Week 1 Essays - Psychology, Attitude Change, Mind, Behavior

Week 1: Buzz marketing: messages spread through social networks via word of mouth transmission Inexpensive and Self-perpetuating Reaches younger audiences more effectively Uber influencers: the right people to spread the message Mavens: people with specialized expertise; early adopters; opinion leaders Connectors: people with large social networks who carrier the message (from mavens) Salespeople: charismatic people who sell idea to friends Example :"You MUST see this movie." Persuasion as a science Biologists, Chemists, physicists, etc. are all persuaders Must convince people: The merit of their research The research was designed well and carried out correctly The results are interpreted correctly The merit of their theory over competing theories Persuasion of art Artists convey attitudes through their medium Movies can be used to change attitudes about a topic/bring awareness to something E.g., Black Swan, Inside Out Paintings convey some social conscience Guernica Pablo Picasso Shows victims of bombing in agony Painting made moral statement Interpersonal Influence Persuasion works better face to face because it is less conspicuous. The bait: Your friend calls: "Hey, what are you doing this Friday night?" The nibble: Anticipating an invitation, you say "Nothing much, why?" You're hooked and reeled in: "Well, I wonder if you could help me move into my new apartment then? 4 benefits of studying persuasion Instrumental function :Learn to be more effective persuader (increase communication competence) The knowledge and awareness function Knowledge is power; good to know about persuasive strategies The defensive function: Learn to be a more discerning consumer of persuasive messages The debunking function :Understand incorrect assumptions about how persuasion works. E.g., Subliminal messages aren't persuasive Critique of Persuasion Learning about persuasion fosters manipulation. No, persuasion is ethically neutral. The tool can be used for good or bad. Persuasive functions are too inconsistent. Persuasion should be studied so it is better understood. Some generalizations about persuasion have been uncovered Week 2 Defining Persuasion Pure: clear cut cases of persuasion about which everyone agrees. E.g., presidential debate Borderline: cases that are unclear; not everyone agrees E.g., involuntary bodily responses Decisions must be made about what persuasion includes: 1.)Intentionality: Problems with intentionality: Social modeling and socialization processes = persuasion? Outcomes might not be clearly sought. Persuasion can be spontaneous Unintended receivers Hard to capture intent; stated intent may differ from actual intent Interpersonally, mutual persuasion may occur 2.)Effects: Gass Seiter: persuasion can be ineffective Persuasion as a product versus a processes Persuasion can be happening simultaneously Difficult to assess the extent to which persuasion is effective/ineffective E.g., Vote Hillary because she supports Planned Parenthood 3.)Free will and conscious awareness: Persuasion versus coercion Based on recipient's free will (This implies persuasion cannot occur without conscious awareness) But sometimes people are unconsciously persuaded E.g., Preferring job candidates whose resume is on better paper 4.)Symbolic action: Some people say that persuasion is constrained to symbolic action (language, or other acts that are "meaning-laden"). This limits the channel through which persuasion can occur; thus not all communication is persuasion 5.)Interpersonal vs. intrapersonal: Some people: It takes two (+)for persuasion to occur Sometimes persuasion is unintentional Effects may not be discernible People don't always know persuasion is occurring Sometimes persuasion has coercive features Persuasion isn't limited to symbols People can self-persuade Persuasion as a process: Context determines nature of persuasion E.g., face-to-face is two-way, advertising is one-way Synchronous vs. asynchronous Ratio of verbal vs. nonverbal cues in message Which medium is used Goals of message: Self-presentational, relational, instrumental Sociocultural factors: different cultures may influence how a person is best persuade Persuasion- one or more persons who are engaged in the activity of creating, reinforcing, modifying, or extinguishing beliefs, attitudes, intentions, and/or behaviors within the constraints of a given communication context Elaboration likelihood model of persuasion: Two basic routes to persuasion: Central route (central processing): when people think critically about the message and it's content (cognitive elaboration) Peripheral route (peripheral processing): when people consider cues that aren't directly related to the message E.g., focusing on how cute the message sender is ELM posits that central and peripheral processing are the opposite ends of an elaboration continuum; though parallel processing can occur Central processing end = high elaboration; peripheral processing end = low/no elaboration Factors that impact processing route Motivation impacts whether central or peripheral processing is used Topic involvement can impact motivation; high versus low Ability Other variables such as personality traits (E.g., need for cognition) HSM: Two different processing routes: Systematic processing: thoughtful, deliberate processing (similar to central processing) Heuristic processing: relies on decision rules or heuristic cues to simplify the thought process. Simultaneous processing is possible Factors that impact processing: Motivation and Ability Sufficiency principle: People spend as much time and energy into decision-making as a decision requires ElM vs. HSM: Central=systematic Peripheral is broader than heuristic Peripheral includes cognitive, affective, and other responses that lead to simple decision-making Heuristic

Optical Illusions essays

Optical Illusions essays The question What is an illusion? is one that, at first glance, is strikingly simple to answer. Yet, it has eluded many a psychologist until the latter half of the twentieth century, when the workings of our psyche and the processes that underlie it became apparent to those that devoted their lives to the cause of its understanding. Upon further inspection, one realizes that optical illusions are not simply just that they consist of the misinterpretations of sensory stimuli that can be attributed to many reasons, which vary from depth cues to the context within which an image is viewed. Thus, considering the complexity and depth of such a subject matter, it becomes evident and understandable that our quest to understand perceptual illusions has been a long and arduous journey. In order to define the concept of an illusion, an idea central to our discussion, we must refer to the psychological processes of sensation and perception. Let us begin by examining the processes that concern sensation. Our bodies, and for that matter most living things, have special cells called sensory receptors. They can detect light, sound, temperature, pressure, odour, taste, pain, pressure, and balance, among other things. Most of these receptors are on or near the surface of the body such as our eyes, ears, and tongue, but some are internal. Thus, we sometimes classify feelings of pain that are generated from certain regions of the body as those resulting from such elusive, but commonplace, conditions as a toothache or a headache. Each sensory receptor detects its own special form of energy, transduces the aforementioned energy, and transmits a signal to the brain. The reception of the signal in the brain represents sensation. How the brain interprets these signals and makes them meaningful is called perception. Most of the time the interpretation of the received energy is consistent with it. Sometimes, however, our interpretation...

HOW TO IMPROVE SECURITY IN THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION(EXECUTIVE Article

HOW TO IMPROVE SECURITY IN THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION(EXECUTIVE SUMMARY) - Article Example Locks and alarm on doors and windows should be fixed. Children suffering from autism and Alzheimer’s disease should be supplied with tracking devices and ID bracelets for automatic trace of them whenever they leave the school compound. Moreover, family emergency plans should be employed in monitoring of students. A student drowned to death in the presence of a teacher and a supervisor. The death of Avonte led to several questions of how the schools administrations are poor in that they have no full responsibility of students. They should always know the whereabouts of all their students wherever within the compound. In the case of our student, the boy got out through the gate of Long Island City School despite the presence of a security officer. The teachers were around the school, but they find out that the boy was missing. All they claimed was that none had the password for the live cameras a statement that seemed funny indicating how irresponsible the administration was. To worsen the case, his parents had talked with the Paraprofessionals that the boy was suffering from autism information that was not shared. The findings revealed that many schools in NYC have inadequate staff and resources making it impossible to monitor all the students. Insufficient number of special instructors such as school aiders and paraprofessionals’ has contributed to increasing in insecurity in schools. Staff should wear uniforms for identification and distinction between visitors. School doors should always be locked. Parents and staff should have a good association in sharing vital information about the students. The neighbours should be vigilant and report any abnormal issues to the school authority to increase security. Adoption of technology seems to be the only option that could have helped in improving security within the school. The plan is expensive, but it will give long term service. However, it is a one-time

Writing about cultural practices Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Writing about cultural practices - Essay Example Among friends or acquaintances, before parting, they sometimes shake hands as gesture of saying good-bye. For people who have had some misunderstanding, a handshake would mean that everything is ok with them already and that the conflict has been resolved (Kissell , par 6). This social norm of shaking hands has persisted because it is an international norm which is accepted by all races. The handshake has been a mutual sign of goodwill and peace (Haymond , par 1). It is a socially acceptable way of greeting other people in public rather than kissing or hugging. The handshake was believed to have originated as a way of showing that one’s right hand was not carrying any weapon; thus, if two men met and they both show their empty right hands, that means that there exists a level of trust between them (Kissell , par 3). Kissell goes on further to state that the shaking of the hands was supposed to remove any hidden weapon that may be kept in the sleeves. In today’s modern world, the handshake is very difficult to avoid. Some even consider it an insult if the handshake is not accepted (Kissell , par 2). For example, if a person is trying to make amends with another person and he offers his hand and the other person refuses to shake his hand, this would convey the message that one is not accepting the other person’s apology. The norm of shaking hands should be abolished because the world today is exposed to numerous sources of infection and the handshake is one of the most common ways of spreading infection. The handshake makes every person susceptible to be infected (Potty , par 4). Viruses such as AH1N1, Swine flu or Avian flu can easily be transmitted through a hand shake. Although frequent hand washing is always advised, one cannot avoid touching door knobs, grocery carts, elevator buttons, escalator railings, train handrails or money. It has also been a common practice to cover one’s mouth with

Bitcoin and the Silk Road Scandal

Bitcoin and the Silk Road Scandal BITCOIN 1 Introduction Bitcoin is the stage that can really change the way we store cash, the way we utilize cash and our segment plans. For the monetary zone, we can delineate the improvement behind Bitcoin new to us as the PC was the time when it at initially showed up in 1975 and the Web sway upon in 1993. The offer of exchanges with relative riddle is basic cash related impact and goes on changes to the future part structures. Much the same as individuals left the music and highlight recording industry and swung to the free music utilizing YouTube or Napsters interminable on-energy gushing, equivalent individuals again would leave the saving money structure and make utilize free managing a record utilizing Bitcoin or any free-managing a record elective that will rise. Everybody can purchase associations; stock likewise wrongdoers have an approach to manage exchange their pay from unlawful exercises completely quietly. 2 What is Bitcoin? Bitcoin is a sort of bleeding edge exchange for cash which encryption techniques are utilized to manage the time of units of money and insist the exchange. Virtual pooch rency through a P2P system, which is exchanged online and traded into coinage. Precisely when composed with pariah associations, licenses clients to mine, purchase, offer, or perceive bitcoins from wherever on the planet (Eyal Ittay and Weapon Sirer Emin, 2014). The business worth is overseen by the supply of bitcoins available for use and individuals yearning to hold or exchange bitcoins. Bitcoins are not issued by any association, bank, or alliance. Exchanges are made with no banks meddling, so there are no exchange charges. While Bitcoin originators bolster Districts to give direction to the Bitcoin com-munity, they dont have a united database or power. Most other non-greenbacks related exchanges experience a go between, for occurrence, a bank or wire exchange association, which screens colossal budgetary exchange s for IRS shirking danger. 3 How dark is Bitcoin Michael Bedford Taylor exhibits in his study that in dark bitcoin exchanges, just the wallet address id is recorded in an open log, with keeping anonymity of the client exchanges private (Bedford, 2013). Since it never uncovered weak record identifiers, unlawful action is strengthened, similar to government evasion, terrorist financing or other conceivable sick utilization for detestable purposes. Governments are drafting regulations with law essential that will for the most part can track trade information left by the coin and develop the regulation with charges. The framework is at danger to gigantic and developing focal control for the Associations yet virtual coinage believed is in reverse. Bitcoins decentralized security model is indeed secure and the calling money related associations are not unprotected against key issues of bafflement which would oblige oversight and regulation. 4 Bitcoin and overall wrongdoing U.S. law endorsement forces have closed down unlawful business centres’ that coordinate by utilizing bitcoins (UNODC, 2011). The virtual bitcoin coin is not sup-ported by banks or government and can be spread between any two individuals wherever. Everybody can purchase associations and stock besides scallywags have an approach to manage exchange their pay from unlawful exercises completely unobtrusively. Unlawful advancement is bolstered, as IRS shirking, terrorist financing or other conceivable abuse for perniciousness purposes. They direct exchanges without the uneasiness of got from washing controls. There is history of assaults at bitcoins security. In February a tremendous bit-coin trade called Mt Gox, after a trap by engineers; an assignment of 500 million $ made the inspectors and the Bitcoin social affair feel anxious. Additionally, one of the bitcoin banks in Canada close down in spring after programming engineers defalcation of 670,000$ (Millan, 2014). 4.1 FBI: Silk Streets medication market U.S. law approbation forces have closed down Silk Street, the online medication market where cocaine and heroin were trafficked, and got Ross William Ulbricht, the websites proprietor. Correspondingly the Organization Branch of Examination seized about $3.6 million in Bitcoin, made it one of the best confiscatory in the moved coins history (FBI New York Press Office, 2013). Government prosecutors charges against Ulbricht breaker plan to narcotics trafficking connivance, PC hacking premium and IRS evasion plan (United States Lawyer, 2014). 4.2 Bitcoin and the Law IRS will treat bitcoin like property, for occasion, stocks and securities, and not as coin (IRS, 2014). Governments intercession through Branches of Trust, which are drafting regulations, doesnt have all the reserves of being skilled to control all the exchanges expansive. Parliament of Canada grasped the worlds first national law on computerized money related measures recalling the last goal to check all exchanges under national adversarial to obligation shirking law. Generally every single overseeing bodie will take after regulations, for occasion, Canada national law on forefront cash related measures yet dependably some spot on the planet, guilty parties will discover money related things free of any mediation in the e-cash, government-reinforced or all around. 4.3 Bitcoin and Evaluations Bitcoin can be considered cash as it satisfies the segments of cash yet it is suspicious that Bitcoin would go as cash in different nations under the National Money Law. Bitcoin is perfect for some individual who purposefully tries not to pay charge (Friedman Jillian and Neudorfer Joseph, 2014). In any case, for a great various people who report charge re-turns and report their remuneration whether it appears on a Structure, it likely isnt the expense haven some are recommending it is. The IRS will most likely make moves to regularize charge re-porting. Government Commitment Office report says the IRS data to the general open for Bitcoin is inadequate. Individuals must be told that they need to pay charge on Bitcoin exchanges (IRS, 2014). 5 Future of Cash related standards Most cash today are quickly electronic structure (Jung-Wen Lo, Min-Shiang Hwang, Yen-Ping Chu, 2008). The banks arent holding a critical measure of exchange for cash there. The exchange for chilly hard money various records is information, consolidated framework numbers 01. Bank stores are in threat in light of the way that stores wont be considered as cash however paper tries is looked over G20 and will be announced soon (G20, 2014). I cant help envisioning that Bitcoins and whats more all cash will be seen as the same and will be depending from the budgetary status of each Nation. In a steadily impelled world, it profits related and societal sense to permit electronic coinage. A report by Goldman Sachs expected that Bitcoin would oblige banks to fight by chopping down their expenses and streamlining their frameworks (Goldman Sachs Pack, 2014). 6 Conclusion As opposed to developing regulation and attempting to anticipate the best in class time of troublesome progressions, it would over the long haul be impeccable to admire the types of progress and police the reasons of open contact with existing genuine courses of action. Later on any-one will be proficient to control all the exchanges and get hooligans found for cost shirking law encroachment. Virtual coinage will rise and accomplice with budgetary things at long last on a general scale. Unmistakably, monetary establishments cant offer security any more. Generally virtual financial structures philosophy directed into being more secure and everybody will believe them. References Barber Simon, Boyen Xavier, Shi Elaine and Uzun Ersin. (2012). Bitter to Better How to Make Bitcoin a Better Currency. Sixteenth International Conference Financial Cryptography and Data Security 2012. Bonaire: International Financial Cryptography Association. Bedford, M. (2013). Bitcoin and the Age of Bespoke Silicon. CASES 13: Proceedings of the 2013 International Conference on Compilers, Architectures and Synthesis for Embedded Systems. Montreal, QC, Canada: IEEE Press. Bohr Jeremiah and Bashir Masooda . (2014). Who Uses Bitcoin? PST2014 International Conference on Privacy, Security and Trust (PST). Toronto, Canada: IEEE Computer Society. Dorit Ron and Shamir Adi. (2013). Quantitative Analysis of the Full Bitcoin Transaction Graph. Financial Cryptography and Data Security 2013 Seventeenth International Conference. Okinawa, Japan: Department of Computer Science and Applied Mathematics, The Weizmann Institute of Science. Eyal Ittay and Gun Sirer Emin . (2014). Majority is not enough: Bitcoin Mining is Vulnerable. 18th International Conference on Financial Cryptography and Data Security (FC). Barbados: Cornell University Computer science researchers. FBI New York Press Office, S. D. (2013). Manhattan U.S. Attorney Announces Seizure of Additional $28 Million Worth of Bitcoins Belonging to Ross William Ulbricht, Alleged Owner and Operator of â€Å"Silk Road† Website. New York: FBI New York Press Office. Friedman Jillian and Neudorfer Joseph. (2014). Bitcoin and the law. Montrà ©al, Canada: Bitcoin Foundation Canada’s testimonials at the Senate Banking Committee hearings in October 2014. G20, G. F. (2014). G20 Leaders’ Communiquà © Brisbane Summit 15-16 November 2014. G20 Leaders’ Communiquà © Brisbane Summit. Brisbane, Australia: G20. Goldman Sachs Group, I. (2014, 3 11). Goldman Sachs Global Investment Research : All About BitCoin. (I. The Goldman Sachs Group, Ed.) Top of Mind(21). IRS, K. A. (2014). How existing general tax principles apply to transactions using virtual currency. Internal Revenue Service, Income Tax Accounting. Cincinnati, Ohaio: Internal Revenue Bulletin. Jung-Wen Lo, Min-Shiang Hwang, Yen-Ping Chu. (2008). An Exchangeable E-Cash Scheme by E-Mint. Eighth International Conference on Intelligent Systems Design and Applications, ISDA 2008. Kaohsiung, Taiwan: IEEE Computer Society. Kroll A. Joshua, Davey C. Ian, and Felten W. Edward. (2013). The Economics of Bitcoin Mining or, Bitcoin in the Presence of Adversaries. In P. University (Ed.), The Twelfth Workshop on the Economics of Information Security (WEIS 2013). Washington, DC. Millan, L. (2014, June 6). Cryptocurrency! Canadian Lawyer Magazine, 26. Retrieved 11 1, 2014, from http://digital.canadianlawyermag.com/i/318717# Reid F. Harrigan, M. (2011). An Analysis of Anonymity in the Bitcoin System. 2011 IEEE International Conference on Privacy, Security, Risk and Trust and IEEE International Conference on Social Computing. Boston, Massachusetts, USA: IEEE. United States Attorney, P. B. (2014). The Indictment Of Ross Ulbricht, The Creator And Owner Of The â€Å"Silk Road† Website. Retrieved 10 25, 2014, from http://www.justice.gov/usao/nys/pressreleases/February14/RossUlbrichtIndictmentPR.php UNODC, U. N. (2011). Estimating illicit financial flows resulting from drug trafficking and other transnational organized crimes. Vienna, Austria: United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.

Life Without Televisions Essay

When my family’s only television set went to the repair shop the other day, my parents, my sister, and I thought we would have a terrible week. How could we get through the long evenings in such a quiet house? What would it be like without all the shows to keep us company? We soon realized, though, that living without television for a while was a stroke of good fortune. It became easy for each of us to enjoy some activities alone, to complete some postponed chores, and to spend rewarding time with each other and friends. First of all, with no television to compete for our time, we found plenty of hours for personal interests. We all read more that week than we had read during the six months before. For instance, I was able to finish â€Å"The Scarlet Letter†, a novel assigned in my English class. Also my younger sister read 300 pages of the last book of the â€Å"Twilight† series. We each also enjoyed some hobbies we had ignored for ages. My dad’s old enthusiasm for gardening returned, and he started planting vegetables in his garden. My mom had time to open her bakery book and bake Italian desserts such as Profiterole and tiramisu. My sister and I played volleyball in the back yard, a sport that we loved since we were younger. In addition, my sister and I both stopped procrastinating with our homework. We both found out that it was really helpful to work on homework ahead of time; therefore I worked on chapter three and four of my Algebra homework for next week. I also finished my study guide for my English test. My sister as well worked on her French and Government assignments. Second we did chores that had been hanging over our heads for too long. There were many jobs around the house that had needed attention for some time. Cleaning our rooms was the first chore we did; my sister and I cleaned our entire room and vacuumed the carpet. Then my mom cleaned the counter tops and all the shelves of the kitchen. Finally my dad managed to clean his garage and put all of his tools back on the shelves. We also had a chance to do some long- postponed shopping. My father went to SEARS to buy a sofa that was needed in his room. My mom went to LOWES to buy accessories for her bathroom. My sister and I went to the mall to buy her prom dress and I was able to buy two pairs of jeans and two shirts that I wanted. And each of us also caught up with e-mails and did paperwork that was long overdue. My mom had some office work done, such as sales reports for the committee of her company. My dad finally wrote an e-mail to my grandma that is living in Spain with my aunt Susan. My sister also replied to e-mails from her friends that live in Italy. And I was able to complete my FASFA application for the fall semester. Finally, and probably most important, we spent time with each other. Instead of just being in the same room together while we stared at a screen, we actually talked for many pleasant hours. My parents and I never had long conversations before, and during that week, we got to know each other more than we did for the past five years. My sister and I talked more about each other and we found out that we have a lot of interests in common. Moreover, for the first time in years, my family played some games together. My sister enjoys playing Monopoly; therefore, we played almost every night. We also played chest, one of my dad’s favorite games. My mom’s favorite game is dominos; although my sister ended up winning every game. And because we didn’t have to worry about missing this or that show, we had some family friends over on a couple of evenings and spent enjoyable time with them. We would play volleyball in the back yard. After several games we would have dinner in the back patio enjoying the lovely weather while listening to classical music. And finally after dinner we would make a bonfire and sit around it and remember memories with our friends. Once our television returned, we were not prepared to put it in the attic. But we had a sense of how it can take over our lives if we are not careful. We are now more selective. We turn on the set for our favorite shows, certain sports events, and the news, but we don’t leave it running all evening. As a result, we find we can enjoy television and still have time left over for other activities and interests.

Ebonics & Education Essay

The Ebonics controversy in America has developed into a major conflict over the years. It has become a more serious concern within the public school system. The complex where the nation’s school systems lower their expectations of black youth to coincide with the patterns of Ebonics, the word used to refer to African American Vernacular English, has resulted in an epidemic where blacks graduate from High School reading three grade levels below their white counterparts. For the multiple number of theories that attempt to explain this phenomenon, very few have been able to counter the adverse culture that has developed in America as a product of Ebonics being considered a valid dialect. A wide range of theorists and politicians have used the American educational system as a platform on which to gain civil approval. There is a popular consensus that income designates the quality of one’s education in America. This state of socioeconomic prejudice has a detrimental effect on the face of our society. It can be argued that a single standard curriculum should be equally implemented and taught throughout the nation, and that this curriculum should be similar to the elite executive curriculum, which Jean Anyon identifies as the best education our country has to offer in her article Social Class and the Hidden Curriculum of Work. She identifies how many believe that private and public sector schools should be merged together, along with their curriculums (2006). She breaks down education into two curriculums, upper class and lower class, or working and executive class. Equalizing the differences between these two forms of education has always been the job of standardized testing. Initially standardized testing in America was used to asses one’s calculative ability. It is now being replaced, starting at the middle school level, with a format that revolves around authentic assessment (Wiggins, 1990). Authentic assessment is the direct evaluation of student performance through tasks that exercise their intellect. The tests are also known to evaluate creativity, listening and comprehension skills, experimental research in science, speaking and discussion skills and historical inquiry. It has been designed to replace traditional standardized testing, which means it eventually will be used in all schools across the nation to identify the intellectual elite. This is considered to be a major advent in education that will counter act the nation’s stigma of low expectations ushered in by the validation of Ebonics. A major cause of the low expectations placed on black youth in schools can partly be credited to those doing the research, as Kimberly Griffin points out in her article Striving for Success: A Qualitative Exploration of Competing Theories of High-Achieving Black College Students’ Academic Motivation, when she says, research on the academic performance of Black students has focused on low-achievers, framing their academic motivation as maladaptive and driven by externally (e. g. , competition or compliance) rather than internally (e. g. love of learning) generated forces (Griffin, 2006). This heavy focus on those blacks who have low quality achievement, has led to a neglect in the understanding of what drives the higher achieving students to be successful. Findings show that self-determination theory, socio-cognitive theory, and attribution theory cannot individually explain the motivation of these Black high-achievers. Instead, a multidimensional framework that incorporates all three models and that highlights internal and external sources of motivation best accounts for these students’ experiences (Griffin, 2006). Griffin goes on to cite an interview with a young black student that was less affluent than others. The dialogue reveals that the pressure of stereotypes and low expectations has a weighing effect on the level of effort and achievement that black students have in the class room. This is a stigma that is present whether the student is of a lower or higher class, but the lower the class of the student the even heavier the stereotypes are that weigh on them. I think probably intrinsically I might have felt at one point that I needed to try harder, because I was Black, to not be a stereotype . . . not just chill, you know, talk with Ebonics or stuff like—the stereotype that people have of Black people. I purposely try to steer away from that. I think that’s certainly definitely, in a certain respect, that’s true (Griffin, 2006). This pressure that stems from the inherent stereotypes perpetuated through the use of Ebonics is even further enhanced by a misunderstanding of this complex between the students and their teachers. Griffin points this out as well when she says, the fact that many [teacher education] students do not share the same ethnic, social, racial and linguistic backgrounds as their students may lead to cultural incongruencies in the classroom which can mediate against educational effectiveness( Griffin, 2006). It is Griffin’s belief that these incompatibilities between the black students and their predominantly white teachers results in a complex to be maladaptive, in a way that is very evident. These incompatibilities are evident in value orientation, behavioral norms and expectations and styles, social interactions, self presentation, communication and cognitive processing (Griffin, 2006). Griffin’s article proves that even the system through which these students are studied for the purpose of better improving their achievement is a vicious cycle itself filled with misunderstandings and blatant neglect of the methods that may actually be successful, specifically teaching methods like andragogy and reflective learning. Androgogy and reflective learning are two educational forms that have become very prevalent at the collegiate level. They are considered to be the two best teaching methods in educating adults. This has been found to be specifically true for pre-med and science majors in college, due to andragogy’s focus on authentic assessment (Kolb 2001, p. 1975). Authentic assessment is the direct evaluation of student performance through tasks that exercise their intellect. These evaluations tend to exercise their: creativity, listening and comprehension skills, experimental research in science, speaking and discussion skills and historical inquiry. It largely corresponds with standardized testing (Kolb 2001, p. 1975). Authentic assessment asks that students acquire knowledge and be able to practice logic as apposed to just being able to regurgitate pre-fed facts. The main characteristics of these evaluations, is that they apply standardized test curriculum to real life circumstances. Authentic assessment is the product of a reform in education. This shift is to make standardized testing less drill oriented and applicable to what is expected will be necessary in the students’ adult life. These tests hold students to higher standards as well as create a growing body of accurate awareness pertaining to student learning. This way the teacher learns from the student as well. The key argument these test pose is that for the traditional testing method, the right answers are not rationales. This basically acknowledges that the level of logic required for traditional standardized tests is lacking. This is due to a relationship that involves test takers who simply cram for their tests, and instructors who feel the tests have no relevance to their teaching ability. This is a common occurrence that has resulted in resentment for traditional standardized testing on the behalf of both parties involved. Authentic assessment is a genuine push towards the implementation of more authentic tasks. Instructors find it easier to apply these tasks to their curriculum and students find it easier to assess what is expected of them. It is considered a form of improving overall performance, in a testing system traditionally structured solely to monitor it. This fault in western education is the main catalyst for shifts in standardized testing that focus more on authentic assessment and experiential learning. Medical students and students pursuing the sciences, like psychology or sociology, are expected to have certain skills appropriate for the practice of their profession. This requires a form of learning that can assesses curriculum and then apply it to real life situations. As well as the medical and science field, andragogy and reflective learning is being used to enhance the productivity of multimillion dollar corporations. Experiential learning thus involves a, ‘direct encounter with the phenomena being studied rather than merely thinking about the encounter, or only considering the possibility of doing something about it. (Borzak 1981: 9 quoted in Brookfield 1983). This sort of learning is sponsored by an institution and might be used on training programmes for professions such as social work and teaching or in field study programmes such as those for social administration or geography courses. Kolb, David A. , ‘david a. kolb on experiential learning’ Kolb breaks down understanding of experiential learning into an understanding of the American educational systems use of the field trip and project based learning (Kolb 2001, p. 1975). While project based learning is considered to be one of the best methods of learning for all individuals because it promotes authentic assessment, and thus provides young black students especially to expand their understanding of the Western culture from which they have been systematically alienated, it is also very expensive to organize. Anyon discovers that the majority of contemporary textbook instruction is designed for the working class. PBL programs are usually not supported in public schools because of the amount of funding they require. This discrepancy is usually applicable to public schools and whether one is located near high income housing or low income housing. Jonathan Kozol describes the discrepancies between these two types of schooling in his interview with Marge Scherer. In the interview titled, On Savage Inequalities: A Conversation with Jonathan Kozol, he talks about his experience in St. Louis and how the schools in low income areas, which are predominantly black, barely have money for water, while the schools near by in the wealthier districts could buy advanced school supplies as well as carryout project based learning, such as field trips. Kozol credits this problem to the use of property tax to fund schools in low income areas. He states: we ought to finance the education of every child in America equitably, with adjustments made only for the greater or lesser needs of certain children. And that funding should all come from the collective wealth of our society, mainly from a steeply graduated progressive income tax. (Kozol) This particular tax could make project based learning more affordable, which would be the most influential step to improving classroom education. The most common contemporary example of PBL is dissecting insects and animals. It has become an American tradition and almost a right of passage in high school. Project Based Management has a very beneficial influence on the education of our country. One might wonder why it’s not the only curriculum used. The use of chaperones, instructional tools, and methods of transportation are often required and considered expensive. The benefit is that people tend to remember more from their field trips than textbook lessons and many of these labs require authentic assessment, which is good considering the new shift in standardized testing. The downfall is in the fact that authentic assessment is dependent on the student’s past experiences. This allows for some projects to result in the isolation of certain students. The inner city children are deprived because their school systems can’t afford implementing PBL curriculums. Chairperson of the Department of Education at Rutgers University, in her essay From Social Class and the Hidden Curriculum of Work Jean Anyon analyzes the nature of underprivileged education. Anyon argues that depending on their social class, different levels of educations are available to young people. This mostly applies to schools in different districts and social communities and it can particularly be seen in the difference between private and public schooling. To make the concept clear, she further applies this to a description of a kind of mental segregation happening within the classroom; in which, students sitting next to one another are rewarded differently solely based on their socioeconomic standing in the community. She does this by pointing out that, students in different social-class backgrounds are rewarded for classroom behaviors that correspond to personality traits allegedly rewarded in the different occupational strata – the working classes for docility and obedience, the managerial classes for initiative and personal assertiveness. (Anyon) This is the key ideal of Anyon’s theory. An example of the theory at work can be seen in research that finds project based learning prepares students for more abstract assessment, and prepares them to handle real world situations, as opposed to those in the textbook. PBL is most prevalent in private and high income community public schools. This creates a system where the students taught in the private schools are taught to think independently in a rational but unconfined way, while the lower income children are only taught to follow instructions. These differing perspectives on education have had a controversial and conflicting history in America. Gary Colombo based much of his research on this conflict. Gary Colombo argues that the majority of the Founding Fathers were wealthy conservatives who were honestly opposed to democracy. This signifies them as an elitist class constructing laws that will better maintain their control of the government. Their initial goal was to keep power in the hands of the wealthy, and prevent the majority from realizing their strength. One major modern day justifications for this elitist view is that, these framers were the same men who risked their lives for the good of others by signing the declaration of independence, and they are getting what is owed to them. It is Garry Colombo’s view that these patriots did not intend to revolutionize democracy, but that their sole intention was to gain independence from Britain in order to get the country out of their pockets. Aware that the Constitution would be opposed by the working class, who made up the majority of the people, the construction of the deceleration and its signing were held in private. The media was used conceal the constitution’s actual goal, while at the same time to persuade people in its favor. Along with a literate media Colombo points out that the American government found it necessary, particularly during Thomas Jefferson’s presidency, to promote and finance a literate working class. It is Colombo’s view that the sole purpose of their education was to develop individuals who would maintain the nation. These educated individuals were viewed as secondary to their task. This is the first sign in American history of education being used to exploit people for the benefit of the government. By identifying the failure of Thomas Jefferson to educate the Native American people, Colombo shows that American education was initially designed with absolutely no regard for the people. He best displays this conflict when he cites a letter written by a Native American to the President. our ideas of this kind of education happen not to be the same with yours†¦several of our young people were formerly brought up at the college of the northern provinces they were instructed in all your sciences; but when they came back to us, they were bad runners; ignorant of every means of living in the woods; unable to bear either cold or hunger; knew neither how to build a cabin, take a deer, or kill an enemy†¦they were totally good for nothing. (Colombo) Here Colombo identifies that, quality in education is deemed only as good as its ability to assimilate one into the culture in which they live. This assimilation is not one that produces equal opportunity for its participants. As previously proven by Anyon, socioeconomic conditions impede this dream dramatically from coming into fruition. In sum, Anyon argues that today’s working class curriculums center more on teaching black students to follow instructions rather than teaching them how to authentically assess problems. She undeniably proves that the children of higher income families are not taught in this fashion, and they are steered more towards developing skills in problem solving and decision making. Ebonics only further expands this gap between classes, considering the level of stereotypes that come along with its practice and the powerfully influential stigma that blacks are subject to as a result. If students are subject to the exact same nationwide testing, it would only be just that they receive the same educational curriculums. By using Ebonics in the school system, the nation is alienating blacks from the main stream through both class and race. Lower income students are being herded into remedial work, while the upper class students are being prepared for executive positions. This is an immoral practice, but there are risks that can occur if Anyon’s elitist curriculum is equally distributed throughout the country. Everyone can not manage the corporation some have to toil for the sake of the company. The working class may potentially have a better understanding of executive duties, if Anyon’s curriculum is implemented. With a greater appreciation for the business structure, working class employees may be educated enough to demand more benefits from their companies. The end result of implementing Anyon’s theory is that there will be a more diverse group of qualified candidates from which corporations select. This makes the face of corporate America as cultured as the nation it’s in, and it eliminates much of the disadvantaging prejudice that comes with elitism. This is proof that it is wise to utilize Anyon’s elite curriculum throughout all school systems. Every income scale should be accessible among all races and nationalities, but to assume that the children of high income families will work remedial jobs so the poor can be executives is irrational. Anyon’s curriculum must be set into action with the hope that it levels the playing field, and Ebonics needs to be abolished as a credible English vernacular.