who the sheriff had been ordered to have appeared, but who does not seem to have been involved in the formal charges against the Proctors to this point, nor to have been present during the examination.  Her answers to Samuel Parris after her initial note to church and her subsequent absence from the proceedings against the Proctors was taken by some to be a statement that the girls had been lying about their fits. She apparently admitted that she had been lying about the accusations. The others began accusing Mary Warren of witchcraft herself, and she was formally accused in court on April 18.  On April 19, she recanted her statement that her previous accusations had been lies. After this point, she began to formally accuse the Proctors and others of witchcraft.  She testified against the Proctors in their June trial. Testimony for the Proctors In April of 1692, 31 men submitted a petition on behalf of the Proctors, testifying to their character.  In May, a group of neighbors- eight married couples and six other men- submitted a petition to the court saying the Proctors â€Å"lived Christian life in their family and were ever ready to help such as stood in need of their help,† and that they never heard or understood them to be suspected of witchcraft.  Daniel Elliot, a 27-year-old, said he’d heard from one of the accusing girls that she had cried out against Elizabeth Proctor â€Å"for sport.† Further Accusations John Proctor had also been accused during Elizabeth’s examination, and arrested and jailed for suspicion of witchcraft. Soon other family members were drawn in.  On May 21, Elizabeth and John Proctor’s daughter Sarah Proctor and Elizabeth Proctor’s sister-in-law Sarah Bassett were accused of afflicting Abigail Williams, Mary Walcott, Mercy Lewis and Ann Putnam Jr. The two Sarahs were then arrested. Two days later, Benjamin Proctor, John Proctor’s son and Elizabeth Proctor’s stepson, was accused of afflicting Mary Warren, Abigail Williams, and Elizabeth Hubbard. He was also arrested.  John and Elizabeth Proctor’s son William Proctor was accused on May 28 of afflicting Mary Walcott and Susannah Sheldon, and he was then arrested.  Thus, three of the children of Elizabeth and John Proctor were also accused and arrested, along with Elizabeth’s sister and sister-in-law. June 1692 On June 2, a physical examination of Elizabeth Proctor and some others of the accused found no signs on their bodies that they were witches. The jurors heard testimony against Elizabeth Proctor and her husband John on June 30. Depositions were submitted by Elizabeth Hubbard, Mary Warren, Abigail Williams, Mercy Lewis, Ann Putnam Jr.,  and Mary Walcott stating that they had been afflicted by the apparition of Elizabeth Proctor at various times in March and April. Mary Warren had not initially accused Elizabeth Proctor, but she did testify at the trial. Stephen Bittford also submitted a deposition against both Elizabeth Proctor and Rebecca Nurse.  Thomas and Edward Putnam submitted a petition stating that they had seen Mary Walcott, Mercy Lewis, Elizabeth Hubbard, and Ann Putnam Jr. being afflicted, and â€Å"very believe in our hearts† that it was Elizabeth Proctor who caused the afflictions.  Because the depositions of minors by themselves would not stand up in court, Nathaniel Ingersoll, Samuel Parris, and Thomas Putnam attested that they had seen these afflictions and believed them to have been done by Elizabeth Proctor. Samuel Barton and John Houghton also testified that they had been prese nt for some of the afflictions and heard the accusations against Elizabeth Proctor at the time. A deposition by Elizabeth Booth accused Elizabeth Proctor of afflicting her, and in a second deposition, she stated that on June 8 her father’s ghost appeared to her and accused Elizabeth Proctor of killing him because Booth’s mother would not send for Dr. Griggs. In a third deposition, she said that the ghost of Robert Stone Sr. and his son Robert Stone Jr. had appeared to her and said that John Proctor and Elizabeth Proctor killed them over a disagreement. A fourth deposition from Booth attested to four other ghosts that had appeared to her and accused Elizabeth Proctor – and in one case also John Willard- of killing them, one over some cider Elizabeth Proctor had not been paid for, one for not calling a doctor as recommended by Proctor and Willard, another for not bringing apples to her, and the last for differing in judgment with a doctor- Elizabeth Proctor was accused of killing him and laming his wife. William Raimant submitted a deposition that he had been present at the house of Nathaniel Ingersoll in late March when â€Å"some of the afflicted persons† cried out against Goody Proctor and said â€Å"I’ll have her hang,† had been reproved by Mrs. Ingersoll, and then they â€Å"seemed to make a jest of it.† The court decided to formally charge the Proctors with witchcraft, on the basis of the testimony, much of which was spectral evidence. Guilty The Court of Oyer and Terminer  met on August 2 to consider the cases of Elizabeth Proctor and her husband John, among others. About this time, apparently,John rewrote his will, excluding Elizabeth probably because he expected them both to be executed. On August 5, in a trial before jurors, both Elizabeth Proctor and her husband John were found guilty and sentenced to be executed.  Elizabeth Proctor was pregnant, and so she was given a temporary stay of execution until after she would give birth.  The juries that day also convicted George Burroughs,  Martha Carrier, George Jacobs Sr., and John Willard. After this, the sheriff seized all the property of John and Elizabeth, selling or killing all their cattle and taking all their household goods, leaving their children with no means of support. John Proctor tried to avoid execution by claiming illness, but he was hanged on August 19, on the same day as the other four condemned on August 5. Elizabeth Proctor remained in jail, awaiting the birth of her child and, presumably, her own execution soon after that. Elizabeth Proctor After the Trials The  Court of Oyer and Terminer had stopped meeting in September, and there had been no new executions after September 22 when 8 had been hanged. The Governor, influenced by a group of Boston-area ministers including Increase Mather, had ordered that spectral evidence not be relied on in court from that point on and ordered on October 29 that arrests stop and that the Court of Oyer and Terminer be dissolved. In late November he established a  Superior Court of Judicature  to handle further trials. On January 27, 1693, Elizabeth Proctor gave birth in jail to a son, and she named him John Proctor III. On March 18, a group of residents petitioned on behalf of nine who had been convicted of witchcraft, including John and Elizabeth Proctor, for their exoneration. Only three of the nine were still alive, but all who had been convicted had lost their property rights and so had their heirs. Among those who signed the petition were Thorndike Proctor and Benjamin Proctor, John’s sons and Elizabeth’s stepsons.  The petition was not granted. After the wife of Governor Phipps was accused of witchcraft, he issued a general order freeing all 153 remaining prisoners accused or convicted were released from jail in May 1693, finally freeing Elizabeth Proctor.  The family had to pay for her room and board while in jail before she could actually leave the jail. She was, however, penniless.  Her husband had written a new will while in jail and had omitted Elizabeth from it, probably expecting her to be executed. Her dowry and prenuptial contract were ignored by her stepchildren, on the basis of her conviction which made her legally a non-person, even though she had been released from jail. She and her still minor children went to live with Benjamin Proctor, her eldest stepson.  The family moved to Lynn, where Benjamin in 1694 married Mary Buckley Witheridge, also imprisoned in the Salem trials. Sometime before March of 1695, John Proctor’s will was accepted by the court for probate, which means that the court treated his rights as being restored. In April his estate was divided (though we have no record of how) and his children, including those by Elizabeth Proctor, presumably had some settlement.  Elizabeth Proctor’s children Abigail and William disappear from the historical record after 1695. It was not until April of 1697, after her farm had burned, that Elizabeth Proctor’s dowry was restored to her for her use by a probate court, on a petition she filed in June 1696. Her husband’s heirs had held her dowry until that time, as her conviction had made her a legal non-person. Elizabeth Proctor remarried on September 22, 1699, to Daniel Richards of Lynn, Massachusetts. In 1702, the Massachusetts General Court declared the 1692 trials to have been unlawful.  In 1703, the legislature passed a bill reversing the attainder against John and Elizabeth Proctor and Rebecca Nurse, convicted in the trials, essentially allowing them to be considered legal persons again and file legal claims for the return of their property.  The legislature also at this time outlawed the use of spectral evidence in trials. In 1710, Elizabeth Proctor was paid 578 pounds and 12 shillings in restitution for her husband’s death. Another bill was passed in 1711 restoring rights to many of those involved in the trials, including John Proctor.  This bill gave the Proctor family 150 pounds in restitution for their incarceration and for John Proctor’s death. Elizabeth Proctor and her younger children may have moved away from Lynn after her remarriage, as there is no known record of their deaths or where they are buried. Benjamin Proctor died in Salem Village (later renamed Danvers) in 1717. A Genealogical Note Elizabeth Proctor’s grandmother, Ann Holland Bassett Burt, was married first to Roger Bassett; Elizabeth’s father William Bassett Sr. is their son.  Ann Holland Bassett remarried after John Bassett’s death in 1627, to Hugh Burt, apparently as his second wife.  John Bassett died in England.  Ann and Hugh married in Lynn, Massachusetts, in 1628.  Two to four years later, a daughter, Sarah Burt, was born in Lynn, Massachusetts.  Some genealogical sources list her as the daughter of Hugh Burt and Anne Holland Basset Burt and connect her to the Mary or Lexi or Sarah Burt married to William Bassett Sr., born about 1632.  If this connection is accurate, Elizabeth Proctor’s parents would have been half-siblings or step-siblings.  If Mary/Lexi Burt and Sarah Burt are two different persons and have been confused in some genealogies, they are likely related. Ann Holland Bassett Burt was accused of witchcraft in 1669. Motives Elizabeth Proctor’s grandmother, Ann Holland Bassett Burt, was a Quaker, and so the family may have been looked on with suspicion by the Puritan community.  She had also been accused of witchcraft in 1669, accused by, among others, a doctor, Philip Read, apparently on the basis of her skill in healing others.  Elizabeth Proctor is said in some sources to have been a healer, and some of the accusations relate to her advice on seeing doctors. The skeptical reception by John Proctor of Mary Warren’s accusation of Giles Corey may have also played a part, and then her subsequent attempt to recover from seeming to call into question the veracity of the other accusers. While Mary Warren did not participate formally in the early accusations against the Proctors, she did make formal accusations against the Proctors and many others after she herself had been accused of witchcraft by the other afflicted girls. Another likely contributing motive was that Elizabeth’s husband, John Proctor, had publicly denounced the accusers, implying that they were lying about the accusations, after his relative by marriage, Rebecca Nurse, was accused. The ability to seize the rather extensive property of the Proctors may have added to the motive to convict them. Elizabeth Proctor in  The Crucible John and Elizabeth Proctor and their servant Mary Warren are major characters in Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible. John is portrayed as a fairly young man, in his thirties, rather than as a man in his sixties, as he was in reality. In the play, Abigail Williams- in real life about eleven or twelve during the accusations and in the play about seventeen- is portrayed as a former servant of the Proctors and as having had an affair with John Proctor; Miller is said to have taken the incident in the transcripts of Abigail Williams trying to strike Elizabeth Proctor during the examination as evidence of this relationship. Abigail Williams, in the play, accuses Elizabeth Proctor of witchcraft to gain revenge against John for ending the affair. Abigail Williams was not, in reality, ever a servant of the Proctors and may not have known them or not known them well before she joined in the accusations after Mary Warren had already done so; Miller has Warren joining in after Williams ha s begun the accusations. Elizabeth Proctor in  Salem,  2014 series The name of Elizabeth Proctor is not used for any major character in the highly fictionalized WGN America TV Series, airing from 2014, called Salem. Family, Background Mother:  Mary Burt or Sarah Burt or Lexi Burt (sources differ) (1632 – 1689) Father:  Captain William Bassett Sr., of Lynn, Massachusetts (1624 – 1703) Grandmother:  Ann Holland Bassett Burt, a Quaker Siblings Mary Bassett DeRich (also accused; her son John DeRich was among the accusers though not of his mother)William Bassett Jr. (married to Sarah Hood Bassett, also accused)Elisha BassettSarah Bassett Hood (her husband Henry Hood was accused)John Bassettothers Husband John Proctor  (March 30, 1632 – August 19, 1692), married in 1674; it was her first marriage and his third. He had come from England to Massachusetts at three years old with his parents and had moved to Salem in 1666. Children William Proctor (1675 – after 1695, also accused)Sarah Proctor (1677 – 1751, also accused)Samuel Proctor (1685 – 1765)Elisha Proctor (1687 – 1688)Abigail (1689 – after 1695)Joseph (?)John (1692 – 1745) Stepchildren: John Proctor also had children by his first two wives.   His first wife, Martha Giddons, died in childbirth in 1659, the year after their first three children died. The child born in 1659, Benjamin, lived until 1717 and was accused as part of the Salem witch trials.John Proctor married his second wife, Elizabeth Thorndike, in 1662. They had seven children, born 1663 – 1672. Three or four of the seven were still living in 1692. Elizabeth Thorndike Proctor died shortly after the birth of their last, Thorndike, who was among the accused in the Salem witch trials.  Ã‚  The first child of this second marriage, Elizabeth Proctor, was married to Thomas Very.  Thomas Very’s sister, Elizabeth Very, was married to John Nurse, son of  Rebecca Nurse, who was among those executed.  Rebecca Nurse’s sister  Mary Easty  was also executed and another of her sisters,  Sarah Cloyce, accused at the same time as was Elizabeth Proctor.

Microsoft Word Tips Adjusting Paragraph Spacing

Microsoft Word Tips Adjusting Paragraph Spacing Microsoft Word Tips: Adjusting Paragraph Spacing The space between paragraphs is important for professional formatting. Some style guides will even specify the paragraph spacing to use in a document. But how does this work in Microsoft Word? Paragraph Spacing Basics Paragraph spacing refers to the space between paragraphs in a document. And while you could add a manual blank line to divide paragraphs by hitting â€Å"Enter† on your keyboard, it is much easier and neater to let the formatting options in Microsoft Word do this for you! The quickest way to do this is via the Paragraph section of the Home tab on the ribbon: Select the text you want to format Go to Home Paragraph and click Line and Paragraph Spacing The spacing menu. Choose Add Space Before Paragraph or Add Space After Paragraph This will add a default space in the place selected. If the text has already been formatted, you will instead have the option to Remove Space Before Paragraph or Remove Space After Paragraph. Custom Paragraph Spacing If you want more control over the spacing in your document, you have two main options. The first is to open the Paragraph menu. You can do this via the Paragraph section of the Home tab: Open the Line and Paragraph Spacing dropdown menu Click Line Spacing Options†¦ In the window that opens, go to the Spacing section Adjust the values in the Before and After fields as required The main paragraph menu. Your second option is to use the Layout tab on the main ribbon. To do this: Go to Layout and find the Paragraph section Adjust the values in the Before and After fields as required Spacing options in the Layout tab. Typically, for text with a font size of 10-12 pts, you will want a spacing value between 6-8 pts. An Alternative Approach Finally, there is another way to control spacing in Microsoft Word. This is accessed via the Design tab on the main ribbon. Here, in the Document Formatting section, you’ll find a Paragraph Spacing dropdown menu with pre-set options to adjust the spacing in your document. Paragraph Spacing in the Design tab. However, this applies spacing throughout your entire document and also controls line spacing. It therefore offers much less customization than the methods described above.

Microsoft Word Tips Adjusting Paragraph Spacing

Microsoft Word Tips Adjusting Paragraph Spacing Microsoft Word Tips: Adjusting Paragraph Spacing The space between paragraphs is important for professional formatting. Some style guides will even specify the paragraph spacing to use in a document. But how does this work in Microsoft Word? Paragraph Spacing Basics Paragraph spacing refers to the space between paragraphs in a document. And while you could add a manual blank line to divide paragraphs by hitting â€Å"Enter† on your keyboard, it is much easier and neater to let the formatting options in Microsoft Word do this for you! The quickest way to do this is via the Paragraph section of the Home tab on the ribbon: Select the text you want to format Go to Home Paragraph and click Line and Paragraph Spacing The spacing menu. Choose Add Space Before Paragraph or Add Space After Paragraph This will add a default space in the place selected. If the text has already been formatted, you will instead have the option to Remove Space Before Paragraph or Remove Space After Paragraph. Custom Paragraph Spacing If you want more control over the spacing in your document, you have two main options. The first is to open the Paragraph menu. You can do this via the Paragraph section of the Home tab: Open the Line and Paragraph Spacing dropdown menu Click Line Spacing Options†¦ In the window that opens, go to the Spacing section Adjust the values in the Before and After fields as required The main paragraph menu. Your second option is to use the Layout tab on the main ribbon. To do this: Go to Layout and find the Paragraph section Adjust the values in the Before and After fields as required Spacing options in the Layout tab. Typically, for text with a font size of 10-12 pts, you will want a spacing value between 6-8 pts. An Alternative Approach Finally, there is another way to control spacing in Microsoft Word. This is accessed via the Design tab on the main ribbon. Here, in the Document Formatting section, you’ll find a Paragraph Spacing dropdown menu with pre-set options to adjust the spacing in your document. Paragraph Spacing in the Design tab. However, this applies spacing throughout your entire document and also controls line spacing. It therefore offers much less customization than the methods described above.

Aristotle,nz Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Aristotle,nz - Essay Example The procedure of realizing excellence of character calls for individuals to develop a steadiness of character by adopting virtuous pursuits and shunning vice. Aristotle stressed the ethical as well as normative effect of virtuous regulations would contribute towards assisting or directing human beings in the pursuit of good. Thesis Statement: From Aristotle’s treatise, all human beings have the capability of acquiring the excellence of character and thought through the constant practice of constructive behaviors such as temperance and duty. Aristotle also wrote about the excellence of thought- or intellectual excellence. He specified that common sense as well as practical wisdom could also be considered as being a kind of excellence of thought. From his writings, it is evident that Aristotle believed that the combination of these two types of excellences is what would be the redeeming factor of the human race. The concepts on the excellence of thought and character tie into Aristotle’s ideas on temperance and intemperance. According to Aristotle, the acquisition of temperance is important because it brings a balance between the excesses that are easily embraced by the untamed human soul and the insensibility that characterizes extreme asceticism. This is directly related to the portrayal of temperance in any challenging situation. For instance, an individual who was practicing temperance would find a balance in the expression of his or her emotions. In a situation where there was a significant threat, the temperate individual’s expressions of fear would not be more or less that the situation called for. However, an intemperate person would either express extreme stoicism or extreme fear that did not correspond to the danger of existing threat. Essentially, the possession of temperance in a human being is what will keep the soul’s need to yearn for different things in harmony with common sense

Unions and Health & safety - Unitarism & Pluralism Essay

Unions and Health & safety - Unitarism & Pluralism - Essay Example The trustworthiness of the employee is quite predictable in this type of Industries as both the association and the staff share a common goal and objectives among themselves. The general attitude of Unitarism is to maintain a cordial relationship between the two most pivotal pole of an organization, that is, the management and its human resources (Mc Carthy, n.d., p. 3). Pluralism is a political as well as social concept where people believe in representative democracy instead of direct democracy. In case of a workplace, the representative body is the trade union, which plays the role of a medium of communication between the workers and the owner or manager. Â  The trade union act as the voice of people to the management and also influence the staff when required being in the favor of the Organization. The direct communication between the employee and the employers are not possible in Pluralism, thus there is normally no common goal. This obviously increases the possibilities of con flict. (Reynolds, 1996) From 1950 both the ILO & WHO collectively aimed a general cause for health and safety in the working place, which ensure that a proper care (physical, mental and social) is to be provided to the workers, which will encourage the staff to carry out their job without any fear of getting injured and as a consequence productivity will not suffer. The objective to introduce health and safety in industrial area is to promote a fair and safe working environment (Policy Basis for a Regional Strategy, n.d., p.3). The worldwide acceptance of this perspective is quite evident with the worldwide implementation of different Acts and programs in this context. European Agency for Safety and Health at work was founded in 1996 in Europe. The Occupational Safety and Health Act was passed in 1970 by United States. Even countries like Malaysia, through DOSH (Department of Occupational Safety and Health) has enforced Factory and Machinery Act in 1969 and

Polar Bear Crisis Essay Example for Free

Polar Bear Crisis Essay Bear Crisis In May 2008, the U. S listed the polar bear as a  threatened species  under the  Endangered Species Act. The Arctic is one of the most discussed on climate change, due to the fact that warming is greatest there and because what happens in the Arctic has the can eventually impact the rest of the Earth. So far, not only has it affected the way the ice is melting and the weather is changing, but it is mainly affecting the animals that are living there (for example, polar bears). Although, there are many environmentalists, and companies tried to solve, or at least help the situation (like Coca-Cola and WWF), the problem is not getting any better. As sea ice is being reduced in the area, the polar bears basis for survival is being threatened, said John Laird, WWFs Nunavut regional conservation director. The sea ice is melting earlier in the spring which is sending the polar bears to land earlier without them having developed as much fat reserves for the ice free season. By the end of the summer they are skinny bears, which in the worst case can affect their ability to reproduce. Also, The U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service says that, . . . extensive scientific studies have indicated that the increased observation of bears on land is a result of changing distribution patterns and a result of changes in the accessibility of sea ice habitat. It is crazy to think that all of these things are all being affected because we are not taking care of our planet; even though it’s happening thousands of miles away. Because we put trash on the ground, pollute the air etc. animals are being affected, especially the polar bears. Since bears use the sea ice to hunt for their main prey, seals, without the sea ice, their range are drastically reduced. On top of it all, the oil and gas development along the edges of the land mass and you have more problems. It has been said that two thirds of polar bears will disappear by 2050.

Carnivorous Plants Essay -- essays research papers

Carnivorous Plants In a world where plants are at the bottom of the food-chain, some individual plant species have evolved ways to reverse the order we expect to find in nature. These insectivorous plants, as they are sometimes called, are the predators , rather than the passive prey. Adaptions such as odiferous lures and trapping mechanisms have made it possible for these photosynthesizers to capture, chemically break-down and digest insect prey (and in some cases even small animals.) There is no reason to fear them though. The majority are herbaceous perennials, usually only 4 to 6 inches high, and nothing like the plant in "Little Shop of Horrors". Almost all carnivorous plants have a basically similar ecology and several different species are often found growing almost side by side. They are most likely to be found in swamps, bogs, damp heaths and muddy or sandy shores. Drosophyllum lusitanicum from Portugal and Morocco is the one exception, it grows on dry gravelly hills. Like other green plants, carnivorous plants contain the organic pigment chlorophyll. This pigment helps to mediate a chemical process called photosynthesis. This converts light energy into the chemical bond energy of carbohydrate which is utilized as cellular energy, plant growth and development. Water, carbon dioxide, nutrients and minerals are also needed for survival. In wetlands, where stagnate water contains acidic compounds and chemicals from decaying organic matter many plants have a difficult time obtaining necessary nutrients. It is in these nutrient poor conditions that some plants evolved different ways of obtaining nutrients. The ability of carnivorous plants to digest nitrogen -rich animal protein enables these plants to survive in somewhat hostile environments. The evolution of carnivorous plants is speculative due to the paucity of the fossil record. It is believed that plant carnivory may have evolved millions of years ago from plants whose leaves formed depressions that retained rain water. Small insects would sometimes fall into these water reservoirs and drown, eventually being decomposed by bacteria in the water. The nutrients from the insects would be absorbed by the leaf. The deeper the leaf depression the more insects that could be drowned. This would have creat... ... as frogs and small rodents. Nepenthes are unique amongst carnivorous plants as the only dioecious genus, which means there are separate male and female plants. These plants are very endangered and several species or extinct. Some species of Nepenthes are sold for hundreds of dollars to collectors and are involved in illegal overseas trade. The growing of carnivorous plants has become very popular in recent years. Unfortunately the endangered status of many species does not stop collectors from risking high fines and field collecting them. This has had seriously impact on many species, but collectors are not the biggest problem facing carnivorous plants. In the USA and other developed countries wetlands are considered useless and are being drained and developed on. At present it is estimated that only 3-5% of carnivorous plant habitat remain in the US. Another problem is that fires are put out before they spread even though many plants, such as the Venus fly trap, benefit from periodic burns. Habitat destruction from slash and burn agriculture, however, does not benefit any of the carnivorous plants and is also causing a great deal of the extinctions.

Close to the water’s edge Essay

When people are at a point in their life where they have to make important decisions that will form their future and identity, it is said that they are standing at a crossroad. Choosing a path can often be difficult because there are so many different ones to choose, and it only gets harder when somebody tries to influence you, such as maybe your parents. Parents always want the best for their children, but do they always know what the best is? Probably not. This is also the case in Close to the Water’s Edge, where the main character is struggling to find his own way in life while his mother is trying to force him to choose a future to her liking. Close to the Water’s edge is a fictional short story by Claire Keegan and it deals with many different themes such as identity development, oppression, social inheritance, money and love. It is told by a limited omniscient 3. person narrator. The limited omniscient narrator’s effect on the story is that it becomes a muc h more serious story because we only focus on his deep and almost melodramatic thoughts of life. Had we for example heard the stepfather’s thoughts he would probably have told us that the main character is just a spoiled little boy or something similar, but this is not the impression the author wishes to give us, she wants us to see the story from the main characters point-of-view so we’ll se the moral of the story. The language used in the short story is quite sophisticated and the grammar is mostly correct. There is no great use of slang or abbreviations, which is the same with the language used by the characters- an indication of a high class family. The story takes off in medias res as we’re not introduced to the main character but are thrown into a sequence where he is out on the balcony. The structure of the story jumps between the present and the past, as we’re given a flashback to when his grandmother went to the ocean with his grandfather, and then the story leaps back into real time when the family is eating at the restaurant Leonardoâ€℠¢s. Leonardo’s is a very fancy seafood restaurant by the bay, like every other setting we are taken to in the story. The stepfather is a millionaire so the general setting is very luxurious, like the fancy restaurant, the penthouse on the beach, and the references to Harvard University at which the main character is a student. It is made clear by setting that the family is very high class people, though some of them still have bad manners. The stepfather is a static  character, very rich, very arrogant, cruel and insensitive. He is also the antagonist of the story, and keeps picking on the boy for being gay by throwing degrading verbal punches at him: â€Å"Did you hear about this guy Clinton? Says if he’s elected president he’s going to let queers into the military† he says, â€Å"what do you think if that, Harvard?† (p. 3 l. 88-90). â€Å"Even so. The best and the brightest. How come you never bring a girl down?† (p. 4 l. 123 – 124). And the stepfather has arranged for the cooks to bring his stepson an embarrassing bright pink cake, like the one you giv e a girl for her first birthday (p. 4 l. 133-134). The mother is a beautiful hot tempered woman, a bit superficial and wears expensive clothes and lots of make-up. She is also a static character, we know she is supposed to represent the trophy woman whose only job is to look well. The main character is also our protagonist, a very sensitive, polite and intelligent young man, who feels crippled because of his parents of whom neither will accept him for how he really is: gay, and with no ambition of wealth (p. 1 l. 4-7). As stated earlier on, the main character is at a crossroad in his life where he has to make some big decisions, but he is not free do to so in the beginning, because of his mothers fierce attempts at pressuring him into choosing her lifestyle. In the first part of the story the boy is out on the balcony when his mother comes out to him and ties an â€Å"unnecessarily tight bow† (p. 3 l. 70). This bow is a symbol of how she is holding on to him, pressuring him. This thesis is supported by this quotation from the mother:† You play your cards right and this could all be yours someday. He’s god no kids. You wonder why I married him, but I was thinking of you all along†(p. 3 l. 76.78). But then later on he walks down to the beach and starts thinking about his grandmother, from whom we guess that he has been given the different outlook on life than the one his mother holds â€Å"the woman who embraced him to tightly she bruised him† (p. 5 l. 161). He thinks about how she lived a life of regret because she never stood up to her husband, and he realizes that that is not the way he wants to live. He wants to free himself of his parents- he loosens the knot around his neck as a symbol of losing their controlling grasp on him. He feels almost as if he had been dipped in his parent’s presence in a liquid form and is now all dirty, so he takes his clothes off, and swims in the sea as a symbol of rebirth. His grandmother never jumped into the water because she was afraid of how deep the water  was, but he jumps in, because he realizes that life is about taking chances and you will regret it if you fail to. The main character still doesn’t know what will happen if he stands up to his parents or tells the world that he is gay, but that is a part of life- it involves risks. The title is also the moral in the story; a way of saying that you have to make your own decisions. The main character is close to the water’s edge on the beach, and now he has to make a choice of either jumping in and taking a chance with his life, or staying on solid ground well knowing how the rest of his life will turn out.

The General Environment

SUMMARY OF UNDERSTANDING STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT CHAPTER 2: The General Environment The external environment facing the organization consists of both: a. A general environment, often referred to as the macro-environment because changes that occur here will have an effect that transcends firms and specific industries. b. A competitive environment, consists of the industry and markets in which an organization competes. In order to scan and monitor their environment, firms require tools of analysis that will allow them to factor in the changes in the general environment and evaluate their impact.One such approach involves scanning the environment to detect signals that will act as a signpost for future changes in the organization’s industry. In addition, an organization must monitor its environment to discern patterns and trends that are beginning to form and try to forecast the future direction of these trends. a. Scanning the environment Scanning, therefore, is an opportunity for the organization to detect weak signals in the general environment before these have coalesced into a discernible pattern which might affect its competitive environment. The first is that the organization may fail to identify these signals.The second is that the organization may discern a pattern that is not there but is based on the assumptions and mental models that managers carry in their heads. b. Monitoring the environment * Monitoring can be seen as the activity that follows these initially disparate signals and tracks them as they grow into more clearly discernible patterns. * Monitoring allows an organization to see how these general environment trends will impact on its competitive environment. * Monitoring uses a finer brush stroke. * There is no focus for an organization’s monitoring activities. One way in which an organization might monitor weak signals is to set thresholds such that any activity which occurs above the threshold will be monitored. c. Forecasting c hanges in the environment Three main types of uncertainty (Van der Heijden, 1996): * Risks: where past performance of similar events allows us to estimate the probabilities of future outcomes. * Structural uncertainties: where an event is unique enough not to offer evidence of such probabilities. * Unknowables: where we cannot even imagine the event. Scenario planning is a disciplined method for imagining possible future.It is ‘an internally consistent view of what the future might turn out to be’ (Porter 1985, p. 446). A scenario can be seen as a challenging, plausible, and internally consistent view of what the future might turn out to be. They are not forecasts in the sense that one is able to extrapolate using past data. However, they do deal with the future and provide a tool of analysis for the organization to structure the surfeit of information that is contained in the present. In particular, scenarios help organizations recognize the weak signals that signpost changes in its environment. The benefits of scenario planning for Shell have been: More robust strategic decisions. * Better thinking about the future by a ‘stretching mental model’. * Enhancing corporate perception and recognizing events as a pattern (the recognition and monitoring of weak signals until they coalesce into a pattern is clearly important here). * Improving communication throughout the company by providing a context for decisions. * A means to provide leadership to the organization. A process for developing scenarios is as follows: * Define the scope. This involves setting the time frame and the scope of analysis. * Identify the major stakeholders. Identify basic trends. * Identify key uncertainties. * Construct initial scenario themes. * Check for consistency and plausibility. * Develop learning scenarios. * Identify research needs. * Develop quantitative models. * Evolve towards decision scenarios. PEST Analysis * PEST analysis is simply another tool to help the organization detect and monitor those weak signals in the hope of recognizing the discontinuities or fractures shaping the environment. * PEST analysis can be used to help detect trends in the external environment that will ultimately find their way into the competitive environment.It provides a link between the general and competitive environments in that weak signals in the general environment can become key forces for change in the competitive environment. SWOT Analysis Scenario planning and PEST analysis can help to identify the external opportunities and threats (OT) facing an organization. The firm’s internal strengths and weaknesses (SW) can best be determined following an appraisal of its resources and capabilities. SWOT analysis allows an organization to assess its current strategy in light of its changing environment and to help turn potential threats into opportunities and weaknesses into strengths.A key point to keep in mind is that it is the external an alysis that precedes the internal analysis of a firm’s resources and capabilities. SUMMARY OF RM-6 â€Å"Sustaining Competitive Advantage in the Global Petrochemical Industry: A Saudi Arabian Perspective† From a global perspective, the competitiveness of some firms arises from macro-economic phenomena directed by exchange rates, deficit of the national budget or interest rates (Passemard and Kleiner, 2000). Competitiveness also arises from factors other than macro-economic, such as availability of raw materials, cheaper work force or technological superiority.Porter (1980) is credited with being the pioneer in identifying factors that contribute to national advantage. Porter (1985) made valuable contributions in identifying important factors that contribute to national advantage, that is the factor conditions of a nation, such as infrastructure and the availability of resources; demand conditions in the home country; the presence or absence of related and supporting in dustries necessary for being competitive in the global market; the firm’s strategy, structure and rivalry with other ompanies that influence how firms are established, organised and managed; and the nature of the rivalry affects the competitive advantage of industries and nations (Porter, 1990). Saudi Arabia is well known throughout the world as a leading producer and exporter of oil. For many years prior to the 1970s, a large volume of associated gas by products which were produced in the process of crude oil production, had been flared into the atmosphere.However, in the early 1970s the Saudi Arabian government initiated a plan to utilize these precious hydrocarbon and mineral resources for the production of various petrochemicals, fertilizers, iron and steel. Saudi Arabia accounts for a little more than 5% of the world’s petrochemicals production. However, Saudi Arabia is the largest producer of MTBE (Methyl Tertiary Butyl Ether) with a global share of around 15%. I t has also a big market share in the production of methanol (around 12%) and ethylene glycol (14%). Domestic consumption in Saudi Arabia is low, due to the small size of the market.The industry in general has therefore pursued an ‘export-orientated’ strategy, as a result of which more than 76% of its petrochemicals production is being exported. The two major markets for the Saudi petrochemical exports are the Middle Eastern and East Asian region. The strength & weakness of Saudi petrochemical industry: * Strength: Low cost due to economic of scale, initial cost, feed-stock, and utilities. Presence of efficient infrastructure * Weakness: Lack of management expertise, marketing approach, product development, and technology Main issue:From those strength & weaknesses above, we could see that Saudi petrochemical industry was depending on the comparative advantage rather than the support of competitive advantage to sustain in global competition. Analysis: Using Porterâ€℠¢s five force model above, we could analyze that: * The entry of competitors: raw materials controlled by many firms, new and high technology, large & complex operational, high investment * The threat of substitutes: concerns on biochemical substitution * The argaining power of buyers: find alternative market, focus on domestic and foreign customers * The bargaining power of suppliers: change the supplier with low cost, find reasonable price and obtaining credit facilities, no substitute of aluminum alkyls high threat * The rivalry among the existing players: zero differentiation, see the competitor like SABIC, Exxon, Shell, BASF, Dow, Mitsubishi in equal size and market power oversupplySolution: * Improve human resources department to develop the technical and managerial skills of local employees * Increase the effort in marketing, distribution Penetrated global market, and research & development division to modify manufacturing process which safe for environment * Increase product ivity and cut loss, merge small to medium firms to strengthen capital base. Lesson learned: Based on analysis using Porter’s model, it is illustrate that Saudi petrochemical industry environment able to help other firms to formulate the strategy, not only consider to the general environment and competitor analysis but also to the Porter’s model itself. * Realize that external factors will influence the firm, directly and indirectly. The firm also has to formulate their strategy based on the external factor (which couldn’t be controlled), how to match the next action with their capacity.

Male and Female Spatial Ability Essays

Male and Female Spatial Ability Essays Male and Female Spatial Ability Essay Male and Female Spatial Ability Essay One theory developed by psychologists working within the biological approach is the idea that males have better spatial ability than females. Spatial ability is the ability to mentally manipulate 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional figures. One way in which spatial ability can be operationalised is in the form of mental rotation test. A mental rotation test requires participants to identify rotated versions of a target stimulus. Mental rotation usually takes place in the right cerebral hemisphere, in the areas where perception also occurs. Mental rotation can be separated into the following cognitive stages (Johnson 1990): 1) Create a mental image of an object 2) Rotate the object mentally until a comparison can be made 3) Make the comparison 4) Decide if the objects are the same or not 5) Report the decision. See below for an example. Shepard and Metzler (1971) have identified sex differences in performance on mental rotation tasks. Males perform better than females (faster and making less mistakes). For this piece of research a quasi experiment is conducted because the variable that makes one group different from the other is gender i. . one condition will be male and the other condition will be female. Since gender is something that cannot be altered, the groups are pre-determined by their biological sex, therefore making it a naturally occurring variable. Any experiment that involves the investigation of a variable like the effect of gender on behaviour is called a quasi experiment because the conditions to which p articipants are assigned is based on a natural phenomenon. In a quasi experiment the independent variable is decided by something beyond the experimenter’s control. The aim of this study is to conduct a partial replication of Shepard and Metzler (1971)) research in order to investigate whether sex differences exist between males and females for spatial ability. The research question is: ‘Do males have better spatial ability than females? ’ Based on previous research the experimental one-tailed hypothesis is: ‘Males complete mental rotation tasks more quickly than females’. A one-tailed hypothesis of difference is predicted because of previous findings. The Null Hypothesis is: ‘There will be no difference between the performance of males and females on a mental rotation task’. Operationalising the variables The independent variable is naturally occurring and is simply whether the participants is male or female. Spatial ability, the dependent variable, will be operationalised using a simple mental rotation task. Participants will be required to mentally rotate pictures of objects in order to match each picture with one of six other pictures that show objects mentally rotated in a different position. Participants (10 males and 10 females) will be required to choose the correct match from a selection of six different possibilities. There will be ten separate trials. The ten trails of each participant will be timed, in seconds, and an average time calculated for the completion of each trial. See figure 2 before for an example. Participants: 20 participants took part in the study. They were recruited using an opportunity sample. This method of sampling simply involves asking people to take part who are easily available at the time of study. In this case it was a collection of year 12 and 13 psychology students from three different classes. 10 females and 10 males took part ranging in age from 16-18 year. To follow ethical guidelines full informed consent was obtained from each participant. This detailed the purpose of the study and explained that all results would be kept entirely confidential and participants could withdraw from the study at any point. Participants could withhold their results from the mental rotation task if they wished. Controls Because the study is a laboratory experiment, controls can be put in place to prevent confounding variables affecting the results. It is therefore possible to be more confident that any difference between the results of the males and females is only due to their gender. Controls in this experiment included ensuring that all participants undertook the task in silence. All participants took the test in the same school computer lab and at the same time of day (Between 1:00 and 2:00pm). All participants were of a similar age and all participants did exactly the same task. Participants were seated a desk apart so they could not copy each others answers. Design As there are two groups of different participants, one male and one female, to compare times between groups the research design is an independent groups – each participants is only in one group (condition). Procedure A pilot study was conducted with 5 students not taking part in the study. This enabled the researchers to check the timings involved in administering the mental rotation test and also to check that everything ran smoothly. The study also enabled the researchers to perfect the wording of the standardised instructions. For the main study 10 male participants sat at separate desks in the computer room with the mental rotation programme loaded. Participants read and signed a consent form. The experimenter then read from a standardised set of instructions explaining the procedure and giving permission for participants to begin the 10 mental rotation trails when they were ready. Sitting next to each participant was a research assistant on hand to time the task. In their own time participants began the task – matching a 2D object with one of six other mentally rotated objects. This was completed in silence. After all participants had taken part a full debrief was read out to all participants, explaining the details of the research. All participants were told they could review the findings when the data had been analysed. Results The mean score (measured in seconds) for each participant can be seen below. The mean is one measure of central tendency. If a sensitive value because all scores are taken into however this may cause the value to be skewed if there are outlying values. The mean time to complete each mental rotation trial for males was 5. 84 seconds compared to 7. 73 seconds for females. This means that males completed each on average 1. 89 seconds faster than their female counterparts. This data is represented in a visual form in the graph below which shows an observable difference between males and females. Inferential statistics To test whether there is a significant difference between the sets of scores an inferential statistical test needs to be undertaken. This tests the probability of whether the difference between males and females is due to chance or whether the difference is due to the independent variable. An inferential statistical test is used to test the significance of the results, which will indicate whether to accept or reject the null hypothesis. Inferential statistics will indicate the probability that the results are due to chance. If the probability of the results being due to chance is high you cannot reject the null hypothesis and must assume that there is no difference between the spatial ability of males and females. However if the probability that the results are due to chance is very low (say 5% or P lt; 0. 05) you can reject the null hypothesis and therefore accept the experimental hypothesis and thus assume that there is a real significant difference between the spatial abilities of males and females. When doing an inferential statistical test on the data one must select the appropriate test. To do this you must look at: 1) the type of data collected (level of measurement), 2) the research design of the experiment and 3) whether the research is looking for a difference or a relationship (correlation) between sets of data. For this experiment the correct test to use is a Mann-Whitney test because 1) the data gathered is ratio data, 2) the research design is independent groups and 3) we’re looking for a difference between sets of scores for two different groups of participants. The results of our Mann Whitney Test produced a U value of 19. 5. Because this is less than the critical value (23) from the statistical table the results are significant. Therefore the null hypothesis is rejected and the experimental hypothesis is accepted. This means that we have found support for the idea that males do have better spatial ability than females, but it does not prove it. The results are due to a real effect of the independent variable on the dependent variable. Conclusion One can conclude from the above research that males perform mental rotation tasks more quickly than females. The experimental hypothesis is accepted ‘Males complete mental rotation tasks more quickly than females’. However this conclusion should be considered in light of the issues described below. Issue of Validity The mental rotation is not really a true reflection of how we normally use spatial information in everyday life e. g. when driving, writing and many other everyday activities. As such this experiment may be considered to be low in ecological validity. The test is not a particularly realistic test of spatial ability as the mental rotation task is only looking at one very specific type of spatial ability. Validity may also be questioned because of the controlled, artificial setting used. Participants knew that their performance was being monitored and this may have influenced their behaviour. Males are possibly more competitive when they know they are being watched which may explain why males performed better than females. (There may be more of a social facilitation effect for males compared to females). Other threats to validity may come from demand characteristics i. e. males may respond more to demand characteristics that females or males may respond more to experimenter effects than females. All these alternative explanations as to why males may perform better than females threaten the validity of the study. Reliability Each person who took part in the study had their spatial ability measured using the same test scored in exactly the same way, so the internal reliability (consistency) is good. The findings are externally reliable in the sense that they produced a consistent finding to that of previous research. The fact that the study can be easily replicated, partly because it is a laboratory study, means that the reliability can be tested. Generalisability Only having 10 participants in each group all of whom are between 16 and 18 years of age and from Enfield, is not a broad enough sample to make generalisation about populations beyond the sixth form where the study took place. A larger more representative sample is needed to be able to make more confident generalisations to a wider population. Since all students are studying A-levels they do not represent the academic abilities of all students and hence the sample is not fully representative. Credibility The overall credibility of the experiment may be questioned as the research took place in an artificial setting and the results could have been the result of where and how the experiment was conducted rather than the result of the difference between males and females in terms of spatial ability. Because the experiment may have validity issues plus problems with generalisation caused by the limited and unrepresentative sample many psychologists would argue that the results lack credibility. More evidence may therefore be needed to support the hypothesis that males have better spatial ability than females.