Biocon †Case Assignment Questions Essay

1. Assuming Biocon receives approval for BIOMAb, should it launch the drug immediately or conduct phase 3 trials before launch? Elaborate the various elements of your action plan. If Biocon receives approval for BIOMAb, the management team will need to carefully consider what the best course of action is moving forward. If the company elects to launch the drug immediately, they will be able to have the first mover advantage, reaching the market before their closest competitor, Erbitux. BIOMAb will also be able to put themselves on the map as they would be the first ever, proprietary drug developed and marked by an Indian firm for Indian patients. The Indian regulatory authorities may also cause a lengthy Phase 3 trial due to their lack of experience with bringing a proprietary drug to market, as evidenced during BIOMAb’s Phase 2 trials. However, even with all of the above listed considerations in mind, Biocon should conduct the phase 3 trials before launching the BIOMAb. BIOMA b is a superior product to Erbitux, as shown in the 100% response rate when combined with chemo and radiotherapy. There are also fewer side affects, a more patient friendly treatment plan, and BIOMAb will be able to offer the drug at a discounted price. Even if BIOMAb is not able to be the first drug to the market, they will be able to make up for those potential loses in the long run. BIOMAb will be entering this marketplace for the first time, and the company will want to enter the market with as strong of a message as possible. BIOMAb is entering this market for the long run, and overcoming any perceptions of shortcuts, lack of quality, or anything less than cutting edge will last well beyond the life of the BIOMAb product. There are only 300 oncologists in this market Biocon cannot afford to miss. While awaiting Phase 3 approval, Biocon can roll out its direct sales force, offering its suite of generic oncology drugs. This waiting period will give the sales force an opportunity to develop roots in the marketplace and to raise awareness of BIOMAb before it is even on the market. The Phase 3 approval process will serve as an advantageous ramp up time so that Biocon is fully prepared to enter the marketplace on better footing with BIOMAb. This time will also enable Biocon to better develop the infrastructure they will need to  optimize its direct distribution channel. Biocon is a new player in bringing a new drug to the market and they will want to ensure that the quality of their product is maintained from the manufacturing floor into the doctor’s office. Assuming that BIOMAb indeed loses its first mover advantage, its value proposition will be its results, which are dependent on properly controlled product. Biocon wants to become a permanent fixture in this market and the company needs to do everything in its power to deliver its value proposition of innovation, quality, and affordability. 1. How big is the current and future market opportunity in BIOMAb? The current market opportunity that Biocon is currently targeting with BIOMAb is composed of the Head and Neck cancer patients within India. More specifically, Biocon is focused, in the short term, on those Head and Neck cancer patients that can afford to pay, estimated at 1,900 patients. These patients will be the ones officially marketed to, but given the Indian’s markets preponderance for using drugs â€Å"off the label†, the unofficial market can be target at all cancer patients in India that currently able to afford treatment, 7,114 patients. Given India’s continued economic growth rate (9% annually) and ever expanding population base (1.4%), all of the preceding numbers are certain to grow in the relatively short term. The compounded impact of these different rates will cause these India based estimates to grow exponentially year over year. In the long run, BIOMAb in India is just the tip of the iceberg. CIMAB and Biocon’s current joint venture is to develop and market the molecule on the Indian subcontinent. If Biocon is able to thoroughly manage and develop all aspects of the supply chain (manufacturing, distribution, sales, marketing, etc), Biocon would have good reason to go back to the negotiating table with CIMAB. The success of CIMAB’s other partner, YM Bioscience, is not guaranteed and there is no reason that Biocon cannot unseat them in the long run. If Biocon is able to achieve this, along with the Phase 3 trials, the worldwide Head and Cancer would be open to the company, to say nothing for the â€Å"off label† prescriptions. Given the worldwide population growth, economic expansion, and aging populations, the long-term market for BIOMAb is practically limitless. 3. Who is the buyer for BIOMAb? What is the decision making unit in this case? What are the benefits that each member of the decision making unit seeks from BIOMAb? The buyer for BIOMAb is (are) the income provider(s) of the family, whose member (s) has (have) been affected by head and neck cancer or another indication, since off-label usage is very common in India. The structure of India’s health care system is such that it is estimated that 95% of BIOMAb’s patients (end users) are going to be self-paying. Therefore, the cost of treatment will be transferred to the earning member of the family. Adult patients have the right to make treatment decisions for themselves, so patients and their families are the decision makers for BIOMAb in this case. As the case states, the oncology doctors are the main influencers, as they diagnose and make ultimate recommendations to their patients as to how extensive the treatment should be. The benefits that each member of the decision making unit (i.e. patients and their families) seeks include BIOMAb’s effectiveness in the treatment of head and neck cancer in conjunction with radio and che motherapy, minimal side-effects (immediate side effects, as well as those that might be associated with long-term use), and drug’s affordability. Should phase-2 trials be conducted by Biocon for other indications, the patients will also want to seek same benefits from the drug for other types of cancer. Based on the information provided in the case, BIOMAb’s effectiveness and minimized side effects are a given. After all, phase-2 trials proved that the tumor was killed 100% of the time when the drug was used in combination with radio and chemotherapy. Moreover, unlike competition, BIOMAb did not produce skin rashes because due to the drug’s unique formula. An important factor will be affordability. Wealth distribution is very uneven in India, and 1/4 of the nation’s population earns less than the government-specified poverty threshold of $0.40/day (Wikipedia). The patients, as well as their doctors, will want to make sure that they can afford to complete treatment to ensure best possible outcome. BIOMAb has a tremendous advantage in this category compared to Erbitux, as it calls for a definite (i.e. six-dose) treatment cycle; total treatment cost can thus be effectively quantified. Another benefit that  patients will be seeking is the ability of BIOMAb’s sales reps to educate them and their families. Although this is not one of the drug’s literal benefits, it will be a crucial factor since patients’ face time with doctors and specialists is very limited in India. Pre-educating end users and their families on the benefits, side effects, and other specifics of the drug will ensure that oncologists’ time with each patient is maximized. 4. Develop a detailed launch plan for BIOMAb. Provide your rationale for the product portfolio, pricing, channel, and communication decisions. Biocon’s launch of BIOMAb is complicated by several factors. The first of these is the lack of phase 3 clinical trials, which would theoretically provide more evidence of the drug’s efficacy and safety on a larger patient pool. This is complicated by the fact that BIOMAb’s competitor comes in the form of a drug called Erbitux, which does have phase 3 trials completed and global acclaim. Biocon’s fear is that if they do not launch before Erbitux, they will lose the first to market advantage they feel necessary to succeed. In this case Biocon should take the time to complete phase 3 clinical trials on the basis of what patients and their families expect from a cancer drug. It was already stated that Erbitux had worldwide acceptance due to having extensive trials not limited to head and neck cancer that proved it was b oth safe and effective. In the eyes of the consumer the single most important concern here is that the drugs are going to work and that death can be avoided. Being first to market has the risk of offering only a temporary advantage until Erbitux actually becomes available. At this point if phase 3 trials are finally completed and the results are not favorable there would be severe consumer backlash and possibly action from the government. Finally, Biocon mentioned being able to appeal to doctor’s via existing relationships in order to get their product sold. Realistically, doctors care more about clinical trials as a means of deciding what drugs to offer. By moving forward with phase 3 trials Biocon would have real data to give these doctor’s the â€Å"hard sell.† The strategy is not just to maximize profit, but build a sustainable brand built on trust and results in the pharmaceutical industry. Building upon that is the question of whether or not to sell generics in addition to BIOMAb and when to sell them. The argument given was that selling generics would give the sales force good experience and at the  same time build a solid revenue base. Biocon should indeed take this route for these very reasons. This will allow them to still bring in revenue while the phase 3 trials of BIOMAb take place. Once the trials are complete, selling them alongside BIOMAb will allow them to capture more of the market when in front of doctors who want to have offerings for price conscious patients. On top of the first two concerns is the issue of price and what impact it would have on both market size due to affordability and perceived quality in comparison to Erbitux. Biocon, after confirmation of the extraordinarily high effectiveness of BIOMAb should charge $6000-7000 per dose or rather whatever would be equivalent to a few steps more than Erbitux. Biocon’s CEO desires to build a brand not based on low price but rather the value provided by the products. The hindrance to this route of course is the Indian cultural perception of what the price should be and the fact that many people cannot afford such cost. However, Biocon is alread y well aware that their effective target market is small so for those people the price is potentially less important. However, Biocon can market the fact that it is a six dose treatment path rather than indefinite dosages like Erbitux so in the long term people save money. Additionally they can get creative here and offer something like Walmart’s layaway program. Patients can agree to pay in equal installments up until their dosing day. On that final day when payment is received they are administered the dose. Payments for the next dose begin and the cycle repeats until the dosage time. Additionally, Biocon is concerned about the sales methodology with regards to going through the usual channels of CFAs, wholesalers, and pharmacies or selling it directly to doctors. By going through the typical channels they have the advantage of reaching more doctors who have existing relationships with certain sellers. In this case though, it would fit more with their overarching strategy to sell direct. The higher cost of the drug would be less apparent when not being sold side by side with competitor drugs through a pharmacy or wholesaler. This would also allow Biocon to sell the generic drugs and BIOMAb side by side as a complete market solution for price conscious people. The savings from not having a middleman can be passed on to the doctors via multi-patient discounts or similar. Finally, the quality of the product could be ensured since BIOMAb requires such delicate handling. This is important for the Biocon brand image moving forward as  there can be no slip ups when it comes to delivering a product critical to treatment of cancer. The direct sales also tie in with overall marketing communication planning since Biocon would not only control distribution of the product, but also the sales communication. Biocon should take this time during sales to educate doctors on the results of the phase 3 trials and provide materials for patients that explain the availability of Biocon reps during their treatment cycles. Biocon reps, as mentioned in the case, should educate the patient on their product and provide other helpful cancer information and family services in the form of support group references, etc. 5. How has Biocon’s strategy and positioning evolved over the years? What role does BIOMAb play in Biocon’s overall strategy? Biocon’s strategy and positioning have greatly evolved over the years. The company started as an enzyme manufacturing company that exported its products from India to the United States and European food processing industry. During this time the company developed an expertise in various fermentation processes. The company soon realized that the global enzyme market was limited to about $1 billion and decided to change its strategy and position itself to compete in the biopharmaceutical market, which was a $10 billion dollar market that was rapidly approaching $80 billion. Biocon was positioned nicely to move into the space and compete in the generic drug sector. They were particularly positioned well to manufacture statins. Statins were a great fit for them because they were small molecules that were easy to manufacture and Biocon already p ossessed the technical capability to do so drawing on its strength in the fermentation process and enzyme manufacturing. This short-term strategy to enter the market focused on developing globally competitive processes that relied on their existing expertise to manufacture drugs whose patents were expiring. After successfully entering into the pharmaceutical market through statins, the company was ready to continue on a growth path and move on to their medium/long term phase by entering into larger molecules in the form of insulin. Again, Biocon identified a large and rapidly growing market where they saw their expertise in fermentation giving them an edge and ability to compete. The results were consistent with their  first direction change and they were again very successful gaining over 10% of the Indian insulin market share. During this phase of their strategy they partnered with Clinigene to conduct clinical trials comparing it to the market leaders. The current phase of Biocom’s strategy is to shift the company’s focus to the development of proprietary drugs. Management again saw that the market they were competing in would soon shrink due to the maturing of the Indian drug market and they would experience enormous price pressure as a result. Their vision for the company was to develop drugs that no other companies had yet succeeded in bringing to market, and in doing so reaping the benefits of the huge payoff. BIOMAb is the essence of the final and long-term stages of Biocon’s overall strategy. They are using their collaborative strategy to partner with CIMAB thus giving Biocon the opportunity to develop and market the molecule. This is a huge step towards the long-term goal of moving the company to a discovery and development focused biotech firm. BIOMAb is very important to this next phase of the company’s growth. In the past they have relied on their expertise and experience carrying over from the enzyme development background. However in this next phase they are entering into uncharted territory and as a result will need to prove they have the capability to adapt their expertise and continue to be successful in areas that are outside of their experience scope. The success of the BIOMAb phase of Biocon’s overall strategy will be key to the future of the company and could indicate that the strategy they have in place will continue to provide the growth and profitability they seek as a biotech firm.

Hamlet’s First Soliloquy Essay

The tone of Hamlet’s first soliloquy begins as sad and depressed as Hamlet contemplates suicide. The tone changes to angry and bitter while Hamlet ponders the relationship between his mother and his uncle. Through Shakespeare’s use of diction and syntax he shows Hamlet’s disapproval of this relationship. In the first section of this soliloquy Hamlet is considering suicide but does not follow through with his thoughts because of religious reasons. This is apparent through Hamlet’s words, â€Å"or that the everlasting had not fixed his cannon ‘gainst self-slaughtered!† Shakespeare’s use of words such as flat, stale, and weary contributes to a tone of sorrow and sadness. The long, drawn out sentences also create a tone of distress. As an actor performing this soliloquy, I would act out this first section until â€Å"†¦seem to me all the uses of this world!† as a despondent tone. In the next section of the soliloquy Hamlet is angry with his mother because she married Hamlet’s uncle so soon after his father’s death. This section should be performed as incensed and bitter. It should demonstrate to the audience Hamlet’s disapproval of the relationship between his mother and uncle, as it is throughout this soliloquy. As Hamlet says, â€Å"So excellent a king that was to this Hyperon to a satyr.† he compares his uncle to his father. He also reminisces about the relationship between his parents when he says, â€Å"so loving to my mother†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Although Hamlet remains angry with his mother, he becomes sad as he remembers his father’s gentle and loving ways. This should be performed as thoughtful and reminiscent. The remaining of the soliloquy up until the last sentence, Hamlet becomes bitter as he says the marriage between his mother and uncle is founded on lust and sex. With Hamlet’s words, â€Å"she would hang on him†¦Ã¢â‚¬  informs the audience of his mother’s dependence upon men. Hamlet then compares his mother to a beast. This metaphor enhances the point of how quickly she was  able to recover from her husband’s death. The phrase, â€Å"incestuous sheets† suggests Hamlet’s knowledge of what had gone on between the two even before his father’s death. This section would be best performed as extremely acrimonious and angry. The purpose of this soliloquy is to notify the audience of Hamlet’s awareness of both his mother and uncle’s guilt. While he may not accuse his mother of murder, he does indict her of having an affair with his uncle before his father’s death. He claims their relationship his based solely on lust and sex. Hamlet concludes his soliloquy with his frustration in saying he cannot say anything nor do anything about his knowledge and disapproval of his uncle’s actions and relationship with his mother. This is a tone of not only frustration but perhaps even disappointed because he can not act on his feelings of anger.

Romeo and Juliet Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Romeo and Juliet - Essay Example Shakespeare managed to speak to the concerns of the modern world nearly 500 years prior to the modern world coming into being. Though the language may seem somewhat archaic and the exact details might have altered, the story is as pertinent to modern society as it was to those living in the Elizabethan period at the beginning of the 17th century. (Literature, 2008) The play was probably first performed in the Globe Theatre and has since stood as and maybe the most well known example of foolish young love. In many of his plays, for example, he utilizes his characters to discover the meaning of love. In many cases, his investigation is centered on the idea of young, romantic love rarely compared to more mature love. This is apparently because the effect of love on young people is much more evident thus more theatrical in nature. Shakespeare’s notion of young love as a very destructive force can easily be found in his play Romeo and Juliet. The play starts with a prologue where the audience is introduced to his work. This part of the play was to help get its audience settled down and to lure them to pay attention by giving a witty dialogue that sums up the action to come without giving anything away. It does a excellent job of this as it informs the audience the fundamentals of the long-term quarrel between the Capulets and the Montagues; the love that erupts between Juliet, a Capulet and Romeo, a Montague, along the unfortunate end to the young couple, an event which ends the feud. Romeo and Juliet is frequently examined for its investigation into the nature of love, its elements of tragedy or its dramatic content. However, each one of these larger themes can be understood better when one looks at smaller signs within the characters, such as their personality or individual levels of maturity. It can be easily forgotten that this play revolves around two young teenagers trying to

The moral, ethical and legal issues affecting modern e-business Essay

The moral, ethical and legal issues affecting modern e-business organisations - Essay Example In 2009 UK recorded 18.3 million internet users, accounting for the 70% of country’s total population, which â€Å"is an increase of just under 2 million households (11 per cent) over the last year and 4 million households (28 per cent) since 2006† (National Statistics, Internet Access, 2009). This scenario comprise of a number of different players that range from technological innovations, multinational companies, public policies, legal issues, and ethical values, present a number of challenging constraints and opportunities. Maintaining certain ethical and moral values within any form of commercial enterprise (including modern e-business organisations) are important for attaining sustainable success for that firm. Recently it has become especially important for the business firms, especially those involved in e-commerce, to maintain correct ethical and moral behavioural attitudes to avoid legal problems. In this era of economic globalization and technological convergence there is an emergence of a new form of internet-based society often referred to as the knowledge society, and has raised questions on issues related to various ethical, moral and legal matters. The modern computer based technologies, used for collecting, amassing, managing, and communicating data, though managed to bring in new reforms in the dispersion and application of information, also brought in various ethical and legal dilemmas. The various business firms that operate within this arena face difficulties in the context of right to information, right to privacy, right to the freedom of expression, and intellectual property rights, which vary from country to country. The immense importance and efficiency of internet based systems that include worldwide and local system networks, databases, and the various programs for data processing make it compulsory that policymakers make a review of the existing rights and r esponsibilities, in relation to conducting e-businesses in a legal and ethical manner. (Lynch, Ethical Issues in Electronic Information Systems, 1994). Discussion What is e-business and e-commerce? In the recent times it has been observed that â€Å"The capabilities and opportunities provided by the Internet have transformed many legitimate business activities, augmenting the speed, ease, and range with which transactions can be conducted while also lowering many of the costs†( Williams, 2002, 1). The increase in e-business transactions is evident in the figures presented in the UK National Statistics survey report, â€Å"The value of Internet sales by businesses rose to ?71.1 billion in 2004, an increase of 81 per cent [from] 2003... The results of the 2004 survey show growth in the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and large increases in the value of trade over the Internet. The results also highlight significantly greater use of ICTs by the largest businesses (those with 1000 or more employees)... Internet purchases by businesses rose 64.6 per cent from ?37.9 billion in 2003 to ?62.4 billion in 2004† (National Statistics, News Release, 2005). Though computer and data processing systems were present during the 70s and 80s, it was primarily the late nineties that saw a rise in e-trade, where the Internet changed the way many business activities were conducted through speed augmentation, â€Å"ease, and range with which transactions can be conducted while also lowering many of the costs†(Williams, 2002, 1). Thus, the changing perspectives of trading community from that of an actual ‘

Project Management Leadership Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Project Management Leadership - Assignment Example The organization breakdown structure prods the Mason department manager to minimize spending $2,340 on labor cost. The same structure necessitates the carpentry project manager to avoid the same $ 2,900 labor cost in future activities. Further, organization breakdown structure matrix process entails scheduling the work assigned by two bosses. For example, two project managers use only one carpenter (Hartline, 2011). The two bosses will agree to divide the carpenter’s time through cooperation and contribution activities (Scott, 2011). Project management eliminates ambiguous roles and defines cost and profit responsibilities (Drucker, 1986). Question 2. When running a project to which people are temporarily assigned while reporting to their own bosses (matrix organization), the project manager updates the department managers about what the assigned department personnel are required to work on. The project manager must build a good relationship with the department personnelâ€⠄¢s boss. The good relationship ensures the same project manager can count on the help of the department bosses to get the entire project work accomplished in the shortest possible time (Lewis, 1995, p. 92). Without the good relationship, both the project managers and the department managers will not attain the entity’s performance benchmarks or goals. Managers better manage their organizational responsibilities using the matrix organization breakdown structure. In terms of theory, organization breakdown structure (OBS) is defined as the breaking down of the skill sets of the people who do the work. At any level of breakdown, the structure pinpoints responsibility for products delivery and the skill sets involved as shown in the two dimensional matrix (Turner, 2009, p. 9). Understandably, the average worker gives more loyalty to their department managers compared to their loyalty to the project team leaders. The project team leader must exert all possible efforts to persuade the team members to exert more efforts to the accomplishment of their temporary project objectives (Lewis, 1995, p. 12.) |Question 3. The project manager negotiates with the resource and provides for the use of the providers’ resources. The project manager offers payment for the use of the providers’ resources. The payment will entice the providers to accept the project manager’s request. The company will pay cash to the providers. Furthermore, the project manager will explain that the manager’s expertise in all aspects of project management is enough to ensure maximization of the providers’ resources (Phillips, 2012). In addition, the project manager must retain a good working relationship with the department managers in order to receive the required high quality labor resources (Lewis, 1995, p. 12). Question 4- DVD Marketing. Basically, project management enhances the entity’s competitive advantage over the competitors. Project managementà ¢â‚¬â„¢s matrix organizational breakdown structure (OBS) helps management make decisions using time and cost factors. The project’s scope of work includes controlling labor and equipment expenses. Expense reduction allows price reductions. Price reductions increase client demand. DVD Marketing allows costs reduction by pinpointing responsibility for

FTIR Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

FTIR - Lab Report Example Different bonds in the molecule of these compounds give respective frequencies which are referred to as the wavenumber (Skoog 2007). As the technique developed, it is also now used for quantitative determinations. This experiment aims to provide knowledge in the use of FTIR in qualitative and quantitative applications. Quantitative determination of the xylene isomers is done through linear regression of the peak responses at the respective bands of the xylene isomers. In the experiment, a Perkin Elmer Spectrum One FT-IR Spectrometer was used. Qualitative analysis was done on the first part, and a quantitative test was conducted for the second part where the concentration of an unknown was determined using the known concentrations of m-xylene and p-xylene standards. Qualitative Determination. For the qualitative test, five different materials were scanned; namely polystyrene, polyethylene, polyacetate, cyclohexane and acetone. A background spectrum was first done on the FTIR spectrometer with range from 4000 – 500 cm-1, then the polystyrene was scanned once, then four scans, then sixteen scans. The effect of the number of scans was determined from this step. Five scans each of polyethylene and polyacetate films were done. The parameter was then changed to 4000 – 450 cm-1, then a NaCl liquid cell was placed in the steel frame. Background measurement was again conducted then the cell was filled with cyclohexane. The spectrum of cyclohexane was measured five times. The cell was then cleaned by pushing the liquid out using a syringe and collecting it on a paper towel. The cell was then rinsed with acetone and dried until there was no more detectable contaminant in the spectra. Acetone was then placed in the cell, and its spectra measured five times. Quantitative Determination. Solutions of m-xylene and p-xylene were prepared using cyclohexane as diluent at concentration levels ranging from 0 –

Sustainability in Global Context Research Paper

Sustainability in Global Context - Research Paper Example Marketing refers to a management role concerned with the determination and satisfaction of the customer demands. Any company must have an effective marketing department in order to either maintain or increase its market shares. By either increasing or maintaining an appropriate market share, the company maintains its profitability thus sustains its continued operations. Profitability and longevity of the business are two fundamental features of a business that must influence the operational decisions that managers make. Sustainability in business refers to the ability of a business to maintain operations over a period. By maintaining operations, the business must maintain a specific level of profitability in order to sustain its operations within the period (Kotler & Fox, 2002). In making operational decisions, managers must therefore consider the strengths and weaknesses of the business. VESTAS, a wind turbine manufacturer seeks to last for more than fifty years a time within which the company seeks to maintain an appropriate level of profitability in order to afford its operational requirements. VESTAS is a new company but seeks to last for more than the next fifty years. The company requires radical yet harmonized production. The production process must tally with the recommendations from the marketing department. This implies that the marketing department is among the most fundamental management departments in the organizations. The department should carry out effective market researches and ensure that every of its decision originates from the prevailing market features. As a manager, the first and the most appropriate action to take is to develop an effective marketing department in the company. This will require the allocation of sufficient financial resources and the employment of the best brains in the industry. The marketing department determines the profitability of the company. The department controls all the operations of the company and influences the relationship between the company and its specific market. An effective marketing department will therefore sustain the profitability objective of the company thus fostering both the growth and longevity for the next fifty years. An efficient marketing department will determine the most cost effective means of productions in the company. The department remains proactive and carries out effective market research in order to determine a sustainable production process. The marketing department is a fundamental aspect of the management that if handled effectively will safeguard the

Assessment Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Assessment Assignment - Essay Example Here we will be critically analysing the effectiveness of this planning, teaching, evaluation and assessment cycle with reference to the current assessment theory. Also we will discuss the role of a teaching assistant in assessment process. We will learn about various methods for assessing children’s work such as verbal questioning, marking, setting homework, observing, peer and self assessment, using both formative and summative assessments. Planning –Teaching – Evaluation – Assessment Cycle This cycle of Planning, Teaching, Evaluation and Assessment is a standard which most school administrators want their teachers to follow. Now this complete cycle can either be executed after being completely programmed first or alternatively each step of this cycle can be planned and executed one by one. Previous method will be more successful in teaching higher grade students and latter will prove useful in teaching younger lot. It is obvious that for effective teaching this cycle has to be dynamic in nature and needs to be constantly updated as per the learning requirements of kids which become clearer after every assessment. Cairney opines (Cairney, 1995:161) that completely pre-planned programme is restrictive because If one adopts an approach to teaching that consists of a cycle of planning, teaching, assessment and evaluation and reflection then one must be open to changes to the teaching programme and be prepared to make constant adjustments to meet the changing need of learners. Every step / phase of this cycle governs the other steps. Planning This phase is the most important one as it gives you the way to walk on. Although Cairney stresses (Cairney, 1995:161) that there is no best format for planning or programming, and hence teachers should develop their own style that suits their needs. So every teacher needs to develop his / her own way of planning keeping some key

Discussion questions1-4 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Discussion questions1-4 - Essay Example Furthermore, piracy would increase since there would be no legal option to downloading digital files. Moreover, DRM is not only beneficial to the publishers, but also to the creators of the digital content since it is responsible for keeping the contents safe. The factor that is more important for the protection of digital intellectual property between strict copyright laws and technology-based protections is the latter. This is because in the contemporary society, technology has recorded various advancements that make enforcements of traditional copyright-dependent business models impossible. As a result, in bid to fight the battle against the inevitable technological advancements, the strict copyright enforcers have used various tactics. However, these tactics, which include attacking the doctrine of fair use, expanding the reach of copyright law and abuse of patent law, have resulted in the products being the most pirated. Hence, to correct this problem, the technology-based protection involves anti-piracy protection measures that make it more secure, sensible and effective than the strict copyright laws (Schlachter, 1997). While selecting the system modeling design, there are various reasons that make system developers opt for use-case modeling. For instance, use case modeling helps manage complexity by allowing the developers focus on one specific usage aspect at a time. Additionally, the use case modeling method provides basic foundation for the test cases, requirements documents, and the user manual. As a result, it encourages the designers to visualize the final outcomes before even attempting to specify them. The biggest challenge to the successful use of use-case modeling is that in using this method, the developers do not address usefulness and usability of the system. Additionally, despite the fact that quality issues are often crucial, the design method does not provide systematic way of handling

Case Brief Essay Example for Free

Case Brief Essay Mr. David R. Bullock filed an appeal from his convictions for attempted statutory rape, and attempted sexual exploitation of a minor. David R. Bullock put himself in numerous conversations via email and chat rooms with a Newton County Deputy Sheriff who was conducting a sting operation against pedophiles. The Deputy took on a persona of a thirteen year old female by the name of â€Å"Ashley Anne†. Many of the conversations that took place between Mr. Bullock and â€Å"Ashley† were of a sexual nature. During conversations between Mr. Bullock and â€Å"Ashley†, he discussed how he would like to engage in certain acts (sexual) with her and her friends (girls of younger age) and how he would like to video those acts. He informed â€Å"Ashley† that the conversations about meeting with her and her friends should not be discussed because it was not legal for them to meet. Eventually a meeting was scheduled for a time and a place to meet and specific instructions were given to â€Å"Ashley† on how the meeting should take place. â€Å"Ashley† was told that upon her arrival to the specified location, she should meet Mr. Bullock in a specific area of that location. History On October 18, 2002, Mr. Bullock and the decoy â€Å"Ashley† were present at the specified location, along with computer and video equipment in his vehicle, which ultimately leads to the arrest of Mr. Bullock. At the time of the arrest, Mr. Bullock did not deny having conversations with â€Å"Ashley† but explained that if she would arrive, he just wanted her to be counseled by the authorities on the dangers of meeting strangers on the internet. Mr. Bullock argues that his case is a case of entrapment and that he took no â€Å"substantial steps† towards committing the crimes he has been charged with. Issue: The sufficiency of the evidence is challenged and Appellant claims an entrapment defense for the reason that he was not predisposed to engage in the charged offenses, we shall set forth in greater detail a series of sordid internet and telephone communications between Appellant and the purported 3 victim than we usually would. Holding First, Appellant does not admit that he committed the crimes for which he was convicted and, second, there is no evidence that Appellant was not predisposed, ready and willing to commit these crimes.   Appellant did not meet his burden of injecting into the case a proper case for entrapment. Rational Appellant tendered four jury instructions alleging the affirmative defense of entrapment.   Appellant cites to the evidence that Ashley induced Appellant to take the â€Å"substantial step† of committing the crimes of statutory rape and sexual exploitation of a minor when he was not otherwise so inclined.   Appellant contends that he was only willing to express his fantasies, which was not a crime he was charged or convicted of, and he was not willing to act upon his fantasies without the inducement by Ashley.   He notes that Ashley initiated the majority of contacts with Appellant; specifically, he claims Ashley initiated seventeen of the nineteen instant messages and four of the eight e-mails between her and Appellant.   Appellant indicated the portions of the conversations where Ashley first proposed that Appellant come to Diamond and persisted in trying to set a firm date; he claims he was reluctant to act on his desires.   Appellants cla im that he would not have committed the charged offenses but for the enticement by Ashley is not supported by the evidence.

Case study: Facial Recognition

Case study: Facial Recognition Facial Recognition is the process where the brain recognizes, understands and interprets the human face (Face Recognition, n.d.). The face is essential for the identification of others and expresses significant social information. The face reveals significant social information, like intention, attentiveness, and communication. Goldstein (1983) (as cited in Chung Thomson, 1995) stated that, The face is the most important visual stimulus in our lives probably from the first few hours after birth, definitely after the first few weeks. The loss of the ability to recognize faces, like those who have prosopagnosia, greatly affects the individuals life. The primary focus of this review is to provide an overview of the development of facial recognition, gender and age differences, facial identity and expression, memory, prosopagnosia, and hemispheric advantages in facial recognition. It is also my intention to review past and contemporary theories of development and understanding of facial recognition. The Birth of Facial Recognition The human face has sparked interest in various disciplines within the arts and sciences for centuries (Darwin, 1872 as cited in Nelson, 2001). This fascination of the human face may reflect the psychological significance of the face and the recognition of other faces. Cognitive psychologists, neuroscientists and developmental psychologists are interested in facial recognition due to evidence that faces are somehow perceived differently than other patterned objects, the ability is controlled by a distinct neural circuit, and that faces provide an early means of communication between infants and caretakers. Regardless of the wide-ranged and continued interest in the subject matter, it still remains unclear how facial recognition becomes specialized, and what neurological systems are involved in the development process (Nelson, 2001). The number of research with faces used as stimuli has increased dramatically over the past decades (Chung Thomson, 1995). This may be a result of a change in the cognitive studies from fragmented verbal materials to more meaningful nonverbal memory. It is also noteworthy that the majority of the research on facial recognition has been focused on infants and adults, giving little attention to the developmental changes during childhood (two through five years of age). Studies of Development Studies in Newborns In the early stages of facial recognition (1960s) there were contrasting results as to whether newborns had any preference towards faces over other patterned stimuli. Over the next few decades of research, the view that newborns are capable of recognizing faces and discriminating between their mothers and unfamiliar faces was supported by researchers (Nelson, 2001). Although the findings that newborns can distinguish between faces and may show preferences, evidence for ability to recognize faces earlier than 1 to 2 months of age is extremely weak and not regularly supported. Newborns possess poor visual acuity, contrast sensitivity, and cannot determine the high spatial frequencies that make up the fine details of faces (de Schonen and Mathivet, 1990; Simion et al., 1998 as cited in Nelson, 2001 ). Another criticism of newborn studies is that they have used schematized stimuli (having eye sockets and opening for a mouth and nose used as a model of a real face), questioning the validi ty of the stimuli used to serve as a real face. In more current literature by Gava, Valenza, Turati and de Schonen (2008), they found evidence that newborns may have the ability to detect and recognize partially occluded faces. They believe their findings highlight the importance the eyes play in newborns facial detection and recognition. Newborns detected faces even if some low-information portions were missing from the face. The only exception was the eyes-once the eyes were removed, detection and recognition of the stimuli was impaired. This is found in both newborns and adults. The findings of the study were in line with Morton and Johnsons structural hypothesis (Gava, Valenza, Turati and de Schonen, 2008) that states, faces are special for newborns because human infants possess a device that contains structural information concerning the visual characteristics of conspecifics-hiding the eyes implies that the typical face pattern (three high contrast blobs in the correct positions of the eyes and the mouth) would be disrupted. There are two hypotheses offered by Gava, Valenza, Turati and de Schonen (2008) explaining how newborns recognize the difference between the non-obstructed and obstructed faces. The first hypothesis states, Newborns might have filled in the partly hidden surface, thus perceiving the obstructed stimulus as connected behind the obstructers, or might have simply perceived only what is immediately visible of the obstructed face. The second hypothesis suggests that newborns might have perceived the similarities between the non-obstructed and the obstructed face, perceiving only what is immediately visible of the obstructed face. The results found do not explain the perceptual operations of the ability of the newborns to detect and recognize occluded faces. Nonetheless, it demonstrates that the degree of salience highly affects the competence of the obstructed information. Both past and present literature shows a difference in opinions when it comes to newborns and facial recognition. In recent literature the main consensus is that newborns can certainly recognize faces, but the perceptual operations of the newborns ability to detect and recognize are still yet unknown. Studies in Infants In 1972, Fagan (as cited in Nelson, 2001) demonstrated that infants around 4 months old have excellent recognition of upright faces in comparison to upside down faces. This finding suggests that infants around the age of 4 months have developed a face schema and view faces as a special class of stimuli (Nelson, 2001). Infants between the ages of 3 to 7 months can identify their mothers from strangers and recognize faces by gender and facial expression. These findings demonstrate the development over the first 6 months in facial recognition, where infants not only identify but also discriminate faces. Carlsson, Lagercrantz, Olson, Printz Bartocci (2008) measured the cortical response in the right fronto-temporal and right occipital areas of healthy 6 to 9 month old children by showing an image of their mothers faces compared to that of an unknown face. A double-channel NIRS (near infrared spectroscopy) device monitored concentration changes of oxygenated hemoglobin and deoxygenated hemoglobin. The mother was asked not to talk to their children during the trials. The children were exposed to four types of visual stimuli: a grey background, a photograph of the mother, a second grey background and a photo of the unknown female face. Eight children (Group A) were presented with a picture of their mother before that of the unknown female face. In Group B, 11 children were presented in the reversed order. Each stimulus lasted a period of 15 seconds. The results showed that Group A (the mother image first) elicited an increase in the right fronto-temporal area, which is statistical different from responses to the unknown image. In Group B, (the unknown females face first) there was an insignificant increase in cortical response in the right fronto-temporal area when shown the unknown female and then spiked when the maternal facial image was presented. The findings in this study show that there was a greater increase in the right fronto-temporal region when the picture of the mother was shown in comparison with the unknown female photo. The effect of this hemoglobin change is most likely due to a discriminatory and recognition process. In addition to the right fronto-temporal region they also illuminated the right occipitotemporal pathway, part of the right prefrontal cortex, the right medial temporal lobe and the right fusiform area. These have been identified as specific target areas involved in face recognition. By looking at the mothers, the facial image is suspected to be an accurate result of the activation in the right occipitotemporal pathway. Difficulties in face recognition among infants born prematurely may be caused by a change or delay in the development of this pathway. The results show that the connectivity between the occipital cortex and the right prefrontal area are present and functional at the age of 6 to 9 months. These findings are extremely valuable to understanding the developmental mechanisms in infant social adaptation. Studies in Children It is highly likely that as we age, ones level of accuracy for facial recognition increases, but the evidence for the underlying processes of age differences is less certain. One of the techniques used was showing inversed pictures of faces to both adults and children. It was found that inversion disproportionately impairs the recognition of faces more so than other objects (Tanaka, Kay, Grinnell, Stansfield Szechter, 1998). Evidence by Carey and Diamond (1977) revealed that children at the ages of 8 and 10 years recognized a face with better accuracy if it was in the upright position in comparison to inverted position, like adults. However, children at age 6 recognized the inverted faces equally as well as the upright faces. These findings led to the hypothesis that children at the age 6 use a featural encoding strategy for processing faces. This is called the encoding switch hypothesis, where children 6 and under encode upright faces according to features such as the nose, mouth a nd eyes, and around the age of about 8 to 10 years, they begin to process faces holistically. In a second experiment when testing their encoding hypothesis, Carey and Diamond (1977) found that 6 year olds were misled more by changes in clothing, hairstyle, eyeglasses and facial expressions than 8 and 10 year olds. These results suggest that children at younger ages process faces according to their parts until they are about the age of 10, where they switch to a holistic approach. Carey and Diamond received criticism by a researcher named Flin, who believed their results were due the level of difficulty used in the task for 6 year olds and that their poor performance might have obscured the possible inversion effects. Flin (1985) (as cited in Tanaka, Kay, Grinnell, Stansfield Szechter, 1998) found that the 6 year olds recognition was below the older age group as an overall. He argued that there is little evidence to support the encoding switch hypothesis when taking age related performance differences into account. In more recent research, Tanaka, Kay, Grinnell, Stansfield Szechter (1998) stated that although face inversions may reveal performance difference, they provide little insight into the cognitive operations attributable to these differences. Tanka reasoned that if upright faces are encoded holistically, the whole-face test item should serve as a better retrieval cue than isolated-part test items, and if inverted faces are encoded only in terms of their parts, there should be no difference in the isolated part and whole face test conditions. Over a series of three experiments, their findings failed to support Carey and Diamonds (1977) predictions of the encoding switch hypothesis. If young children rely on featural information to encode faces, one would expect differences in their parts and whole performances than older children, which were not found. Their results suggest that by the age of 6 years old, children use a holistic approach to facial recognition and that the holistic appro ach remains relatively stable from ages 6 to 10. Recent research by Baenninger (1994) and Carey Diamond (1994) (as cited in Tanaka, Kay, Grinnell, Stansfield Szechter, 1998) also supports the idea that children do not encode faces based on features and then switch to a more configural encoding strategy, but instead encode normal faces holistically from the beginning. In fact, Carey and Diamond (1994) suggest that the Age X Inversion interaction may be attributed to a norm-based coding scheme (relational properties of the face that is encoded relative to the norm face in the population), which may explain experimental factors in changing the absolute levels of holistic processing. The norm-based coding model predicts that as one ages, facial recognition improves, whereas facial recognition should remain constant. The inversion task used by Carey and Diamond (1977, 1994) eliminated capability advantages by blocking norm-based encoding of relational properties, which could attribute to the lack of evidence for the holistic model. Th e single process that configural and featural information are encoded together supports the holistic approach to face recognition (Tanaka, Kay, Grinnell, Stansfield Szechter, 1998). Prosopagnosia A large amount of facial recognition research comes from the assessment of patients with prosopagnosia. Prosopagnosia is [a] visual agnosias that is largely restricted to a face recognition, but leaves intact recognition of personal identity from other identifying cues, such as voices and names (Calder Young, 2005). Regardless of who they are looking at, face recognition can be severely impaired. Patients typically recognize people by paraphernalia (voice or distinct features, such as a mole). Patients often cannot distinguish men from women, but hair length is a good retrieval cue for recognition. Areas related to prosopagnosia have been found the left frontal lobe, bilateral occipital lobes, bilateral parieto-occipital regions, and in the parieto-temporo-occipital junction (Ellis, 1975). It is possible to have several areas of damage for the specific function, but most occur in the right hemisphere. Gloning et al. (1970) (as cited in Ellis, 1975) found it is common for patients to exhibit symptoms of other agnosias. Such as foods looking the same, difficulty identifying animals, and inability to locate themselves in space and time. Some other, typically uncommon defects include visual field defects, constructional apraxia, dyspraxia for dressing, and metamorphosia (Ellis, 1975). The symptoms attributed with identifying faces are described as overall blurring, difficulties in interpreting shades and forms, and the inability to infer emotions in the face. Gloning et al. (1966) (as cited in Ellis, 1975) reports some patients have the most difficulty with the eye regions and others found the eyes the easiest to recognize. Regardless of the symptoms, an interesting aspect of prosopagnosia is that patients can always detect a face, but are unable to recognize it. This suggests that there is a two-part process in facial recognition. First, faces are detected, and then undergo further analysis where information such as age and sex are analyzed and compared in long-term memory. In comparing left posterior hemisphere to the right posterior hemisphere, Yin (1970) (as cited in Ellis, 1975) found that those with damage on the right side were poorer at face memory tasks than those with left side damage. They found that visual categories may all be difficult to recognize because they all have a high degree of inter-item similarity. De Renzi Spinnler (1966) (as cited in Young, 2001) found similar evidence, showing that patients with right-hemisphere damage were worse at recognizing faces, and other abstract figures than those with left hemisphere damage. These significant findings led them to believe that those with right-hemisphere damage are limited in high level integration of visual data. It also led to the hypothesis that prosopagnosia patients have lost the ability to recognize the individual members of categories with items of similar appearance (Young, 2001). The finding of covert recognition (Bauer, 1984 as cited in Ellis, Lewis, Moselhy Young, 2000) helped the cases of prosopagnosia as a domain-specific impairment of facial memory, showing parallels to priming effects. Bauer tested his patient LF by measuring his skin conductance while he viewed a familiar face and listened to a list of five names. Skin conductance was shown to be greater when the name belonged to the face LF was looking at. However, when asked to choose the correct name of the face, LF was unable to do so. These results showed a significant difference between the inability to overtly identify the face and the higher levels of skin conductance in the covert recognition. Bauer believed that there were two routes in the recognition of faces that both began in the visual cortex and ends in the limbic system, but each taking a different pathway (Bauer, 1984 as cited in Ellis, Lewis, Moselhy Young, 2000). Although Bauers neurological hypothesis was dismissed shortly after, his psychological hypothesis of a separation between overt recognition and orienting responses has been generally accepted (Ellis, Lewis, Moselhy Young, 2000). Models of Facial Recognition Bruce Young Functional Model Bruce and Young (1986) have proposed a functional model suggesting that the structural codes for faces are stored in memory and then connected with the identity and name of the matching face. The model mainly supports how individuals recognize familiar faces. This is one of the better models for face recognition. Their model is outlined in a box and arrow format, where face recognition is completed in stages. In the first stage, structural encoding, individuals encode visual information from a face into information that can be used by the other stages of the face recognition system. Within the structural encoding are two separate processes, view-centred description, and expression-independent descriptions. These two are in a serial position where expression-independent descriptions take input information from the view-centred descriptions process. These allow for identification of facial features when viewed from various angles. The next few stages are part of a series of parallel processes after the structural encoding stage. The expression analysis stage takes its input from the view-centred descriptions processes, allowing facial expression to be analyzed. The next stage is facial speech analysis. The last branch is directed visual processing, which targets more general facial processing such as distinguishing between faces. These sets of parallel processes take input from both structural encoding processes. All of these four links of parallel face processing feed into the general cognitive system, where all are bidirectional links receiving some input back from the cognitive system (Bruce Young, 1986). The last three stages of Bruce and Youngs (1986) model are the recognition, identification and naming stages. The recognition stage involves face recognition units, also known as FRUs. They are individual nodes associated with familiar faces. When facial features are detected, nodes are activated and fed into the FRU system. Whichever node reaches the threshold activation level is the one that corresponds to the face being observed, and is then recognized. The face recognition units interact with person identity nodes, also known as PINs. PINs and FRUs bidirectionally share input information, with a two-way interaction. Activation of the PIN for a person can create some activation in the FRU, allowing recognition time for the face to be faster. Last is the name generation process. Both the PINs and name retrieval interact with the cognitive system. However, only the PINs have a two-way interaction, whereas name retrieval process solely sends input information to the cognitive system. IAC Model Burton, Bruce and Johnstons (1990) adaptation of McClellands Interactive Activation and Competition model of concept learning is an extremely basic form of a connectionist model, consisting from pools of simple processing units. The goal of the model is to explain repetitive priming, associative priming, distinctiveness and face naming. All of the units within a pool inhibit each other. There are excitatory links connecting individual units across different pools, where activation passes between these links (all links are bidirectional). Each FRU is paired to a known face and any form of recognition will activate the appropriate FRU. The second level of classification occurs at the Person Identity Nodes (PIN), where one unit is paired to each known person. Familiarity is signaled when any PIN reaches a common activation threshold. This implies that there is one decision mechanism used for all person familiarity judgments, regardless if they are faces or other kinds of information. The third level of classification is the pool labeled Semantic Information Units (SIUs), where information about known individuals are coded in the form of a link between the persons PIN and SIU. The fourth level of classification is a pool of units labeled lexical output, which capture the first stage of processes involved in speech and other output modalities. The fifth and final stage is a pool of units labeled WRUs (Word Recognition Units), where code names link directly to a pool of Name Recognition Units (NRUs). Finally, all Word Recognition Units are connected directly to the lexical output units, in which the model contains the elements of a dual route model of reading. The IAC Model is different from the Functional model because FRUs signal face familiarity, pins are modality-free gateways to semantic information, and that the details and spread of activity are more clarified. This model has had success in simulating phenomena such as relative timing of familiarity, repetition, semantic and cross modal semantic priming. Both the Bruce Young (1986) and Burton, Bruce and Johnston (1990) models show how activation levels are used in recognition processes. These two models help us theorize exactly what is happening in the mind as we analyze and recognize facial features and faces as a whole. The main idea of the model is the idea that facial identity and expression are recognized by functionally and neurologically independent systems. These models have started great advances in the research of facial recognition. Memory Load on Facial Recognition Memory in facial recognition has had limited research, which is surprising considering its importance to understanding facial recognition and how it could impact research. Goldstein and Chance (1981) (as cited in Lamont, Williams Podd, 2005) found two critical variables that have received little attention when reviewing laboratory settings: memory load and delay. Memory load is defined as the number of faces shown in the study phase and delay is defined as the delay between study and recognition phase. Researchers have found that increasing age is associated with a decline in facial recognition ability. However, the variables interacting with age are still unknown. Nevertheless, mixed evidence on the question of whether face age has any impact on elderly participants is still debated. Evidence by Shapiro Penrod (1986) (as cited in Lamont, Williams Podd, 2005) reveals that as memory load increases, face recognition performance decreases. Due to the limited research on the subject matter, Podd (1990) wanted to inquire about the possible effects that it has on the field of research for facial recognition. Podd tested subjects in small groups, where they were asked to look carefully at a series of faces that the subjects were asked to identify at a later time. Subject had to discriminate between faces that they had seen previously and those that had yet to be seen in the recognition phase. The results showed that an increase in both memory load and delay correlate to a decrease in recognition accuracy. Podd believes this could be contingent on the fact that increased memory load decreases accuracy by decreasing the portion of targets correctly identified, while delay decreases accuracy by increasing the likelihood that a distractor will be called a target. Depending on how similar the target is from the distractor, there will be fewer attributes to use to differentiate between the targets. In more current literature, Lamont, Williams Podd (2005) have tested both aging effects and memory load on face recognition. They looked at two interacting variables: the age of the target face and memory load. They were curious in finding out if memory load had a greater impact in the elderly than in younger individuals. Another variable they looked at was recognition load, the total number of target and distractor faces seen in the recognition phase. The main objective was to see if they could determine whether the effects of memory load could be teased out from recognition load. In the results they found that, as expected, older age was correlated with a decrease in accuracy of facial recognition. Surprisingly, older people had a decrease in accuracy for younger faces but not in older faces. The results of the study were not consistent with past research, which found that recognition accuracy in the younger groups was higher with younger faces than with older faces. The current study showed the exact opposite results. One possibility of these results is that with increasing age, features of the face fade more quickly. Also, with increasing retention intervals, there is more time for peoples memories of the target to fade, where the least salient feature fades the fastest (Podd, 1990). They believe that the elderly have fewer distinctive facial features available in memory to make the judgment, meaning an increase in judgment time. It is also noteworthy to say these findings are consistent with Podds earlier work, (1990) showing that increased memory load is associated with a reliable decrease in performance in recognition accuracy. The findings show that recognition load produced the decrease, which is independent of age. Another important finding is that recognition load is the true source of the association between increased memory load and decreased face recognition. Lamont, Williams Podd (2005) state that, [f]ew studies dealing with memory load have taken account of this potential confound, and our results challenges the interpretation of all such research. Crook Larrabee (1992) (as cited in Lamont, Williams Podd, 2005) suggest that the present studies implications are of considerable value to future research, since some authors do not report age of their target faces. Therefore, the results are crucial for proper interpretation of facial recognition research. Sex Differences Hemispheric Advantages in Facial Processing Extensive research has been completed on facial recognitions hemispheric advantages. Unfortunately, little has been concluded due to contradicting evidence. Patterson and Bradshaw (1975) (as cited in Turkewitz Ross, 1984) found that when drawings of faces varied by only one feature, participants showed an advantage in the left hemisphere; however, when all features varied, there was an advantage in the right hemisphere. Prior studies have shown that advantages in both hemispheres are contingent on the conditions being used, which produces different results. Even when the conditions are held constant, conflicting results emerge, resulting in individuals showing both right and left hemisphere advantages. Ross and Turkewitz (1981) (as cited in Turkewitz and Ross, 1984) found hemispheric advantages were associated with the nature of the information process strategy being used by the participant. Those with a right-hemisphere advantage showed signs of decline when inversion of faces was being tested, whereas those with left hemisphere advantages showed a decline while omission of selected facial features were tested. They suggest that these results show that those with a right-hemisphere advantage recognize faces based on gestalt qualities (whole) and those with left hemisphere recognize faces based on a more individual and distinctive features. Turkewitz and Ross (1984) were interested in researching age-related changes in hemispheric advantages in recognition of presented faces and determining whether a dual-mode of right hemisphere processing exists and if it associates with differences of age and gender. The participants were students ages 8, 11 and 13 years old. Participants were seated in a chair in front of a screen, where facial stimuli were presented. The objective was to point to the face presented in the response sheet for each trial. The data found suggest that there are age- and gender-related differences in the nature of hemispheric advantages shown when confronted with the task of identifying unfamiliar faces. The findings also support the hypothesis of processing stages, where different hemispheric advantages are associated with the stages. Both adults and older girls exhibited a right-hemisphere advantage, suggesting an age-related shift, responding to the undifferentiated and global characteristics of the faces. Younger girls showed no advantage which suggests they use right and left hemisphere strategies equally well. This suggests that girls are using more advanced and integrated right hemisphere modes of functioning, which tends to be more effective when engaging in facial recognition. Everhart, Shucard, Quatrin Shucard (2001) tested 35 prepubertal children in facial recognition and facial affect processing. They were trying to find similar results to those found in the previous literature stating that males show higher levels of activation in the right hemisphere, where females tend to show higher levels in the left. They were also looking to see if this change developed before puberty, similar to those of adults, and to see if gender-related differences would be present in cortical processing during the performance of face recognition. Auditory probes were used to gather ERPs during a Facial Recognition Memory task. They used a facial identification task to gather data on matching and recognition of facial affect, reaction time and accuracy. Their results showed that boys show greater levels of ERP amplitude in the right hemisphere, where girls showed greater levels of activation in the left hemisphere. The findings also showed that boys might process faces at a global level, which is in the right hemisphere, and girls might process faces at a more local level, in the left hemisphere. This study states that its findings have potential clinical implications. Due to the finding that boys use more resources in their right hemisphere and girls use more in their left, then sex related differences will be evident following lesions to the right hemisphere, suggesting that males may be more at risk to have prosopagnosia. Conclusion Facial recognition has interested humans for centuries. Although all evidence out there on the subject matter is useful and important, I selected the findings I believe to be the most important. Based on the research in the development of facial recognition we can conclude that, humans, from newborn age through adulthood, can identify faces. By the age of 6 months, people can discriminate between faces. It has also been found that children do not encode faces based on features and then switch to a more configural model, but rather encode faces on a more holistic level. Other aspects looked at were prosopagnosia and different models of face recognition. Some of the most important research on facial recognition comes from comparing prosopagnosia patients to normal adults. The last two topics examined in this review were memory load and hemispheric advantages. Both help us understand where we process facial information and also how our memory works to store faces. The location of facial recognition has been narrowed down to specific areas of the brain and pathways, further research must be done to get a better idea

Tone and Irony in Oedipus Rex :: essays research papers

Besides for being an entertaining play, Oedipus Rex, is also an incredibly in-depth and insightful piece of literature. Sophocles does an outstanding job of bringing the play to another level, making the reader delve deep into the. Sophocles uses literary devices such as irony and tone to enhance the story. Tone and irony are constant throughout the play, and used well to develop the characters. From the beginning we know a lot about Oedipus, mostly from previous knowledge in previous plays. It is known that he was a hero and the leader of many people. In this novel it is clear from an early point that the city is once again in trouble and Oedipus’s help is again required. At first he seems very honest and sincere about helping his people but as time goes on we see a different side of Oedipus. When Teiresias first meets Oedipus is a perfect example. At the beginning of their encounter Oedipus seems to be more concerned with his people and fixing the plague, but as soon as Teiresias brings up the notion that Oedipus has anything to do with it he immediately becomes very defensive and aggravated. We quickly learn that Oedipus is more concerned with himself than with his people. After the discussion with Teiresias, Oedipus plays the murder off on his friend, Creon. This is another example of Oedipus being more concerned with himself than the people around him. Oedipus of ten questions his past or other people about his past. He is unsure about himself and often seems troubled and short tempered. Tone is a huge part of the play and especially Oedipus. Another literary device used in the play is Irony. In Oedipus Rex, dramatic irony is often present in Oedipus’ long speeches. Oedipus constantly sees things incorrectly, and is in denial that he has, in fact, killed his father and married his mother. This is first apparent when he demands the death of the man who killed Laius. Oedipus calls the man who did this an evil murder. Oedipus assumes that, as he became a citizen of Thebes after the murder, though he did kill someone, he is ruled out Laius. In another speech, Oedipus accuses Creon of setting him up in order to get the throne, by framing him as the murderer. At this point, Oedipus proves that he has no feelings for his friends and it shows his true colors.

Humorous Wedding Roast by a Friend of the Groom Essay -- Wedding Toast

Humorous Wedding Roast by a Friend of the Groom Good evening Ladies and Gentlemen – I'd like to start by saying that what a genuine honor it is to be part of Norman's wedding. I appreciate that I am just one of many equally suitable close friends that he could well have chosen. But I know he looks upon me as the older brother he never had, and I look on him as the younger brother I never wanted. So here I stand with this great opportunity to reveal to all, Norman’s past misdemeanors. So I could trot out the usual stories; like when he woke up in a football field wearing a red thong and swimming goggles. But instead, I’ve decided to use this time to talk of Norman’s achievements, so you needn’t worry, we’re almost at the end of the speech. Without doubt his greatest achievement is marrying Janet, who looks absolutely stunning today. You’ve done extremely well Norman, you’ve f...

Knowledge Discovery in Databases: An Overview Essay -- Data Mining

Knowledge Discovery in Databases: An Overview Abstract In the past, the term Data Mining was, and still is, used to designate the activity of pulling useful information from databases. Now, this term is recognized to apply but to one activity in a very large process to extract knowledge from opaque databases. The overall process is known as Knowledge Discovery in Databases, (KDD). This process is comprised of many subprocesses which when linked together provide a firm foundation for knowledge acquisition from large databases. Many tools, techniques, and disciplines come together under the umbrella of KDD. Introduction Today, the topic of data mining has much interest in government, business, and research circles. With the growth of computer use within these areas has also come a greater desire to let the computers do the work that used to be done by humans. The problem, nowadays, is that the data that needs to be analyzed has become too large and cumbersome for one person or even teams of people to envision tackling without help from computers. These computers are no longer mere crunchers of numbers but now they find the patterns that the humans used to find. From this growth has arisen a vast body of knowledge concerned with this process of data analysis. As with much other information, the Internet is employed to make available the ever-growing body of information on this topic. Many general sources of information [a,b,c] are now online. These are updated and expanded upon almost a constant basis. The use of the Internet to disseminate and collect information is itself a consideration in this fi eld. The amount of information is expanding at such a rate that old methods of information disposal, such as paper journals and b... ...11) R. Lippman, "An Introduction to Computing with Neural Networks", IEEE ASSP Magazine: 4:2 (1987), pp.4-22. 12) C. Murphy, G. Koehler & H. Fogler, "Artifical Stupidity", The Journal of Portfolio Management: 23:2 (Winter 1997) pp.24-29. 13) J. Quinlan, "Induction of Decision Trees", Machine Learning: 1:1 (1986), pp.81-106. Hyperlinks a) http://www.cs.bham.ac.uk/~anp/TheDataMine.html b) http://www.gmd.de/ml-archive c) http://info.gte.com/~kdd/ d) http://info.gte.com/~kdd/corporate.html e) http://info.gte.com/~kdd/datasets.html f) http://info.gte.com/~kdd/siftware.html g) http://www.almaden.ibm.com/stss/ h) http://www.research.microsoft.com/research/datamine/ i) http://www-aig.jpl.nasa.gov/kdd95/ j) http://www-aig.jpl.nasa.gov/kdd96/ k) http://www.neuronet.ph.kcl.ac.uk/ l) http://www.ics.uci.edu/AI/ML/Machine-Learning.html

Archaeology Essays – Archaeological Excavation

Can archeological digging of sites non under immediate menace of development or eroding be justified morally? Explore the pros and cons of research ( as opposed to deliver and salve ) digging and non-destructive archeological research methods utilizing specific illustrations.Many people believe that archeology and archeologists are chiefly concerned with digging – with delving sites. This may be the common public image of archeology, as frequently portrayed on telecasting, although Rahtz ( 1991, 65-86 ) has made clear that archaeologists in fact do many things besides excavate. Drewett ( 1999, 76 ) goes farther, noticing that ‘it must ne'er be assumed that digging is an indispensable portion of any archeological fieldwork’ . Excavation itself is a dearly-won and destructive research tool, destructing the object of its research forever ( Renfrew and Bahn 1996, 100 ) . Of the present twenty-four hours it has been noted that instead than wanting to delve every site t hey know about, the bulk of archeologists work within a preservation moral principle that has grown up in the past few decennaries ( Carmichaelet Al. 2003, 41 ) . Given the displacement to excavation taking topographic point largely in a deliverance or salvage context where the archeology would otherwise face devastation and the inherently destructive nature of digging, it has become appropriate to inquire whether research digging can be morally justified. This essay will seek to reply that inquiry in the affirmatory and besides explore the pros and cons of research digging and non-destructive archeological research methods. If the moral justification of research digging is questionable in comparing to the digging of threatened sites, it would look that what makes deliverance digging morally acceptable is the fact that the site would be lost to human cognition if it was non investigated. It seems clear from this, and seems widely accepted that digging itself is a utile fact-finding technique. Renfrew and Bahn ( 1996, 97 ) suggest that digging ‘retains its cardinal function in fieldwork because it yields the most dependable grounds archeologists are interested in’ . Carmichaelet Al. ( 2003, 32 ) note that ‘excavation is the agencies by which we entree the past’ and that it is the most basic, specifying facet of archeology. As mentioned above, digging is a dearly-won and destructive procedure that destroys the object of its survey. Bearing this in head, it seems that it is possibly the context in which digging is used that has a bearing on whether or non it is morally justifiable. If the archeology is bound to be destroyed through eroding or development so its devastation through digging is vindicated since much informations that would otherwise be lost will be created ( Drewett 1999, 76 ) . If rescue digging is justifiable on the evidences that it prevents entire loss in footings of the possible informations, does this mean that research digging is non morally justifiable because it is non merely ‘making the best usage of archeological sites that must be consumed’ ( Carmichaelet Al. 2003, 34 ) ? Many would differ. Critics of research digging may indicate out that the archeology itself is a finite resource that must be preserved wherever possible for the hereafter. The devastation of archeological grounds through unneeded ( ie non-emergency ) digging denies the chance of research or enjoyment to future coevalss to whom we may owe a tutelary responsibility of attention ( Rahtz 1991, 139 ) . Even during the most responsible diggings where detailed records are made, 100 % recording of a site is non possible, doing any non-essential digging about a willful devastation of grounds. These unfavorable judgments are non entirely valid though, and surely the latter ho lds true during any digging, non merely research diggings, and certainly during a research undertaking there is likely to be more clip available for a full recording attempt than during the statutory entree period of a deliverance undertaking. It is besides debateable whether archeology is a finite resource, since ‘new’ archeology is created all the clip. It seems ineluctable though, that single sites are alone and can endure devastation but although it is more hard and possibly unwanted to deny that we have some duty to continue this archeology for future coevalss, is it non besides the instance that the present coevalss are entitled to do responsible usage of it, if non to destruct it? Research digging, best directed at replying potentially of import research inquiries, can be done on a partial or selective footing, without upseting or destructing a whole site, therefore go forthing countries for later research workers to look into ( Carmichaelet Al. 2003, 41 ) . Furt hermore, this can and should be done in concurrence with non-invasive techniques such as aerial picture taking, land, geophysical and chemical study ( Drewett 1999, 76 ) . Continued research digging besides allows the pattern and development of new techniques, without which such accomplishments would be lost, forestalling future digging technique from being improved. An first-class illustration of the benefits of a combination of research digging and non-destructive archeological techniques is the work that has been done, despite expostulations, at the Anglo-saxon graveyard at Sutton Hoo, in eastern England ( Rahtz 1991 136-47 ; Renfrew and Bahn 1996, 98-99 ) . Excavation originally took topographic point on the site in 1938-39 uncovering many hoarded wealths and the feeling in sand of a wooden ship used for a burial, though the organic structure was non found. The focal point of these runs and those of the sixtiess were traditional in their attack, being concerned with the gap of burial hills, their contents, dating and placing historical connexions such as the individuality of the residents. In the 1980s a new run with different purposes was undertaken, directed by Martin Carver. Rather than get downing and stoping with digging, a regional study was carried out over an country of some 14ha, assisting to put the site in its local context. Electr onic distance measurement was used to make a topographical contour map prior to other work. A grass expert examined the assortment of grass species on-site and identified the places of some 200 holes dug into the site. Other environmental surveies examined beetles, pollen and snails. In add-on, a phosphate study, declarative mood of likely countries of human business, corresponded with consequences of the surface study. Other non-destructive tools were used such as metal sensors, used to map modern trash. A proton gaussmeter, fluxgate gradiometer and dirt electric resistance were all used on a little portion of the site to the E, which was subsequently excavated. Of those techniques, electric resistance proved the most enlightening, uncovering a modern ditch and a dual palisade, every bit good as some other characteristics ( see comparative illustrations in Renfrew and Bahn 1996, 99 ) . Excavation subsequently revealed characteristics that had non been remotely detected. Electric re sistance has since been used on the country of the hills while soil-sounding radio detection and ranging, which penetrates deeper than electric resistance, is being used on the hills themselves. At Sutton Hoo, the techniques of geophysical study are seen to run as a complement to digging, non simply a preliminary nor yet a replacing. By trialling such techniques in concurrence with digging, their effectivity can be gauged and new and more effectual techniques developed. The consequences at Sutton Hoo suggest that research digging and non-destructive methods of archeological research remain morally justifiable. However, merely because such techniques can be applied expeditiously does non intend that digging should be the precedence nor that all sites should be excavated, but such a scenario has ne'er been a likely one due to the usual restraints such as support. Besides, it has been noted above that there is already a tendency towards preservation. Continued research digging at celebrated sites such as Sutton Hoo, as Rahtz notes ( 1991, 140-41 ) , is justified since it serves professedly to develop archeological pattern itself ; the physical remains, or forms in the landscape can be and are restored to their former visual aspect with the fillip of being better understood, more educational and interesting ; such alien and particular sites capture the imaginativeness of the populace and the media and raise the profile of archeology as a whole. There are other sites that could turn out every bit good illustrations of morally justifiable long term research archeology, such as Wharram Percy ( fo r which see Rahtz 1991, 148-57 ) . Progressing from a straightforward digging in 1950, with the purpose of demoing that the earthworks represented mediaeval edifices, the site grew to stand for much more in clip, infinite and complexness. Techniques used expanded from digging to include study techniques and aerial picture taking to put the small town into a local context. In decision, it can be seen that while digging is destructive, there is a morally justifiable topographic point for research archeology and non-destructive archeological techniques: digging should non be reduced merely to deliver fortunes. Research digging undertakings, such as Sutton Hoo, have provided many positive facets to the development of archeology and cognition of the past. While digging should non be undertaken lightly, and non-destructive techniques should be employed in the first topographic point, it is clear that every bit yet they can non replace digging in footings of the sum and types of informations provided. Non-destructive techniques such as environmental sampling and electric resistance study have, provided important complementary informations to that which digging provides and both should be employed. BibliographyCarmichael, D.L. , Lafferty III, R.H. and Molyneaux, B.L. 2003.Excavation.Walnut Creek and Oxford: Altamira Press.Drewett, P.L. 1999.Field Archaeology: An Introduction. London: UCL Press.Rahtz, P. 1991.Invitation to Archaeology. 2nd edition. Oxford: Blackwell.Renfrew, C. and Bahn, P.1996.Archeology: Theories, Methods and Practice. 2nd edition. London: Thames & A ; Hudson.

How To Write A Good Book Critique: Steps And Suggestions Essay

A book critique is a description, critical analysis, and an evaluation on the quality, meaning, and significance of a book, not a book report, retelling, or a summary, It should (1) focus on the book’s purpose, content, and authority, (2) include the reviewer’s reaction on the strengths and weaknesses of the theories, concepts, and content presented, (3) evaluate how well (in the opinion of the reviewer) the author has succeeded, and (4) present evidence to support this evaluation. Step 1: The first, and most important, – Read the book. Suggestion 1: When you read a book (for its educational value), take notes about it and formulate your thoughts as you go along. (You should be able to write most of your critique without looking back at the book. If you continually are paging through the book as you write, the result is likely to be a string of paraphrases taken from the book, rather than your own evaluation.) Suggestion 2: While reading the book don’t be afraid to consult outside resources (dictionary, the book’s cited references, etc.) for confirmation and/or clarification. Include these findings in your notes. Suggestion 3: Keep in mind that your assignment is to write a 4-page (max) BOOK CRITIQUE, a summary and analysis (not a review) of a particular book’s (author or authors) perspective on a selected topic, not a 20-page paper on the topic. Step 2: To begin writing your critique, start with a centered title in 14 pt New Times Roman Bold, followed by your name in 12 pt New Times Roman standard (not Bold). As an example: Summary and Critique of (main title of the book you read) Submitted by (your name) Step 3: Using the following format, identify the book you read. Author & Author. (year of publication). Complete title of book in italics. City of publication: Publisher’s name. Number of pages. As an example: Marvin E. Lusts. (1997). How to Be Great: Getting Ahead in a Humble Way. New York: Deficient Press, 1997. xvii, 234 pp. Step 4: Write the introductory paragraph (or two). Without using a heading, provide a contextual background (such as for whom the book is intended; what we know about the author; the â€Å"school of thought† represented by this author or work), a statement of the purpose of the book (what the author or editor is trying to accomplish), and the scope of the book (how much ground the author is trying to cover) – you must judge what background information will be helpful and/or necessary for understanding the nature/uniqueness of the book. Step 5: Following a left-aligned, 12 pt Bold New Times Roman heading Overview, write your summary of the book. Your summary should consist of a short, succinct â€Å"overview† of the contents (as opposed to a play-by-play summary of the book), identification of the main thesis or theses, a recap of the supporting argument/logic/rationale, description of the author’s assumptions, and note-worthy statements/wordings/quotations from the book. Suggestion 4: Don’t plagiarize from the publisher’s, reviewer’s, or book seller’s reviews/summaries. They are trying to promote the book, you want to objectively describe the content. Suggestion 5: When you quote from the book that you are discussing, put the page number in parentheses at the end of the sentence. As an example: The author concludes that â€Å"size does matter, as all the truly great leaders were exceptionally short people† (p. 79). Step 6: Following a left-aligned, 12 pt Bold New Times Roman heading Analysis and Reaction, write your analysis and reaction. For your analysis, objectively evaluate the book for relevance and importance to the selected topic; accuracy, thoroughness, and usefulness, and the author’s objectivity (is the book based on research or personal opinion?) Show whether the author’s main arguments are logically rational (based on testable, factual evidence), logically irrational (based on un-testable espoused theory and rhetoric), or illogical (based on emotional opinion). Comment on parts of particular interest, and point out anything that seems to give the book literary merit. Additionally, relate the book to larger issues. Identify specific issues the book raises and the possibilities the book suggests to you? Suggestion 6: Be careful not to criticize an author just because he/she did not write the book that you would have wanted, or because their position is based on a belief that is diametrically opposed to your personal beliefs (for example, the author belongs to one political party and you belong to another). Only judge a book according to the author’s stated (or blatantly implied) intentions. For your reaction to the book, respond to the author’s arguments/opinions. What do you agree or disagree with, and why. What specific points are not convincing, and what has the author omitted or what problems were left unsolved. Support your argument for or against the author’s opinions with evidence (research findings or by bringing in other authors you agree with). Suggestion 7: When you quote or introduce supporting evidence from other books/authors identify the source by putting the author’s last name, year, and page number in parentheses at the end of the sentence. As an example: However, the research has clearly shown that there is no correlation between genetics and leadership effectiveness (Sommebodi, 2001, p. 79). Step 7: Following a left-aligned, 12 pt Bold New Times Roman heading Summary write a summary paragraph (or two). Close with a comment on the overall significance of this work (is it a valuable piece, a useful piece with some minor problems, or a waste of the trees), briefly restate your main points, and comment on whether or not you would recommend this book to others, and why.

Do video games contribute to teen violence? Essay

Two teens in black leather coats waited with their vehicles near the west entrance of Columbine High School. The teens, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold , headed toward the school. Armed with four guns, several knives and dozens of home-made explosives, they launched their assault, injuring several students and killing two before entering the building. The school shooting that took place on April 20, 1999, was evidently a very devastating and emotional day, but what many fail to comprehend is what led these two students to such drastic measures. After various studies, and concrete evidence, a rational explanation may be that these two killers were fanatical players of violent video games. Unfortunately, the destructive impact violent media has on today’s youth doesn’t end there. Violent video games have been known to cause aggression in players, increased reports of bullying, violence and ruins the virtuous morals instilled in today’s generation. Studies support that there is a strong link between violent video games and aggressive conduct. Many children that take part in playing violent games often report feelings of aggression and violence. According to the Michigan Youth Violence Prevention Center, â€Å"It is intuitive that young kids who play violent video games, compared to young kids who do not play violent video games, will be more aggressive in certain real-life situations. † In other words, children who play violent video games tend to see the world from a hostile perspective, triggering them to be verbally as well as physically aggressive. This is obvious considering the fact that violent video games portray violent behaviors and suggestive material. Procon states, â€Å"A 2009 study found that it takes up to four minutes for the level of aggressive thoughts and feelings in children to return to normal after playing violent video games†. These four minutes of aggression is enough to compose violent thoughts in children. Exposing our adolescents or even our general population to these sorts of behaviors can lead to serious and possibly fatal consequences, for instance bullying and school shootings. Violent media can be very influential and unhealthy exposure may result in disastrous consequences, such as bullying. Though it may seem extreme, studies reveal that after just 10 minutes of violent video games the mind becomes desensitized to the fact that you’re killing someone, and according to psychologist Michele Borba, it can also result in less empathy towards others . Adolescents that play violent video games tend to associate pleasure with the ability to cause pain in others(â€Å"Do Violent Video Games Contribute to Youth Violence†). Players can sometimes confuse fantasy with reality and at the very least, their brain finds happiness in the suffering of others, which could possibly lead to bullying. The 2008 study Grand Theft Childhood reported that 60% of middle school boys who played at least one Mature-rated game hit or beat up someone, compared to 39% of boys that did not play Mature-rated games (â€Å"Do Violent Video Games Contribute to Youth Violence†). Young people that bully others often times are also involved in playing violent video games, and the violence portrayed on screen, lead players to violence in real life. Not only do violent games contribute to bullying, scientists also suspect that violent games may play a role in school shootings and other massacres. One of the most extreme, and disturbing effects of violent media is evident in school shootings such as the Newton Elementary Shooting, killing 26 first graders and the Columbine Massacre, killing 13 students. The Hartford Courant has reported that, â€Å"Adam Lanza, Newton Elementary school shooter, spent hours playing graphically violent video games in his basement before the shooting that killed 26 children and faculty at the school and Lanza’s mother at her home. † Obviously, Lanza was influenced by the violence in the video games which then caused him to commit these horrific murders of young, innocent children. According to the Carey Benedict, a journalist for The New York Times, families of the victims of the Columbine shooting sued Sony, SEGA and Capcom for the violent video games the gunmen, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, played. Klebold and Harris were avid players of violent games, The New York Times states, â€Å"They [Klebold and Harris] relied on(†¦) games to express their rage and(†¦) cutting them off in 1998 sent them into crisis. † When the teens lost their priviledges, they went on a violent rampage to express their rage and committed a mass murder, The gruesome images portrayed in games can possibly lead to extreme mental issues and destroy the morals we strive to instill in our youth. Our adolescents today will create an impact on tomorrow but our hopes of a bright future may be marred due to the violent nature of video games. Video games cause a decrease in sensitivity and compassion in adolescents, making them less caring and unsympathetic. The American Psychological Association states, â€Å"playing violent games is also related to children being less willing to be caring and helpful towards their peers. † Video games decrease compassion in kids, and could possibly lead to an insensitive, hostile generation. In addition to reducing sympathetic emotions, video games also allow children to witness foul language, teaching them vulgar words which could influence them to use them in real life (â€Å"The Positive and Negative Effects of Video Games†). Another effect, violent media has on today’s generation are gender inequality. In a majority of video games, women are often portrayed as weaker characters that are helpless or sexually provocative. Procon has stated that, â€Å"A 1998 study found that 21% of games sampled involved violence against women. † Victoria Beck, a professor at University of Wisconsin , states that, Video games showing sexual objectification of women and violence against women resulted in statistically significant increased rape rape-supportive attitudes for male study participants. † This proves that exposure to sexual violence in video games is associated to increases in violence directed at women and fake attitudes about rape such as, women incite men to rape or that women secretly desire rape. This sort of an outlook on women could greatly harm our adolescents and laws of today’s and tomorrow’s society, possibly causing rape and therefore, leading to all sorts of violence. Insensitivity and rape, these are only a few of the critical effects of violent media, but what exactly is the cause of these disasters? It is apparent that playing violent video games has many destructive effects, but the serious psychological effects are often overlooked. Douglas A. Gentile, a psychologist in Handbook of Children, Culture and Violence, states, â€Å"In a series of studies with children adolescents found that video game violence exposure was related to a wide array of aggression. † Video games seemingly cause aggression in people, and extended exposure could put our future in jeopardy. People who played video games obsessively could also become socially withdrawn, like the shooters in the Columbine Massacre. Constant exposure to digital violence could fuel their minds and give them the idea that it’s okay to commit acts of violence. The opposition may claim that, not everyone is affected by the violence presented in some video games, but violent media affects everyone, at least, to some extent. For example, playing video games could be compared to smoking cigarettes. A single cigarette won’t cause lung cancer, but smoking over weeks or months or years greatly increases the risk. In the same way, repeated exposure to violent video games may have a cumulative effect on aggression. Though, only one third of smokers get cancer that does not necessarily mean that smoking is acceptable for the other two thirds of smokers. Similarly, video games may only have an extreme effect on those with mental health issues, but this does not mean that the repeated acts of violence portrayed in these games is suitable for others to observe, in fact, the repeated exposure could have a damaging effect over time.