Psychology discussion Essay Example for Free

Psychology discussion Essay The findings from this research that trigrams in an organised list will be recalled better than those in a disorganised list have supported the evidence of Millers theory. Miller (1956) found that the magic number 7+-2 can be increased using the method called chunking. This would relate to this piece of research as the amount of individual letters remembered was a lot bigger than the value 7+-2. Participants in the organized condition on average recalled about twenty one letters, and in the disorganized condition they recalled about nine letters. This supports Millers view; that more items can be remembered if they are recalled in chunks. This experiment can be extended to investigate the theory of expert chess players having better chunking abilities than novice players (Chase and Simon (1973)). The expert chess players could recall more information about the relationship of chess pieces than those of amateur chess players, the experts could recall up to 30 pieces of information, compared to only seven pieces for amateur players. This links to my experiment because using the technique chunking on an organised and disorganised list of words, led to an improvement in the number of trigrams recalled in the organised condition rather than the disorganised condition. In the organized list around 21 individual letters were recalled, compared to only 9 in the disorganized list. This supports Chase and Simons view that chunking can lead to better recall. My experiment was based on a previous study by Bowers in 1969; the results produced are similar to those obtained by Bowers. Table comparing the result of my study and Bowers study: This Study Bowers Study Average words recalled % of Words Average words recalled % of Words Organised 7. 1 71% 16. 9 65% Disorganised 2. 9 29% 4. 94 19% The results are quite similar although the results above have a higher percentage of words recalled for both the organised and disorganised list compared to Bowers results, however this is due to the fact that more words were involved in Bowers list: 26 compared to the 10 words used on my list. This will have had an affect on memory as the participant is challenged to remember more words. Bower used a theme of minerals; whereas in my experiment it involved a mixture of random trigrams. This could have affected the ability to recall; especially if Bowers participants had greater knowledge than others. However this problem did not occur in my experiment as it was not based around one particular theme. On the whole my results are similar to those obtained by Bowers. E2- Strengths and Weaknesses of the investigation: A strength of this investigation was the method used. This was a laboratory experiment. This method was very reliable and accurate as it allowed manipulation and full control over the variables (i. e. whether the participant is given the organised or disorganised list of trigrams). Therefore the results which were obtained were reliable, and the experiment could be easily replicated by another researcher. A strength of this experiment was that ethics was taken into consideration as informed consent was used to gain approval from the participant, to take part in the experiment. Participants were told they were taking part in a psychology experiment. Also confidentiality was abided by as well as all participants had the right to withdraw there results at any time, also none of their personal details were taken such as names and address. A weakness of this experiment could be the design; as an independent groups design was used; there may have been individual differences between participants. As those participants in the organized condition may have been more intelligent than those in the disorganized condition; this could have lead to them recalling more trigrams than those in the disorganized condition. E3- Consideration of alternative method: An alternative method could be used to test the affect of organisation on memory recall rather than an experimental method. A field experiment can be used so the test can be carried out in a natural setting. The new test can be carried out in school; for example a teacher can carry out an examination on students by testing a group of students to remember a list of abbreviations. This would be testing the ability to recall organized trigrams. Another classroom could be asked to play a game; where their partner gives them three random letters; if they answer a question wrong in a quiz they must recall the three letters they were told at the beginning. A new disorganized trigram would be used every time a question was answered incorrectly. This would then allow you to test the ability to recall disorganized trigrams. An advantage of this over the other method is that it would be carried out in participants everyday settings; therefore it would be more realistic, which would give the experiment more ecological validity. This method will also reduce demand characteristics. Students will believe that this is a real test, and therefore they will pay attention and take the task seriously. Although they will not know it is a task into memory; they will believe it is an important test. This method would be relevant for the aim and hypothesis of the study, as it would show if there is a clear difference, in the organized and disorganized trigrams recalled and it would also improve the reliability of the results. E4- Application of findings and suggestion for future research: In conclusion, this investigation has found that 16-18 year olds on average recall more trigrams from an organised list than a disorganised list. This research has proven that chunking and organization does increase the capacity of short-term memory. Therefore a link can be made to the real world for example if someone has to remember security numbers or phone numbers. Short codes can be chunked into one unit, although longer series of numbers like phone numbers may be chunked into two or three sections. This will help to aid recall, also chunking and organisation can help with revision. For example, by revising from notes arranged in an organised style this should organise the data in the brain and encourage better recall in exams and therefore good exam results. This research can also be applied when people do daily shopping. For example items of a similar nature can be chunked together into one group, e. g. , peas, cabbage and broccoli could be chunked under a vegetables group, so that they can be remembered as one chunk rather than three individual units. This research can be applied to future research by investigating if using chunking technique for exam revision can aid better recall thus better exam results. For example teachers could hold revision sessions using call cards which are chunked into small amounts of detail for the student to remember. They can then test to see if students with revision aids did better than those without.

Where Are You Going, Where have you been? Essay -- essays research pap

Connie’s Decision   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Nobody really knows what the future holds. We all live day by day wondering what God’s will is for our lives. Yet we carry on and make decisions that may or may not shape what our lives turn out to be. In Joyce Carol Oates’s â€Å"Where are you going, Where have you been?,† we meet Connie, a fifteen year old beautiful girl. Connie like most teenagers is a little boy crazy and at times rebellious. She and some girlfriends would get together and go to a local drive-in restaurant where older kids would hang out. (153) One night at this drive-in a boy with shaggy black hair, in a convertible caught Connie’s eye. (154) Connie had never seen him before. He made the sly statement of â€Å"Gonna get you, baby,† and she just ignored him and walked on. (154) Little did Connie know he was speaking the truth. In a very short period of time Connie was about to make the biggest decision of her life, literally.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Connie was at home alone one day sitting in her room listening to music. Her mother, father and sister were out to a barbeque. An unfamiliar car pulled up in the driveway and Connie at first was worried about how she looked. This was the least of her troubles. When Connie got to the front door she was faced with two men. The driver whom we come to know as Arnold Friend and the passenger whose name was Ellie Oscar. Arnold comes off at first as kind of strange yet nice. He asks Connie, â€Å"You wanta come for a ride?† (...

Wal Mart Hr Strategies

Abstract Wal-Mart is the largest retailer in the world. They have reached such success by offering everyday low prices to a generalized target market of middle to lower class, though anyone looking to save a buck can be attracted. What does Wal-Mart do to stay on tract, stay running with a diverse workforce, and continue to offer the best deals around? ? Wal-Mart has recently introduced a strategic approach that would help sustain their role as the largest retailer in the world, as well as keeping their customers happy and healthy.The initiative has been dubbed â€Å"Project Impact†, and was introduced in late 2009. The projects purpose is to improve the benefits to the consumer. There are three initiatives within the project which include; â€Å"Save Money, Live Better; Win, Play, Show; and Fast, Friendly, Clean† (Murray, 2013). With a declining economy, as well as a loss in consumers due to the likes of Target Co. and other competitors, Wal-Mart needed to make a chang e in order to keep their customers coming back. So they restricted their strategic approach.Wal-Mart has revamped its approach and internal design by widening isles, enhancing the use of signs within the store for product location, as well as adding natural light to offer a friendlier atmosphere to their customers (Murray, 2013). The first Initiative in their new approach is â€Å"save Money, Live Better. † As one can see by the title, Wal-Mart is continuing to obtain price leadership. Wal-Mart is known for their everyday low prices, but must continue to ward off attempts from rival organizations. They are able to do so with the help of their private labels.In a day and age when people are choosing to save money, they can choose a cheaper alternative choice in Wal-Mart’s own private labels such as Great Value (Murray, 2013). The next initiative is Win, Play, and Show. Wal-Mart wants to be the first in the market to be able to showcase new products; allowing them to lea d in pricing. They also want to make it where vendors will continuously market to Wal-Mart to maintain their positions on their shelves. And finally, with show, they don’t want to overwhelm the consumer with products, yet they do not want to lack a particular good.So say they have multiple brands of a particular product; they are now narrowing it down to the top market choices. With Fast, Friendly, and Clean, Wal-Mart wants to enhance the in store experience of the consumer. Merchandise flow plays a big part. â€Å"Wal-Mart has a merchandise replenishment cycle of no more than 48 hours. Wal-Mart has adopted efficient processes such as cross-docking which as reduced operating costs, increased throughput, reduces inventory levels and eliminates unnecessary handling and storage of product† (Murray, 2013).Wal-Mart has adopted a â€Å"green† policy. Sustainability is crucial in this effort. â€Å"The company is dedicated to maximize the efficiency from the raw mater ial phase to the manufacturing phase, from supplier to distribution center, from distribution center to store, stockroom to shelf, shelf to consumer, from store to home, from pantry to consumption with the ultimate goal of Zero Waste† (Murray, 2013). In order to make all these things attainable, Wal-Mart must maintain a well trained workforce.This workforce must be given all the tools necessary to complete the tasks at hand, as well as be equipped with a set guideline as to what must be done in order to continuously lead the industry. This lies heavily on Human Resources and Top Management alike. Wal-Mart has been in the headlines quite a few times in terms of what they â€Å"lack† as an organization. First off, Wal-Mart has been well known for their distaste towards unionization, and has even been known to shut down facilities that have successfully obtained a bargaining power (Capelli, 2006).This has been a highlight of top stories in the media, but other issues are v ery much among us. Health care is a recent issue that has poked its head out. It is becoming more apparent that Wal-Mart offers relatively little access to such benefits. Many states that offer health-care subsidies to low-income individuals and families have discovered a disproportionate number of participants employed at Wal-Mart (Capelli, 2006). Since this has come out, Wal-Mart has released that they will be expanding benefits to their employees, starting with opening health clinics within their own stores.Another issue is that Wal-Mart makes it as if they are there to help those who need financial assistance. An everyday low price is all they hear. Evidence has shown that Wal-Mart stores have a negative effect on the outlying areas in which they build. Opening up a big store will surely create jobs for that area, but it is actually the smaller businesses that are hiring the majority. Wal-Mart basically comes in and offers these low prices, and they mom and pop stores can no lon ger compete (Capelli, 2006).This attempt may also lower wages within a geographical area. You may have high pricing businesses that are being outsold now that Wal-Mart is in town. They cannot continue to pay their employees what they were because there is simply not enough coming in. All it takes is a simple marginal analysis to realize that they simply cannot compete. What this shows is that Wal-Marts so called beneficial, consumer friendly business strategies do not match up with how things are run internally.One cannot claim that they are for sustainability and responsible stewardship, and continue to knowingly undermine the backbone and driving force of the organization. It is as though Wal-Mart may have reached a point where they blindly follow a â€Å"Money-is-Happy† economical method. ? References Cappelli, P. (2006). Wal-Mart and the obligations of business. Retrieved from http://www. hreonline. com/HRE/view/story. jhtml? id=4615496 Murry, M. (2013). Wal-Mart’s strategic initiatives. Retrieved from http://logistics. about. com/od/industryfocus/a/Wal-Mart. htm

Practice in Turning Adjectives Into Adverbs

Many adverbs are formed by adding -ly to an adjective. The adverb softly, for instance, comes from the adjective soft. (Note, however, that not all adverbs end in -ly. Very, quite, always, almost, and often are some of the common adverbs that are not formed from adjectives.) Instructions In each set below, complete the second sentence with an adverbial form of the italicized adjective in the first sentence. Example: Original:  Gus is usually a careful driver.Adverbial form: He always drives carefully when children are in the car. When youre done, compare your answers with those below. Practice Exercises We live on a quiet suburban street. Even the dogs bark _____.This is a dangerous road. Were driving _____ close to the shoulder.My friend Alice is a polite young woman. She asked _____ if she could borrow my boyfriend.The clown made a deep impression on my daughter. His sad smile touched her _____.I apologize for my foolish behavior. Yesterday I acted _____ in class.Ferdinands apology sounded sincere. He said he was _____ sorry for driving over your motorcycle with his tractor.I ordered a manual transmission. Are the windows operated _____?Shyla made a generous contribution to the Salvation Army. She gives _____ every year.This morning Gus had an accidental encounter with an ice cream van. He _____ backed his pick-up truck into the van.Marvin is a graceful infielder. He moves _____.This is an easy assignment. I expect to pass _____.Merdine is a brave woman. She _____ challenged the principal and the school board.There was a rapid change in the weather. The temperature dropped _____.I m troubled by my brothers strange behavior. Yesterday I heard him talking _____ to our cat.My father is a cautious man. When everyone else is upset, he speaks softly and acts _____. Exercise Answers   We live on a  quiet  suburban street. Even the dogs bark  quietly.This is a  dangerous  road. Were driving  dangerously  close to the shoulder.My friend Alice is a  polite  young woman. She asked  politely  if she could borrow my boyfriend.The clown made a  deep  impression on my daughter. His sad smile touched her  deeply.I apologize for my  foolish  behavior. Yesterday I acted  foolishly  in class.Ferdinands apology sounded  sincere. He said he was  sincerely  sorry for driving over your motorcycle with his tractor.I ordered a  manual  transmission. Are the windows operated  manually?Shyla made a  generous  contribution to the Salvation Army. She gives  generously  every year.This morning Gus had an  accidental  encounter with an ice cream van. He  accidentally  backed his pick-up truck into the van.Marvin is a  graceful  infielder. He moves  gracefully  when making a double play.This is an  easy  assignmen t. I expect to pass  easily.Merdine  is a  brave  woman. She  bravely  challenged the principal and the school board.There was a  rapid  change in the weather. The temperature dropped  rapidly.Im troubled by my brothers  strange  behavior. Yesterday I heard him talking  strangely  to our cat.My father is a  cautious  man. When everyone else is upset, he speaks softly and acts  cautiously.