Questions To Ask On A College Tour

How can the summer already becoming to an end so soon? If you still haven’t gone on your college tour yet, now is the time! Campus tours are colleges’ best tool to show off what their institution can offer to prospective students. If you’re able to attend a few, you’ll be able to get a good feel of what each school can offer you, what the campus culture is like, and whether or not you will fit in. In particular, you have the unique opportunity to directly ask the college or its representatives (tour guides, students, etc) questions that may be hard to answer otherwise. The key to a good college tour is asking the right questions to get a discussion rolling: 1. Academics How much homework do students typically have? What’s the teacher to student ratio? How about average class size? These questions will help you gauge if a school is right for you by helping you compare its classes to your past experiences, and the academic atmosphere you strive best in. For example, if you’ve been looking for a more rigorous academic environment than the one you had in high school, a college that offers smaller, more intensive classes may be for you. However, if you’re looking for something a little more independent, a school with larger classes with more flexibility may be a better fit. 2. Research and Internship Opportunities What opportunities exist for undergraduate research? How many students at the college get internships, and how do they get them? What kinds of student services, like career services or tutoring, are offered here? These questions will help determine whether or not your time outside of class would be well-spent at a given school. For example, if you’re really invested in participating in research programs for a given subject, find out if the school you’re visiting offers it. On the other hand, if you’re looking to get an internship, ask the campus tour guides and students on campus how accessible that is, especially if the school’s not located in or in proximity to a city. 3. Student Life What campus housing options are there? What clubs and activities are available to students? What local attractions are there for students? You need to know whether or not you would be comfortable not only attending the school, but becoming a resident of the area. Figuring out whether campus housing meets your needs is pretty importantafter all, you may be signing up to live on campus at the school you’re touring for the next four years! Checking out the social opportunities is worthwhile tooremember, college is where you’ll forge some of the best relationships of your life! These are just a few of the questions you could pose to college tour guides or students; however, don’t hesitate to come up with questions of your own regarding things that matter to you, whether it be financial aid, graduation statistics, athletics, or anything you can think of. Good luck, and happy touring! Choosing where to go to college is an incredibly important decision. Make an informed choice by talking to current students on ourmentorship platform. Access 60,000+ successfulcollege application filesuploaded by college students (they get paid when you view them). is a community of students helping students. Our goal is to bring much-needed transparency to higher education.

Experimental research and computational research on working memory and visual attention. The WritePass Journal

Experimental research and computational research on working memory and visual attention. Introduction Experimental research and computational research on working memory and visual attention. IntroductionReferences:Related Introduction Psychology is the scientific study of our behaviour and experience (Hayes, 1999, p.1). Through research psychologists can determine the way human beings behave and the experiences they share around them. The scientific methods used in the study of human behaviour and mind have been undertaken through neuropsychological case studies, experimental research and computational modelling, in which they formulate theories, test hypotheses through observation and experiment, and analyse the findings with statistical techniques that help them identify important findings. The following explanation will highlight and describe working memory and visual attention, and how psychologists have sought to understand through two of the following research methods: experimental research and computational modelling. Working memory basically refers to the brain ability to temporarily store information. Visual attention as describe by Triesman et al. (1984), the features that are attractors of covert visual attention are those parts of an image that differ from all the other parts by a single aspect. Psychologists have sought to understand both working memory and visual attention through experimental research and computational modelling. The experimental research was first set up by Wilhelm Wundt in his laboratory in 1879. His first researches were based on visual illusions and perception. In 1885, Herman Ebbinghaus published the first experimental research on memory and after behaviourism was eliminated, the cognitivist argued that all studies connected to psychology and the undertaken of the mind and human behaviour must be conducted through empirical means. A move from the empirical means saw the introduction of computer systems as new ideas for the processing of information. These computer programs were developed and would carry out perceptual processes such as the recognition of complex stimuli. These programs made use of feature detector systems and this discovery of feature detectors can be regarded as an example of different approaches to cognition being combined, with contributions from both neuroscience and computer modelling. On visual attention, there are experiments, which has been conducted by Navon (1977) and proposed that it may be the norm to process the global attributes conducted for visual attention is the one in which subjects to attend to a physical property such as colour or spatial location. There are other experiments like the visual search task. One computational modelling of the visual attention research method is the one conducted by Neisser (1964, 67) and experimented on the considerable variation in the ease which we can identify a given object from other object. Neisser modelled the visual search task by having subjects search among an array of letters represented in paper or on a computer screen for a specified target. The relationship between targets and distracters could then be manipulated. On working memory, psychologists have performed many experiments, which sought to explain how memory is organised, and works within the brain by using the working memory model, which was provided by Baddley, A. and Hitch, G.   It has been possible in recent years to use magnetic and positron scanning devices to observe what is happening in different parts of the brain while people are doing various mental tasks. Additional evidence about brain functioning is gathered by observing the performance of people whose brains have been damaged in identifiable ways. Therefore, in cognitive psychology experiments and theory development are frequently aided by developing computational models of the behaviour of groups of neurons as in the working memory. According to Groome, D. (2006, p.132) working memory is define as the process of storing information and experiences for possible retrieval at some point in the future. This ability to create and bring back memories is very important when it comes to the understanding of cognition and this helps our ability as human beings to function properly. Our memories allow us to store information about the world so that we can understand and deal with future situations on the basis of our experience. Encoding refers to getting information into the system by translating it into a neural code that your brain processes. What happens this a little life when you type on a computer keyboard, as your key strokes are translated into on electrical code that the computer can understand and process storage involves retaining information over time. Once in the system, information must be filed away and saved, as happens when a computer stores information temporarily in the RAM (Random Access Memory) and permanently on a hard drive. Finally, retrieval refers to processes that access stored information. On a computer, retrieval occurs when you give a software command ( e.g: open file) that transfers information from the hard drive back to the RAM and the screen, where you can scroll through it. Keep in mind, however, that this analogy between human and computer is crude. For one thing, people routinely forget and distort information and sometime â€Å"remember† events that never occurre d According to Loftus Bernstein (2005), has described human memory is highly dynamic, and its complexity cannot be fully captured by any existing information processing model. Encoding, storage and retrieval represent what our memory system does with information. Before exploring these processes more fully, let us examine some basic components of memory. The fascinating thing about this unilateral visual neglect is that these effects occur even though the pathways from the receptors to the central nervous system for the neglected information remain intact. Treisman has proposed that separate systems analyze objects different visual features. Through parallel processing, these systems all process information at the same time and we can attend selectively to one feature by effectively blocking the further processing of the others ( Treisman Gelade, 1980). In studies, employing Treisman’s visual search tasks (also called feature search tasks), participants look at a display of different objects on a computer screen, searching for ones, called targets that differ from the others in only one feature. The visual attention search task is one of the most widely used measures in the study of visual perception and attention. A work centred on the locating of targets or items among distracters and the differences in visual attention stimulus between the feature search and the conjunctive search resulted to a reaction time that varies due to the variable number of distracters in which a search item could be found. The research findings were based on the above factor. Treisman and Gelade (1980) provided the Feature Integration Theory (FIT) on focused attention that embraces the conceptualisation of perception of features and objects also known as the visual search method. In trying to integrate the two features-feature search and conjunctive search, Treisman and Gelade (1980) maintained that hence in the process, the primary visual features should be presented in two separate feature maps and in the end of the process integrated in a saliency map and accessed to direct attention to an ar ea where items could easily be seen. In all the visual search tasks, which have been provided for our understanding of visual attention, was the pre-attentive stage that processes targets and non-targets differentially and was provided through the works of Neisser (1967), that in this hypothesis the separable features are independently coded and in parallel through detecting multiple target.   The method is however considered to be very slower mechanism through the ‘focal attentive’ stage. Neisser (1967) approach notes that visual search for dissimilar letters was faster than for similar letters in which he concluded there is no need to attend to background letter in the lists as letters. All what is required is to look for features in a background of rounded features. If background items are similar to the target, it is necessary to consider more features and this would take longer. Neisser also argues that in visual search where only targets required response, the non-targets are rejected in the preliminary stage and allow targets to pass through and be identified. Thus, Neisser concluded that there is a pre-attentive stage of visual processing which allows us to detect a target without having consciously attended to and decode each background item. Another claim on this theory is about pre-attentive grouping process, which suggests that features within a given map can be formed into coherent clusters. But this view was rejected when Quinlan, (2003) mentioned that in the first stage of the visual search task the position of features from the one object doesn’t need to correspond with one another in a coherent fashion, because coordination of information also does not exist between the different feature maps. As this method fails, it requires an additional process for such positional information to be cross-referenced and accessed. References: Treisman A. and Gelade, G. (1980). A feature integration theory of attention Cognitive Psychology, 12(1), p.97-136. Richard Gross (2005). The Science of mind and behaviour in psychology. 4th Ed. London Michael W. Passer and Ronald E. Smith   (2008).   Science of mind and behaviour. 4th Ed. New York. Michael S. Gazzaniga, Todd F. Heatherton and Diane F. Halpern   (2010). Psychological Science. 3th Ed.   New York: Psychology Press. Nick Braisby and Angus Gellatly (2005). Cognitive Psychology. New York. [/level-freee-rstricted]

Advice for Drama Teachers - Rehearsal Activities

Advice for Drama Teachers - Rehearsal Activities Recently, we received a message in our Plays/Drama forum. We thought we would share it with you because it touches upon an issue many directors and drama teachers deal with. Here it is: I am currently working on my major production that my drama class is putting on at the end of next month. There are 17 students in the cast, but obviously some have bigger parts than others. Any suggestions for what I can get those with smaller parts to do while they are not on stage? They are really struggling with just watching the rehearsals (when not involved), and since its a class, I feel I should be making them do something, since they are also getting a credit for the course. Im just not sure how to make the best use of these students. Whenever youre directing youth theater, many of the children will smaller roles. Therefore, youll have to make certain those children dont waste their time during rehearsals. Your goal should be not just to put on a great show, but to make certain all  performers (no matter how small the part) improve their acting and their knowledge of the theatrical arts. If you find yourself in a similar situation, then yours is a challenging problem that many teachers and youth theater directors face. If this were a professional production, you would be able to focus your attention on the principal actors. However, as an instructor, you want all of your performers to have a positive educational experience. Lets explore some ideas for  making  the most out of your rehearsals. Choose Plays to Fit The Cast Size This first rule is simple - but its important. If you know that you will be directing a cast of twenty or more kids, make certain that you dont choose a play where only three characters have lines and the rest are lingering in the background. Some family-themed shows such as Annie or Oliver have a lot of kids in one or two scenes, and thats it. The rest of the show focuses on only a handful of characters. Therefore, look for scripts that offer a lot of little but juicy roles in addition to the lead characters. Background Extras Enhance the Setting Lets assume it is too late to pick another script. What then? Go through the play and find all of the scenes in which actors can liven up the background. Are there any crowd scenes? Are there scenes that take place in a park? A senior center? A courtroom? On film sets, there is an assistant director (AD), with one of the primary jobs of the AD being to place the background extras - actors who may simply walk across the scene or play a part in the crowd. With that introduction, before you watch an AD in action, you might figure it to be a simple job. But while  watching an experienced AD work youll realize that theres an artistry to directing background. Characters in the background can help to establish the setting and the energy of the play. If your show has a large cast with several crowd scenes, make the most of it. Create a whole world on the stage. Even if the young actors dont have a single line, they can convey a character and enhance the play. Create Character Outlines No matter how big or small the role, every young actor can benefit from character outlines. If you are directing the principals and the ensemble cast members have some downtime, ask them to write about their characters. Ask them to respond to some of these prompts: Describe your characters personality.What thoughts are going through your characters mind?What goals and dreams does your character have?What worries or frightens your character?Describe your characters most embarrassing moment.Describe your characters greatest triumph. If time allows, the cast members could develop scenes (either written or improvisational) showing these not-so-minor characters in action. And if you have any students that enjoy reading and writing, teach them more about creative ways to analyze plays to get more out of the experience and possibly influence them to write their own work. Practice Scene Work If the students/actors have a lot of downtime during rehearsal, give them sample scenes from other plays to work on. This will allow them to learn more about the diverse world of theater, and it will help them become more versatile performers. Also, this is an easy way for them to sharpen their acting skills in order to land a larger role in the next production. Toward the end of rehearsal, make certain you set aside time for the students to perform their scene work to the rest of the cast. If you are able to do this consistently, the students with the smaller roles will still be able to get a great deal of acting experience - and those who observe the scenes will get a taste of the classic and contemporary pieces you present. Improv! Improv! Improv! Yes, whenever the cast is down in the dumps, cheer up your young performers with a quick improvisation exercise. Its a great way to warm up before rehearsal, or a fun way to wrap things up. For more ideas, check out our list of improv activities. Behind the Scenes Oftentimes students sign up for a drama class as an elective, and even though they love the theater, they arent yet comfortable being in the spotlight. (Or maybe they just arent ready yet.) In that case, teach the participants about the technical aspects of theater. They could spend their free time during rehearsals learning lighting design, assistant directing, sound effects, costumes, prop management, and marketing strategies. But however you involve your young actors, make certain you are giving them creative work - NOT busy work. Give them projects that will challenge them artistically and intellectually. And, above all, show them through example how fun the theater can be.

Reflection on a critical incident Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Reflection on a critical incident - Essay Example This reflective practice is associated with learning from experience, and is associated with the improvement of the quality of care, stimulating personal and professional growth and closing the gap between theory and practice. To facilitate me with my reflection, I have chosen GIBBS model 1988. This is a clear-cut approach wherein one can easily put into words the clinical experience that has been learned. It starts with the description of the incident, followed by the feelings, evaluation, analysis, conclusion and action plan. Discussion includes the importance of proper administration of medication and how it has touched me in order to grow personally and professionally. The first stage of Gibbs 1998 model of reflection is the description of events. It was one of those busy days of the hospital. I could not forget my first day of 11pm to 7am duty at the pediatric ward of that public hospital we were affiliated to. My classmates and I were asked by the chief nurse to observe a staff on how to administer medications to the patients. I was very excited about the task that I did not even want to miss a single minute. When it was time for us to proceed to the children’s rooms, I whispered a little prayer and grabbed my small notebook in case the nurse would do some lectures as the procedures were done. We were five in our group and most of us were tired because of the previous lectures we had during the day, but still managed to stay focused on the task. Nurse X went on with the administration of the medications. Then we reached the last patient of the ward, which was Patient X’s room. I was very eager to know the rationale of giving antibiotics to Patient X who was just one-month old at that time. He had staphylococcal infection on the right forearm which was full of pus. Due to mere curiosity, I asked Nurse X what antibiotic in particular she just introduced at the intravenous line of Patient X. She glanced at me with surprise, not expecting my

The quality management in Applebee's Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

The quality management in Applebee's - Essay Example It was found that there was a significant problem concerning with the quality of food. Although, the evidence presented was a single case of an outlet somewhere in the outlets in 1050 Wayne Ave, Chambersburg, PA, there is still a tendency among customers to consider the negative feedbacks to be taken against the whole Applebee’s as a brand. Therefore, in order to eliminate the possibility of taking this point especially in some cases found in some other outlets concerning food quality, the work at hand presents some solutions and recommendations. Keywords: quality management, restaurant chain, Applebee’s Introduction The work at hand tries to present a significant quality management issue linked to the operation of Applebee’s. In particular, this paper discusses the problem that Applebee’s faced in their managing the quality and in matching customers’ satisfaction. Applebee’s is widely known as the American company with three essential goals, to develop, franchise, and operate the grill and bar restaurant chain. In 2011, it is reported that the said chain had over all 2,019 restaurants operating across the US and in 15 other countries. All of these restaurants focus on the concept of casual dining, which particularly includes American dishes like shrimp, chicken, pasta and Applebee’s signature dish. Applebee’s also serves alcoholic beverages as it is integrated with bar area. Applebee’s chain is therefore trying to offer a complete package for restaurant and relaxation program. This document covers the fundamental issue of how far the Applebee’s manages to maintain the level of its quality with particular inclusion of the problems it faces with respect to the prevailing concerns and reviews of the customers who were able to try both of their product and service offerings. A special consideration of a certain outlet in the US is the primary focus considered in the work at hand. Concerning this , this paper is subdivided into four essential sections after the introduction. The next section covers the description of the company as an extension of the brief discussed so far in this section. Next to this is the description of the problem, where there is an inclusion of the various negative feedbacks that Applebee’s receives from its customers particularly in the case of those franchises operating across the US. After the presentation of the description of the company and the problem, the solutions and recommendations are provided and followed by the conclusion. To start with, it is important to dig deeper more into the description of the company in in order to link the potential problems associated with how the chain eventually operates. Description of the company Applebee’s like all the other successful restaurants in the US had also its humble beginning. Its inception was remarkably stated to be initiated by Bill and T. J. Palmer on the 19th of November 1980 i n Decatur, Georgia (Fournier, Sosnik & Dowd, 2006). However, this company was sold to W. R. Grace and Company in 1983 changing the concept of Applebee’s as Neighborhood Grill & Bar (Fournier, Sosnik & Dowd, 2006). However, on the 16th of July 2007, the IHOP Corp or DineEquity Inc., bought Applebee’s for about $2.1 billion (Fournier, Sosnik

Gender Language Acquisition And Language Use Psychology Essay

Gender Language Acquisition And Language Use Psychology Essay INTRODUCTION Over the last thirty years there has been a sharp increase of research on the differences between men and women, in particular the extent to which men and women use language differently. The purpose of this project is to identify the differences between male and female speech and how societys attitude towards gender has an impact on language acquisition and language use. Firstly this project will introduce the subject of sociolinguistics with a focus on stereotyping, language acquisition and the general differences in speech between males and females. Secondly, current opinions and attitudes will be discussed along with recent research that has been carried out examining if gender stereotyping exists and whether it has an impact on language acquisition and the way language is used. Lastly it will analyse findings from my own research of colour terms used by a sample of 10 children. Sociolinguistics is the study of the relationship between language and society, and how society influences or affects the way in which language is used by individuals or groups (Crystal, 2008). Gender Difference is a branch of sociolinguistics that focuses on how males and females communicate and what differences there are between the two sexes. Over the last 20 years research has been conducted to try and answer such questions as Do women really talk more than men? Do men swear more than women? and Do women gossip more than men. The main differences identified between the way men and women communicate are: mens language is more dominant, aggressive, assertive, confident and forceful and womens language is submissive, cooperative, emotional and sincere (Pearson, 1985). Research has been carried out to examine whether these differences are due to biological or social factors. LITERATURE REVIEW Early research examining the relationship between gender and language was first carried out by Lakoff in 1975 and published in her book Language and Womans Place. Lakoff identified several factors that make womans language different to mens. Womens language contains more: Hedge phrases: sort of, it seems like; Polite forms: would you mindà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦; Tag questions: you are coming to dinner, arent you?; Standard English and tend to avoid using expletives. Lakoff stated that women are reluctant to force their views on another person which explains the use of hedge phrases. This view was supported by McMillan et al (1977). In relation to tag questions, Mulac Lundell (1986) found similar results with their research however studies by Dubois Crouch (1975) contradicts this as they found that men were more likely to use tag questions than women. Holmes (1984) also disagreed with Lakoffs suggestions of tag question and found that in most cases women used them to give the person being spoken to an opportunity to speak. Lakoffs research also found that women notice more detail than men causing women to be more perceptive; they notice things such as tone of voice, facial expression, and body language. She noted that women use a greater variety of descriptions when describing colours, (violet instead of purple or crimson rather than red. Glass (1992) carried out research to identify biological differences and found that in males the right hemisphere of the brain matures faster than the left where as the opposite occurs in females with the left hemisphere of the brain developing first. Therefore men are more adept at right hemisphere tasks such as solving mathematical problems while women are better with left hemisphere tasks such as developing language and vocabulary. Differences that arise due to social factors could be due to the fact that there is an element of sexism in language which instils gender stereotyping. Words that represent women or refer to women tend to have negative connotations (Romaine, 2008). If we look at the words that describe a single male (bachelor) and a single female (spinster), for many people the word bachelor would imply a young, single, professional male with prospects where as the word spinster would suggest a lonely, old female, yet they both mean the same for each gender. Nilsen (1977) carried out research using 500 dictionary words which had either male or female connotations. 385 were found to have male connotations compared to only 132 with female connotations. Nilsen looked at the words for negative connotations and found that the number of words with negative female connotations outweighed the number of male ones by 25%. There has been a lot of research examining whether the impact of gender stereotyping at an early age has had an influence in the use of language. Eisenberg et al (1985) found that parents will more often than not choose toys that are associated with their childs gender. Caldera (1989) looked at the type of toys children play with and the role they have in language development. He found that boys toys such as cars and trains have low levels of teaching and questioning and require little or no interaction with a parent. Boys will often mimic the sounds related to the toy (e.g. beep beep for a car or choo choo for a train) but the toy requires no conversation. In contrast, girls toys such as dolls and prams require a certain amount of role play that elicits constant verbal interaction with the toy with the child giving a step by step account of what will happen next (e.g. it is now time for your nap), which often leads to a parent becoming more involved making comments and questioning ( Caldera, 1989). By the end of a childs first year gender differences are already evident in the way they play and dress and the way adults interact and communicate with them. Parents will typically choose to dress a boy in blue or a girl in pink because that is what gender stereotyping dictates. Pearson Davilla (2001) found that baby boys are often described as strong, solid and independent where as baby girls are described as loving, cute and sweet thus reinforcing gender stereotypes. This type of gender stereotyping has also been found to occur in school textbooks with language often emphasising the ideas of males and females (Cameron, 2007). The use of terms like he, him and his, and men when referring to a person or people reinforces gender language with females made to look inferior to males. Males and females are typically represented in traditional gender roles with women as mothers and housewives, and men as professional breadwinners. Again women are portrayed in more submissive and inferior roles. This was more noticeable with reading schemes from the 1960s and 1970s. Males are also seen as having more opportunities than females as they are portrayed as being more adventurous and physically stronger than women. Females seem more caring and are seen as more interested in domestic matters taking a submissive role to allow male dominance. However Bradley (1981) and Weatherall (2002) have argued that there are no significant differences between male and female speech. METHODOLOGY In order to obtain comparable data I needed to ask a sample of children to look at a picture and give the name of each colour of a specific object within the picture. As this research was to be conducted during the Christmas season I used a sample of children who were attending a Christmas party. I devised a questionnaire which contained a colourful Christmas themed picture of Santa flying his sleigh along with five questions asking to name the colour of different objects within the picture (Appendix 1). The picture chosen had different shades of colour in order to allow a variety of answers for a particular object. The research was carried out on a small scale using a mixture of interpretive and positivist methods. A sample size of 10 children was used ranging from age 4 to 9 with an equal number of males and females to allow a more accurate comparison of data relating to gender. The children sampled were enjoying themselves at a Christmas party. Each child was sat down individually at a quiet table and asked to describe the colour of the various objects in each question. They were also asked their age. The time taken to answer the questions was an average of 4 minutes per child. FINDINGS I have analysed the findings for each question individually in order to compare the differences between genders. Q.1. What colour is Santas hat? In the picture, Santas hat is a standard red colour therefore it is not surprising that red was the answer given by 100% of the children. Q.2. What colour is the sky? The sky is a shade of blue which could be described as a light blue or sky blue. 80% of the boys gave the answer blue where as this answer was only given by 20% of the girls. Sky blue was the most popular answer which was given by 60% of the girls. Light blue was given by 20% of girls and 20% of boys. Q.3 What colour is Rudolph? Rudolph is a brown colour that could be described in a number of ways. 80% of boys answered brown compared to 40% of girls. Interestingly one girl (20%) gave the answer nutmeg while a second girl (20%) answered fawn and a third girl (20%) answering light brown. Fawn brown was also given by 20% of boys. Q.4. What colour is Rudolphs scarf? Rudolphs scarf is a dark shade of green. Green was the answer given by 80% of boys and 80% of girls. Only two other shades were given; moss green (20% boys) and sage (20% of girls). Q.5. What colour is Santas sleigh? Santas sleigh is red but it is a much darker shade of colour than his hat. Of the boys sampled, 80% gave the answer red with only one boy (20%) giving a different answer of burgundy. None of the girls gave the simple answer of red. 60% distinguished that is was a much darker red than Santas hat and therefore described it as dark red. One girl (20%) gave the answer maroon and another girl (20%) gave the answer burgundy. The table below shows the results along with each Childs gender and age: Response to Questions Child Gender Age Q.1 Q.2 Q.3 Q.4 Q.5 A M 8 Red Light Blue Fawn Brown Moss Green Burgundy B M 8 Red Blue Brown Green Red C M 9 Red Blue Brown Green Red D M 4 Red Blue Brown Green Red E M 7 Red Blue Brown Green Red F F 6 Red Sky Blue Nutmeg Sage Maroon G F 7 Red Light Blue Fawn Green Burgundy H F 5 Red Blue Brown Green Dark Red I F 6 Red Sky Blue Light Brown Green Dark Red J F 6 Red Sky Blue Brown Green Dark Red DISCUSSION/ANALYSIS The results show that females take more notice of details than males as the female children were more perceptive when looking at the picture and therefore gave a greater variety of colour descriptions. These results agree with Lakoffs research of Language and Womens Place. Lakoffs research was published more than thirty years ago and her specific claims about the way language is used by woman have been overturned as more recent research does not support them as the research was based on intuition. (Cameron, 2007). However, Lakoffs arguments that language-use, gender and power are all connected is still supported (Cameron, 2007). Individual differences may account for some of the variations in the results. Child A, a male child, gave colour terms of Red, Light Blue, Fawn Brown, Moss Green and Burgundy which suggests that other social factors besides gender stereotyping may have an influence. The way people use language is affected by the context of the situation they are in and to whom they are engaging in conversation with (Cameron, 2007). Holmes (1984) uses the analogy of a tightrope to explain: Women are obliged to walk a tightrope of impression management, continually demonstrating their professional competence while also making clear that they have not lost their femininity that they are not, for example, aggressive or uncaring (Cameron, 2007). Factors such as socio economic background, parent influence and other interests may have a direct effect on language acquisition and needs to be researched further. CONCLUSION The differences between males and females can be attributed to biological and social factors. Research by Glass (1992) shows that the brain develops differently in males and females which results in the two genders having a preference for tasks that are associated with that part of their brain that matures faster. Social factors such as gender stereotyping has a significant influence on language use as it helps to reinforce the roles that society dictates men and women should have. Gender stereotyping occurs from birth Females use language as a way to develop personal relationships where as men use language to assert independence and status. People adapt their language to different contexts therefore gender differences is a difficult area to study. Gender alone cannot account for differences in language use and as such other factors such as socio economic background, education and individual differences should be taken in to account. Much of the research carried out has identified what the differences are between male and female speech but with little suggestions as to why these differences occur. REFERENCE LIST Bradley, P. H. (1981) The Folk Linguistics of Womens Speech: An Empirical Examination. Communication Monographs. 48, pp73-90 Caldera, Y.M. (1989) Social interactions and play patterns of parents and toddlers with feminine, masculine and neutral toys. Child Development, 60, pp70-76. Cameron, D. (2007) The Myth of Mars and Venus. New York: Oxford University Press Crystal, David. (2003) The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language. Second Edition. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, p.298 Dubois, B. L., Crouch, I. (1975) The question of tag questions in womens speech: They dont really use more of them, do they? Language in Society, 4(3), pp.289-294. Eisenberg, A.R. et al (1985) Childrens Talk: Learning to use Language. New York: Norton. Glass, L. (1992) He Says, She Says. Closing the Communication Gap Between the Sexes. New York: G.P. Putnams Sons. Holmes, J. (1984) Hedging Your Bets and Sitting on the Fence: Some Evidence for Tag Questions as Support Structures. Te Reo, 27, pp.47-62. Lakoff, R. (1975) Language and Womans Place. New York: Harper Colophon Books. McMillan, J. R. et al (1977) Womens language: Uncertainty or interpersonal sensitivity and emotionality? Sex Roles, 3, pp.545-559. Mulac, A., Lundell, T. L. (1986) Linguistic contributors to the gender-linked language effect. Journal of Language Social Psychology, 5, pp.81-101. Nilsen, A. et al (1977)  Sexism and language. Illinois: National Council of Teachers of English, pp.161-179. Pearson, J. C. (1985) Gender and Communication. Iowa: W.N.C. Brown Publishers. Pearson, J. C., Davilla, R. (2001) The Gender Construct: Understanding Why Men and Women Communicate Differently. In Borisoff, D. Women and Men Communicating. Illinois: Waveland Press. Weatherall, A. (2002) Gender, Language and Discourse. London: Routledge

Aquinas and Dante: Perfecting Human Reason

Julia Caldwell Professor Albrecht Development of Western Civilization 2, February, 2013 Aquinas and Dante: Perfecting Human Reason Aquinas and Dante: Perfecting Human Reason Despite the fact that Dante’s reader doesn’t encounter St. Thomas Aquinas within the Comedia until Paradise, the beliefs and teachings of Aquinas are woven throughout the entirety of the famous poem. St. Thomas Aquinas’s cosmology and theology are used as the foundation for Dante’s Comedia, and for this reason it is no surprise that the experiences of the Pilgrim symbolically reflect many of Aquinas’s teachings.The Pilgrim’s experiences on his journey through the afterlife reflect what Aquinas called the, â€Å"two-fold truth concerning the divine being, one to which the inquiry of reason can reach, the other which surpasses the whole ability of human reason† (Summa Contra Gentiles, Handout I, 4). Dante also illustrates Aquinas’s conclusion that man’s reason tends toward the source of ultimate true while mans will tends toward the ultimate good. The reader is able to see how Dante’s will and reason search for, and ultimately attain, fulfillment in the vision of the Divine Essence.Both Aquinas and Dante emphasize the necessary union between human reason and divine faith as a means of attaining this fulfillment. As the instiller of these inclinations, only God Himself can satisfy them. Aquinas demonstrates this idea through his explanation of the natural and the divine law as they pertain to the Eternal law. Dante demonstrates this idea through the Pilgrim’s interactions with his guides and the culmination of his ascension in Paradise. Just as with body and soul, matter and form, there is a harmonious relationship between reason and faith; yet the agents within these partnerships are not equal.Both Dante and Aquinas acknowledge that human reason can assist the individual in understanding God and coinciding oneâ€℠¢s will with His will, but they both conclude that this secular-based reasoning is subjugated by and therefore must be perfected by theology. In Dante’s Virgil the reader finds human reason personified. Being the shade of a renowned and wise philosopher, Virgil is a perfect candidate to guide the Pilgrim through hell and purgatory. In his own lifetime Virgil lived as a pious man and therefore attained the imperfect Earthly happiness that can be acquired through natural powers.However, as Aquinas states, â€Å"every knowledge that is according to the mode of created substance, falls short of the vision of the Divine Essence,† therefore Virgil is unable to reach fulfillment since he cannot ascend to Paradise (Summa Theologiae, Handout II, 12). Instead, like many of his pagan contemporaries, Virgil is doomed to spend eternity in the underworld’s Limbo. He will forever yearn to know the ultimate happiness and the ultimate truth that are only found in God. As Virgil puts it himself, â€Å"In this alone we suffer: cut off from hope, we live in desire† (Inferno, 20).Dante provides Virgil as a means of illustrating the incompleteness of human reason, whereby observing Aquinas’s warning. When describing the home of philosophers within Limbo Dante writes, â€Å"we reached a place spread out and luminous† (Inferno 22). It is fitting that this realm be characterized by light because as Aquinas states, â€Å"[natural reason] is nothing else than an imprint on us of the Divine light† (Summa Theologiae, Handout II, 13). The knowledge possessed by the philosophers comes from God Himself, or the Eternal Law.Having never embraced the faith of God through the implementation of the theological virtues, however, Virgil is an imperfect soul. Much like Virgil, human reason is guided by the light of the Eternal Law, but is unperfected without the divine law. It is this very imperfection of Virgil’s nature that makes him the perf ect guide for the initial stages of Dante’s journey. In Virgil Dante finds a guide capable of explaining and illuminating the conceptual and rational worlds of Hell and Purgatory, but also in Virgil Dante is able to see the limits of human reason without the theological virtues.With Virgil as his guide, the Pilgrim is â€Å"guided by the light of natural reason† (Summa Contra Gentiles, Handout I, 2). Along his journey, however, Virgil comes to realize that his wise guide is not all-powerful. When the pair arrives at the gates of Dis in Canto 8, the Furies slam the gates of the city shut despite Virgil’s pleas. It is only when a holy messenger from Paradise arrives that the Furies surrender to God’s will and allow Dante and Virgil to enter. Taking this event metaphorically, reason is unable to go on further without grace. As the pair travel within the realm of Purgatory it becomes clear that Dante’s uestions are becoming more of a challenge for Virg il. When Virgil is trying to explain why his shade casts no shadow, his reasoning can only goes as far as to say that his condition is, â€Å"willed by that Power which wills its secret not to be revealed† (Purgatory 207). Dante goes on to describe Virgil’s countenance as having â€Å"anguished thoughts† (Purgatory 207). Virgil’s struggle to explain the dynamics of the afterlife as the pair comes closer to Paradise reflects Aquinas’s conclusion that â€Å"[the] human intellect is not able to reach a comprehension of the divine substance through its natural power† (Summa Contra Gentiles, Handout I, 3).Furthermore this instance exemplifies Aquinas’s conclusion that human reason is able to recognize effects but is unable to explain the Ultimate Cause of these effects without faith (Summa Contra Gentiles, Handout I, 9). Virgil can see that he has no shadow, but he cannot explain the source of the original cause. Since Virgil never believe d in the faith of the divine mysteries while he was still on Earth, his intellect is unable to grasp an understanding of God’s will. In conclusion, because Virgil doesn’t use faith to perfect his reason, his own will can never be aligned with the will of his Creator.Virgil specifically alludes to the fault in his faith when he distinguishes between pagan and Christian prayer. He admits that his own prayers, along with the prayers of all pagans, â€Å"had no access to God† (Purgatory, 225). Unlike pagan prayers, which according to Virgil in the Aeneid are powerless in a universe predestined by the Fates, Christian prayers are an embodiment of human participation with the true divine. By taking part in prayer, the individual takes part in the theological virtues that â€Å"are infused by God alone† and â€Å"direct us aright to God† (Summa Theologiae, Handout II, 11).It is only through the participation in these theological virtues that an individual can be guided toward God Himself. These virtues are the perfecting agents by which the human will and intellect are pushed toward their â€Å"last act† (Summa Theologiae, Handout II, 8). This last act is the attainment of happiness in the vision of the Divine Essence. Rather than try to explain concepts beyond what his reason can grapple with, Virgil asks his pupil to wait for Beatrice to answer his questions on this subject: â€Å"Do not try to resolve so deep a doubt; wait until she shall make it clearer—she, he light between truth and intelligence† (Purgatory 225). In this statement Virgil admits that Beatrice, as â€Å"the light†, is more capable of illuminating matters of the divine than the poet. Once the pair reaches the top of mount Purgatory, Virgil tells his young friend, â€Å"you’ve reached the place where my discernment now has reached its end† (Purgatory 351). Virgil has taken the Pilgrim as far as reason can dictate; now Dant e requires a guide of theological proportions to guide him in a realm where reason is blinded.When Dante reaches the top of Mount Purgatory, he has been cleansed of every perversion of the will. The feelings of admiration he felt for Virgil have been replaced by the intense love he feels for his new guide, Beatrice. He now desires conceptual knowledge less and instead begins to explore understanding through his senses. This tradeoff is necessary in this new realm where observations may not be fitting to human concepts. This necessity is made clear when Beatrice beings to explain to Dante the divinely ordained distribution of power amongst the stars (Paradise Canto I).Before she lays out the complicated plan she warns Dante, â€Å"even when the senses guide, reason’s wingspan can sometimes be short† (Paradise 399). This is a reminder to Dante that his experiences in Paradise will not be as easily digested and picked apart as his experiences in Hell and Purgatory. In the former realms, human reason could essentially provide explanations without needing the aid of theology. This is also a cue to Dante’s readers that they are not mentally capable of understanding the phenomena he is about to experience, so they must rely on faith.In a larger context, humanity must rely on its faith in God to have any earthly understanding of what heaven is. Donning red, white, and green, Beatrice symbolically represents the theological virtues, including faith. Dante initially relies on the eyes of Beatrice to reflect the heavenly bodies, since the brightness of Paradise overwhelms his eyes (Paradise 393). This can be metaphorically applied to the idea that humans must rely on the assistance of God, through belief and participation in the theological virtues, to begin to understand God’s mysteries.In the same way Dante initially owes his sight of Paradise to the eyes of Beatrice, humanity owes perfection of its reason to the theological virtues. As Aqui nas chimes, â€Å"the theological virtues direct man to supernatural happiness† (Summa Theologiae, Handout II, 11). Through keeping faith in the mysteries while on Earth, a soul will be ready to behold them in the afterlife. In this way, both Dante and Aquinas emphasize how important it is for Christians to believe in the mysteries of the divine even when they transcend human reason.Even having beheld the beauty of the Divine himself, Dante is unable to relate the experience in words to his readers. Though he has seen the mysteries of God with his own eyes, the Divine Essence’s unparalleled nature transcends human explanation and human understanding. In this way Dante illustrates Aquinas’s conclusion that while on Earth we must rely on what we believe not what we actually see and understand. Aquinas says, â€Å"although human reason cannot grasp fully the truths that are yet above it†¦if it somehow holds these truths by faith, it acquires great perfection for itself† (Summa Contra Gentiles, Handout I, 6).In this way Aquinas clarifies the relationship between faith and reason. Without faith, reason remains unperfected and vulnerable to falsehoods. With faith, however, reason aligns itself with truth and thus aligns itself with the will of God. Individuals who perfect reason with faith are guided along the path towards salvation, just as Dante experiences. Following this path, one is able to arrive at the end toward which all humanity tends, prepared and deserving of the vision of the Divine Essence. It is only at this moment that the individual achieves the desires of both reason and will: truth and happiness.