Statement of Purpose Essay Example for Free

Statement of Purpose Essay â€Å"I believe that imagination is stronger than knowledge myth is more potent than history dreams are more powerful than facts hope always triumphs over experience laughter is the cure for grief life is stronger than death. † If you ask me to describe myself I would say that I am pleasant, diverse, and active man. I think one of my most distinguishing characteristics is the diversity of experiences I possess. I am an engineering graduate with a flair for management. I also have a passion for traveling and exploring different cultures of the world. All these elements have helped me develop a very broad outlook, with varying degrees of knowledge in a range of topics. As a freshman at the undergraduate level, I chose my major in Electrical Electronics Engineering to ensure a sound technological base. It was in my third year of graduation in Engineering that I was able to touch upon subject like Industrial and Organizational Management, which stimulated my interest towards management. Professional experience has helped me fortify my conclusion that Management science is a major part of the industry and it plays a polar role. After completing my Engineering from Cochin University of Science Technology, Kochi; which is amongst the best institutes of technical education in India, I joined in as a Project Engineer in Wipro Technologies Ltd. To get a feel of corporate management and to know what it takes to become a successful manager before opting for a career in the field. My desire to know more of the big world of managers saw me carefully observing what makes the decisions of the managers, who manage the companies, more successful pragmatic. I realized that experience did play a major role in their success, but what was more important was that they came from recognized schools of business. Their decisions were based on simulated conditions in classroom discussions and on the basis of their peer’s experiences that were also shared in the class. This made my determination towards doing management stronger very soon, it became a passion and to this end, I have decided to apply to your University. At Wipro, I joined as a Software Testing Engineer and worked for Clients like Yell Group, The Convergys and my current assignment is with the British Telecom. While the first two projects dealt with SAP SD and HR module testing, my current project is a Telecom Domain Project. Apart from all the Technical stuff, I had the passion for learning the management skills from my Leads and Manager. I would note down the positive points of my senior leads and managers and even the ones where things could have been done better while they were handling the projects and the people involved. I had the passion for learning people skills from them. I had the opportunity to lead a small project with a group of five and with all my leanings I was able to make that project a successful one with appreciation mails pouring in from my clients and senior management of my company. I learnt a lot in my project while leading the group of 5. Although it was not so easy; I did my best to shoulder my responsibilities well. I had a passion for People Management, Human Resource Management and Keenly observing People behavior right from my early school days. I would get involved in organizing and volunteering various cultural activities in school, college and even in my society where I resided. I would love to meet people from different parts of the world and befriend them in no time and they would love to be in my company. At the back of my mind I always wanted to do something bigger, some thing with which I would have an impact on the whole world. I want to make a difference in the quality of Lives in the people across the globe and a positive difference to the organization I work with. I used to see people dissatisfied with their job, some had issues with their salary structure, a few had issues with the management then some one was dissatisfied with their work timings. This behavior of working people propelled me to have some experience at work and then only I would understand their problems in a much better way. For reaching to my dreams I needed to start with a globally with a well established organization and luckily I got selected in the campus interview at my college during my engineering. Working with Wipro Technologies for over 2 and a half years gave me a little insight into the corporate world ethics which went through various phases including the Recession Period when the market was on a low and it was tough to sustain your job. I keenly observed the behavior of employees and the management during recession. The results were not encouraging as the employee management relation was deteriorating day by day during this economically hit period. I want to make a difference to the organization I work with in y future even during the economic slowdown. I am passionate about all my dreams in making it true. However I do need help to shape myself to the best ever manager with which I could make differences to the quality of lives of the people and companies across the globe. Pursing a MSC in Human Resource Management and Business degree became inevitable for me as it was my path to future career so decided to do my Masters from Aston University which provides a quality education. The UK higher Education system combines the best elements of tradition and modernity. The quality of UK degree is one reason why I plan to come to The UK and study. Another is the value for money. Also the universities in UK provide internationally recognized qualifications of highest standard. The Business School at the Aston University is amongst the elite management schools. The quality of Post graduate taught programs is well recognized. The School provides MSc in Human Resource Management and Business program is designed to equip its graduates for careers in the global market. Apart from all these I am very passionate about sports and cultural activities. I am the core member of the sports committee of Wipro Technologies at Pune. Before this I had organized the Annual People Fiesta event at Wipro Tech, Hyderabad and won the People’s Champion award for the same. The activities included games like Basketball, Football, and cricket, Indoor games like Carom, Chess, Badminton, and Fun Games like Quizzing, Treasure Hunt, and Paper Game etc. I had actively participated in all of them; apart from this I was involved in Blood Donation Camp conducted by the Red Cross Society where I actively donated Blood as well. I had organized many Events at College level and won accolades for the same. My ardor for interacting with different people, learning them, their culture and making them friends, My deep urge to learn people skills and manage people at a large scale, to know them from their perspective and to run an organization where people love their company and to hear from them that they are jubilant to be part of my organization makes me a fitting candidate for your deemed program. I am confident that MSc in Human Resource Management and Business offered by Aston University would significantly impact my professional life and would fully equip me with comprehensive specialized rigorous professional training in all aspects of Human Resource management.

Year Round Production Of Oranges In Nigeria

Year Round Production Of Oranges In Nigeria Nigerians, like many other Africans, believe that certain fruits like orange only grow in particular seasons. This cannot be any further from the truth. In developed countries, most if not all the fruits are available for consumption all year-round. The secret behind this availability of fruits is not so far-fetched. This write-up is focused on year-round orange production in rural Nigeria. Growing oranges demands the maintenance of certain climatic conditions like temperature and wind intensity although there are other issues less related to the climate such as pest control, irrigation and fertilizer application. These conditions control the growth of orange. In other words, if they can be maintained at a certain level, production can be done year-round. The Communication and Information Management Technology branches of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) have a crucial role to play here as they make it easy to reach majority of the rural farmers. Emphasis is placed on r adio as a result of the fact that it is readily available to most of them. Information on the basics of cultivating the fruit throughout the year is handed down to the farmers through radio. The postulation here is that as the farmers get enough of this information, their orientation begins to change and whatever funding or support they get from external sources can be put to good use. This raises the question of funding for this orange production, and this is where the benefits of year-round production such as job creation and increased revenue serve as incentive to potential supporters and lenders, like the government and microfinance banks. One of the most widely grown crops in the country today is orange. Its strong nutritional value and by-products such as orange juice are part of the reason for its popularity. Firstly, it is imperative to explain that Information and Communication Technology (ICT) may be subdivided into three main branches namely Computer Technology, Communication Technology and Information Management Technology. While Computer Technology is a vital component of ICT, Communication and Information Management Technologies are equally as important (Wikipedia, 2010). In fact, as far as agriculture goes in the rural areas of Nigeria, Computer Technology will play a less crucial role than any of the other two and the reason is not far-fetched. Although most of the farmers understand the conditions required for the crops to grow in practice, only a handful of them know this in theory. This theoretical knowledge is important if a farmer is going to maximize production. Methodology An advantage to the team is that the father of one of our team members is a large scale farmer. Thus a number of our questions were directed to him. Also, another team member made calls to his friend at the bank, a means by which we obtained information about loans and a few other financing questions. Some information was also obtained from books. Most of our sources though are from the internet, like articles and journals. Year-round Production One important aspect of year-round production is the culture of the orange tree. Recently, it has been discovered that close-spacing the plants in an orange grove might cause reduction in productivity, and there is also the argument that in close-planted groves, it is quite expensive to prune. On the contrary, the ease with which pruning, fertilizing and harvesting can be done influences farmers decision to engage in close-planting. Many groves in rural Nigeria have an average spacing of 20 X 15 ft (7.56 m), which in comparison to the former standard 25 x 25 ft (7.57.5 m) can be considered to be really close-spaced. Conversely, it has been discovered that by budding Pineapple orange onto the rootstock of rough lemon, close-planting can otherwise increase the total yield. A chart is given below to illustrate the behavior of this new type of orange in relation to spacing. This brings to light two new points of interest varieties of orange and budding. These two points are very crucial to year-round orange farming. The first secret in growing orange year-round is in its varieties. Different types of oranges react differently to different climatic conditions. For example, while Hamlin and Queen thrive well under extreme cold temperature, Valencia, on the other hand, does not do as well. In developing countries where orange is available to customers year-round, they simply grow the particular type of orange that will flourish in each season. It will not come as a surprise that many if not all of the varieties of orange can grow in many parts of Nigeria. In fact, Benue state in north central Nigeria alone accounts for the production of over ten varieties of orange. The implication of this is that with proper knowledge of these varieties and how they thrive under different conditions, oranges can be produced year-round in the country. Budding is another important tool that can ensure the production of the fruit during particularly harsh seasons of the year. Although there are many varieties of the fruit that survive in different seasons, there are some seasons that are uniquely harsh to plants. For these seasons, budding is a practice that can ensure the development of more vigorous and productive trees. The process ensures the quality of oranges produced. Budding involves grafting a part of a plant (called the scion) on another plant (called the rootstock) with an already active root system, thus enabling them to grow as one plant. Rootstocks are mostly used for fruiting trees and depending on the rootstock used, even with the same scion, properties such as large fruit size, vigor, and resistance to diseases, drought and root pests can be induced in the resulting tree (Wikipedia, 2010). For example, when certain orange trees are budded onto the rootstock of trifoliate orange, the result is a tree that can survive in extreme cold and even low wet soils. Irrigation plays a very important role in crop yield, especially during the dry season when wilting is an imminent problem. Many of the farmers in the rural areas know this, but there are still some limitations. One of them is the lack of water; another is the fact that many of the farmers do not know how much water is required for irrigation. To determine how much water is needed, information on the depth of the soil is vital. As with most trees, the depth of the soil affects the reach of the root system. Deep soils allow for better root systems, and consequently better resistance to drought. Furthermore, the deeper the soil, the more the amount of water that can be used in irrigation. For the problem of lack of water, it would be a good idea if farmers are encouraged to work together as the distribution of water is usually uneven in this period. That is, while some farmers wells have abundant water, others become dry. Cooperation between them would not only aid in irrigation but in many other useful areas as well. Also because of the benefits to be reaped from this year-round orange production (as explained further down), the government should also help with the supply of new irrigation technology and supply of water. Another hindrance to the year-round production of orange in the country is the problem of pests and diseases. Oranges, like many other fruits, are affected by a huge amount of pests. Some of the pests particular to orange include citrus rust mites, numerous scale insects, mealy bugs, aphids (plant lice) and fruit flies. These various pests affect different parts of the tree including the leaves, stem, root, and even the oranges. Additionally, diseases are also a big threat to the production of oranges. Some of the common diseases include blight, citrus canker, and some viral and fungal diseases. In some other cases, incompatibility between the scion and rootstock can also be a cause of reduced production. Scientists have come up with some effective treatments for many of these diseases, but without ICT, it is impossible to pass this information to farmers in rural areas. However, occasionally farmers mistake things like abnormal coloration of leaves caused by mineral deficiencies suc h as copper and zinc for diseases. Oranges can be preserved for as long as 5 months at relatively low temperatures (between 2.22oC and 3.89oC). This is another advantage of oranges that can be taken to ensure that it is available for year-round consumption. Farmers in rural Nigeria do not take advantage of this property because they do not have the required storage facility, which should be large enough to hold a substantial amount of oranges and keep the temperature low enough to ensure preservation. Most of them have no idea that the fruits can even be preserved that long. The Role of ICT The most powerful tool that can be handed down to these farmers is information empowerment; hence the earlier laid foundation on Communication and Information Management Technology. There is no point in purchasing technical equipment for farmers when they do not even know how the things work. The first step is to open their eyes to the details of the fruits they are producing. With proper understanding, the farmers will begin to ask for the right tools. Without instigation from any external factors, they will begin to ask for loans and additional infrastructure to facilitate year-round production. In other words, they need to be informed that it is possible and with todays technology, there are numerous ways to hand down this information. Radio would be an effective tool since most of these farmers have one. Agricultural programs should air on the radio stations available to them, and in their dialect. These programs, aimed at the farmers, would help them better understand irrigation , soil depth, and many other factors related to their crops. With time, they will start to ask questions, and then extension agents can be introduced to help answer them. Consistency is a key point in the use of radio. It takes time to change a persons beliefs. The idea is that the farmers hear the information well enough that it begins to transform their ideas about the growth of their fruit. In other words, unless these programs are kept on air long enough, making these rural farmers adopt the modern techniques introduced here would be an almost impossible task. Therefore, ICT forms the foundation for this revolutionary project in the nations agricultural sector. It is the most effective method for passing information to the farmers. Financing Agriculture gets it funds from federal and state government, private sectors, and international development partners. Some of the financial institutions like banks believe that lending to small scale farmers is not as risky as lending to big time farmers. This is as a result of the fact, as a number of banks have pointed out, that small scale farmers unlike their large scale counterparts tend to pay back their loans (Mommoh, 2008). However, some other financial institutions believe in funding large scale farmers rather than small scale farmers. Basically, funding agriculture is classified as macro or micro finance, depending on the source of the funds. One of the major problems facing agricultural financing, especially in rural areas, is poor handling of loans. The targeted farmers barely have access to loans due to barriers or conditions attached. Even when they have access to the loans, they are often given lower than what they applied for, because of insufficient funds. The very unfortunate thing is that the fake influential people who pose to be farmers meet up with the conditions thereby having access to the loans. Another problem is the fact that farmers do not really channel the funds to what it was originally intended for (agricultural production); instead they use it for personal purposes. For this, some blame can be placed on the policy that empowers them with money without the information what the money can and should be used for. Many farmers are already used to their old ways of doing things, and they can continue without the extra money. Thus, they need to be taught new agricultural techniques that will help them unde rstand where to channel the funds they receive, and this is where ICT comes into play. There are different ways to address problems of agricultural financing. First of all, government should encourage long term loans at low interest rates. Agricultural production involves long gestation period. With such policy (long term loans at lower interest rate) in place, there is tendency for an increase in agricultural production. Financial institutions should also relax their lending criteria in order to allow farmers to have easy access to loans. Small scale farmers do not have acceptable collateral (houses, moveable properties, stocks, shares and so on) required by these institutions. Thus the criteria should be user friendly for easy accessibility of loan. Government can also make land available to farmers for farming. Alongside the information on how to grow their fruit, the farmers should also be encouraged to utilize funds for the purpose for which they are meant and abide by the terms and conditions of the scheme. They should also make their project and records accessible to the lenders for inspection and verification. The lending body should ensure intermittent monitoring of the funded agricultural project under the scheme. On the part of the government, there should not only be provision of sufficient funds for agriculture, but also follow-up to ensure the proper disbursement of these funds. Marketing (especially the Off-Season Oranges) [Bitrus] With year-round production or orange comes the problem of acceptance. This is where marketing comes into play. Being Africans and Nigerians, especially fond of superstitious beliefs, we have made up our minds that the orange is greenish-yellow and any other thing is probably genetically manufactured and hence posing risks of cancer, toxins, poisons, and food allergies. As a result, any company that plans to market oranges of the highest quality all through the year in Nigeria and Africa as a whole must have a way to convince the general public that the oranges are perfectly normal. How do you assure the potential buyers that the oranges are not genetically altered since the company will be providing quality oranges all year round? The finished orange, although grown in the rural area but using state-of-the art technology should be made available all through the year, orange in color, juicy and large enough to meet international standards if it is to be exported. Since what most of us take in the country does not meet any of the above, then theres every possibility that potential customers will be skeptical about buying because they might feel it is not natural. The marketing campaign will have to convince the general public that the oranges are naturally grown all year round under the right conditions; stating that the fruits grow under proper irrigation all year round, that different varieties of orange are grown depending on the season; and pesticides and herbicides are used to regulate and control the pests and weeds respectively. The marketers should have radio talk shows and TV personalities educate the general public that people need to take their minds off the stereotypical way of thinking that fruits can be grown only in their seasons. By educating the general public that under the right conditions, a fruit can be grown year-round, the producer will be able to convince the buyer that there is nothing wrong with the fruit. After all, in developed countries fruits and vegetables are gotten all year round. Take note though that there are the genetically manufactured ones which are usually labeled GM and there are the naturally grown ones. The naturally grown ones are simply grown under monitored conditions and this is the same kind of thing that will be replicated by the rural farmers. Getting endorsements from NGOs and other prominent organizations such as the Food and Drug Agency (FDA) and the National Agency for Food and Administration and Control (NAFDAC) will convince people that the fruits are safe for consumption. Internet ads, billboards and commercials too will be instrumental in publicizing the naturally-grown oranges. The typical orange in Nigeria is not packaged. Proper packaging will attract customers to buy the produced orange. A decent price will further interest the customers and keep them, but this will be after the packaging must have served its purpose. Another important factor to be considered is the transportation of the oranges from the rural areas to the customers. The producer/supplier must consider how to transport the oranges from the grove in the rural area to the consumers. In theory the fruits will be transported in trucks with properly cleaned, disinfected and ventilated containers that contain temperature-controlled atmosphere for specifically prolonging the shelve life of the oranges and keeping them in their best shape. The trucks will be painted with the ad of the oranges showing the brand name and a colorful painting of the oranges which is a very good marketing strategy. The temperature-controlled trucks should preserve them until they are given to the buyers. Benefits of Year-round Production [] 1. Export: After a few years of production, there would be a need to start exporting the oranges since production is going to be done year-round. This will increase the countrys revenue and consequently, the Gross Domestic Product of the country. This would help the farmers to make the most profit by exploring opportunities in foreign countries that are not present in the domestic market (Tekle, 2007). By doing this, the farmers would eventually turn their small scale farm into international companies which will participate in todays fast growing global market and gain more knowledge from the highly diverse international market place. This could also go on to help strengthen the value of the Nigerian Naira which translates to an improvement in the Nigerian economy. 2. Job Creation: According to INDEX MUNDI, the rate of unemployment in Nigeria has reduced by 21.3% within the space of 2003 and 2010 as shown in the chart below (Barrientos, 2010). In this time, a huge reduction in crime rate has also been observed and this goes to show that people who are not among the labor force are the ones responsible for the crimes being committed. If farmers are successfully granted the opportunity to go into larger scale production of these oranges they would need to employee more workers to help with the cultivation and harvesting of the oranges. This would go a long way in abetting the decline in crime, unemployment rates, and poverty in the rural areas of Nigeria. Since these oranges are going to be the produced year-round, then the jobs would be full-time jobs instead of seasonal. 3. Joint Production: Farmers can also join their businesses together. This could become an additional source of capital and resources for all the parties involved. This would help facilitate and increase the growth of the business because they have more funds to facilitate the operation involved in the production your oranges which would result to an increase in their profit margin and revenue potential. It also helps this farmer because they have someone to share the responsibility with them which would also reduce the risk and effect of losing plenty money. 4. Environmental Benefits: In order to produce oranges, we need to plant trees. These trees protect the environmental biomes of organisms, giving way to the reduction of Enhanced Green House Effects also known as global warming by remove surplus amount of carbon dioxide and atmospheric air pollutants, including sulphur dioxide, ozone and nitrogen oxide (iloveindia.com, 2010). They also provide us with more oxygen required for living life. These trees would also improve the quality of air and reduce its pollution. It would also improve the visual effect of landscapes in rural area which could also increase revenue gotten from tourism. Since most rural areas appear to be in Northern part of Nigeria it would help control the climate by moderating the effects of sun and can also act as windbreakers. It would also reduce erosion and flooding in these areas since they have no effective drainage system. 5. It will accelerate the growth of the agricultural sector: Since the discovery of crude oil in the country, Nigerians have neglected the agricultural sector. Producing these oranges would also encourage the year-round production of other agricultural goods and also transform it to industrial agriculture and these would ease of the stress that has been put on the oil and gas sector. It will generate more Gross Domestic Product (GDP), Gross National Product (GNP) and per capita income for Nigeria. 6. Investments: This will bring a large influx of foreign companies who deal in food production and pharmaceuticals. It would also increase the flow of cash into the country and encourage economic activity in Nigeria. It would also curb the problems of low job opportunities and reduced GDP. The remaining farmers and producers will have to develop their labor to keep up with the much improved competition therefore bringing about an increment in general efficiency level. And the Nigerian Government will be taken much more seriously in the worldwide conferences because the number of investors in the country has improved. 7. Infrastructural development: This will bring in new equipments for industries who patronize in agricultural products and the agricultural sector will have to provide modern equipments to produce more yields. 8. Globalization: It would generally breach the gap between countries through trade. It would also reduce the cultural barriers which would increase the global village effect. 9. World Trade Organization (WTO): With agricultural investments, there will be economic growth which will make Nigeria a valuable participant in the World Trade Organization. 10. Skill development: Over time, the rural areas will see an evolution of skilled workers, both in the agricultural and industrial sectors. 11. Population Distribution: Like many other countries, the urban regions in Nigeria are densely populated while the rural areas are sparsely populated, but with the new jobs created in rural areas, there would be a redistribution of population. Places like Lagos and Abuja would not be so densely populated. And this would help in the development of the rural areas in Nigeria. Recommendations Although there might be set-backs or even disadvantages to the year round production of orange in the country, the advantages far outweigh these disadvantages. With this many advantages, the government and many other sponsors should be more than willing to support the idea. Implementation of this would be revolutionary to food production in the country as it would open the door for year-round production of many other fruits. The implication is that these fruits will become much cheaper than when they can be purchased only in their season. There would be benefits to every sector in the country, but it is imperative that the government does not try to force these rural farmers into production as it might just result in another waste of limited resources. The farmers must properly understand the process and the necessary techniques so that when they get the resources they will use them judiciously. For proper understanding, the ICT tools must also be used efficiently, that is, the farme rs must constantly be getting this information and it should be consistent. They should be encouraged to work together and implement these new methods of farming as many of them will be initially resistant to them.

Cognitive psychology

Cognitive psychology Information processing systems in the brain are studied under Cognitive psychology (Sternberg, 2008). Cognitive psychology is a broad range of study, which includes the study of internal mental conditions, thinking, and language, solving problems, processing information, artificial intelligence, development of infants, feelings and how the mind performs these functions.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Development of Cognitive psychology has provided many significant points in research and has turned out to be a most important discipline in psychology that looks inside the mental processes, for example, solving problems, language, and memory, the study of how an individual thinks, perceives, remembers, learns, and then behaves. In the later part of the 19th century several psychologists became increasingly interested in the field of cognition. Considering theories of earlier behaviorists, for example Jean Piaget in the early part of the 19th century with his attention on the thoughts of children, B.F. Skinner in the mid-19th century with his operant conditioning, or Noam Chomsky who challenged B.F. Skinners idea some years later. After many doubts and uncertainties of the ability of the research attained from the behaviorists, currently what is known as cognitive psychology replaced these theories. Therefore, the interest with the study of cognition starts to increase and cognition turns out to be an enormous concept in psychology, which has been known as the cognitive revolution, and then became to be known as cognitive psychology. A significant point in the advancement of cognitive psychology begins with a psychologist named Wilhelm Wundt, who was the first individual to identify the subject of psychology, in the last part of the 18th century (Taylor, 2005). Wundt thought that psychology dealt with the examination of experience (structuralism), which he described in a table of the brain that was similar to the periodic table. Another psychologist, whos name was William James, challenged Wundts findings. The research that James conducted, allowed James to recognize that, Mental processes must have a purpose; they must be for something (Willingham, 2007, p. 15). In other words, the experience of an individual was not what was important but the meaning of the experience to the individual (functionalism). Additionally, William James took part in the James-Lange Theory. This theory indicates that an individuals emotion that is experienced is based upon the decided action in which the individual engaged in. After st ructuralism (Wundt) and functionalism (James), a theorist emerged to challenge the theories of James and Wundt, this theorist was named John Watson. Watsons theory is known as behaviorism and was based upon his own beliefs. After Wundts structuralism and James functionalism, a theorist named John Watson emerged and challenged both Wundts and James theories by his own beliefs, which is known as behaviorism. Behaviorism can be described as what an individual is doing or is observed to be doing by another individual. Watsons theory indicated, first study the individuals behavior and make an assumption, then determine the basic relations between the stimuli and the response. Watson believed that a stimuli and a response can be interchangeable. After Watsons theories of behaviorism, the decline of behaviorism began and another theory was started to study the mind, this other theory compared the mind to a computer. This theory turned into the bond connecting behaviorism and cognitive psychology. As technology advanced, this comparison of the mind to a computer allowed psychologists to understand more of the internal human, which became a major part in how theorists studied human thought processes and behaviors. Behavioral observation of psychologists transformed curiosity of the mental process was brought about by the development of the computer (Rosenzweig, Breedlove, Watson, 2005). This development offered a fascinating image of the human mind, which associated the computer to the brain. The computer codes used, offered a step-by-step model of how information obtained from the environment each day is recorded, stored, and recovered to provide a response. The formation of computer comparison gave psychologists the idea to begin a plan for information processing models of the human thought process and behavior. The goal of a cognitive psychologist is to understand the action of humans performing intellectual tasks and to form assumptions of the summary of the methods motivating the behavior. Cognitive psychologists offer theories about what is occurring inside an individuals mind on the basis of that individuals external behaviors. Without a doubt, there is no way to recognize for sure what is happening inside the brain of a human being. What is important is that the theory be accurate in determining an individuals action in a challenging situation. Cognitive Psychology is an extensive subject that deals with the different functions taking place inside the mind of an individual. Through the growth of this subject, psychologists are at this time able to understand humans behaviors and thought processes. Reference Rosenzweig, M.R., Breedlove, S.M., Watson, N.V. (2005). Biological Psychology: An Introduction to Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience (4th ed.). Sunderland, MA: Sinauer Associates, Inc. Sternberg, J. R. (2008). Cognitive Psychology (5th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Publishing. Taylor, L. (2005). Introducing Cognitive Development. New York, NY: Psychology Press Inc. Willingham, D.T. (2007). Cognition, The Thinking Animal (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.

The presentation of Mr. Lockwood in Wuthering Heights The novel, Essay

The presentation of Mr. Lockwood in Wuthering Heights The novel, Wuthering Heights, begins in the year 1801. The presentation of Mr. Lockwood in â€Å"Wuthering Heights† ======================================================= The novel, â€Å"Wuthering Heights†, begins in the year 1801, where we as readers are firstly introduced to the character Mr. Lockwood. Mr. Lockwood narrates the entire novel throughout, almost like an entry in his diary. Lockwood, a young London gentleman, is a newcomer to the Yorkshire Moors, Wuthering Heights. The novel opens after he has just returned from a visit with his landlord and neighbour, Mr. Heathcliff about Thrushcross Grange. One of my first impressions of the character after reading the opening chapter of the novel is that he is enthusiastic about renting out Thrushcross Grange, â€Å" Mr. Lockwood, your new tenant, sir- I do myself the honour of calling as soon as possible after my arrival, to express the hope that I have not inconvenienced you by my perseverance in soliciting the occupation of Thrushcross Grange. I heard, yesterday, you had had some thoughts-â€Å" Mr. Healthcliff, wincing, stops him mid sentence, â€Å" Thrushcross Grange is my own sir,† ------------------------------------ Here Mr. Heathcliff cuts him off quite abruptly, a command that most people would understand and would react to, pursuing the questioning no further. However, Mr. Lockwood responds quite differently, showing a weak side to his character early on in the novel. Heathcliff seems to dislike the company of others, he enjoys living in a country place, where quiet and peace is welcomed. Lockwood seems amused that Heathcliff is more extreme and ignorant of social graces; he’s amused that ... ...rds reasons for his behaviour may be quite different from his own. Mr. Lockwood, a somewhat vain and presumptuous gentleman deals very clumsily with the inhabitants of Wuthering Heights. He finds himself at a loss when he witnesses the strange household’s disregard for the social conventions that have always structured his world. As a narrator, his vanity and unfamiliarity with the story occasionally lead him to misunderstand events. His initial visit to Wuthering Heights, in which the mysterious relationships and lurking resentments between the characters create an air of mystery, in particular Lockwood’s ghostly nightmares, during the night he spent in Catherine’s old bed. I think that many of the events that happen in the opening chapters of the novel prefigure many of the events that are to come and show the qualities of the character Mr. Lockwood.

Clifford Olson: Canadian Serial Killer Essay -- Biography Biographies

Clifford Olson: Canadian Serial Killer Clifford Olson is one of Canada's well known serial killers. He showed no sign of sympathy for the public all throughout his life and would eventually end up killing many innocent people and spending a good portion of his life in jail. Clifford Olson was born on January 1st 1940, in Vancouver, British Columbia. While he was growing up he was always in trouble. Even as a child in school her was referred to as a bully and not a nice kid. Then as he grew up things didn't change for the better the just got worse. As a teenager and young adult Olson found himself in trouble with the law quite frequently. From the year of 1951 to 1981 ( ages 17-21) he had 94 arrests. He was put in jail for some of them and served time for cries ranging from fraud to armed robbery. While in prison Olson was known for two things. One was for being a homosexual rapist and the second was for being a snitch, and helping out the police. Olson helped the police by getting his friend named Garry Marcoux (also in jail), to give a detailed description and confession to raping and mutilating a nine year old girl. Somehow Olson was able to get Marcoux to write down his confession. Olson them gave this to police and it was used to convict Marcoux of that crime. Once Olson had served his time and was released he went to live with the mother of is son. One would have thought that he had learned his lesson and would try to turn his life around. However very unfortunately that was not the case. In November of 1980 A young girl, 12 years old, named Christine Weller went missing. She would later prove to be one of Olson's first murder victims. Christine was abducted from her home in Surrey, BC. Her mutilated body ... ...ack of his van, police found an address book containing the name of Judy Kozma. Along with this and other evidence the police were able to charge Clifford Olson with the murder of Judy Kozma 6 days later. Olson knew that he was going to be put back in jail and was suspected on some of the other murders that he had committed.. So Olson made a deal with the prosecution. In his deal Olson' s family, (wife and son) were to be paid $10,000 for each of his victims. This was very controversial. In exchange Olson would provide the information on the known murders and gave the police direction to 6 outstanding bodies. Olson kept his part of the deal and so did the prosecution. The money was paid to Olson's family on schedule. On January 11th 1982, Clifford Olson pleaded guilty to 11 counts of murder. For this he was sentenced to 11 concurrent life terms in prison.

Brain Structures Worksheet

Brain Structures and Functions Worksheet PSY/340 Version 3 1 Brain Structures and Functions Worksheet Provide a brief description for each of the following functions: 1. Basal ganglia Controls cognition and movement coordination as well as voluntary movement. It is also a component of the corpus striatum and it consists of the subthalamic nucleus and the substantial nigra (About. com, 2012). 2. Corpus collosum There is a thick band of nerve fibers and these are called the corpus collosum. This is what divides the cerebrum into two hemispheres, a left and a right.It creates communication between the left and the right sides by connecting them. It also transfers motor functions, sensory, and cognitive information between the two hemispheres (About. com, 2012). 3. Temporal lobe The temporal lobe has three general function areas. These are the superior temporal gyrus, the inferior temporal cortex, and the medial temporal cortex. The superior temporal gyrus I where our hearing and languag e come in. The inferior temporal cortex helps us identify complex visual patterns.The medial temporal cortex is what we rely on for memory (Pinel, 2009). 4. Occipital lobe This is what is used to help us analyze the visual input which guides our behavior. Without it we may act differently than what we currently act because we wouldn’t see things the same way (Pinel, 2009). 5. Frontal lobe Each frontal lobe has two very unique functional areas which are the precentral gyrus and the frontal cortex which is right beside it which have motor capabilities. Frontal lobes are also one of the four main regions of the cerebral cortex.This is where all your planning and decision making goes on and how you solve problems (About. com, 2012). 6. Cerebrum Cerebrum means cerebral hemispheres. When comparing the cerebrum to the brain stem it is known to be more complex and have an adaptive process such as your learning capabilities, your perception of things and your motivation towards doing things (Pinel, 2009). 7. Spinal cord The spinal cord combined with the brain is what makes up your central nervous system. It is a bundle of nervous tissue and supporting cells that extend from the medulla oblongata.It starts at the occipital bone and goes down to the area between the first and second lumbar vertebrae (About. com, 2012). 8. Cerebellum The cerebellum is also known as the â€Å"little brain†. It is a large convoluted structure on the brain stem’s dorsal surface and plays an extremely important role in motor control (Pinel, 2009). It is possibly involved in other cognitive functions such as language and attention. 9. Medulla The medulla oblongata is a portion of the hindbrain that would control the functions we know as breathing, heart and blood vessel, digestion, sneezing, and swallowing.The way that we move and the way the we hear are because neurons from the midbrain and the forebrain traveled through the medulla oblongata. The medulla helps the transf erence of messages between several areas of the brain and the spinal cord (About. com, 2012). 10. Pons When ascending and descending tracts and part of the reticular formation happen this can cause a bulge or what is also known as a pons. IT is located on the brain stem’s ventral surface. The pons is one of the major divisions of the Metencephalon and the other is the cerebellum (Pinel, 2009). 11. HippocampusHippocampus is a huge component of the brain of a human. It plays an important role with short-term and long term memory and spatial navigation. There are two hippocampus in each human brain and it is closely associated with the cerebral cortex (About. com, 2012). 12. Amygdala If you were to look at the temporal lobe of the brain you would find an almond shaped mass of a nuclei located very deep. It is a limbic system structure and it is what we would know as what makes us cry and what makes us get motivated to exercise. It is also part of the brain that helps you process fear, anger and pleasure (About. om, 2012). 13. Pituitary gland It is a gland that dangles from the ventral surface of the brain. It exerts hormones and it’s literal meaning is snot gland, how lovely. It is known as the master gland because of how it directs other types of organs and endocrine glands. Those glands would consist of the adrenal glands which in turn can be used to suppress or amp up hormone production (Pinel, 2009). 14. Hypothalamus It is located right below the anterior thalamus and it has a huge role in the regulation of several motivated behaviors.It works with the pituitary gland and is able to be connected to the nervous system and to the endocrine system. It synthesizes and secretes certain types of neurohormones. It controls your body temperature, how hungry you are, how thirsty you are, if you are sleepy or really really tired (Pinel, 2009). 15. Thalamus The thalamus is located under the cerebral cortex in a dual lobed mass of grey matter. It is what is used to have sensory perception and how to regulate your motor functions. It also controls how much you sleep and how much you are awake (About. com, 2012) [pic]

Unit 332 Engage in Personal Development

Unit 332 – Engage in personal development in health, social care or children’s and young people’s settings. OUTCOME 1 1. 1 My responsibilities and duties include †¢ Helping pupils individually and in groups †¢ Support literacy †¢ Support numeracy †¢ Support science †¢ Supervising art activities †¢ Listening pupils read †¢ Support PE lessons †¢ Support the use of ICT in learning activities †¢ Supervising role play activities †¢ Supporting other members of staff †¢ Feedback teacher Going on school trips †¢ Providing resources for lessons †¢ Providing clerical support 1. 2 Since National Occupational Standards were introduced, the role of the TA becomes professional. It specifies the standard of performance we need to achieve in place of work together with knowledge and understanding that we need to meet standards consistently. What it means is that we need to develop all the time in order to keep in p eace with ever changing demands of the education.Also gaining Level 3 qualification gives us great opportunity to progress to the foundation degree. Teaching assistants should have qualities like: to be good communicators, use initiative, be a good listener, respect confidentiality, have emotional intelligence, be consistent, have sense of humour, will undertake CPD. OUTCOME 2 1. Practitioners should reflect on their practice in order to achieve good results in professional development. Being reflective: †¢ Demonstrates that practitioners are actively concerned about the aims. Enables practitioners to monitor, evaluate and revise their own practice continuously †¢ Requires an ability to look carefully at practice in order to develop new skills and understanding †¢ Requires an open-minded attitude †¢ Enhances professional learning and personal fulfilment through collaboration and dialogue between practitioners What does reflection involves? †¢ Reflection â₠¬ in† action, or thinking on your feet †¢ Reflection â€Å"on† action, or after the event †¢ Our thoughts and ideas †¢ Our colleagues ideas The views and knowledge gained from our own experiences and that of theoretical literature It might be hard to reflect on practice if we have negative feelings like anger or anxiety, lack of confidence, questions if my behaviour is consistent with model behaviour. Unrealistic, high expectations – I am a perfectionist, reluctance to accept help and admittance to weakness. 2. I reflected on my practice by completing PDP and answering 11 questions (see attachment 1 and 2). The aim was to spot where my strengths and weaknesses lie.In what ways I have succeeded in classroom and in what ways can I improve? To ensure â€Å"best† practice. To see what training might be necessary. This gives me the chance to build on my strengths and develop strategies to minimise my weaknesses. I also did my SWOK analysis (atta chment 3). 3. Everyone has different values, beliefs and preferences. We might get across people whose views we do not agree, our reaction to the differences and how they affect the way we work is a crucial part of personal and professional development.We need to respect and promote people’s individual views and wishes. Everyone’s values and beliefs are affected to different degrees by the same range of factors, they might include: family values, psychical, social and emotional stages of development, national/regional, cultural background, education, employment, religious beliefs and values. They might affect how we relate to people. It is important that we are aware of how we might behave differently towards people because it could make a difference to the quality of our work.Our beliefs and experiences can help us within our role. OUTCOME 3 4. 1 It is important to continuously engage in personal development to make sure that we are equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge not only to perform our current role but also to prepare ourselves for future opportunities and changes required in order to support success of our work place. There are ways in which we can plan personal development. through many types of learning experiences.We can attend training event or workshop, studying for a formal qualification, reading a newspaper, journal, even in discussion. In order to aid the continuous learning, we should keep personal development record. Is it important to identify priorities when agreeing to the plan because it contributes to stability and growth. It provides a basis for monitoring progress, and for assessing results and impact. It enables to look into future in orderly and systematic way, provides clear focus.