Contemporary Hate Groups essays

Contemporary Hate Groups essays Throughout history, in the presence of two or more different races or creeds there has been some degree of racism. The centuries of disdain have compounded and created ironclad stereotypes that are present in most societies. During the Middle Ages, prejudice towards Jews began to fester. Jews had been refused many menial jobs to allow Christians to work. Thus many Jews became wealthy in the more profitable industries of clothing and banking (Finzi). Christians resented Jewish success and many unfounded rumors of atrocities were attributed to Judaism. Jews were imagined to kill Christian children in the celebration of Passover and other farfetched ideas. Incidents of conflict like the Dreyfus Affair, where a French Jewish Captain was falsely accused of treason, and The Times's accusal of a worldwide Jewish conspiracy, strengthened prejudice. Jews were blamed for the Russian Revolution, the fall of Germany, and political unrest in every European country (Finzi). Each calumnious episode added to previous hatred. This anti-Semitism followed the colonists to the New World where it developed further. "In the early nineteenth century the United State took heed of the European stereotype of the cunning and too-capable Jew: Jews were subject to legal discrimination in the USA as well" (Finzi 71). Anti-Semitism was not the sole form of prejudice in America. Blacks had been ripped from their homes and brought to America as slaves. Years of slavery reinforced the concept of blacks as second class citizens. Stereotypes of blacks being ignorant and illiterate were continued without education and freedom. After the Civil War, many white southerners resented the black position in the country. They were afraid of losing jobs and land to former slaves. This was the era where racist organizations first incubated. Black people were not the only race persecuted. Asians immigrating to the West Coast were given menial jobs with inadequate pay. Anyone w...

The Difference Between Alpha and P-Values

The Difference Between Alpha and P-Values In conducting a test of significance or hypothesis test, there are two numbers that are easy to get confused. These numbers are easily confused because they are both numbers between zero and one, and are both probabilities. One number is called the p-value of the test statistic. The other number of interest is the level of significance or alpha. We will examine these two probabilities and determine the difference between them. Alpha Values The number alpha is the threshold value that we measure p-values against. It tells us how extreme observed results must be in order to reject the null hypothesis of a significance test. The value of alpha is associated with the confidence level of our test. The following lists some levels of confidence with their related values of alpha: For results with a 90 percent level of confidence, the value of alpha is 1 - 0.90 0.10.For results with a 95 percent level of confidence, the value of alpha is 1 - 0.95 0.05.For results with a 99 percent level of confidence, the value of alpha is 1 - 0.99 0.01.And in general, for results with a C percent level of confidence, the value of alpha is 1 - C/100. Although in theory and practice many numbers can be used for alpha, the most commonly used is 0.05. The reason for this is both because consensus shows that this level is appropriate in many cases, and historically, it has been accepted as the standard.  However, there are many situations when a smaller value of alpha should be used. There is not a single value of alpha that always determines statistical significance. The alpha value gives us the probability of a type I error. Type I errors occur when we reject a null hypothesis that is actually true. Thus, in the long run, for a test with a level of significance of 0.05 1/20, a true null hypothesis will be rejected one out of every 20 times. P-Values The other number that is part of a test of significance is a p-value. A p-value is also a probability, but it comes from a different source than alpha. Every test statistic has a corresponding probability or p-value. This value is the probability that the observed statistic occurred by chance alone, assuming that the null hypothesis is true. Since there are a number of different test statistics, there are a number of different ways to find a ​p-value. For some cases, we need to know the probability distribution  of the population.​​ The p-value of the test statistic is a way of saying how extreme that statistic is for our sample data. The smaller the p-value, the more unlikely the observed sample. Difference Between P-Value and Alpha To determine if an observed outcome is statistically significant, we compare the values of alpha and the p-value. There are two possibilities that emerge: The p-value is less than or equal to alpha. In this case, we reject the null hypothesis. When this happens, we say that the result is statistically significant. In other words, we are reasonably sure that there is something besides chance alone that gave us an observed sample.The p-value is greater than alpha. In this case, we fail to reject the null hypothesis. When this happens, we say that the result is not statistically significant. In other words, we are reasonably sure that our observed data can be explained by chance alone. The implication of the above is that the smaller the value of alpha is, the more difficult it is to claim that a result is statistically significant. On the other hand, the larger the value of alpha is the easier is it to claim that a result is statistically significant. Coupled with this, however, is the higher probability that what we observed can be attributed to chance.

Human resource-discrimination in workplace Essay

Human resource-discrimination in workplace - Essay Example The aim of this paper is to provide a brief overview of discrimination in the modern working environments, to analyse the role of anti-discriminative legal obligations on employers, and to determine the ways of what a good employer can do in order to prevent and manage discrimination at work. The remainder of the paper is structured as follows: Section 1 provides a brief definition of discrimination and major types of discrimination; Section 2 discusses and illustrates why discrimination is still an issue in workplace; Section 3 provides a brief overview of the obligations imposed by law on employers; Section 4 discusses of how employers can manage prevent and control discrimination practice at work; Section 5 is concluding part of the essay. Inequality is defined as unequal allocation of benefits and opportunities (Cohn, 1998). Unequal treatment can occur in various life situations, however, it is the most obvious when economic resources such as jobs, income, and wages are distributed unequally (Cohn, 1998). Unequal hiring process and employment conditions can be viewed as discrimination at workplace and in employment. More specifically, Cohn (1998:3) defines discrimination as â€Å"the provision of unequal benefits to people of different ascriptive statuses despite identical qualifications and merit†. Some of the most common grounds for discriminative behaviour at work is recognised to be race and sex. However, discriminatory practices are based not only on the grounds of race and sex, but also on the grounds of pay equality, disability, nationality, religion, etc. (Wright and Conley, 2011). Discrimination can have two forms: direct and indirect. Direct discrimination implies an unequal treatment of an individual on the ground of his/her diversity less favourably than others. Thus, for example, it would be discriminatory to select a male engineer for work in

The Columbian Exchange Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Columbian Exchange - Essay Example It is noted that the fish were very expensive and so this factor did not give everyone the path to get the species. Apart from being expensive, the Spanish, who by then were the most interested people to get the fish, did not like the fact that the fish came from Jews and Muslims. It seems then that there was a sense of rejection between the two communities with the Spanish. Since the Spanish wanted to be connected with the species, the only option was to look somewhere else where the same kinds of species could be found (Wilford, pg78). The immediate alternative was the indie, and so they planned their way to that destination, and Columbus being the torchbearer. First, before gearing up to the land where they could get the longed for species, Columbus was to get permission from both the Queen and the King (Mann, pg25). Columbus did not succeed in getting the permission to invade the land from the two on the first request, though he kept persisting until the ninth time, when he was given the go ahead. With the small ships he got from the authority, Columbus knew the dream has come true and so he sailed to the Indie in the year 1492. The whole missing hard challenges, as according to the records, he made four trips to the Southern America and Caribbean (Mann, pg11). On October 11 in the year 1492, Columbus landed the Caribbean Islands and there he landed capturing the local Taino Indians and later trading them as slaves. The above marked the first trip. The second one was much bigger and took place one year later after the first visit. Still hoping to get Indians and trade with as slaves as well as hoping to loot gold, he persisted in his journey and invasions. Notably, 1498 was the year that marked the third expedition of the Columbus. He is acknowledged to be the first European to set his foot on the American Mainland. According to scholars, it is worth noting that the above three dynamics portended future trends. Columbus had no

Why “Baes” Never Stay Essay Example for Free

Why â€Å"Baes† Never Stay Essay Teen romance is like a minefield – very few make it through completely unscathed, and the path is often strewn with the shrapnel of countless broken hearts. According to common wisdom, the reason behind all this affliction is because teenagers are capricious creatures who lack the maturity to resolve relationship issues. However, maturity is not the only key factor playing into why teen couples just are not staying together happily. Social media pressures young people to be in constant contact with one another, meaning they can constantly monitor the other. Maturity and social media are large factors in the way many relationships play out nowadays, but the same people writing articles about the topic are the ones forgetting the most important factor; communication. Building an emotional relationship and being able to relate and interact with your partner is the foundation to a truly satisfying and healthy relationship. We live in the age of social networking, and in the past few years, technology and turned both our world and the way we talk to others completely around. There are both good sides and bad sides to such advancements and changes, as one should expect. Since words are typed onto a screen rather than spoken face to face, it is extremely easy to misunderstand words, as there is very little contest surrounding them. Such facts can cause one member of the relationship to mistake a statement one said to make it seem like something else, therefore an argument occurs. Jealously among teenagers is quite ridiculous. Fifteen years ago, one would not have to worry about whether or not their significant other would make them their â€Å"Man Crush Monday† or â€Å"Woman Crush Wednesday† nor would they get upset if the same person didn’t text them back within half a minute. There was no â€Å"relationship status† on the internet, no reason to question their lover’s loyalty over who â€Å"liked† their pictures. The teenagers of the current generation see the problem, in fact, 75% of a surveyed group agreed that social media can affect relationships with others (Quiet Voice 1). Social media and relationships can go hand in hand at times, for traveling  spouses overseas or a family member away at college. Unless you are mature enough and already have the emotional connection with your partner, I would not rely on a computer to run your relationship. Maturity plays a major role in the success and the demise of relationships. Maturity influences a person’s ability to truly commit to a relationship for life and understand that commitment implies giving up all other partner choices. So as a teenager, not many understand the concept of maturity and trust. Certain life experiences they receive along the way can help them realize such things. High school relationships can be categorized into three different categories: Those who care about themselves intentionally, those who care about themselves unintentionally, and those who care about the other person. The ones who care about themselves intentionally are the ones who date strictly for the relationship and the title, not the other person. In a case like this one, 0% of the relationships survive because essentially, it was not a relationship to begin with. Caring about yourself unintentionally is one thought that usually would not cross your mind. It is a difficult category, as not many always see it. You will catch yourself saying â€Å"Oh ___, I love the way you make me feel! You make me so happy!† Person A claims to care about Person B, when I reality they are truly just trying to satisfy their own personal needs. Finally, those who care about the other person. When you can truly say you have reached this stage, you have gained the independence and the maturity to maintain a steady and committed relationship. The high school sweethearts, married for over fifty years now, are the teenagers who made the decision to be committed and responsible young adults, taking the lead over others their age at the time, but setting an example that yes, it can be done. Communication allows us to share interests, aspirations, and concerns with ones we care about. Good communication is about the way we talk and listen, and about our body language (Better Health 2). Healthy relationships rely on the fundamental of communication. When people stop interacting well, they stop relating to each other, and it can cause them to disconnect. It is much easier to face problems when you have the ability to talk through them with each other. Being in a relationship in high school should not have to be  stressful, one should be able to laugh and just enjoy each other’s company. The main problem in our generation of teenagers is that we seem to have lost the mannerism of actually speaking to one another. 83% of teens break up over text message rather than face to face (Stay Teen 1). When relationships or even friendships are conducted primarily through texting, the context of the conversation is stripped off all personal aspect. As a whole, teenagers must learn the important characteristics of communication and how interacting well with others will almost always lead to a healthy and loving relationship. A strong, healthy bond with someone you truly care about can be one of the best supports in your life. It improves all aspects of your life, strengthening your health, mind, and your connections with others as well. Your significant other can be your best friend, and you will have many adventures and maintain a fun relationship with the one you love. Works Cited The Good And the Bad: How Social Networks Affect Our Relationships †¢ Domain .ME Blog. Domain ME Blog The Good And the Bad How Social Networks Affect Our Relationships Comments. N.p., 02 Sept. 2014. Web. 27 Mar. 2015. Lyness, DArcy, PhD. Love and Romance. Teenshealth.org. N.p., May 2013. Web. Stay Teen | Home. Stay Teen | Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Mar. 2015. The Quiet Voice. The Quiet Voice. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Mar. 2015. Home | Better Health Channel. Home | Better Health Channel. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Mar. 2015. Lifehacker Australia. Lifehacker Australia. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Mar. 2015. Home: National Healthy Marriage Resource Center. Home: National Healthy Marriage Resource Center. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Mar. 2015.

The Woman Warrior Essay -- Warrior

The Woman Warrior      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Maxine Hong Kingston's The Woman Warrior discusses her and her mother Brave Orchid's relationship. On the surface, the two of them seem very different however when one looks below the surface they are very similar. An example of how they superficially seem different is the incident at the drug store when Kingston is mortified at what her mother makes her do. Yet, the ways that they act towards others and themselves exemplifies their similarities at a deeper level. Kingston gains many things from her mother and becomes who she is because of Brave Orchid, "Rather than denying or suppressing the deeply embedded ambivalence her mother arouses in her, Kingston unrelentingly evokes the powerful presence of her mother, arduously and often painfully exploring her difficulties in identifying with and yet separating from her" (Quinby, 136). Throughout Maxine Hong Kingston's autobiography Kingston disapproves of numerous of her mother's qualities however begins to behave in the same manner.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   One of the most apparent ways that young Kingston and Brave Orchid are similar is the way they insist that people do as they say. Brave Orchid sends for her sister Moon Orchid to come to America from China. When she arrives, Brave Orchid tells Moon Orchid that she must go and face her husband even though Moon Orchid does not want to, "How dare he marry somebody else when he has you? How can you sit there so calmly? He would've let you stay in China forever. I had to send for your daughter, and I had to send for you" (Kingston, 125). Brave Orchid does not allow Moon Orchid to leave without confronting her husband and makes her see that this all is for her well being. When Kingston enc... ...o their past and culture, which was before a huge issue between them. They are aware of their certain differences and know that they can only go to show how comparable they are in other areas, "Kingston eventually sees the similarities between herself and her mother" (Ling, 179).    Works Cited Cheung, King-Kok. Articulate Silences. Ithaca: Cornell University Press,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   1993.   Ho, Wendy. In Her Mother's House: The Politics of Asian American Mother-   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Daughter Writing. Walnut Creek: AltaMira Press, 1999. Huntley, E.D. Maxine Hong Kingston: A Critical Companion. Westport,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Greenwood Press, 2001. Kingston, Maxine Hong. The Woman Warrior. New York: Random House,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   1976. Ling, Amy, Lee Quinby, etal. Critical Essays on Maxine Hong Kingston. New   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   York: G.K. Hall and Company, 1998.

Justice is a theme of all great literature Essay

Justice comes from actions and decisions being balanced, in that when someone does a good thing, they are rewarded, and when they do something bad, they are punished. It is the gods’ primary role to hand out justice and make sure everybody is treated fairly. This theme appears immediately in the Odyssey, as Zeus is considering the story of Aegisthus, who courted Agamemnon’s wife and then killed Agamemnon. Aegisthus was killed for this treacherous act. This story of justice shows us instantly that the Odyssey will be strongly structured around it. â€Å"May all who act as he did share his fate! † says Athene. This shows how openly the gods in the Odyssey despised the works of those who went against the will of the gods. Both Nestor and Menelaus repeat this story of Aegisthus, and as god fearing men, they know how important it is to stay on their right side because they know what happens as a result of an imbalance in terms of justice. The Aeneid opens however and we’re told that the poem is based on the founding of Rome and the main string of ‘justice’ seems to be coming from one scorned goddess, who simply doesn’t want her favourite city to be destroyed. The balance she tries to restore is simply an act of revenge rather than actual justice, and rather than convincing the other gods it’s the right thing to do, she simply bribes Aeolus. Justice is however looked upon a little while later as Venus goes to Jupiter and asks why the Trojans are being made to suffer after doing nothing wrong. Jupiter tells her not to fear as justice will be done and Rome will be founded. Such behaviour seems to recur constantly throughout the Aeneid. For example, in book 8 we learn of the betrayal that a Tuscan tribe suffered at the hands of Mezentius, and in book 9 he continues his evil ways killing Trojans. The Gods have decided to stay out of the battle and so the following events have nothing to do with the justice that is familiar in epic poems. Both Mezentius and his son Lausus are killed, by Aeneid. I see these deaths as acts of revenge rather than justice, although Lausus’ death is more deserving. The death of his son is Mezentius’ true punishment. I see these deaths as acts of revenge because Mezentius tried to kill Aeneid, as well as all the other innocent people and the treachery he brought upon the aforementioned Tuscan tribe, and so Aeneas kills them. The fact that the innocent Lausus dies shows that the ‘justice’ portrayed in the Aeneid is much more malicious, and it doesn’t just affect the culprit. There’s also the case of the unfortunate people in the underworld that must wait 100 years to cross the river, through no fault of their own. Justice really does seem obscure in the Aeneid. Another instance of this is when the people of Carthage feel Dido’s death was just, simply because she fell in love with the wrong man, and through no fault of her own. I believe Turnus’ death to be the best example of the incomprehensible justice served in the Aeneid. His justice only prevails once they see fit, once it fits in with their plans. In the end, it becomes obvious that while justice is a powerful motivator and regulator in the lives of mortals, it is the will of the immortals that truly controls their lives, and their disfigured system of justice On the other hand, there are moments when actual justice is served. Examples include the groups beyond the river in the underworld and the story of Hercules and the giant for example. He goes to extreme lengths to kill the giant for all the robbery and murder he’s committed, and it’s just that Hercules puts a stop to it, even though it’s brought about by someone who isn’t quite immortal, and so possibly not what the gods perceive as justice. Although we’ve already established that the gods’ perspective is fairly warped in the Aeneid. The other case of actual justice involves king Minos, who spends eternity hearing the cases of people, unjustly executed, and finally getting the plea their cases. They are finally being treated fairly, even if it is beyond life. In the Odyssey however, deaths and misfortunes seem to come about through the idea of justice, and nothing else- no malicious or unfair punishments seem to prevail i. e. there seems to be a point behind them, rather than them just being malicious acts of immortals. For example, Zeus becomes angered at Odysseus because his men eat the sun god’s cattle, despite being warned not to; however he doesn’t let Odysseus die, because the sun god only asks that the crew be punished, because after all, Odysseus did warn them. However he does unavoidably get caught in the cross fire and this is how he winds up on Calypso’s island in the first place. Another example is Poseidon. He makes Odysseus’ aqua adventures a nightmare because he impairs Poseidon’s son Polyphemus’ vision, which goes against the rules of Xenia really. It is of course, Odysseus’ own fault because he becomes arrogant about what he did to Polyphemus, by telling him his name, after he’s left. Therefore it’s just and fair to punish him. Even though he’s such a great hero, he does a wrong act and is punished as any other man would be. Then of course, there is the case of the suitors; the epic conclusion to the Odyssey. Odysseus finally returns to find all the suitors and some of the maids running riot in his home, having raunchy sex, eating all the food, and drinking away his wealth. Odysseus is of course a bit bothered by this, so he decides, and Athene, who borrows Mentor’s image again, agrees that he, Telemachus and a couple of close friends will pick up their weapons and launch them through any part of the suitors they see fit. The fact that Athene helps proves that the act is just. Rarely do gods help out in a way that we can perceive as just in the Aeneid, because most of the time, the punishments are just vicious or over-exaggerated. So anyway, Telemachus sees to it that the ill-mannered maids are hung until they stop twitching, and Odysseus destroys all the suitors so that he and Penelope can live happily ever after, as they justly deserve. By the end of homer’s poem, everyone has been served the justice they’ve earned, both good and bad. I think it’s fair to say that justice is very important in both plays, but as a modern day reader, it’s easier to understand the justice in the Odyssey because at times, the events in the Aeneid seem so obscure.

Harry Potter & the Commodity Fetishism

Amalia Rodrigues Film Survey Prompt 1 Harry Potter & the Commodity Fetishism There are few things in this world that manage to seep into every crevice our lives as humans; the air we breathe, the people we interact with, and in our contemporary culture, the buying and selling of commodities. The masses have adopted a â€Å"give the people what they want† attitude that results in the commodification of everything thinkable. â€Å"Even as a negation of that social purposiveness which is spreading through the market, [art’s] freedom remains essentially bound up with the premise of a commodity economy† (Adorno & Horkheimer 1238).There may have been a time when art was an escape from the domination of commerce, when people created things motivated by passion and emotion rather than by the prospect of dollar signs; no longer does that time exist. In film, the studio system has become a monopoly, and the structure of films, a formula. Though some would argue that there are a myriad of genres that give variety to the industry, Adorno and Horkheimer would counter that a menu is still not a choice, and that the monopolization of the film industry takes away from a world of choices and freedoms.The industry has morphed into a total administration of art, undoubtedly integrating our pleasure in the theater with the machinery of global media firms. A textbook example is the franchise of the Harry Potter films, which more than most any series of films, proliferates the sins of hyper commercialism. A commodity is defined as something that has use value, or utility, by satisfying a particular need or desire, created to be exchanged for a profit.It must have some sort of utility, or it will not be desired by a prospective buyer. â€Å"So far as it is a value in use, there is nothing mysterious about it, whether we consider it from the point of view that by its properties it is capable of satisfying human wants, or from the point that those properties are t he product of human labor† (Marx 1). This could be virtually anything, being that everything today has a price put on it by society. We are constructed through our relationship with and use of commodities in our everyday lives.As a people, we have become obsessed with the commodities we surround ourselves with, constructing our identities through the material goods that inhabit us. Commodity fetishism replaces relationships between people with relationships between humans and objects. The eruption of the Harry Potter phenomenon occurred in the late nineties and has only flourished since. The author of the series, J. K. Rowling, created a world that nobody had seen before, a world of magic. This world, along with the lovable characters involved, are what our society seamlessly bought into.The masses fell in love with Harry, Ron, and Hermione, leaving them vulnerable to the impending commercial goods that the media conglomerates would soon overwhelmingly develop. And, no doubt, the Potter-inspired merchandise began to flow like lava as the movies were produced one by one, each one more successful than the next. Mindlessly, readers and viewers were sucked in by the new world of witchcraft and wizardry that leaves ceaseless possibilities for immense revenue. To quote Adorno and Horkheimer, â€Å"The culture perpetually cheats its consumers of what it perpetually promises.The promissory note which, with its plots and staging, it draws on pleasure is endlessly prolonged; the promise, which is actually all the spectacle consists of, is illusory: all it actually confirms is that the real point will never be reached, that the diner must be satisfied with the menu† (Adorno & Horkheimer 1230). When adopting the premise of Harry Potter from words in a book to the big motion-picture screen, the film makers undoubtedly had dollar signs flashing in their pupils.Such a fantastically huge foundation was built and the only direction to move was up. Before Harry cou ld say â€Å"abracadabra† (or something to that effect) stores began to overflow with anything and everything with the name â€Å"Harry Potter† plastered on the side. Hats, mugs, T-shirts, video games, costumes, the signature round glasses, not one item from the series has gone unnoticed by the conglomerates who are so devoted to squeezing every ounce of profit out of poor Harry’s wand.Even the earwax jellybeans that Dumbledore so foolishly consumes out of his bag of â€Å"Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans† are readily available at your local superstore. There is simply no escaping the pure immensity that is the Potter revolution. Children are hosting Harry Potter themed birthday parties, adults are tattooing the dark mark on their bodies, college students are starting quidditch teams and tournaments, and families are taking road trips to the newly developed â€Å"Harry Potter World† in Universal Studios.This latest installment of the Harry P otter craze allows fans to live in the world they see on screen, drink butter beer, and purchase wands from Olivander’s; all of this for the low, low price of a hefty wad of cash straight into the pockets of the already multi-billion dollar industry. And yet, somehow our society does not mind being conned into purchasing such unnecessary yet desirable items, directly depicting the idea of commodity fetishism. Massive consumerism based on obsessions drawn from movies and franchises such as Harry Potter happen day to day, year to year, generation to generation.It has become so naturalized in our society to buy into our every impulse of consumer products that we cannot help but be blinded by our desires for such vain items. In a way, we, as consumers, are being exploited similarly to the way that house elves like Dobby are exploited in the Harry Potter series. We are born into our exploitation, and in some ways seem to enjoy it, as the elves seem to enjoy their dirty work. As a population, we can only hope to be as lucky as Dobby, to find a sock in an old diary, and be set free from manipulation.

Discuss the main issues in defining and measuring intelligence. The WritePass Journal

Discuss the main issues in defining and measuring intelligence. Abstract Discuss the main issues in defining and measuring intelligence. AbstractMain BodyConclusionReferencesRelated Abstract The study of intelligence began in the late 1800’s, and despite rigorous investigation, the scientific community remain divided over its exact definition and appropriate measurement (Weinberg, 1989). In its most popular sense, intelligence has been defined as the ability to learn new information, and apply such information to manipulate one’s environment. Other definitions include adaptability to new environments and changes to the current environment, the ability to reason and evaluate, to learn quickly and from experience, or even the capacity for innovative thoughts and ideas. However despite this intellectual quagmire, two broad schools of thought have emerged. The first believes that all intelligence comes from a single, general factor. The second believes there is more than one type of intelligence, although proponents of this view have yet to agree exactly how many types of intelligence exist. The purpose of this paper is to discuss each school of thought in turn and identify both their contributions and shortcomings. Furthermore, as theories of intelligence vary, so do the proposed methods of intelligence measurement, and these too will be critically examined. Main Body The oldest theory of intelligence was proposed by Charles Spearman in the early 20th century (Spearman, 1904). Employing a statistical approach, he observed that children’s school performance appeared to correlate across seemingly unrelated subjects. Spearman reasoned that such correlations indicated a single underlying general mental ability, affecting performance across different mental tests, which he coined the ‘general’ or ‘g’ factor. In addition, he argued for the existence of ‘specific’ or ‘s’ factors which related to narrow and task-specific abilities, such as vocabulary range or mathematical skill, although Spearman and his subsequent followers placed more emphasis on the importance of g. Proponents of uni-factor theories of intelligence draw upon the phenomenon of the positive manifold (Spearman, 1904) as support for the concept. Simply put, it is the fact that different tests of cognitive ability appear to correlate together highly. Although early critics of Spearman’s approach challenged his model with newer methods of analysis (see Thurstone, 1938), it has remained hugely influential, leading Kane and Brand (2003) to conclude: â€Å"Spearman’s g, through custom and empirical evidence, has become the ubiquitous cornerstone of empirically based theories of intelligence. It is the reference point for most studies conducted over the past ninety years. Every factor analytic study of cognitive ability has yielded a g, provided the data were analysed in such a manner as to allow a general factor to materialise†(Kane Brand, 2003: 12) The major criticism of Spearman’s theory was levelled at its simplicity. Several theorists subsequently proposed that intelligence in fact comprised several separate abilities that did not correlate with each other. Amongst the earliest challenge to Spearman’s unitary concept of intelligence was Louis Thurstone’s (1938) Theory of Primary Mental Abilities. Thurstone proposed that intelligence arose from seven primary independent factors, which included verbal comprehension, numeric ability, spatial relations, perceptual speed, word fluency, memory and inductive reasoning. Using a revolutionary psychometric approach, multiple factor analysis, Thurstone analysed the results of mental reasoning tests from a sample with similar IQ scores, and found that they had different profiles of mental abilities. However, similar analyses of data from a more heterogeneous population did not support a seven-factor model; instead it provided evidence for a single-factor model, or ‘g’. Conceptualising intelligence as a single general factor led to Spearman’s hypothesis that intelligence could be measured using a mental aptitude test and scored with a simple numerical value. This became the forerunner of the modern intelligence quotient. In contrast, proponents of multiple intelligences agree there is more than one single type of intelligence, although theorists do not agree on exactly how many different types exist. Gardner (1983) proposed a multi-factor model of intelligence, differentiating eight modalities which were weakly correlated at best. These factors included linguistic, logical-mathematical, spatial, musical, kinaesthetic, interpersonal and intrapersonal intelligence, and could account for individuals who were, for example, simultaneously good at language tasks and poor at spatial awareness tasks. This new concept of intelligence was born out of the criticism that standard intelligence tests were biased towards North American and European culture, and crucially Gardner felt that traditional tests of intellect provided measures of linguistic, logical and spatial intelligence, and ignored factors such as musical ability and athleticism. However, Gardner’s formulation has had a minimal effect on intel ligence testing, primarily because the type of quantitative factor analytical study that is required to validate such an approach has never been undertaken (Benson, 2003). Following Gardner’s work was Sternberg’s Triarchic Theory of Intelligence (1985). Like Gardner, Sternberg agreed that intelligence was more than a single general ability, but felt that Gardner’s theory merely described talents rather than defined intelligence. Sternberg defined intelligence as â€Å"mental activity directed toward purposive adaptation to, selection and shaping of, real-world environments relevant to one’s life† (Sternberg, 1985 p. 45) and described three major components; practical intelligence (an ability to adapt to one’s environment), experiential intelligence (the ability to think in novel ways) and componential intelligence (the efficient processing of information). Using this model, he was able to describe individuals who were talented in one area, but less so in the other two, similarly to Gardner, but avoided aligning specific components of intelligence with academic disciplines. Sternberg’s approach has won particular acclaim with reference to real-life situations (Carraher, Carraher, Schliemann, 1985); indeed it is Sternberg’s practical dimension of intelligence that can account for cultural discrepancies present in other methods of intelligence testing. G-theorists however argue that practical intelligence represents little more than ‘job knowledge’ and can be better explained by g (Jensen, 1993). Conclusion Even in contemporary psychology, considerable debate over the exact nature of intelligence is ongoing, and definitive conceptualisation (and therefore measurement) remains elusive. Two distinct schools of thought remain; uni-factor and multi-factor theories of intelligence. Both have particular strengths and weaknesses, but given that considerable debate about the nature of intelligence remains, and no single approach is accepted by all, there is still room for improvement on any given theory. References Benson, E. (2003). Intelligent intelligence testing. Monitor 43, (2) 48 – 56. Carraher, T. N., Carraher, D., Schliemann, A. D. (1985). Mathematics in the streets and in schools. British Journal of Developmental Psychology 3 21-29. Jensen, A. R. (1993). Test validity: g versus tacit knowledge. Current Directions in Psychological Science 2, (1), 9-10. Kane, H Brand, C. (2003). The importance of Spearmans’ g as a psychometric, social and educational construct. The Occidental Quarterly 3 (1) 7 – 29. Spearman, C. (1904). â€Å"General intelligence†, objectively determined and measured. American Journal of Psychology 15, 201 – 293. Sternberg, R. J. (1985). Beyond IQ: A Triarchic Theory of Intelligence. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Thurstone, L.L. (1938). Primary mental abilities. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Weinberg, R. A. (1989). Intelligence and IQ: Landmark issues and great debates. American Psychologist 44 (2), 98-104.

4 ways to strategically develop your employer branding

4 ways to strategically develop your employer branding It’s probably not news to you that hiring has gotten more complicated in recent years. Longer time-to-hire, higher costs, more variables in the pipeline, reaching the best candidates: all have made the recruitment and talent acquisition process into a bit of a hiring crunch. Add to that a buyer’s market for job seekers and it means your organization needs every advantage it can get. Employer branding is not only the first thing to do to improve your hiring, it’s also one of the most important things you can do for your organization’s long-term recruiting health.It’s important to separate your employer brand from your organization’s outward-facing brand marketing. The latter is important in cultivating customers and partners, but the former is what you need to make sure you’re putting the right talent in place. Consider your employer brand as a separate type of marketing. To that end, you should be able to answer these questions, if you want a secure sense of employer brand:What makes you an appealing place to work?What is the public perception of your organization as an employer?What is your employee value proposition (EVP)?Approximately how many of your current employees would recommend you as a place to work?How much visibility do you have into your current employees, and the potential employee pool?If you’re looking to develop a strategy to shore up your employer brand, thinking critically and openly about those questions (and improving the responses, as necessary) is the place to start. After that, there are steps you can take to make sure you’re developing your employer brand in a way that improves your hiring.Clarify your missionYour company website or career platform may be the first experience someone has of your company. You want to make sure you’re presenting a cohesive mission statement and voice in any public-facing platform that potential employees will see. Make your companyâ₠¬â„¢s goals, values, and culture clear, and be sure to play up the factors that make your company unique, or at least better.Know your employeesIf you don’t really know how your employees think of you as an employer, it’s time to do some research. These are people who were already selected to be part of your team, and they bring the most relevant perspectives on what you’re like as an employer. Surveys and requests for feedback (particularly anonymous ones) can provide you with the constructive information you need to make sure you’re the high-quality workplace you want to be. You may learn some uncomfortable or surprising truths from this kind of research, but this whole thing is about being better- not being comfortable.hbspt.cta.load(2785852, '9e52c197-5b5b-45e6-af34-d56403f973c5', {});Understand what the public hears and says about youSites like Glassdoor give former employees to give anonymous feedback about their experience, for the reference of tho se who might be thinking about applying at a certain company. Online reviews can be a mixed bag at best- people with axes to grind can often outweigh genuine perspectives. However, it’s important to know what people are saying about you, positive or not. This can help you figure out which positives to emphasize as part of your employer brand, and also which negative perceptions you’ll be fightingUse metrics and marketing tools to assess your employer brandThese are the same methods you’d use to track your customer marketing, brand awareness, employee engagement, and other data points that inform your marketing decisions. The information you get as you get deeper into the employer branding process will help improve your strategies moving forward.Investing in your employer branding strategy is one of the best things you can do to future-proof your recruitment and hiring. By refining your employer brand and ensuring that you’re appealing to the candidates yo u want to attract, you’ll be less affected by the ups and downs of the talent acquisition trends of the day.

Epistemology Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Epistemology - Assignment Example Uncertainty Principle is hard to understand, as it requires thorough understanding of physics. However, positivism is founded on principles indicating that matter is seen, observed and proved. It creates a conflict between the two principles. For example, advocates of positivism argue it is not possible to observe electron paths while pro- Uncertainty Principle argues that electrons travel on path called orbits (Gleiser, 2014). Postmodern epistemology is the study of how knowledge is assessed, gained, utilized and criticized. The development of Uncertainty Principle enabled the advocates of epistemology to widen their scope of learning. Concepts of Uncertainty Principle like quantum mechanics are studied in postmodern epistemology (Van & McIntyre-Mills, 2007). One of its implications is called determinism. It states that everything that has happened or will happen in the world is pre-determined by original conditions. However, this theory was abandoned after the discovery of quantum physics (Kitchin & Kneale, 2012). M.C. Robinson (2011). A thought experiment violating Heisenbergs uncertainty principle. Canadian Journal of Physics. P. 69-119 Retrieved from Marcelo Gleiser (2014). The Problem with a Clockwork Universe. Commentary on Science and society. Reterieved from < http://www.npr.org/blogs/13.7/2014/01/22/264504218/the-problem-with-a-clockwork-universe

Interior Design Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Interior Design - Research Paper Example Each facility will require its own design. Interior design is based on function, purpose and aesthetics. Each design has its own affect on different facilities. Interior Design is the ability to enhance the function, safety, and aesthetics of interior spaces (U.S. Department of Labor 2009). Interior design can add function to an area that would normally be not functional. This can be achieved by adding key elements which allow the space to serve a purpose. A purpose of a space is dependent on the spaces surroundings. Each room has its own needs. Adding functionality to a room is important in Interior Design. Interior Design allows for the ability to transform a space. An empty room in a commercial setting can be transformed into a waiting area with proper use of seating. A living room can also become functional with proper use of seating. Functionality is one of the major reasons a client may decide to choose an Interior Designer. The Interior Designer may be able to offer the client with a space that allows for more functionality then before. An Interior Designer will base ideas based on purpose. Using the appropriate elements allows for purpose. Purpose in Interior Design can be explained as allowing a room to have a purpose and a use. A good interior designer can allow for a space to serve more than one purpose. Serving more than one purpose can make a space more appealing. ... This type of design becomes an eclectic area to show off certain pieces in a way that they all flow together. According to Allen with All About Interior Design2011, It takes an eclectic eye to be able to show off many pieces and make them work with one another. This is true with many different design techniques. Not just anyone can put pieces together and make them work. Interior Design is important for many aesthetic reasons. An area needs to be aesthetically pleasing to the individual in the environment. An appealing environment is important in a design sense. Interior Designers typically design for residential or commercial settings. Many residential settings will require a pleasing and welcoming environment. An interior designer can gather information about the clients likes and create a space that is aesthetically pleasing. Use of objects and colors that are naturally appealing will help the space appeal to more individuals. Neutral tones and fabrics can allow for the use of dif ferent types of elements. In a commercial setting it is important for an Interior Designer to keep the focus on what the purpose is for the commercial setting. Many Interior Designers will need to create spaces that are pleasing to the eye so that businesses keep customers returning. Pleasing aesthetics can be achieved by bringing earthly elements into the space and keeping with a theme. It is important to achieve an attractive interior environment (Basics of interior design 2011). An attractive interior environment can allow for better usage of the area. It is likely that a space that is attractive will likely be used more than other spaces. The effects of interior design can be great on different facilities. Each facility will