Personal Philosophy of Education Essay Example for Free

Personal Philosophy of Education Essay Education is an important part of growth of the individual. Education can mean a lot of things. One of the definitions of education is the experience of the individual learning and gaining knowledge while inside the structured educational system. Today, one of the strongest beliefs when it comes to education is that learning starts during the early childhood years of the individual. Because of that, education philosophies have strongly revolved around this particular idea. This in turn has created many different perspectives and ideas in learning and education. The three important aspects of this philosophy on education are hinged on the consideration of children, teaching and learning. Generally, the philosophy is about the belief that children should be exposed to learning with focus on two different areas as soon as they are in the age fit for school-based learning. This usually ranges from five to seven years old onwards, depending on the mental, emotional and psychological disposition of the individual. This philosophy of education puts important consideration to the differences among individual children. This means younger children already fit for structured learning is not discouraged from starting even at a younger age. Those who are not yet fully ready are not discouraged either but will be the target of additional stimulation to be at par with the capabilities of those who are in the same age bracket as the child is. This philosophy in education is inspired by the Montessori Method. The belief of this method is that the children all possess natural inner guides inside them. The structured academic learning experience only acts as a means to provide for material and additional assistance to the children as they learn by themselves through their instincts, something that the creator of the Montessori approach recognized through observation. Montessori developed a new philosophy of education based upon the intuitive observation of children (Lillard, 1988, p. 29). In using the Montessori approach to creating the philosophy of education, the approach and perspective towards learning is strongly influenced by the ideals of Montessori approach. Examples are the treatment in learning, its ideas about children and the role of school and education, etc. , using the Montessori results in the consideration and inclusion of the learning theories that this particular approach entails. In this paradigm of teaching style and educational philosophy, the teacher takes the role of the mature overseer. In realization of the ability of the children to naturally learn via their experiences in the environment, the teacher makes sure that children are placed in an environment free from obstacles that could hamper, hinder, impair or impact negatively their learning experience. This approach is more focused on preparing the environment wherein the children are, for most of the time, left to their own devices to learn via experiential processes, and, when necessary providing the necessary and sufficient intervention. The philosophy of education is focused on the belief that what the children need to learn (in communication, in mathematics, in logic development, in interpersonal skills, and in other academic and non-academic components of child education) can be found in the childs experiential learning in a controlled environment where the learning experience has the potential to reach its optimum growth and development. The philosophy of education in this particular condition puts importance in the instincts of the child, in the effort to encourage the children to develop their instincts and to not put a stupor on such natural capacity which is crucial and important for long term learning. Perspective on Children This philosophy of education sees children as individuals who are created with the natural ability for learning. However, because of their lack of experience as well as necessary knowledge to make themselves fully capable and full developed individuals, they need to undergo educational experience beginning at their young years. Children is viewed not as individuals who need to be spoon-fed with things that can improve their own knowledge and skill set. Rather, they are individuals who need to be guided especially in their learning stages so that they can develop as capable, competent, learned and mature individuals in the future. Children are not viewed as entities that are commanded to follow. Rather, they are individuals whose own self compass is sufficient for them to move in the direction they need and want to since they are created with the natural tendencies for learning and knowledge development. They are not robots with minds that are like computers programs that can be tweaked, altered and changed depending on the perspective and disposition of the educational institution. On the other hand, the main responsibility of the school and its teachers is to make sure that each of the autonomous and independent minds be able to grow and develop towards each individual’s own complex and unique entity. Children are individuals who are sufficiently equipped, physiologically, but nonetheless requires intervention if only for the sake of maximizing, harnessing and developing the potential that each child has. Perspective in Teaching The teacher or teaching component of this philosophy of education is about the role of teachers and the teaching process as a tool. It guides and provides necessary intervention sufficient enough to guide the children into learning and knowledge building but not excessive enough to dictate the educational experience and the learning process of the child. This is considering the fact that the child is depended upon to use his/her natural instincts for learning. Perspective in Learning The learning perspective of this philosophy in education revolves around the central idea that learning is something that is natural to an individual, something that he or she experiences even when the individual is at his or her very young age. In this philosophy of education, learning is something that should be experienced by the child by allowing the child to interact with his or her environment, the creation and set up of which is a result of the conscious effort of the teacher and the school. Learning is something that comes naturally. Learning results to knowledge and information set in an individual to which the school and the teacher has a strong influence on, especially in guaranteeing the absorption of information that the child needs to know during the learning process. Reference Lillard, P. P. (1988). Montessori: A Modern Approach. New York: Schocken Books.

Study On The Objectives Of Micro Finance Institutions Finance Essay

Study On The Objectives Of Micro Finance Institutions Finance Essay A sustainable economic growth and development has its foundation on economic agents access to financial services (credit, savings, pension funds etc). Studies have shown that there has been a failure of both the government and financial institutions to provide access to loan able funds to the grass root level of the economy (GCAP, 2010; Sundaresan, 2008), for this reason it has become increasingly fashionable for national economies to set up Micro-finance Institutions to meet the need of these groups of people. Microfinance is becoming widely accepted especially in the developing countries and it is now playing a major role in reduction of poverty and the economic development in the world. This essay seeks to analyse both theoretical and empirical evidence with the view to ascertaining whether MFIs have lived up to their objectives as key drivers of economic growth and development. In addition, the essay will look at the impact of MFIs in Nigeria in relation to poverty eradication wi thin the following perspectives: Provision of Financial Services Access to Finance and Regulatory and Legal Framework for access to finance Nigeria Financial Services Sector is made up of the commercial banks, the Microfinance Banks, Discount houses, Cooperative societies, Insurance sector and Pension funds, Savings and Loans, Leasing companies etc. The essay will focus on those financial institutions that are licensed to take deposits and create loans. Microfinance is defined in terms of the services they offer; the provision of a wide range of services including deposit taking, advancement of loans, payment services, money transfers, and insurance services to the low income members of the economy (ADB, date). Microfinance can simply be seen as the provision of quality financial services to the poor. The theory of Microfinance dates back to 1975 to Mohammed Yunus, an Economics University lecturer in Bangladesh. In his classic research project he designed a credit and delivery system to provide banking services to the rural poor (Hulme et al, 2009). The research gave birth to what is known today as the Grameen bank; that has grown both in assets and operations (Grameen, 2009). The provision of financial services within the Nigeria context has been an abysmal failure. Recent survey by the FinScope found some staggering fact about the level of banking participation in the economy FinScope (2008). According to the study 74% of the adult population have not been banked, 15% of women at the time of the survey have no bank account and 86% of rural adults are not unbanked (FinScope, 2008). A comparison of the level of access to financial services particularly the deposit money bank done amongst four countries in African including; Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa and Tanzania found that Nigeria has the second largest number of non-banking population see Fig. 1 (Isern et al, 2009). The level of financial services illiteracy amongst the adult population is equally very low according to the survey (FinScope, 2008). See Fig 3. The close proximity of Microfinance banks to the rural population offers them a great advantage to reach the nonbanked populace unfortunately; emp irical studies showed that only 3 percent of adults use Microfinance as their main bank (Bun et al, 2007). The Small and Medium Enterprises have been identified as the engine room of growth and development in most economies (Malik and Teal, 2008). However, this very important sector of every developed and developing economy has been very dormant in Nigeria. A World Bank study in 2008 (World Bank, 2008) have identified access to finance amongst others as one of the top constraints of the development of SMEs in Nigeria. In a study that compared the Sectoral contribution to GDP, it was observed that Nigeria SME sector was much smaller than that of other developing countries; according to the study, the SME accounted for about 50% of the nations GDP very little when compared with the 80% of the other developing economies. To improve on this the country need a well funded and operationally strong Microfinance institutions, it is arguable though whether the MFIs operating in the country have lived up to their expectations. For instance, a study done by Malik and Teal (2008) showed that only 5% of firms have received loans from Microfinance Institutions even when 80% applications were received from the SMEs. See Fig.4. The study showed the extent to which access to and cost of financing are a problem for Nigerian SMEs. Access to loan able funds was seen as a function of size; according to the survey, about 59% of small firms faced varying degrees of difficulties in accessing finance compared to 35% of medium firms and 11% of large SME firms. A world comparison of access to and cost of credit done on India, China, South Africa, Indonesia and Brazil saw Nigeria closely following Brazil as countries with the highest impediments to access to credit see Fig 5 (ICA 2008). The study of Isern et al (2009) showed that households, rural populace and SMEs are not very interested in accessing investment funds from MFIs. Part of the reasons adduced for this lacklustre attitude include high interest rates (cost of funds), collateral requirements, maturities mismatch etc. However, the study done by ICF in 2008 showed that cost of funds is cheaper in Nigeria relative to the other 5 countries surveyed. The supply of Microfinance services has a very long history in Nigeria, although this was frequently done in informal ways. A study done by Food and Agricultural Organisation in 2004 estimated that 25% of Nigerians accessed some informal sources of financing (FAO, 2004). USAID in 2005 carried out a survey that estimated that a majority of funding for Manufacturing Small and Medium Enterprises came from personal savings, informal lending schemes known as esusu and gifts from family members (USAID, 2005). The FinScope survey in 2008 equally revealed that 24% of SMEs used informal sources of funding for their businesses. Various forms of Non-Governmental Organisations NGOs which are not for profit oriented micro-credit schemes have been in place since the 1980s. For instance Ford Foundation began supporting households and SMEs in 1993 and as 2004 have provided capacity building grants to 123 organisations worth $180,000 US dollars at the 2000 exchange rate, and the Foundation have refinanced loans to 241 organisations to the tune of $1.7 million (Isern et al, 2009). The study noted that majority of the NGOs used Grameen solidarity groups model to provide loans to small groups of people. The 2005 Microfinance framework made provision for traditional community banks that were operating in the country to be re-licensed as microfinance institutions with a minimum capital base of NGN 20 million (CBN, 2005). The community banks operating in the country before the re-licensing were privately held companies licensed to take deposits from the public as well as provide credit services. CBN reports showed that these banks became very successful in deposit mobilization but failed in their functions as lenders to the rural households and SMEs within the communities that they operated (CBN/OFID Reports, date). As at July 2008, about 125 Microfinance licenses were processed by the Central Bank of Nigeria and most of these licenses were for internationally experienced Microfinance organisations such as ACCION International which is a partnership between Citibank-Nigeria, Ecobank, Zenith bank, IFC and SME manager. Other international organisations like K-REP (Kenya), BRAC (Bangladesh), and the International Finance Corporation (IFC) have provided both funding and technical expertise to MFIs. The traditional commercial banks were not left out of the Microfinance arrangements as most of them opened subsidiaries that undertook the functions of MFIs (CBN reports, 2008). The growth of MFIs in Nigeria was encouraging. See Fig 6. The international capital flows as well as the technical expertise helped to build the much needed confidence that was lacking when the banks operated as community banks. However, the growth and concentration of MFIs may become too risky; as majority of them are serving the same market. CBN data showed that 100 of MFIs were operating in Lagos State alone and 16 in Abuja the Federal Capital. Reports from the CBN showed that as at the end of October 2008, a total of 724 MFIs were fully licensed and in operations, with 607 of them being community banks that were re-licensed as MFIs, about 86 MFIs have been given approval in principle during the period under review (CBN, 2008) Again another important source of risk is from the very low capital base that is required for the MFIs and poor regulatory and supervision framework. The CBN in their current reforms are taking some major steps to mitigate these risks; with the proposal of merging and consolidations within the sector. If the various reforms pull through, the country may see more financial strong MFIs that are able to perform their functions as key drivers of national growth and prosperity. Despite the rapid growth of the MFIs in both size magnitude and operations; lending to rural households and SMEs has continued to stagnate. The growth in MFIs have failed to translate into easy access to investment funds, SMEs and households have continued to bedevilled by high cost of funds and collateral requirements. Adverse selection within the financial services sector has continued to persist as a result of information asymmetry. Information asymmetry in the sense that the MFIs have no way of fully guiding and protecting their loanable funds to the public, as a result of this; higher risk premia are demanded to provide financial services which excludes high quality borrowers. The table showed the low reliance of SMEs in the country on capital from financial institutions; clearly borrowed funds from the banks including the MFIs have remained very low, largely as a result of the factors mentioned before. The result is even worst when compared with that of other developing economies like Brazil, South Africa, China, India, Indonesia and Kenya. Source: ICF Survey (2008) the result showed is for short term financing as in the case of long term financing firms depend entirely on personal funding. Table 8 clearly shows that only 4% of SMEs have access to lines of credit/loans while 8% have access to various forms of overdrafts. MFIs account for a very low percentage of financial services funding in Nigeria, largely because of loan ceiling that is active within that sector. Microfinance institutions operating in Nigeria are mandated to keep 60% of their loan portfolio below the NGN 500,000 (US$4310) loan threshold. Central to the Microfinance regulatory framework is the CBN guidelines for licensing of microfinance banks (MFBs). The guidelines provide two licensing options; unit MFBs that are licensed to operate within the local government area in which they are registered with a minimum capital base of NGN20 (US 172,000) million naira. The unit MFBs according to the guideline may expand their operations subject to the NGN20 million capital requirement per branch. State MFBs are licensed to operate in all parts of the state in which they are registered and are subject to a minimum capital requirement of NGN 1 billion (US $8.6 Million). For the state registered MFBs to raise additional funds and open more branches; they are required to have covered at least two-thirds of the state and raise additional NGN 20 million to open a branch in another state. The prudential regulations of MFIs are designed to manage credit risks that are part of the Microfinance operations; the capital adequacy ratios of the MFIs are set with the notion that the institutions will be engaged in mostly unsecured credit financing, the capital adequacy ratio is set at a risk-rated 10:1 ratio (CBN2005). In addition, there are strict guidelines setting up reserves and dividend pay-outs. Microfinance prudential regulations are designed to reduce risk concentration by putting a cap on the amount of credit an individual and groups can access. The Microfinance prudential regulation is designed to reduce risk concentration by putting a ceiling on individual loans (1% of unimpaired shareholder funds and 5% for group borrower), a 100% provisioning is required for loans over 90 days in arrears or restructured (Isern 2009). Microfinance deposits up to NGN 100,000 (US $862) are protected by the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Fund (CBN 2008). The Supervision of microfinance is based on both on and off-site supervision, box 2 shows a summary of the regulatory and supervision principles of microfinance institutions in Nigeria. Interest Rate policy of Microfinance institutions in Nigeria ranges above 20-30% for loans, advances, overdraft facilities and other types of lending services (Isern, et al 2009). The interest rates charged by the MFIs are quite high when compared to that charged by the conventional money deposit banks see Table 13. The high rates of interest reflects the high risk premia of the targeted audience that the MFIs are designed to serve. The high rate of interest rate has been identified as one of the key factors that limit rural households and businesses from access to credit through the MFIs (Philips 2002). This imposes distortion in the flow of credit as companies that cannot afford the high cost of borrowing look for informal sources which are marred by risks and uncertainties. The review of the operations of Microfinance Institutions in Nigeria has clearly revealed that there should be a trade-off between high cost of funds on one hand and provision of financial services on the other hand. From what they are designed to achieve, they are supposed to provide some sort of lose collateral lending and as such have a higher risk than the conventional commercial banks. Microfinance Institutions in developing economies like Nigeria faces some challenges both in their operations and in the environment in which they operate. One of these challenges as noted by Cerven and Ghazanfer (2008) includes some cultural practices that discriminate against women such as specific cultural, familial and personal circumstances other important considerations to women empowerment in Nigeria are religious issues like Purdah: (seclusion of women) which is rampant in Northerner Nigeria. Technical know-how and in-adequate regulation has been identified as one of the internal and external factors that militate against the growth of MFIs in Nigeria (Campion 2002). Microfinance been in a somewhat embryonic stage; developments and regulations are still evolving is expected that the sector could face some hiccups before stabilizing. Microfinance Institutions have enormous growth opportunities in Nigeria as a result of most of the factors highlighted in this essay; the nature of their operations and the Acts establishing them makes them a better preferred choice for consumers of financial services. However, this comes with a high cost to both the MFIs and their customers. To the MFIs the potential for high loan defaults are present; this may if not managed properly lead to financial fragility in the sector. To their customs; the high cost of interest and cumbersome application process that they have to face is a big challenge; there is an irony in the interest rate charged by MFIs in Nigeria, a country that has a forecasted average growth rate in GDP of between 5-6% per annum, has a cost of fund of between 20- 30%, this presupposes that businesses should grow more than the countrys GDP. Despite all the challenges of the MFIs in Nigeria, they remain substantial to the growth and development of any economy; and in Nigeria in particular the MFIs have large un-tapped markets and are set for long-run profitability if the relevant infrastructures are put in place. Fig 3 Percentage of adults who have never heard of the listed services and products

Cheating and Plagiarism: Academic Dishonesty

Cheating and Plagiarism: Academic Dishonesty Cheating and plagiarism have always been a problem in the society. Especially academics dishonestly have risen in favor of fashion. Universities continue develop honor code to stop cheating from happening, also cheaters come up with new technical to cheat. Nowadays, cell phones have supported students to cheat and websites serve unethical solutions to assignments. What is academic integrity? â€Å"Academic integrity means honesty and responsibility in scholarship. Students and faculty alike must obey rules of honest scholarship, which means that all academic work should result from an individuals own efforts. Intellectual contributions from others must be consistently and responsibly acknowledged. Academic work completed in any other way is fraudulent† ( ). Academic dishonesty occurs usually in many forms: cheating, recycling, fabrication, unauthorized collaboration and plagiarism. These may be accomplished by submitting someone’s work acting as own work, or using unauthorized sources that not allow in exams or assignments. It is important that students should become familiar with what is academic dishonesty and how to avoid it. Cheating is one of the high level academic dishonesty forms. These actions are considered cheating: using unauthorized sources on tests, copying from other students’ assignments or allowing your work to be copy, stealing assignments, test, or projects before tests, or using electronic device when taking tests. Fabrication is just making things up. According to Penn university academic integrity, fabrication is manufacturing sources, information, quotes, or anything else has no place in articles or papers based on analysis, reporting, or a research. Submitting own work which has been graded and submitting again for another courses called recycling. But some instructors may allow using as long as students did themselves, students must not assume that it’s acceptable process. If student want to reuse a same assignment discuss with professor. If professor give permission to use it than revise assignment and check sources and citation, or not using it at all. Unauthorized collaboration is working with partner without permission of instructor and submitted for a grade. In computer science class, students are allowed to discuss projects concepts, but code has to be their own. If students work together and submitted same code separately than it will consider as plagiarism. They have to create their own code if a concept is same that’s fine. Example of cheating, Mia was a student at University of Minnesota. In 2013, she moved Twin cities from another county. It is hard for her to fit in Twin cities because of understand the language, and make new friends. Sometimes it is difficult to do assignments and concentrate on all her classes. Fall 2013, she is taking a biology class. She thought it would be doable class but it turn out pretty tough. Mia studied as hard as she could for the class work and testes. In one of the tests, the answers are to be marked in scantram by blacking out lettered circles on a scantram. The test covered the topics that she didn’t study. She tried her best to finish the test and then hands in. she come back to her desk and await the end of class. Other students are still working on the test. Mark was one of them, he seems to have no problem with the test and he is taking his time to do finish the test. Mia is still waiting for the class to end but between than she saw mark scantram and ther e are many answers different than her. So she trust on mark answers and ask professor for her scantram back, saying that she did not correctly put her student ID number. Professor hand it back scantram, she quickly erases and changes some answers that she saw on Mark’s scantram and turn it back in. Sometime later, the instructor informs her that the proctor saw her change her answers beside student ID number. She is going to be given an â€Å"F† for the test and for the course ( ). Mia has trouble with English isn’t excuse for copying answers from another student. If she having difficulty to catch up with class than she should talk with instructor, or approach another students, or get help from Teacher Assistant. This is clear case of cheating because Mia copied answers from Mark. Mia could ask for extra time to study for the test, or asked about what kind of questions were going to be on the test so she could focus on studies. If we looking from Mia point of view than she is from another country that she probably don’t know the rules or help are available for her. Stress is not considered justifying circumstance, but failure might be. Example of plagiarism, John is undergraduate subject coordinator on intro to programming. The projects require students to submit code with design, implement, and test and debug programs using C++ language (programming language). John knows that students can get code from internet, friends or buy from websites rather than create own code. So he creates an assignment to reduce the opportunities to copy from internet and not doing their work. It is important to that projects will help to build the basic knowledge of programming. Amy was one of John’s colleagues; she asks if she can test her shared code on john’s student assignments john agrees. John thinks his students did their assignments their own, but Amy’s program find 15% of the students copied code from classmates. Sometime, programming assignments have certain common ways to solve the problem. So that didn’t mean that they copied from each other or get from internet because at the beginning level class they don’t have enough knowledge about the ways that they can approach the same solution. But it didn’t mean that students didn’t copied form internet or other students. It’s all depend how accurate Amy program is, if program just looking same character that found in the students assignment than their might chance that students copied, but if programming testing on the algorithms than it’s all depend on the requirements of the assignment. Because if professor assign that student have to includes technique than sure it will be large number will display. There are some situation it’s hard to decide that students done Academic Integrity violations. For example, Kali and Lucy are international students form Narnia and in the same science class. Lucy understands English better than Kali. Lucy works hard to improve Kali’s English vocabulary. Kali tries her best to improve her English, but she is having a hard time accommodating the information because she isn’t sleeping well or eating. During exam, Kali is having trouble understanding what questions are asking for therefore she doesn’t know what to write for the answer. She scared that she’ll fail the class. Kali starts asking Lucy what to do. The TA notices that Kali and Lucy are talking in Narnian and he asks them what they are talking about. So Lucy explain than Kali doesn’t understands what question asking for so she just translating the questions for Kali. The TA asks them not to talk and if Kali has question then she should bring it to him. Kali want to him and TA explain to her but she still didn’t understand what the questions asking for. So she went back to her seat and starts to panic. Few minutes later, they both start talking in Narnian. TA tells them to stop talking, but TA knows Lucy is a smart student but thinks that Lucy might just translate the question but he isn’t sure. So he decides to report to the professor. Lucy risked her grade by not doing as the TA said. Both could get failing grades on the exam. It would have been better if Lucy had talked to the professor about Kali’s problems about understanding English. The professor might suggest to take ESL classes to improve Kali’s English and make new friends or might able to accommodate Kali’s needs better if he had know there was a problem. The professor might give one change to both to re-take exam, if possible with a Narnian translator for Kali to test her knowledge. Because it is a very tough situation that there is change that Lucy might just translate questions to Kali and not gave any answers. So that would be unfair for her to define as academic dishonesty. References http://www.library.illinois.edu/learn/research/academicintegrity.html cheating example http://tutorials.istudy.psu.edu/academicintegrity/academicintegrity_print.html

Racism Kills :: Racial Relations, Racism

Racism dates back thousands and thousands of years back to the caveman times. In the short story â€Å"Desiree’s Baby†, Kate Chopin shows how discrimination by skin color can affect people. Desiree was abandoned and raised by Madame Valmonde. Armand, the father of the baby, was a member of the most notable families in Louisiana. He falls in love with Desiree and marries her. After they have a baby, their relationship quickly corrodes. A few months later, Armand realizes the baby’s skin has a darker tint than usual. He accuses Desiree of being black. Armand tells Desiree he wants her to leave so Desiree takes the baby and â€Å"disappears among the reeds and willows that grew thick along the banks of the deep, sluggish bayou† (Chopin 91) and never returns. Armand finds out that Desiree is black when he reads a letter that her mother sent her that read â€Å"she belongs to the race which is cursed with the brand of slavery† (Chopin 92). The story’s ironic ending has a connection with the story’s setting, imagery, and Chopin’s use of similies. The setting has a major role to the ironic ending because it takes place in antembellum South where blacks are not treated equally to whites. There are several hints at where and when the story takes place. First, Armand’s last name, Aubigny, was â€Å"one of the oldest and proudest in Louisiana† (Chopin 89) which tells us it takes place in Louisiana. Also, Chopin says that Armand owns a plantation and many slaves which wouldn’t have been possible after the Civil War times showing that the story takes place during the antebellum period. The name of Armand’s plantation, L’Abri, is also ironic because it means â€Å"the shelter† in French which is ironic for Desiree because it is a bad place for her not a good place. Chopin explains how â€Å"there was something in the air menacing her peace†. The story wouldn’t take place in any other time period or location because if it did, Desiree wouldn’t be discriminated f or being black, therefore wouldn’t of run of into the bayou along with the baby. Chopin’s use of imagery leads up to the irony at the end of the story the greatest because Chopin contrasts black and white skin colors.

Constitutionality of Vouchers and School Choice :: Persuasive Argumentative Essay Examples

Constitutionality of School Vouchers Church and state absolutists believe that vouchers will violate the First Amendment of the Constitution. They argue that voucher systems give parents an incentive to send their kids to parochial school and thus represent an unconstitutional endorsement of religious education. As mentioned in the case study, the U.S. Supreme Court will address the Cleveland Scholarship Program's constitutionality. Many are anticipating what precedent will be set in this ruling because it inherently deals with defining the boundaries between church and state. Can taxpayer funds be allocated by the government to send children to a religiously-affiliated school? Consider the case of the Cleveland Scholarship Program. This program gives parents $2250 per year. Meanwhile, the cost of tuition at a religiously-affiliated private school is, on average, about $1200. The cost of tuition at a non-religious private school is, on average, about $5000. This price breakdown shows the implicit incentive in the Cleveland program--parents who cannot afford to pay more money out of their pocket will enroll their children in religiously-affiliated private schools. The founders of Cleveland's program argue that city parents are in no way encouraged to send their kids to religious schools. Parents can choose public magnet or charter schools, which are free and get far more funding per student than voucher schools. The importance of the Supreme Court decision that will be made should not be underestimated. "This is probably the most important church-state case in the last half-century," said Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State. "It will be a historic showdown over

Essay --

Modernism is a movement that began in the early 1900’s as a way to break from traditional thinking and move forward into a new way of thinking about the ever-evolving world and its impact on society. Professor Mary Klages offers her thoughts on Modernism and the characteristics it holds as well as her thoughts on postmodernism, a movement that later followed Modernism, in her paper titled â€Å"Postmodernism.† In Arthur Miller’s essay titled Tragedy and the Common Man, Miller gives his ideas on Tragedy and the tragic hero, elements of modernism that can be found in his play Death of a Salesman. David Mamet’s Glengarry Glen Ross is a play that showcases the characteristics Klages writes in her paper that are found in Postmodernism works. Although both Miller and Mamet’s plays deal with salesmen and the troubles of capitalism brought forth in such a stressful and competitive field, the way each author tells their story sets each work apart and categor izes it into a Modernism or Postmodernism category. Professor Klages’ in her essay, â€Å"Postmodernism† spends quite some time writing about Modernism since it predates Postmodernism. According to Klages, modernism is â€Å"the movement in visual arts, music, literature, and drama which rejected the old Victorian standards of how art should be made, consumed, and what it should mean† (Klages, 1). One of the characteristics of Modernism she writes is â€Å"an emphasis on impressionism and subjectivity writing† and â€Å"a rejection of the distinction between â€Å"high† and â€Å"low† or popular culture† (Klages, 1-2). The themes of tragedy and tragic hero’s are ones that were limited to higher forms of art but Modernism took that exclusiveness and brought it to lower forms of art as evidenced in Arthur Miller’s Death o... ... no use in trying to create meaning out of one’s life so these writers offer their stories and plays and let the chips fall where they may. Modernism and Postmodernism are movements that sought to break free from traditional ways of thinking. Each movement offers its own unique characteristics that separate them from one another. Miller’s essay on tragedy where he gives his ideas on why the common man is just as worthy as being viewed as a tragic hero, help readers identify Willy Loman as a tragic hero. When readers read Miller’s play, they can associate his work as a work of Modernism. Mamet’s play, on the other hand, is a Postmodernism work due to the fact that it has no tragic hero, there is no tragedy present, it is just a play about a couple of salesmen and their everyday lives. There is no meaning to be searched for since Mamet makes no attempt to give one. Essay -- Modernism is a movement that began in the early 1900’s as a way to break from traditional thinking and move forward into a new way of thinking about the ever-evolving world and its impact on society. Professor Mary Klages offers her thoughts on Modernism and the characteristics it holds as well as her thoughts on postmodernism, a movement that later followed Modernism, in her paper titled â€Å"Postmodernism.† In Arthur Miller’s essay titled Tragedy and the Common Man, Miller gives his ideas on Tragedy and the tragic hero, elements of modernism that can be found in his play Death of a Salesman. David Mamet’s Glengarry Glen Ross is a play that showcases the characteristics Klages writes in her paper that are found in Postmodernism works. Although both Miller and Mamet’s plays deal with salesmen and the troubles of capitalism brought forth in such a stressful and competitive field, the way each author tells their story sets each work apart and categor izes it into a Modernism or Postmodernism category. Professor Klages’ in her essay, â€Å"Postmodernism† spends quite some time writing about Modernism since it predates Postmodernism. According to Klages, modernism is â€Å"the movement in visual arts, music, literature, and drama which rejected the old Victorian standards of how art should be made, consumed, and what it should mean† (Klages, 1). One of the characteristics of Modernism she writes is â€Å"an emphasis on impressionism and subjectivity writing† and â€Å"a rejection of the distinction between â€Å"high† and â€Å"low† or popular culture† (Klages, 1-2). The themes of tragedy and tragic hero’s are ones that were limited to higher forms of art but Modernism took that exclusiveness and brought it to lower forms of art as evidenced in Arthur Miller’s Death o... ... no use in trying to create meaning out of one’s life so these writers offer their stories and plays and let the chips fall where they may. Modernism and Postmodernism are movements that sought to break free from traditional ways of thinking. Each movement offers its own unique characteristics that separate them from one another. Miller’s essay on tragedy where he gives his ideas on why the common man is just as worthy as being viewed as a tragic hero, help readers identify Willy Loman as a tragic hero. When readers read Miller’s play, they can associate his work as a work of Modernism. Mamet’s play, on the other hand, is a Postmodernism work due to the fact that it has no tragic hero, there is no tragedy present, it is just a play about a couple of salesmen and their everyday lives. There is no meaning to be searched for since Mamet makes no attempt to give one.

Nervous System and Brain Stem

Biopsychology: A specialty that studies the interaction of biology, behavior, and mental processes. Evolution: The gradual process of biological change that occurs in a species as it adapts to its environment new generations change as they adapt to changing environments Evolution has fundamentally shaped psychological processes because it favors genetic variations that produce adaptive behavior Charles Darwin:Wondered if animals were related and if all creations, even humans, could share a common ancestry made the controversial case for the evolution of lifeNatural selection:The driving force behind evolution, the fittest organisms are selected by the environment, the best adapted will flourish and the least adapted will die out. Darwin never said humans came from monkeys, but that they both had a common ancestor Genetics and inheritance: Genotype: Genetic MakeupPhenotype: Physical and behavioral characteristics (observable characteristics) not all biological, also can be changed by nutrition, disease, stress, and poor medical care causing birth defects Genome: Set of genetic information contained within a cell DNA:A complex molecule that stores biological information Genes: The words that make up the instruction manual (genome) Chromosomes:Tightly coiled structures in which genes are organized, consist of DNA Nucleotides: letters that form genes, there are 4Sex chromosomes: The X and Y chromosomes that determine physical sex characteristics XX-female XY-male , fathers determine sex Genes influence our psychological characteristicsNever attribute psychological characteristics to genetics alone, even identical twins Race and human variations: Certain features of skin color and other physical characteristics are common among people who trace their ancestry to the same part of the world tropical ancestry have darker skin to protect them from the sun, and lighter skin for less sunny places There are no genetic differences for races, race is more of a socially defin ed term Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis: Testing fetus at a very oung age to ensure a genetically healthy fetus Some of these clinics also offer gender selection and ‘savior siblings' How does the body communicate internally?The nervous system reacts first:accelerate your heart rate and tense your muscles for action Endocrine system sends follow-up messages:send hormones which also accelerate heart and tense muscles they work together in stressful and happier situations and even during low arousal states the brain is the chief that manages the cooperation of the nervous and endocrine systemsThe brain coordinates the bodys 2 communication systems, the nervous and endocrine, which use similar chemical processes to communicate with targets throughout the body Neuron (nerve cell) : cell that receives and transmits information to other cells of the body, bundles are called nerves Sensory neuron (afferent neurons): A cell that carries messages towards the brain from sense receptor s Motor neuron (efferent neurons): A cell that carries messages away from the brain to the muscles and glandsInterneurons: A cell that relays messages between nerve cells, especially in the brain and spinal cord Dendrites: Branched fibers that extend outward from the cell body and carries information into the neuron Soma: part of the cell containing the nucleus or cell body, houses chromosomes Axon: An extending fiber that conducts information from the soma to the terminal buttons Resting potential: The electrical charge of the axon in its inactive state, when neuron is ready to ‘fire'Action potential: When the neuron ‘fires' due to a change in electrical charge across the cell membrane of axon All or none principle: action potential in the axon occurs either completely or not at all when many neurons fire too easily the result can be epileptic seizure Synapse:gap that serves as a communications link between neurons or between neurons and muscles or glands they serve Ter minal buttons:Tiny bulb like structures at the end of the axon that carry the message into the synapse Synaptic transmission: The relaying of information across the synapse Neurotransmitter: Chemical messenger that relays neural messages across the synapse, many are also hormones Reuptake:The process by which unused neurotransmitters are drawn back into the vesicles of their originating neuron 7 important neurotransmitters:Dopamine:Produces feeling of pleasure or reward, imbalances cause schizophrenia and Parkinson, cocaine, amphatamine, and alcohol affect the action of this transmitter Serotonin:Regulates, sleep, dreams, mood, pain, appetite, sex drive, imbalances cause depression, anxiety, OCD, Prozac and LSD affect the action of this transmitter Norepinnephrine:controls heart rate, sleep, stress, sexual responsiveness, appetite, imbalances cause high blood pressure, depression, Tricyclic, anti depressants, and beta blockers affect the action of this transmitter Acetycholine:invol ved in learning and memory, imbalances cause muscular disorders, alzheimers, nicotine, black widow spider venom, botulism toxin, barbiturates affect the action of this transmitterGABA:Inhibitory transmitter, inbalances cause anxiety and epilepsy, minor tranquilizers and alcohol affect the action of this transmitter Glutamate:Excitatory transmitter, excess release of glutamate causes brain damage after stroke, PCP affects the action of this transmitter Endorphins:Pleasurable sensations and control of pain, imbalances come from opiate addiction, opiates like morphine, heroin, and methadone effect the action of this transmitter Plasticity: the nervous systems ability to change or adapt as a result of an experience or physical damage plasticity can not compensate for extensive injurys just as paralyzed individuals may implant computer chips in the brain to restore some forms of controlGlial cells: A cell that provides structural support for neurons, also provide the myelin sheath of the axon for some neurons nervous system: Network of neurons in the body, including the central nervous system, peripheral nervous system, and their subdivisions Central nervous system:brain and spinal cord Reflex:simple unlearned response triggered by stimuli done by spinal cord Contralateral:Each side of the brain communicates with the opposite side of the body Peripheral Nervous system:Connects the central nervous system with the rest of the body (somatic and autonomic) Somatic nervous system: Carries sensory information to the brain and voluntary messages to the musclesAutonomic nervous system: Sends communications between the brain and the internal organs and glands Sympathetic division: ends messages to internal organs and glands that help us respond to stressful or emergency situations Parasympathetic: monitors the routine operations of the internal organs and returns body to calmer functioning after arousal by the sympathetic divisionThe endocrine system: The hormone system, ch emical messenger system including pituitary, thyroid, adrenals, pancreas, ovaries, and testes in a crisis this system releases epinephrine or adrenalin sustaining the bodies fight or flight reaction Hormones: chemical messengers used by the endocrine system and the nervous systemHormonal functions of major endocrine glands: Anterior Pituitary: ovaries and testes, breast milk production, metabolism, reactions to stress Posterior Pituitary: conservation of water in the body, breast milk secretion, uterus contractions Thyroid: metabolism, physical growth and development Parathyroid: calcium levels in the body Pancreas: glucose (sugar) metabolismAdrenal glands: fight or flight response, metabolism, sexual desire (especially in women) Ovaries: development of female sexual characteristics, production of eggs or ova Testes: development of male sexual characteristics, sperm production, sexual desire in men Pituitary gland: the ‘master gland' that oversees all these endocrine responses Agonists: drugs or other chemicals that enhance or mimic the effects of neurotransmitters antagonists: drugs or other chemicals that inhibit the effects of neurotransmittersNeural pathways: bundles of nerve cells that follow generally the same route and employ the same neurotransmitter How does the brain produce behavior and mental processes? Thoughts and feelings originate from the brain (love doesn't come from the heart) brain is a collection of distinct modules that work together like the components of a computer the brain is composed of many specialized modules that work together to create mind and behavior EEG(Electroencephalograph):A device for recording brain waves, typically by electrodes places on the scalp. The recording is an EEG Can reveal abnormal waves which cause epilepsy not very preciseWilder Pen field mapped the brain with electric probes which showed him that the brain's surface had distinct areas with distinct functions Brain Scans: help neurosurgeons to locate abnormalities such as tumors or stroke related damage without opening the skull CT(computerized tomography):uses x-rays taken of the brain at different angles and then combined into an image PET(positron emission tomography):Imaging technique that relies on the detection of radioactive sugar consumed by active brain cellsMRI(magnetic resonance imaging): Imaging technique that relies on cell's responses in a high-intensity magnetic field fMRI(functional magnetic resonance imaging):form of MRI that records brain structure and activity PET and fMRI show which parts of the brain are active during a particular task MRI ecvelsat distinguishing the fine details of brain structures non of these can detect processes that occur only briefly (shift in attention, startle response) no scanning technique gives biopsychologists a perfectly clear view of all of the brains activity Three layers of the brain Brain stem: the most primitive of the brains three major layers, includes medulla, pons, and reticular formation medulla:Controls breathing and heart ratePons:Regulates brain activity during sleep or dreaming Reticular formation:keeps the brain alert and attentive to new stimulation Limbic system:middle layer, involved in emotion and memory, includes thee hippocampus,amygdalaa, hypothalamus, and some pleasure centers Hippocampus:Establishes long term memories amydala:memory and emotion, particularly fear and aggression Hypothalamus:Brains blood testing lab, constantly monitors blood to determine condition of the bodThalamus: brain's central ‘relay station', all messages that enter or exit the brain go through the thalamus controls sleep and awake states of consciousness cerebrum cerebellum:the ‘little brain' attached to the brain stem, responsible for oordinated movements cerebral hemispheres:large symmetrical halves of the brain located atop the brain stem cerebral cortex:Thin gray matter covering the cerebral hemispheres, carries on major portion of higher men tal processes like thinking and perceiving corpus callosum: the band of nerve cells connecting and enabling communication between the two cerebral hemispheresThe frontal lobes:cortical regions at the front of the brain especially involved in movement and in thinking motor cortex: A narrow vertical strip of cortex in the frontal lobes, controls voluntary motor movement Mirror neuron:A class of neuron that fires in response to ‘mirroring' observation of another person's actions or emotions The left frontal lobes: production of speechThe parietal lobes:Involved in touch sensation and perceiving spatial relationships Somatosensory cortex: A strip of the parietal lobe involved in sensations of touch The temporal lobes:Cortical lobes that process hearing, including speech, involved in storing long term memories Occipital lobes: The cortical regions that house the visual cortex Visual cortex: The visual processing area of cortex in the occipital and temporal lobes Association Cortex: Critical regions throughout the brain that combine information from various other parts of the brainCerebral Dominance:The tendency of each brain hemisphere to exert control over different functions, such as language or perception of spatial relationships The left side is more active in language and speech the right side is for visual and spatial and interprets others emotional responses and their nonverbal communication signals the right frontal lobes control the negative emotions such as fear and anger the left frontal lobes control the positive emotions such as joy cerebral dominance patterns are not always the same from one person to another men on average have slightly larger brains, thought to be part of body size and not much other importance CH 3Sensation: The process by which stimulation of a sensory receptor produces neural impulses that the brain interprets as a sound, sight, taste, touch, or smell Perception: A mental process that elaborates and assigns meaning to the i ncoming sensory patterns The brain senses the world indirectly because the sense organs convert stimulation into the language of the nervous system (neural messages) 3 attributes common to all senses: transduction-process that converts information carried by the stimulus , such as light or sound waves, into the form of neural messages sensory adaption-loss of responsiveness in receptor cells after stimulation has remained unchanged for a while thresholds bsolute threshold-minimum amount of physical energy needed to produce a sensory experience (how soft can music be and still be heard) if it is above your thresholds, you sense it varies from person to person and varies in an individual depending on mental alertness and physical condition difference threshold (JND)-minimum amount by which a stimulus can be changed and the difference be detected half the time large when the stimulus intensity is high and small when low Webers law: The size of the JND is proportional to the intensity o f the stimulus We are built to detect changes in stimulation and relationships among stimuli Signal detection theory: Theory that states that sensation depends on the characteristics of the stimulus, the background stimulation, and the detector.Sensory Adaptation: Loss of responsiveness in receptor cells after stimulation has remained unchanged for a while (adjusting to the temperature of a cold pool) The sense all operate in much the same way, but each extracts different information and sends it to its own specialized processing region in the brain Vision: Retina:The thin light-sensitive layer at the back of the eyeball. The retina contains millions of photoreceptor and other nerve cells the retina is where the transduction of light into neural signals occurs Photoreceptors: Light sensitive cells (neurons) in the retina that concert light energy to neural impulses, these receptors are as far as light gets into the visual system. Rods: Photoreceptors in the retina sensitive to dark lighting but not to colorCones: photoreceptor in the retina sensitive to colors but not dim light Fovea-tiny area of sharpest vision in the retina ipolar cells-collect impulses from photoreceptors and send them to the ganglion cells optic nerve-the bundle of neurons that caries visual information from the retina to the brain blind spot- the point where the optic nerve exits the eye and there are no photoreceptors, anything in this area cannot be seen visual cortex creates visual images from the information received from the eyes in this cortex, brain turns neural impulses into visual sensations of color, form, boundary, and movement brightness- A sensation caused by intensity(amplitude) of light waves color-(hue) not a property of things in the external world , a psychological sensation created in the brain from information from the eyes from the wavelength of visual lightElectromagnetic spectrum-the entire range of electromagnetic energy, including radio waves, x rays, microwaves, and visible light visible spectrum-the tiny part of electromagnetic spectrum to which our eyes are sensitive, may be different from our own trichromatic theory-the idea that colors are sensed by three different types of cones sensitive to light in the red blue and green wavelengths, this theory explains color processing in the cones of the retina opponent-process theory-the idea that cells in the visual system process colors in complementary pairs, such as red or green , yellow or blue, this theory explains color sensation from the bipolar cells onward in the visual system afterimages-sensations that linger after the stimulus is removed, most are negative after images, which appear in reversed colors color blindness-genetic disorder that prevents an individual from discriminating certain colors, most common form is red green color blindnessHearing: Frequency-highness or lowness of sound, pitch amplitude-the physical strength of a wave. Height of the wave , when turning down vol, you r turning down amplitude, loudness timbre-complex quality of a sound wave, helps you distinguish different voices how we hear: sound waves are relayed to the inner ear, vibrating waves make their way through the ear canal to the ear drum or tympanic membrane, vibrates middle ear, sends to cochlea cochlea-main organ of hearing focuses he vibrations on the basilar membrane basilar membrane converts vibrations into neural messages neural messages travel to the auditory cortex in the brain Hearing loss-from damage of the hair cells in the cochlea Vision-stimulus is light waves, receptor is rods and conesHearing-stimulus is sound waves, receptor is hair cells in basilar membrane Skin senses-stimulus is external contact, receptor is nerve endings in skin Smell-stimulus is volatile substances, receptor is hair cells in olfactory epithelium Taste-stimulus is soluble substances, receptor is taste buds on tongue Pain- stimulus is extreme stimuli, receptors are pain receptors Kinesthatic and v estibular senses-stimulus is body position, movement and balance, receptors are hair cells in semicircular canals and neurons connected to muscles joints and tendons Vestibular senses-the sense of body orientation with respect to gravity, associated with inner ear and in fact is carried to the brain on a Branch of the auditory nerve Kinesthetic sense-the sense of body position and movement of body parts relative to each otherSmell: olfaction-sense of smell pheromones-chemical signals released by organisms to communicate with other members of their species. Often used by animals as sexual attractants, unclear if humans use them Taste: Gustation-the sense of tasteSkin senses: sensory system for processing touch, warmth, cold, texture, and pain synesthesia-the mixing of sensations across sensory modalities, as in tasting shapes or seeing colors associated with numbers Phantom limbs-sensations experienced by people who have lost a limb coming from the missing body part Gate control theo ry-an explanation for pain control that proposes we have a neural ‘gate' that can, under some circumstances, block incoming pain signals if you experience pain you can take drugs like aspirin or you can get morphine which suppresses the pain messages in the spinal cord placebo-appears to be a drug, but is not (sugar pill) placebo effect-a response to a placebo caused by the belief that it is a real drug Perception gives meaning to sensation, so perception produces an interpretation of the world, not a perfect representation of itPercept: The meaning product of perception, often an image that has been associated with concepts, memories of events, emotions, and motives What pathway-A neural pathway, projecting from the primary visual cortex to the temporal lobe, which involves identifying objects where pathway-A neural pathway the projects visual information to the parietal lobe, responsible for locating objects in space blindsight-being conscious of information in the what path way but not necessarily in the where pathway feature detectors-cells in the cortex that specialize in extracting certain features of a stimulus binding problem:how the brain combines the results from many senses into a single percept top-down process: memories and past experiences in our brain tell perception bottom up process: the sensed characteristics in the stimuli exert strong influence on our perceptions perceptual constancy-the ability to recognize the same object as remaining ‘constant' under different conditions, such as distance or location inattentional blindness-a failure to notice changes occurring in ones visual field, caused by narrowing the focus of ones attention change blindness-failure to notice that a visual scene has changed from the way it had appeared previously, requires comparing a scene to one from the past illusion-incorrect perception of a stimulus pattern especially one that fools others ambiguous figures-images that can be interpreted in more than one way.No right way to see an ambiguous figure Gestalt psychology: believed that much of perception is shaped by innate factors built into the brain figure- a part of a pattern that stands out against the ground ground-part of a pattern that does not command attention-background closure-gestalt principle that identifies the tendency to fill in gaps in figures and to see incomplete figures as complete Laws of perceptual grouping-the gestalt principles of similarity, proximity, continuity, and common fate.Suggest how our brains prefer to group stimulus elements together to form a percept Law of similarity-gestalt principle, we tend to group similar objects together in out perceptions Law of proximity-gestalt principle, we tend to group objects together when they are near each other Law of continuity-gestalt principle, we prefer perceptions of connected and continuous figures to disconnected and disjointed ones Law of common fate-gestalt principle, we tend to group similar objects to gether that share a common motion of destination Law ofPragnanz- Gestalt principle, the simplest organization, requiring the least cognitive effect, will emerge as a figure, full figures such as a closed circle Learning based inference- the view that perception is primarily shaped by learning rather by innate factors perceptual set-readiness to detect a particular stimulus in a given context someone afraid interprets an unfamiliar sound as a threat, set of words, word missing binocular cues-information taken in by both eyes that aids in depth perception, including binocular convergence and retinal disparity Monocular cues-information about depth that relies on the input of just one eye and includes relative size, light and shadow, relative motion and atmospheric pressure CH 8Cognitive Neuroscience-An interdisciplinary field involving cognitive psychology, neurology, biology, computer science, linguistics, and other specialists who are interested in the connection between mental proc esses and the brain Nonconscious process-Any brain process that does not involve conscious processing, including both preconscious memories and unconscious processes can perform many jobs at the same time (walk, chew gum, breath) Consciousness-The process by which the brain creates mental model of our experience, most common consciousness occurs during wakefulness, although there can be altered states Attention- a process by which consciousness focuses on a single item of ‘chunk' in working memory Tools for studying consciousness- fMRI, EEG, PET Freud's levels of consciousness:Preconscious- A special unconscious storehouse for information no currently in conscious but readily available to the conscious (like your phone number) The unconscious-A part of the mind that processes below the level or awareness, emotional memories, desires, and feelings that would be threatening if brought back to consciousness James stream of consciousness-walking consciousness is like a flowing str eam carrying ever changing sensations, perceptions, thoughts, memories, feelings, and desires, this stream includes awareness of ourselves and of stimulation from our environment, can also include physical sensations from within like hunger or pain James said consciousness has 2 levels :an area of focus for what we are focusing our attention on, and a peripheral conscious to encompass the feelings that give meaning to our focus The computer metaphor-likens consciousness to the information and images that appear on a computer screen nonconscious is the electronic activity behind the scene, which most of the time operates in parallel with consciousness Three important functions of the consciousness:Consciousness restricts our attention-(restriction) because it processes information serially, it limits what you notice and think about,keeps your brain from being overwhelmed by stimulation cannot read while listening to music consciousness provides a mental ‘meeting place'-(combina tion) meeting place where sensation can combine with memory, emotions, motives, and a host of other psychological processes (perception) consciousness allows us to create a mental model of the world-(manipulation) a model we can manipulate in our minds, we don’t just operate in the moment, we make a model that draws on memory and brings the past and the future into awareness.Coma-An unconscious state, during which a person lacks the normal cycles of sleep and wakefulness, usually only lasts a few days (between vegetative and minimally conscious states) Consciousness fluctuates in cycles that correspond to our biological rhythms and to patterns of stimulation in our environmental Daydreaming-A common (and quite normal) variation of consciousness in which attention shifts to memories, expectations, desires, or fantasies and away from the immediate situation daydreaming is automatic when we are in a restful state or not focused on something Circadian Rhythms-A pattern that repea ts every 24 hours such as sleep and wakefulness cycle, jet lag Main Events of sleep: REM sleep-stage that occurs approximately every 90 minutes, marked by bursts of rapid eye movement occurring under closed eye lids each REM period gets longer and longer Non-REM-the recurring periods, mainly associated with the deeper state of sleep, when a sleeper is not showing rapid eye movements Sleep paralysis- A condition in which a sleeper is unable to move any of the voluntary muscles except the eyes (normally occurs during REM) Stages of sleep: Stage 1:Slower theta waves, faster beta wavesStage 2:Short burst of fast electrical activity that reliably signal the end of stage 1 Stage 3 &4:heart rate and breathing slow down , beta brain waves slow, delta waves appear DEEPEST sleep in stage 4 as stage 4 ends sleeper climbs back up the stages backwards REM sleep: fast beta waves, rapid eye movement, after REM sleeper slips back into stage 2 REM rebound- A condition of increased REM sleep caused b y REM sleep deprivation Sleep debt-A sleep deficiency caused by not getting the amount of sleep required for optimal functioning Isrealites interpreted dreams as messages from the gods Egyptians tried to influence dreams by sleeping in temples dedicated to the god of dreaming Chinese are scared to dream because they think the soul wanders outside the body Freud’s theory of dreams: manifest content-the story line of a dream, taken at face value without interpretation latent content- the symbolic meaning or objects and events in a dream Activation synthesis theory- the theory that dreams begin with random electrical activation coming from the brain stem.The storyline of dreams are the brains attempt to make sense of this random activity Insomnia- involving insufficient sleep, the inability to fall asleep quickly, frequent arousals, or early awakenings Sleep Apnea- A respiratory disorder in which the person intermittently stops breathing many times while asleep Night terrors-dee p sleep episodes that seem to produce terror, what made the person scared is usually forgotten on awakening, usually found in children narcolepsy-a disorder of REM sleep, involving sleep-onset periods in sudden daytime REM-sleep attacks An altered state of consciousness occurs when some aspect of normal consciousness is modified by mental, behavioral, or chemical means Hypnosis-A state of awareness characterized by deep relaxation, heightened suggestibility, and focused attention Hypnotizability- susceptibility measured by a persons responsiveness to standardized suggestions hypnosis an be used for dental and medical uses, psychological treatmentMeditation-A state of consciousness often induces by focusing on a repetitive behavior, assuming certain body positions, and minimizing external stimulation Psychoactive drug-chemical that affects mental processes and behavior by its effect on the brain Hallucinogen-a drug that creates hallucinations or alters perception of the external envi ronment and inner awareness Opiates-Highly addictive drug, derived from opium, that can produce a profound sense of sell being and has strong pain relieving properties Depressant-drug that slows down mental and physical activity by inhibiting transmission of nerve impulses in the brain (alcohol, barbiturates) Stimulants-speed up brain and mental and physical responses (cocain, amphetamine, nicotine, caffeine)General Anesthetic-substance that suppresses consciousness and awareness of pain, some produce sedation and immobility Tolerance-the reduces effectiveness a drug has after repeated use psychical dependence-the body adjusts to and comes to need and drug for every day functioning addiction- a person continues to use a drug despite its adverse effects and many attempts to stop withdrawal-A pattern of uncomfortable or painful physical symptoms and cravings experienced by the user when the level of drug is decreased or the drug is eliminated psychological dependency-a desire to obtai n or use a drug, even though there is no physical dependence