Gender Schema Theory Essay Example for Free

Gender Schema Theory Essay Martin and Halverson suggested an alternative to the cognitive-developmental approach proposed by Kohlberg and called it the gender schema theory. In Kohlberg’s theory, children must reach gender consistency before they are able to begin imitating the behaviour of same sex role models. In gender schema theory the early gender identity acquired at about the age of three is the starting point to which children will then begin to look for schemas, schemas are packages of organised clutters of information about gender-appropriate behaviour and children learn these schemas by interacting with people, such as learning which toys to play with, which clothes to wear etc. and these help children to make sense of the world around them and help children to organise their experiences and process new information and also to help self-evaluate themselves, this is to help them feel good about themselves. Support for the gender schema theory was conducted by Martin et al 1995 who showed toys to children aged four to five. Children were informed, before choosing a toy to play with that it was either a girls toy or a boys toy, they were then asked whether they and other boys or girls would like to play with the toys. They found that if a toy, such as a magnet, was given the label of being a boys toy then only boys would play with it. However if boys were told that it was a girl toy then they didn’t want to play with it. Similarly girls would not play with toys labelled for boys. The label given at the start consistently affected the children’s toy preference. It is an important finding in that it highlights the labelling and the categorisation of objects that children are subjected to from a young age, and how their toys can be labelled in the same way as appropriate gender behaviour. A limitation of this research is that an observation of the children and although it has high ecological validity as it is in a real life setting, the children may have shown demand characteristics as the toys were stereotyped for their gender it is questionable if they had guessed the aim of the research and the results may have been due to the children trying to please the researcher as they may have thought they would get punished for choosing the wrong gendered toy to play with and how much of the children’s choice was due to free-will. It was also done in a controlled environment which means that the findings cannot be generalised outside of the research setting. Bauer 1993 wanted to investigate this further and set out to study the way in which children call upon gender schemas when processing information. Pre-school-age and older children have been found to process gender consistent and gender inconsistent information differently so Bauer wanted to see if this was the case in very young children as well. Bauer devised a way to test girls and boys as young as twenty-five months of age. Children observed the experimenter carry out short sequences of stereotypically female, male or gender neutral activities, for example, changing a nappy, shaving a teddy bear or going on a treasure hunt. She tested children by ‘elicited imitation’ both immediately after and 24 hours later to see if they would copy what they had seen. Bauer found that girls showed equivalent quality of recall for all three types of sequence, boys on the other hand showed superior recall of male stereotyped activities, meaning they would not imitate any female behaviour and their recall for gender neutral activities was the same as for male stereotyped activities. These results indicate that boys more than girls tend to make use of gender schemas by the age of twenty-five months and boys appear to remember more accurately event sequences consistent with their own gender, whereas girls show no difference in recall of gender consistent and gender inconsistent information. A limitation of this research is that it could be due to boys being more likely to be penalised by their parents, especially their fathers for carrying out female stereotyped activities, so the children may have played with the male stereotyped toys even if they wanted to play with the other female stereotyped toys. The findings may also be down to that Bauer, who modelled the sequences, is female and the boys may have felt uncomfortable in copying her behaviour. Gender schema theory is parsimonious as it tries to explain gender through cognitive development and does not take into consideration biological gender differences, such as chromosomes, genes or hormones. It is also alpha-bias as it exaggerates the differences between men and women.

censorhf We Should Not Ban the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn :: Adventures Huckleberry Huck Finn Essays

We Should Not Ban the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn There is a current debate that the description of Jim in the novel "Huckleberry Finn" is racist leading to some schools banning it from their libraries. Jim's character is described as an uneducated and simple sounding; illiterate slave and some people have looked upon this characterization as racist. Jim is depicted as a slave in the south during a period when slavery was common place and widely accepted as the way of life. Slaves of this time period were not provided any formal education; never allowed any independent thought and were constantly mistreated and abused. The author in my opinion is merely describing how a slave spoke in those days and was trying to give you the true feeling behind his thought, while writing this tale. Despite a few instances in which Jim's description might be misconstrued as being racist, such as the use of the word "nigger", the reader should be able to understand that this is a fictional portrayal of two boys, one white and one black, d uring a time when slavery was common place. There is an obvious contrast of the mind set depicted in Twain's novel compared to then and now. The use of the word "nigger" is most certainly a very slanderous slang term that is not socially acceptable in present times. The dialect in which Jim is speaking indicates how Jim spoke do to his lack of education and refinement that white people refused to provide to slaves. This provision was not permitted as white slave owners viewed blacks as property and as being unable to learn proper grammar and structure of the English language. Some historians have stated that this was also so because it allowed the white's to maintain control over their slaves in order to "keep the upper hand", so to speak. We as a modern society should maintain an open mind when dealing with literary works such as Huckleberry Finn and bare in mind that novels such as these are written during socially diverse and sometimes opposite ways of thinking. We should not ban a literary work such as Huckleberry Finn simply because it is not accepted by modern day standards.

Cause and Effects essay Essay

There is no doubt that education is essential to people’s lives. Having a good educational background is an important factor to get a good job and to work effectively. However, one of the saddest issues in today’s society is the college dropout rate in many college or university remains very high. Some people are successful because they have the motivation and determination to graduate college; others are less lucky because they start college and feel as if they lack the preparation, desire, discipline or ability to succeed academically or persevere until a degree has been earned. This leads to quite a situation–to find the support needed to continue or to dropout? Whether you’re realizing that college isn’t for you, family issues, laziness or even debt, understanding some of the common causes and effects of quitting college may aid in the decision. College is an investment. Students either pay for college themselves, possibly with family support or scholarships, or with financial aid. Many students drop out of college because they can’t or don’t want to take on any more student loan debt. The consequence of dropping out at this point is that you have already piled up sizable debt and loan payments (students who drop out of college are required to pay back a portion of their federal-aid funds such as the Pell Grant) that you have to begin paying back several months after you quit school, yet you don’t get the payoff of a degree. Many financial aid administrators feel that the government shouldn’t penalize poor students for dropping out of college, and nor should lower-income students have to â€Å"punch a clock† in order to receive their grant money. Satisfying all the academic requirements and paying all your bills is both necessary and sufficient for being eligible to graduate. In addition to any debt you must repay, your earning potential without a degree is much lower to degree holders. Thus many college dropouts struggle to cover short-term bills and expenses, and find it difficult even to consider saving up money for a home. A college dropout earns about seven percent less than someone with an associate’s degree and about thirty-two percent less than someone with a bachelor’s. College dropouts face more limited career options than graduated peers. A bachelor’s degree commonly  opens the door to entry-level positions in many industries and career fields. As a dropout, your access to many jobs that require a college degree is limited to compete for jobs against people who hold degrees, even when a degree is not required. Job opportunities aren’t the only things that push people to college, sometimes it comes from a progenitor. Some students attend college under pressure from parents or to make their parents proud, not always making themselves happy in the process. In these cases the decision to drop out is not always warmly received. In fact, some students are told that they can’t return home after dropping out, which can only build on more stress. The expectation is that they will get a job and enter the â€Å"real world.† However, to get a job with good pay is hard to find without a degree, and most people don’t realize that. Another reason for dropping out of college is if there was a death in the family or someone you were close to falls ill. A death can cause depression which will eventually make you lose focus of your studies and you’ll end up either failing out, or dropping out. Dropping out can negatively affect relationships with significant others, as well. Recent studies show that divorce rates were significantly lower for college graduates than those without degrees. Having a great academic background can take you a long way, and you can learn how to work adequately in the future. To ensure a successful future, one must strive and have the incentive to succeed. Unfortunately certain things happen and some students have to drop out. It could be a personal choice, or it could be a sacrifice they have to make. In instances where it would be a choice, the students feel as if they’re working towards a dead end and have the lack of motivation. Knowing the reasons and the consequences can help others understand the decision that was made.

Crime and Punishment: Suspense

Suspense begins in Roskolnikov’s thoughts There are times where we find ourselves living in suspense, feeling insecure about what possibly can occur next. So many things that surround us, at times, foreshadow what may happen next. When this happens, we crave to know what is the next event that will arrive. In the book of Crime and Punishment, there are many parts in which the story becomes suspenseful. Well, how does Dostoyevsky achieve and sustain the suspense in his novel? It all starts right when we find out that Roskolnikov creates feelings of hatred towards Alyona Ivanovna, and creates some sort of plan to kill her. Even though in his thoughts laid the plan, he wasn't completely convinced by his own being in actually completing with a crime. But once he was at the bar, where he overheard a conversation about Ivanovna and how she were better off dead, he decided that it was best that he were to do their request. This is before the suspense comes into play. Overhearing the conversations about Alyona Ivanovna persuaded Rokolnikov that it was his destiny to murder her. The more he thought about it, the more he liked the idea. This is where we can see a bit of suspense growing, because as a reader, what can we expect from a man who has never committed a crime such as killing? While Roskolnikov was a bit insecure about his decision in doing murder, he planned to use an ax to murder Alyona Ivanovna. He got his ax, and went his way to her door, waiting the moment where he can take action. It's possible to imagine that in this moment, Roskolnikov probably tensed up in his body, possibly shook out of being nervous, and sweated heavily because he was going to do something he has never done before. The thoughts that lurked in his head of killing another person seemed right to him, because supposedly it was his â€Å"destiny†, but somewhere deep inside of him, he knew the act of murder brought consequences. This is where suspense begins to grow. Roskolnikov appears at her door, waiting for her to be in his presence. She opens the door to find him at her doorstep, and allows him to come in. Roskolnikov offered her something to distract her from seeing him get out his ax, and he was successful. The suspense by now has grown to a whole another level, where we read to find out if Roskolnikov is really capable of killing another person, or not. This part of the book ends with letting us know that he was libertine, and when the chance was presented to him, he got out his ax, and lacerated her until she lied on the floor, dead. Dostoyevsky, the author of Crime and Punishment, was successful in bringing in suspense to this part of the story. He was able to grasp for the reader's attention, in wanting to know more of what Roskolnikov was capable of doing, what would have been his next move, and leaving them in shock when they come to find out what he ends up doing. This had to be one of the times in the book of Crime and Punishment where suspense was presented. Works Cited Dostoyevsky, Fyodor. Crime and Punishment

buy custom Waste Land essay

buy custom Waste Land essay Introduction The Waste Land is an American poem by the author T.S. Elliot which is described as one of the most beautiful and revered arts of literature of the 20th century. It was published in the early 1920s and despite its recondite and obscure status; the poem still drives the message home. This is attributed to great literal skills possessed by the poet, he is fond of using allusions which move way ahead to make the poem obscure, however he states eloquently that the only way to find your way through poetry is through exploring. Waste Land The popular poem begins with a section called The Burial of the Dead all through the poem the athor artistically paints out a picture of a troubled human being in a modernized desolate world. The poet describes the seasons of the year, this take him back in his memory to a time in Germany when she was romancing with a hyacinth girl, this leaves him surrounded by a desolate world stony and full of rubbish. This is logically the waste land. According to my understanding of this obscure literal text, some of the other physical settings used by this poet include; his act of remembering a mere fortune teller, who had earlier predicted that he, was the drowned Phoenician sailor. We can see this affects the message of the text as it enable the poet to explains to us why he was to fear death by water and also how he found himself on a London bridge. Another possible physical setting is where the poet moves abruptly to a gilded room, here she finds a lady with a lot of jewel, very first it then moves down to find two women gossiping. This affects and influences the message carried by this poem as in a very short time spun, the poet tries and succeeds in showing the difference between the low and high caliber in the society. The jewel-bedecked lady represents the high and mighty while the two gossiping women are a replica of the poor. Conclusion The poem though very deep and full of allusions, is a masterpiece of its own kind. It successfully drives the point home however it might be very boring for one who doesnt posses the exploring spirit. Buy custom Waste Land essay

The Fujita Scale for Tornado Damage

The Fujita Scale for Tornado Damage Note: The U.S. National Weather Service has updated the Fujita Scale of tornado intensity to a new Enhanced Fujita Scale. The new Enhanced Fujita Scale continues to use F0-F5 ratings (shown below) but is based on a additional calculations of wind and damage. It was implemented in the United States on February 1, 2007. Tetsuya Theodore Ted Fujita (1920-1998) is famous for developing the Fujita Tornado Intensity Scale, a scale used to measure the strength of a tornado based on the damage it produces. Fujita was born in Japan and studied the damage caused by the atomic bomb in Hiroshima. He developed his scale in 1971 while working as a meteorologist with the University of Chicago. The Fujita Scale (also known as the F-Scale) typically consists of six ratings from F0 to F5, with damage rated as light to incredible. Sometimes, an F6 category, the inconceivable tornado is included in the scale. Since the Fujita Scale is based on damage and not really wind speed or pressure, it is not perfect. The primary problem is that a tornado can only be measured in the Fujita Scale after it has occurred. Secondly, the tornado can not be measured if there is no damage when the tornado occurs in an area without any features to be damaged. Nonetheless, the Fujita Scale has proven to be a reliable measurement of the strength of a tornado. Tornado damage needs to be examined by experts in order to assign a Fujita Scale rating to the tornado. Sometimes tornado damage appears worse than it actually is and sometimes, the media may overemphasize certain aspects of the damage tornadoes can cause. For example, straw can be driven into telephone poles at speeds as low as 50 mph. The Fujita Tornado Intensity Scale F0 - Gale With winds of less than 73 miles per hour (116 kph), F0 tornadoes are called gale tornadoes and cause some damage to chimneys, damage sign boards, and break branches off of trees and topple shallow-rooted trees. F1 - Moderate With winds from 73 to 112 mph (117-180 kph), F1 tornadoes are called moderate tornadoes. They peel surfaces off of roofs, push mobile homes off of their foundations or even overturn them, and push cars off of the road. F0 and F1 tornadoes are considered weak; 74% of all measured tornadoes from 1950 to 1994 are weak. F2 - Significant With winds from 113-157 mph (181-253 kph), F2 tornadoes are called significant tornadoes and cause considerable damage. They can tear the roofs off of light frame houses, demolish mobile homes, overturn railroad boxcars, uproot or snap large trees, lift cars off the ground, and turn light objects into missiles. F3 - Severe With winds from 158-206 mph (254-332 kph), F3 tornadoes are called severe tornadoes. They can tear the roofs and walls off of well-constructed houses, uproot the trees in a forest, overturn entire trains, and can throw cars. F2 and F3 tornadoes are considered strong and account for 25% of all tornadoes measured from 1950 to 1994. F4 - Devastating With winds from 207-260 mph (333-416 kph), F4 tornadoes are called devastating tornadoes. They level well-constructed houses, blow structures with weak foundations some distances, and turn large objects into missiles. F5 - Incredible With winds from 261-318 mph (417-509 kph), F5 tornadoes are called incredible tornadoes. They lift and blow strong houses, debark trees, cause car-sized objects to fly through the air, and cause incredible damage and phenomena to occur. F4 and F5 tornadoes are called violent and account for a mere 1% of all tornadoes measured from 1950 to 1994. Very few F5 tornadoes occur. F6 - Inconceivable With winds above 318 mph (509 kph), F6 tornadoes are considered inconceivable tornadoes. No F6 has ever been recorded and the wind speeds are very unlikely. It would be difficult to measure such a tornado as there would be no objects left to study. Some continue to measure tornadoes up to F12 and Mach 1 (the speed of sound) at 761.5 mph (1218.4 kph) but again, this a hypothetical modification of the Fujita Scale.

New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico Assignment

New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico - Assignment Example Under the Foraker Law which was established on April 2, 1900, Puerto Rico became the first unincorporated territory of the United States to enjoy a free commerce and civil government relationship with the United States ( Barcelo, Carlos Romero â€Å"Puerto Rico USA: The Case for Statehood† ). As a responsible member of the New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico, I feel that it is my duty to help my countrymen make an informed decision about this particular cause based upon facts. Facts that have a direct relation and impact upon the citizens of Puerto Rico. To begin with, I would like to present you all with the fact of Puerto Rican life should we opt to continue without U.S. citizenship. I would like everyone to remember that at this current point in time, Puerto Rico is enjoying the liberties of being a part of the United States without actually losing our status as a commonwealth. Although the United States governs a majority or our nations activities and political decisions, they do so without infringing on our rights as residents and nationals of Puerto Rico. Although statehood has somehow always been on the table, it has not become a reality yet. Statehood is a permanent change from which our nation can never turn back. When we incorporate ourselves into America as a state, we become Americans who follow American law, pay American taxes, and follow American culture. Gone is the chance for secession and our commonwealth status shall be nothing but a part of the past of Puerto Rico (â€Å"Major Disadvantages of Statehood†). Currently, we enjoy the unique relationship that the United states has with Puerto Rico. We manage to have an independent set of governing rules and regulations even as we continue to have a noticeable American presence in our nation. As the legal minds explain it; International and constitutional law arbitrarily collide in the legal arrangement between the United States and Puerto Rico. As a matter of international law, it i s unclear whether this arrangement conforms to customary international treaties and obligations. As a matter of national law, it is unclear that the constitution permits an arrangement between Puerto Rico and the United States ---- short of separation (independence as a state) or integration (admission to the union as a state) -- that could conform to these international obligations (Lawson & Sloane â€Å"The Constitutionality of Decolonization by Associated Statehood: Puerto Rico's Legal Status Reconsidered†). Puerto Rican citizens somehow manage to carry a dual citizenship with the United States under this murky legal loophole which does not allow us to elect American officials if I elect to continue living in Puerto Rico. However, the minute I step onto U.S. soil, I become an American citizen with the right to help elect officials to the local, state, and national levels of political office. We are uniquely American in citizenship, and yet still un-American in governance, culture, and tradition. Without U.S. citizenship and recognition as a U.S. territory, Puerto Rico the economy of Puerto Rico will not manage to survive. My research has shown that as a territory, we do not pay U.S. taxes and yet offer investment opportunities to Americans in the mainland under a tax-free status. Our status as a commonwealth has not protected the country against foreign debt. Rather, we