3 Important People in My Life.

3 notable individuals throughout my life. There are a few people throughout my life that have filled in as a wellspring of impact. In any case, there are three individuals who have affected a choice or two, however have radically adjusted my lifestyle. These individuals have totally changed my life in a positive manner. Without these individuals, my life would not have a similar significance and reason. These three significant people are my mother, my father, and my better half. Above all else, there is my mom. She has served her job as my mom obediently and out of adoration. That would clarify any mother in this world.However, she has gone past that and has given a very supporting adolescence while growing up. Experiencing childhood in India, there was an enormous accentuation on scholastic achievement. For a portion of my companions, that implied progressing nicely and succeeding called for acclaim while disappointment was just taken a gander at with sicken. My mom never made a dec ision about me for my victories or disappointments. She recognized my triumphs, yet in addition showed me how to learn with my disappointments. This applied not exclusively to class, yet in addition to sports. Maybe, this is the reason I exceeded expectations in both. I got the consolation and legitimate direction I needed.Furthermore, my mother consistently had a quiet disposition. She never worked with a hot temper. I figured out how to be patient and how to manage issues that came my direction. Hence, my mother didn't just furnish me with an excellent adolescence, she job displayed and showed me certain fundamental abilities. I generally allude back to an issue as far as what my own mom would do. The second most critical individual in my life is my dad. Growing up, he was available in my life even in a male centric culture. He urged me to succeed and exceed expectations in all that I do.Not just that, however he likewise showed me a portion of the harder life exercises. I recolle ct that as a youngster, at whatever point I needed something new, I needed to endure it until it was down to earth to supplant anything I desired to supplant. In the event that I cried or cried, it would be totally not feasible. Consequently, my father in a way shown me how to welcome the things in life as the manner in which they are rather than continually seeking after a change. He additionally instructed me to be solid and patient with objectives since crying and whimpering just prompts time squandered. It is a shortcoming that solitary slows down you as opposed to moving you forward.Another perspective my father has affected me extraordinarily is to take a gander at each person with uniformity. Growing up, I was raised to not pass judgment on an individual dependent on what their identity was or how much cash they made. My father ingrained these qualities into me and trusted that I conveyed them forward. He needed me to comprehend that individuals may contrast from the surface, however they should all be taken similarly. Without my dad, my social collaborations and method of defining objectives and accomplishing them would not have been the equivalent. At last, the last individual of importance in my life is my better half of 4 years.Right after I moved to Houston, I didn't know numerous individuals and my life was extremely straightforward and insipid. I would go to class, center around my investigations, interface with my family, and rehash a similar schedule each and every day. My life was feeling the loss of a significant social part. I had nobody else to converse with. Be that as it may, I met a young lady from Houston and she was amicable and kind. She didn't pass judgment on me as others did. She didn't fret about my style or what my identity was. She took me like some other individual. Maybe this outlook was what I was searching for in another person.She not exclusively was there when I required her the most, however she turned into another explan ation and another inspiration to keep my life moving solid. In this way, she has motivated me that there is consistently trust even in troublesome occasions. Nonetheless, the key is to keep up trust and an uplifting disposition. One of the most significant things she has trained me is to consistently grin and life. Life is too short to even think about carrying a disapprove of your face and to not appreciate each and every snapshot of it. Thus, these three individuals have filled in as extraordinary wellspring of positive impact. Without them, my life would be inadequate.

Essay on Educational Psychology and Learners

Exposition on Educational Psychology and Learners Exposition on Educational Psychology and Learners Standards of Learning Presentation The accompanying task examines inspiration, learning exercises, association of data, correspondence and input. The hypotheses of therapists will be referenced to the models given for inspiration and the association of data. Speculations incorporate those of Abraham Maslow, Jerome Bruner and David Kolb. Inspiration Understudies go to Learning Resources IT preparing on an intentional premise, and are along these lines profoundly energetic. These understudies are inherently propelled. Borich and Tombari depict this sort of inspiration as follows â€Å"intrinsic inspiration impacts students to pick an errand, get invigorated about it, and continue until they achieve it effectively, whether or not it brings a prompt reward† (p210). This portrayal intently coordinates how our students carry on. Our understudies have perceived that they would profit by improving their IT abilities, have searched out and distinguished an asset to assist them with accomplishing this, and are glad to go to a program that doesn't grant an authentication. A few understudies are extraneously spurred, as there are outside components for answerable for their participation. A case of this on the off chance that they are alluded by scholarly staff for extra IT support, or on the off chance that they are encountering issues with a task including IT. Social learning scholars, for example, Albert Bandura accept that watching peers shapes learners’ conduct and that the social condition can impact character Zimbardo, McDermott, Jansz and Metaal (p460). This could clarify why a few understudies go to in light of the fact that their friends are as of now able in utilizing a PC. On the off chance that loved ones are IT educated, at that point the student feels they ought to be as well. As more individuals become skilled in utilizing IT, at that point more individuals will follow this conduct. Whatever the inspiration factors, when a student goes to a learning program it is the obligation of the mentor to keep up their inspiration. The learn ing condition Presentation A tutor’s first thought is to set up and keep up a compelling learning condition. Students need to have a sense of safety and genuinely sheltered. As the humanist analyst Abraham Maslow’s (1962) Hierarchy of Needs appears, physiological and wellbeing needs should be fulfilled before an individual can advance. These necessities can be applied to a PC workshop as talked about in Reece and Walker (p101). To fulfill physiological necessities the coach must guarantee that the room isn't excessively hot/chilly, the seats meet wellbeing and security guidelines, and students have sufficient breaks. Numerous understudies feel unreliable and uneasy about learning IT, to guarantee they have a sense of security it is significant that the mentor show sympathy. PCs must be normally kept up and programming appropriately introduced to guarantee the student doesn't need to battle with specialized challenges. Learning exercises The Humanist analysts accept conduct is novel to every person. We are not all roused by very similar things and we as a whole have various points and desires. Borich and Tombari portray the humanist hypothesis as follows: â€Å"It is called humanist in light of the fact that the essential center is the internal contemplations, sentiments, mental requirements, and feelings of the individual learner† (p285). The Humanistic methodology ought to apply picking showing techniques and arranging learning exercises. Learning exercises must be organized to address the issues everything being equal. This can be a test as certain students expect formal guidance and the mentor drove approach, while others need to work autonomously, mentioning help as required. Students can get baffled and de-persuaded if the workshop isn't at a fitting level and additionally the showing strategies and exercises wrong to their necessities. Therapist Carl Rogers expressed that the student ought to be set at the focal point of the learning procedure through dynamic self-revelation. He additionally expressed that â€Å"the employment of the instructor, in his view, is to

Labor Day, literally

Labor Day, literally Today was moving-in day, where I moved all of my stuff out of storage and back into my dorm room. Moving-in day is my second-least-favorite day of the year, after moving-out day (which additionally involves cramming all of your things into a bunch of tiny boxes). Me driving my stuff back to my dorm in a giant U-Haul truck I always dread having to move my stuff. Im not entirely sure why. I always think that moving is going to take much longer than it does (usually I split a storage unit with a friend and it takes around 3 hours). I think its because there are so many steps to the process, and all of them are inconvenient and involve lots of sweating. Its also pretty sad to think about all the effort youre expending to move an entire dorm rooms worth of stuff back and forth, back and forth along a one-mile stretch of road every summer for four years. But regardless, moving is a perennial part of my back-to-school experience, so this year I decided to document the process. Since Im from LA, I do not have a car nor family in the area. So the way I usually handle my summer storage is by renting a storage space at U-Haul for the summer and then renting a truck at the beginning and ends of the school year to transport stuff from my dorm to the facility and vice versa. But different students choose to store their stuff in a lot of different ways. Some people have friends or family nearby that can store their boxes or help them move, which simplifies the process. Some people hire moving companies to transfer and store the boxes for them. MIT dorms also offer a storage plan that covers up to 6 boxes of storage in the dorm itself (usually in basements or suite closets), but unfortunately I have waaaay more than 6 boxes of stuff. So let this be a warning to all pre-frosh deciding how much junk to bring to college. ;) My amazing friends Yida and Sarah agreed to help me move my things. Yida and I moved out together at the beginning of the summer and shared a storage locker, but she got back to school earlier to particpate in sorority recruitment, so by the time I showed up she had already moved her things out. I typically move into my dorm on Labor Day, the day before Reg Day, which is when you meet with your advisor to choose your classes. A lot of people are already moved in at this point, but I always try to maximize my time at home with my family. Us at dinner a couple of hours ago! Yida and I had stored our stuff in a storage locker at the U-Haul in Central Square, which is about a 15-minute walk from my dorm. I think this location is the most convenient for students living on campus. I tried a different storage company last summer farther away from MIT because it was cheaper, but ultimately the lower rate was not worth the extra hassle of driving over there and dealing with their policies. The inside of the U-Haul. Our storage locker. Yesterday, I tried to reserve a 9-foot covered cargo van from their website, but there were none available at that location (presumably because of the hundreds of thousands of college students flooding into Boston right now), so I reserved a 10-foot truck instead. Fortunately when I walked into the location today they had one of the cargo vans available. If I ever need a 10-foot truck to fit my dorm room stuff, Im going to need an intervention. First we moved my stuff out of the storage unit into the back of the truck using the dollies they have in the storage facility. Then we drove over to MIT! Turns out its exactly one mile between MacGregor and the U-Haul. So much packing for so little displacement :( Our truck! Then we had to get the stuff from the truck to my room. Most of the dorms have either dollies or carts available that students can use to wheel their luggage in. I was able to use one of MacGregors carts to get my boxes up the elevator. Unfortunately, the way MacGregor is set up, the elevator only stops on every third floor. So Yida and Sarah helped me carry my boxes from the elevator down a flight of stairs and down the hallway to my room. My boxeshome at last :D In total, the whole process took less than two hours, and was probably the least stressful moving day Ive had so far. That is 100% thanks to my amazing friends who were willing to lend their time and biceps to give me a hand. In total, renting the truck came out to be about $35 (U-Haul advertises a price of $19.95, but they kind of nickel-and-dime you on insurance, equipment, etc. The good part is that you pay by the mile, not by the hour, so you can keep the truck all day if you need to or want the flexibility). We paid $84.95/month for the storage unit for four months (U-Haul doesnt prorate and summer is approximately 14 weeks), so that comes out to ~$340/2 = $170/person. That said, I feel like after doing this 3 times I should share some of the valuable wisdom Ive learned about moving and storing my stuff. Anelises Tips for Summer Storage Bring less stuff. I am being a total hypocrite in saying this because in case you couldnt tell from the picture above, I have a ton of stuff. A lot of it is clothes. I really like clothes so I feel like its worth hauling my wardrobe around in order to have fashion diversity on a day-to-day basis. But that is definitely a calculation you should make before bringing everything you own to college. Put the stuff that you do have in smaller boxes. From someone who has tried to move with both A) a handful of really big, heavy boxes and B) a plethora of small, manageable boxes, the latter goes faster and is much less exhausting. I promise. Find friends, if you can. Moving really works out better when you have multiple hands and can split labor, a storage space, and a truck. Plus, friends are friends :D There was one good thing about moving in I got to move back into my entry from last year! This is actually the first year I have moved back into the same place I lived the year before. I am currently living in D-Entry in MacGregor and I really like it. Today, we went to lunch at Yamato, a sushi place in Back Bay with an all-you-can-eat buffet, in order to welcome the new freshmen. Im glad to be back in D Entry, and heres to a great year! Post Tagged #moving #storage

Using the German Dative Reflexive and Parts of the Body

Essay about The Jungle is Upton Sinclair - 1405 Words

The Jungle is Upton Sinclair’s novel that narrates the tragedy of Jurgis Rudkus and his family, Lithuanian immigrants who travel to America to work in Chicago’s meatpacking plants. It is a grim story of suffering and hardship. This family undergoes considerable difficulties that vary from the appalling and unsafe working conditions, to poverty and starvation, in addition to merciless businessmen who extort their money as well as dishonest politicians who generate laws that permit the existence of such scandal. Furthermore, the narrative traces Jurgis’ transformation when he meets the new political and economic system of socialism. The novel also uncovers, in one of its parts, the sickening and disgusting methods of the meat processing†¦show more content†¦The increase of the family’s living costs obliged both Ona and Stanislovas, one of Teta Elzbieta’s young children, to work. However, jobs in Packingtown entail a very exhausting labor, bec ause it is carried out in dangerous conditions without any care for individual workers. Yet, the packinghouses are filthy and unhealthy places where every part of the animal is exploited for the sake of profit. Moreover, marking moldy meat as good for consumption and sending it out for sale is regarded as a common practice. Many of the old or rotten pieces of animals are sold, and even the waste from drainage is thrown into the pile of meat destined to be canned or made into sausage. In some of the factories, even dead rats are added to the meat. The workers do not worry and the factory bosses allow themselves to do whatever they can to speed up the production of the meat. In addition, in order to maintain wages control and to keep them down, most of the time the factories employ additional workers. Often, work offers are less than the demands of people in search for jobs, so the majority of workers only gain a few cents per hour. Along with all those hardships, corruption and crime are additional burdens on the immigrant community. Dede Antanas, Jurgis’s father, could not find a job unless he accepted to grant a third of his wages to another man for helping him getShow MoreRelatedThe Jungle By Upton Sinclair1526 Words   |  7 Pagessocietal and government reforms did â€Å"The Jungle† call for. Do you feel this novel was effective in bringing about any of these reforms. â€Å"The Jungle†, written by Upton Sinclair, is an astonishing novel informing readers about the devastating truths involving impoverished life in America, particularly Chicago. This novel gives the reader an inside look into to the struggles of numerous European immigrants as they ventured to America during the early 1900 s. Sinclair depicts the disturbing and emotionalRead MoreThe Jungle By Upton Sinclair986 Words   |  4 PagesThe life of Jurgis Rudkus, from the novel The Jungle by Upton Sinclair, shares many parallels to the life of the working class in American society during the period 1865 to 1910. that limits the freedom of the working class. Even though it is stated on paper that working class citizens such as Jurgis are equals and just as free as the upper-class citizens, society limited the the freedom of the working class. People like Jurgis are not truly â€Å"free† because the social and political forces at the timeRead MoreThe Jungle By Upton Sinclair 1155 Words   |  5 Pages8/10/17 The Jungle By Upton Sinclair Book Review The working conditions in the US in the 20th  century were diffcult since workers had to struggle to survive on the daily bases.The Jungle written by Upton Sinclair does not only highlight the life of American workers but also uncovers the infleunce of capitalism in the US, where workers and employees were destined to fight for a living, while the upper-class reaped the benefits of national wealth.The Jungle gives many examples of theRead MoreThe Jungle by Upton Sinclair651 Words   |  3 Pages This book is called The Jungle. The Author or this book goes by the name of Upton Sinclair. The Jungle was published on February 26, 1906. Upton Sinclair is an American author with almost 100 books which are based on many different genres. Sinclair is a journalist, novelist, as well as a political activist. Sinclair is most famous for this book. The Jungle is a novel that is based on the disgusting conditions of the US meatpacking industry, and the hardships of the labor that immigrant me n and womenRead MoreThe Jungle by Upton Sinclair1400 Words   |  6 PagesWhat are the major issues Sinclair addresses in The Jungle? The Jungle by Upton Sinclair is a vivid account of life for the working class in the early 1900s. Jurgis Rudkus and his family travel to the United States in search of the American dream and an escape from the rigid social structure of Lithuania. Instead, they find a myriad of new difficulties. Sinclair attributes their problems to the downfalls of capitalism in the United States. While America’s system was idealistic for Jurgis and hisRead MoreThe Jungle By Upton Sinclair1210 Words   |  5 PagesThe Jungle by written by Upton Sinclair Book Report This report is based upon the book The Jungle, written by Upton Sinclair. This book was published by The Jungle Publishing Co. New York in 1906. Introduction of Author: Upton Sinclair was born on September 20, 1878, in Baltimore, Maryland. He belonged to a family off southern aristocracy but once Sinclair was born, his family went into poverty. Sinclair was a very smart boy and graduated from high school at the age of fourteen to go on and attendRead MoreThe Jungle by Upton Sinclair 792 Words   |  3 PagesCritics often argue that Upton Sinclair, author of many classic American novels including The Jungle, was cynical and bitter even. However if one were to dig just a bit deeper they may realize that Sinclair was spot on in his idea that this â€Å"American dream† that our country sells is actually a work of fiction. In his book The Jungle, Sinclair, points out the flaws of the American dream. Many immigrants traveled thousands of miles aboard, cramped, disease infested, ships with hope of coming to thisRead MoreThe Jungle By Upton Sinclair1260 Words   |  6 Pages The Jungle by Upton Sinclair was published in 1906. After reading two-hundred and ninety-four pages, it is evident that humans have been shaping the world over time and the world has been shaping us as well. A lot has changed since the industrial revolution, the time frame in which this novel takes place. Our food industries have improved, money value has risen, and job opportunities have expanded. Throughout The Jungle the reader follows an immigrant family on their journey of hardships andRead MoreThe Jungle By Upton Sinclair937 Words   |  4 PagesThe Jungle, by Upton Sinclair and Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, by Frederick Douglass both bring forth personal or fictional events that capture t he interest of the the reader. The use of pathos in their writing along with true events questions the ethics, morality, and human rights of each individual at the time setting for the publication. In the book, The Jungle, Upton Sinclair advocates for the overall elimination of oppression and exploitation of workers andRead MoreThe Jungle By Upton Sinclair1334 Words   |  6 Pages1900s there were already more than 10 million immigrants living in America. Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle reveals the struggles and hardships of a family that immigrated to the United States from Lithuania during the 1900s. Although many immigrant families came to America in search of a better life, soon most found themselves barely surviving with no job, food, shelter, or money. As is the case of the family in The Jungle. The novel not only unveils the corruption of the political and economic system

Structure of Language Free Essays

string(113) " children are born with a universal grammar, which makes them receptive to the common features of all languages\." he Structure of Language Language is a system of symbols and rules that is used for meaningful communication. A system of communication has to meet certain criteria in order to be considered a language: A language uses symbols, which are sounds, gestures, or written characters that represent objects, actions, events, and ideas. Symbols enable people to refer to objects that are in another place or events that occurred at a different time. We will write a custom essay sample on Structure of Language or any similar topic only for you Order Now A language is meaningful and therefore can be understood by other users of that language. A language is generative, which means that the symbols of a language can be combined to produce an infinite number of messages. A language has rules that govern how symbols can be arranged. These rules allow people to understand messages in that language even if they have never encountered those messages before. The Building Blocks of Language Language is organized hierarchically, from phonemes to morphemes to phrases and sentences that communicate meaning. Phonemes Phonemes are the smallest distinguishable units in a language. In the English language, many consonants, such as t, p, and m, correspond to single phonemes, while other consonants, such as c and g, can correspond to more than one phoneme. Vowels typically correspond to more than one phoneme. For example, o corresponds to different phonemes depending on whether it is pronounced as in bone or woman. Some phonemes correspond to combinations of consonants, such as ch, sh, and th. Morphemes Morphemes are the smallest meaningful units in a language. In the English language, only a few single letters, such as I and a, are morphemes. Morphemes are usually whole words or meaningful parts of words, such as refixes, suffixes, and word stems. Example: The word â€Å"disliked† has three morphemes: â€Å"dis,† â€Å"lik,† and â€Å"ed. † Syntax Syntax is a system of rules that governs how words can be meaningfully arranged to form phrases and sentences. Example: One rule of syntax is that an article such as â€Å"the† must c ome before a noun, not after: â€Å"Read the book,† not â€Å"Read book the. † Language Development in Children Children develop language in a set sequence of stages, although sometimes particular skills develop at slightly different ages: Three-month-old infants can distinguish between the phonemes from any language. At around six months, infants begin babbling, or producing sounds that resemble many different languages. As time goes on, these sounds begin to resemble more closely the words of the languages the infant hears. At about thirteen months, children begin to produce simple single words. By about twenty-four months, children begin to combine two or three words to make short sentences. At this stage, their speech is usually telegraphic. Telegraphic speech, like telegrams, contains no articles or prepositions. By about age three years, children can usually use tenses and plurals. Children’s language abilities continue to grow throughout the school-age years. They become able to recognize ambiguity and sarcasm in language and to use metaphors and puns. These abilities arise from metalinguistic awareness, or the capacity to think about how language is used. Ambiguous Language Language may sometimes be used correctly but still have an unclear meaning or multiple meanings. In these cases, language is ambiguous—it can be understood in several ways. Avoid biting dogs is an example of an ambiguous sentence. A person might interpret it as Keep out of the way of biting dogs or Don’t bite dogs. Theories of Language Acquisition The nature vs. nurture debate extends to the topic of language acquisition. Today, most researchers acknowledge that both nature and nurture play a role in language acquisition. However, some researchers emphasize the influences of learning on language acquisition, while others emphasize the biological influences. Receptive Language before Expressive Language Children’s ability to understand language develops faster than their ability to speak it. Receptive language is the ability to understand language, and expressive language is the ability to use language to communicate. If a mother tells her fifteen-month-old child to put the toy back in the toy chest, he may follow her instructions even though he can’t repeat them himself. Environmental Influences on Language Acquisition A major proponent of the idea that language depends largely on environment was the behaviorist B. F. Skinner (see pages 145 and 276 for more information on Skinner). He believed that language is acquired through principles of conditioning, including association, imitation, and reinforcement. According to this view, children learn words by associating sounds with objects, actions, and events. They also learn words and syntax by imitating others. Adults enable children to learn words and syntax by reinforcing correct speech. Critics of this idea argue that a behaviorist explanation is inadequate. They maintain several arguments: Learning cannot account for the rapid rate at which children acquire language. There can be an infinite number of sentences in a language. All these sentences cannot be learned by imitation. Children make errors, such as overregularizing verbs. For example, a child may say Billy hitted me, incorrectly adding the usual past tense suffix -ed to hit. Errors like these can’t result from imitation, since adults generally use correct verb forms. Children acquire language skills even though adults do not consistently correct their syntax. Neural Networks Some cognitive neuroscientists have created neural networks, or computer models, that can acquire some aspects of language. These neural networks are not preprogrammed with any rules. Instead, they are exposed to many examples of a language. Using these examples, the neural networks have been able to learn the language’s statistical structure and accurately make the past tense forms of verbs. The developers of these networks speculate that children may acquire language in a similar way, through exposure to multiple examples. Biological Influences on Language Acquisition The main proponent of the view that biological influences bring about language development is the well-known linguist Noam Chomsky. Chomsky argues that human brains have a language acquisition device (LAD), an innate mechanism or process that allows children to develop language skills. According to this view, all children are born with a universal grammar, which makes them receptive to the common features of all languages. You read "Structure of Language" in category "Essay examples" Because of this hard-wired background in grammar, children easily pick up a language when they are exposed to its particular grammar. Evidence for an innate human capacity to acquire language skills comes from the following observations: The stages of language development occur at about the same ages in most children, even though different children experience very different environments. Children’s language development follows a similar pattern across cultures. Children generally acquire language skills quickly and effortlessly. Deaf children who have not been exposed to a language may make up their own language. These new languages resemble each other in sentence structure, even when they are created in different cultures. Biology and Environment Some researchers have proposed theories that emphasize the importance of both nature and nurture in language acquisition. These theorists believe that humans do have an innate capacity for acquiring the rules of language. However, they believe that children develop language skills through interaction with others rather than acquire the knowledge automatically. Language, Culture, and Thought Researchers have differing views about the extent to which language and culture influence the way people think. In the 1950s, Benjamin Lee Whorf proposed the linguistic relativity hypothesis. He said language determines the way people think. For example, Whorf said that Eskimo people and English-speaking people think about snow differently because the Eskimo language has many more words for snow than the English language does. Most subsequent research has not supported Whorf’s hypothesis. Researchers do acknowledge, however, that language can influence thought in subtle ways. For example, the use of sexist terminology may influence how people think about women. Two ways that people commonly use language to influence thinking are semantic slanting and name calling. Semantic Slanting Semantic slanting is a way of making statements so that they will evoke specific emotional responses. Example: Military personnel use the term â€Å"preemptive counterattack† rather than â€Å"invasion,† since â€Å"invasion† is likely to produce more negative feelings in people. Name Calling Name calling is a strategy of labeling people in order to influence their thinking. In anticipatory name calling, it is implied that if someone thinks in a particular way, he or she will receive an unfavorable label. Example: On the day a student buys a new desk, he might say, â€Å"Only a slob would pile junk on a desk like this. † This might help ensure that his roommate keeps it free of junk. Bilingualism Although people sometimes assume that bilingualism impairs children’s language development, there is no evidence to support this assumption. Bilingual children develop language at the same rate as children who speak only one language. In general, people who begin learning a new language in childhood master it more quickly and thoroughly than do people who learn a language in adulthood. Language and Nonhuman Primates Some researchers have tried to teach apes to use language. Because of the structure of their vocal organs, apes can’t say words, but they can communicate using signs or computers. Using these means, apes can make requests, respond to questions, and follow instructions. The Case of Washoe the Chimpanzee Researchers at Central Washington University taught a chimpanzee named Washoe to use American Sign Language (ASL) to communicate. She could sign not only single words but also meaningful combinations of words. She could follow instructions and respond to questions given in ASL. Later, Washoe’s foster child, Loulis, learned signs just by watching Washoe and other chimps that had been trained to use language. Some research even suggested that language-trained chimps may use signs spontaneously to communicate with each other or to talk to themselves, although this behavior is not thoroughly documented. Skepticism about Ape Language Critics of the idea that apes can learn and use language have maintained several arguments: Apes, unlike people, can be trained to learn only a limited number of words and only with difficulty. Apes use signs or computers to get a reward, in the same way that other animals can be taught tricks. But learning tricks is not equivalent to learning language. Apes don’t use syntax. For example, they don’t recognize the difference between Me eat apple and Apple eat me. Trainers may be reading meanings into signs apes make and unintentionally providing cues that help them to respond correctly to questions. Clearly, communication in nonhuman animals differs drastically from language in humans. The spontaneity, uniqueness, and reflective content of human language remains unmatched. Nonprimates Can Communicate Researchers have taught nonprimate animals, such as parrots, to communicate meaningfully. Parrots that participated in language acquisition studies learned to identify dozens of objects, distinguish colors, and make simple requests in English. One famous example is Alex the African gray parrot, owned by Irene Pepperberg from the University of Arizona. Alex can â€Å"speak† hundreds of words, but what makes him more unique is that he appears to do more than just vocalize. Though Pepperberg does not claim that Alex uses â€Å"language,† she does believe that when Alex talks, he is expressing his thoughts, not just mimicking. The Structure of Cognition Cognition, or thinking, involves mental activities such as understanding, problem solving, and decision making. Cognition also makes creativity possible. The Building Blocks of Cognition When humans think, they manipulate mental representations of objects, actions, events, and ideas. Humans commonly use mental representations such as concepts, prototypes, and cognitive schemas. Concepts A concept is a mental category that groups similar objects, events, qualities, or actions. Concepts summarize information, enabling humans to think quickly. Example: The concept â€Å"fish† includes specific creatures, such as an eel, a goldfish, a shark, and a flying fish. Prototypes A prototype is a typical example of a concept. Humans use prototypes to decide whether a particular instance of something belongs to a concept. Example: Goldfish and eels are both fish, but most people will agree that a goldfish is a fish more quickly than they will agree that an eel is a fish. A goldfish fits the â€Å"fish† prototype better than an eel does. Cognitive Schemas Cognitive schemas are mental models of different aspects of the world. They contain knowledge, beliefs, assumptions, associations, and expectations. Example: People may have a schema about New York that includes information they’ve learned about New York in school, their memories of New York, things people have told them about New York, information from movies and books about New York, what they assume to be true about New York, and so on. Theories of Cognitive Development Cognitive development refers to the change in children’s patterns of thinking as they grow older. Jean Piaget’s Stage Theory The scientist best known for research on cognitive development is Jean Piaget (see pages 72–75), who proposed that children’s thinking goes through a set eries of four major stages. Piaget believed that children’s cognitive skills unfold naturally as they mature and explore their environment. Lev Vygotsky’s Theory of Sociocultural Influences Psychologist Lev Vygotsky believed that children’s sociocultural environment plays an important role in how they develop cognitively. In Vygotsk y’s view, the acquisition of language is a crucial part of cognitive development. After children acquire language, they don’t just go through a set series of stages. Rather, their cognitive development depends on interactions with adults, cultural norms, and their environmental circumstances. Private Speech Vygotsky pointed out that children use language to control their own behavior. After children acquire language skills and learn the rules of their culture, they start to engage in private speech. They first talk to themselves out loud, and then, as they grow older, silently, giving themselves instructions about how to behave. Current Research on Cognitive Development Current research indicates that children have complex cognitive abilities at much younger ages than Piaget suggested. As early as four months of age, infants appear to understand basic laws of physics. For example, a four-month-old infant can recognize that solid objects cannot pass through other solid objects and that objects roll down slopes instead of rolling up. At five months of age, infants can recognize the correct answers to addition and subtraction problems involving small numbers. These observations have led some researchers to speculate that humans are born with some basic cognitive abilities. Critics argue that researchers who find these results are overinterpreting the behavior of the infants they study. Quick Review The Structure of Language Language is a system of symbols and rules used for meaningful communication. A language uses symbols and syntax and is meaningful and generative. Language is organized hierarchically from phonemes to morphemes to phrases and sentences. Children develop language in a set sequence of stages. Theories of Language Acquisition Behaviorist B. F. Skinner strongly supported the idea that language depends largely on environment. Skinner believed that people acquire language through principles of conditioning. Critics argue the inadequacy of behaviorist explanations. Some cognitive neuroscientists have created neural networks that can acquire some aspects of language by encountering many examples of language. They think children may acquire language in the same way. Noam Chomsky is the main proponent of the importance of biological influences on language development. Chomsky proposed that human brains have a language acquisition device that allows children to acquire language easily. Some researchers believe that language is both biologically and environmentally determined. The linguistic relativity hypothesis states that language determines the way people think. Today, researchers believe language influences, rather than determines, thought. Two ways that people use language to influence thinking are semantic slanting and name calling. People master a new language better if they begin learning it in childhood. Nonhuman animals can learn some aspects of language. Language and Nonhuman Primates Some researchers have tried to teach apes to use language. Apes can communicate, but researchers are divided on whether this communication can really be considered â€Å"learning language. † The Structure of Cognition Cognition involves activities such as understanding, problem solving, decision making, and being creative. People use mental representations such as concepts, prototypes, and cognitive schemas when they think. Theories of Cognitive Development Jean Piaget believed that children’s cognitive skills unfold naturally as they mature and explore their environment. Lev Vygotsky believed that children’s sociocultural environment plays an important role in cognitive development. Some researchers have shown that humans are born with some basic cognitive abilities. Problem-Solving Problem-solving is the active effort people make to achieve a goal that is not easily attained. Three common types of problems involve inducing structure, arranging, and transformation. Some approaches to problem-solving are trial and error, deductive and inductive reasoning, use of algorithms and heuristics, dialectical reasoning, creation of subgoals, use of similar problems, and changes in the way the problems are represented. Researchers have identified many obstacles to effective problem-solving, such as focus on irrelevant information, functional fixedness, mental set, and assumptions about unnecessary constraints. Decision-Making Decision-making involves weighing alternatives and choosing among them. Additive strategies and elimination strategies are ways of making decisions about preferences. Using expected value, subjective utility, the availability heuristic, and the representativeness heuristic are all ways of making risky decisions. Using the representativeness heuristic can make people susceptible to biases, such as the tendency to ignore base rates and the gambler’s fallacy. Using the availability heuristic can make people susceptible to overestimating the improbable or underestimating the probable. In an effort to minimize risk, people also make decision-making errors, such as the overconfidence effect, the confirmation bias, and belief perseverance. Creativity Creativity is the ability to generate novel, useful ideas. Creativity is characterized by divergent, rather than convergent, thinking. Some characteristics of creative people are expertise, nonconformity, curiosity, persistence, and intrinsic motivation. People can best realize their creative potential if they are in environmental circumstances that promote creativity. 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The Scarlet Ibis Essay Example For Students

The Scarlet Ibis Essay In The Scarlet Ibis Essay, James Hurst develops the universal idea that determination enlightens using simile, metaphor, and personification. Hurst develops the theme that determination enlightens using similes. First, Hurst compares Doodle to an old worn out doll. When he tries to crawl, Doodle .. .pushes himself (156) but keeps falling down .. . (157) like a half empty flour sack (157) from lack of strength. Doodle is determined to walk because of the enlightenment of brother who is embarrassed to have a five year old brother who cant walk. Finally, Hurst compares success to a pot of gold. After the winter, Brother uses the summer to teach Doodle everything and thought Doodles Success.. . (159) is like a pot of gold at the end of summer.. . (159). Doodles determination to learn how to swim and row, he is enlightened by his goal to learn by the end of summer. .