Discrimination Essays (1786 words) - Psychometrics, Market Research

Discrimination Discrimination against the disabled people in the workplace has been an issue for a long time and it is still a rife in employing these individuals. Although many organizations do use a pre-test to screen applicants, the HR department does not consider other employee?s attitude or discrimation in working with the disabled. In this paper, this writer will design a test that will help in determining this situation. Within this first part of this paper, this writer has chosen a construct that will be measured, scaled, in the second half of this paper, she will justify why she chose this topic of discrimination among disabled employees. The construct to be measured is how companies are discriminating against hiring disabled people. In order to determine if companies are discriminating against hiring people with a disability should have a direct or indirect advantage in taking a positive and proactive approach to employing disabled people (Williams, 2002). Although many businesses do have an obligation under the Disability Discrimination Act, a test will be constructed to focus on how co-workers and employers treat these disabled individuals. Within this test, specific questions will be presented to different employers to determine if the company is being discriminating against hiring these individuals. In addition, the test constructed will also take into consideration is the attitude and behaviors of the co-workers and the disable employees and how it affects these individuals to do his or her job will be part of this measurement. Several tests have been used to evaluate if a disabled person is qualified to work. Under the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Act gives everyone the right to work in which the American with Disabilities Act outlaws employment discrimination. This act takes several forms that explicitly define the rights and status of opportunities of disabled individuals (Law Encyclopedia, 2010). Using the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale has been reliable and valid to test an individual?s adaptive level of functioning, this test has been useful in assessing a disabled individual?s daily functioning and is a process that has helped these handicap people adapt to working (Anonymous, 2010). Another test that has been used is the Lazar?s Attitude toward Handicap Individuals Scale of 1973, in which a six-point Likert type scale was used to determine the extent of the participant?s attitude towards discrimination against the handicap. Although this method of scaling and measuring was a study on a limited geographic area, different attitudes concerning disabled individuals have shown negativity in the study of Fichten and Amsel in 1986. Out of 21 traits that were attributed to disabled and non-disabled individuals on unsocialable, insecure, helpless, and undemanding, and honest are representative of these traits were considered on the negative side (Lucas, 2009). These individuals who possess these negative attitudes tend to perceive these disabled individuals as different, incompetent and inferior to themselves. This would show that the construct of discrimination against disabled individuals in the workplace can be considered valid. In surveying 700 businesses, 86% agreed to pick a non-disabled individual over a disabled individual while 92% said there was still discrimination against disabled people in employment and recruitment. This study found that the level of discrimination among disable people still face is all the more surprising given the perception among respondents that they are more loyal workers. Many organizations employ more than 25 disabled individuals, but 90% of respondents do not agree that the average turnover rate for the disabled workers would be higher than that of a non-disabled individual, 43% did not think that disabled people would be more likely to be frequently absent, so in the preconception of disabled individuals in the workforce taking time off because of his or her disability has been untrue and bias among employers (Faragher, 2007). Some characteristics that were measured and compared to respondents within Wal-Mart, CVS, Walgreens, Target and other organizations, three-quarters of employers were questioned and surveyed regarding accommodations, adjustments and cost, in which was found to be valid and reliable in measuring the requests in accommodating a work relationship among disabled individuals. Of course there are also other factors that was essential in this measure, in which 27% of employers felt that production would be disruptive to others and the cost was to

Impact of Interpersonal Skills and Capabilities of Leadership on Knowledge Based Organizations Essay Essays

Impact of Interpersonal Skills and Capabilities of Leadership on Knowledge Based Organizations Essay Essays Impact of Interpersonal Skills and Capabilities of Leadership on Knowledge Based Organizations Essay Essay Impact of Interpersonal Skills and Capabilities of Leadership on Knowledge Based Organizations Essay Essay Abstraction: The function of leading in the success of any organisation is really much of import. Although in Pakistan really small importance is given to this facet of organisations inspite of this its importance can non be denied. In other words. Leadership is the anchor of any cognition centric organisation. This research article shed visible radiation on the importance of effectual leading accomplishments and patterns which can take any organisation to its aureate epoch. The chief focal point of the survey is the altering nature of leading with the development in the significance of cognition based organisations. The survey is descriptive in nature and relies on secondary every bit good as questionnaire based study. Introduction Knowledge based organisations are normally considered to be those whose merchandises or services are knowledge -intensive. Knowledge based organisations ( besides referred as knowledge-enabled or knowledge- intensive organisation ) are normally described in footings of the cognition strength of their merchandise or service. The greater the grade to which cognition forms the nucleus of the merchandise or service. the more knowledge- based the organisation. However. utilizing merchandises or services as a mean for categorising the cognition – based organisation is unequal. Products or services reflect merely the touchable portion of the organisation. The primary resource that enables an organisation to bring forth is hidden within the â€Å"invisible plus – rational capital† . ( Itami. 1987 ) . Knowledge- based organisations ( KBOs ) lives and breathes knowledge. From day–to-day operations to long-run scheme. making and using cognition is ever in the head. Anterior researches have explored which factors are indispensable for pull offing cognition efficaciously. Most surveies of them have examined the relationship of cognition direction capablenesss. procedures and public presentation. Some research workers have focused on the relationship between capablenesss and procedures ( Hansen. 1999 ; Szulanski. 1996 ; Zander A ; Kogut. 1995 ) . Other surveies have focused on the relationship between capablenesss and organisational public presentation ( Becerra- Fernandez A ; Sabherwal. 2001 ; Gold. Malhotra A ; Segars. 2001 ; Simonin. 1997 ) . A key to understanding the success and failure of cognition direction within the organisation is the designation and appraisal of assorted factors that are necessary for the cognition direction public presentation measuring with a balanced position ( Arora. 2002 ; Gooijer. 2000 ) . In this survey. we examine the relationship among the interpersonal accomplishments and capablenesss towards the knowledge-based organisations. To function this intent we figure out the nucleus concepts of interpersonal accomplishments and capablenesss. Knowledge based organisation establish their fight on cognition. Interpersonal accomplishments and capablenesss can be critical for the cognition based organisation. Skills are linked with personal cognition direction in cognition focused organisation. Skills can be either basic or transverse functional. In basic accomplishments we develop capablenesss that assist in the acquisition of cognition on the other manus cross functional accomplishments are the ability to transport out the undertakings the can assist the organisation to hike up. Interpersonal accomplishments involve non merely how we communicate with others. Aside our assurance and capableness to listen and understand. job work outing determination devising and personal emphasis direction all these are related to the interpersonal accomplishments and capablenesss. Interpersonal accomplishments and capablenesss allow covering efficaciously with individuals of different dispositions. backgrounds and educational making in the organisation. Knowledge leading has a capableness to construct good relation with subsidiaries and covering with them. An organisation is successful when it posses good squad capablenesss and interpersonal accomplishments. Peoples create and portion cognition hence. pull offing people who are willing to make and portion cognition is of import. Knowledge and competency can be acquired by engaging new people with desirable accomplishments. In peculiar. T-shape accomplishments embodied in employees are most frequently associated with nucleus capableness. T-shaped accomplishments may enable single specializers to hold interactive conversations with one another ( Madhaven A ; Grover. 1980 ) . Although a company’s value is generated by intangible assets like cognition or trade names. Performance measuring is one of the most of import direction activities. Performance measuring becomes the footing of scheme constitution and accomplishment in the hereafter because it can decidedly convey a company’s vision and strategic mark to all organisation members. 3 Aims of Study ? The aim of our survey is to analyze the relationship among the interpersonal accomplishments. capablenesss and public presentation of knowledge-based organisations. ? To develop the consequences that the primary resources that enables the organisation to execute extraordinary prevarications within â€Å"intangible assets ( rational capital ) † . 4 Significance of Study Now intangible assets such as cognition instead than touchable fiscal assets are a step of a company’s value. Knowledge is the 1 of the of import resource that increases the value of organisations and gives them an border over rivals. Therefore assorted efforts to mensurate organisational public presentation in cognition direction have been conducted consequently. 5 Problem Statement Interpersonal accomplishments and capablenesss of leading have a strong impact on the public presentation of cognition based organisations. 6 Rational of Study With the displacement of industrial economic system to knowledge economic system there is a demand to acknowledge the value of continuing and sharing cognition among the organisational communities. This includes the development of strategic cognition focal point. knowledge leading factors which promote cognition civilization and its impacts on cognition workers and results of the organisation. LITERATURE REVIEW Organizational theoreticians have defined cognition based organisations ( KBO ) in assorted ways. Knowledge based organisations ( Perez- Bustamante. 1999 ) are organisations using a cognition based attack to the organisation. This attack perceives organisations as a agency for the development. integrating. saving. sharing and application of cognition. ( Wu. Ong A ; Hsu. 2008 ) add that cognition based organisations allocate resources to intangible assets in the quickly altering and extremely competitory concern environment in order to derive competitory advantage. Gold. Malhotra. A ; Segars ( 2001 ) examined an through empirical observation effectual cognition direction theoretical account from the position of organisational capablenesss. Sveiby ( 1997 ) developed an intangible plus proctor ( IAM ) to mensurate the public presentation of intangible assets such as human capital. structural capital. and market capital. Based on the analysis of secondary informations ( Nonaka A ; Tak euchi. 1995 ; Choo. 1998 ; Trunecek. 2003 ; Bartak. 2006 ; Calabrese. 2006 ; Bures. 2007 ; Medzihorsky A ; Medzihorska. 2007 ; Sladecek. 2007 ) by mean of the method of comparing. the undermentioned general features of cognition based organisation were identified. |Knowledge Based Organizations | |Creates. integrates. conserves. portions and applies knowledge ; | |Is efficient. advanced. flexible and proactive ; | |Is client focused ;| |Uses ITs ; | |Has a strong and unfastened corporate civilization ; | |Implements knowledge procedures ; | |Exploits knowledge resources ; | |Manage hazards ; | |Implements project direction ; | |Places accent on instruction and organisational acquisition ; | |Disposes of cognition employees ; | |Is process- oriented | |Supports squad work ; | |Encourages engagement in direction | ( Martina. Hana A ; Jiri. 2012 ) 1 Capability ( Competency- Based Approach ) â€Å"Competency† is a normally used term for people asseverating of their working potency in existent activities. The first characterizes competences as a power and a range of authorization associated with a certain individual or organic structure. The 2nd significance of competences refers to the capacity. i. e. abilities to execute a certain activity. to hold certain general and specific features and accomplishments. to be qualified in the given country. Generally it can be said that it is a set of specific cognition. abilities. accomplishments. traits. motivations. attitudes and values indispensable for the personal development and successful engagement of each individual in the organisation. This refers to the public presentation facet of a competence determined by the degree of inputs ( cognition. abilities. accomplishments. traits. motivations. attitudes and values ) and measured by the analysis of end product ( existent behaviour and consequences ) . Harmonizing to its development. it is possible to split competences into three chief development phrases. The first phrase consists of single competences ( White. 1959 ; McClelland. 1973 ; Boyatziz. 1982 ; Schroder. 1989 ; Woodruffe. 1992 ; Spencer A ; Spencer. 1993 ; Carroll A ; McCrackin. 1997 ) . The 2nd stage is based on the possibility of pull offing competences in an organisation by mean of competence theoretical accounts ( Mensfield. 1996 ; mcLagan. 1997 ; Lucia A ; Lepsinger. 1999 ; Rothwell A ; Lindholm. 1999 ) . The 3rd stage is the designation of nucleus competences. a amount of organisation cardinal organisational competences that may be exploited to derive competitory advantage ( Prahalad A ; Hamel. 1990 ; Ulrich A ; Lake. 1991 ; Gallon. Stillman. A ; Coates. 1995 ; Coyne. Hall. A ; Clifford. 1997 ; Rothwell A ; Lindholm. 1999 ; Delamare A ; Wintertone. 2005 ) . 2 Interpersonal Skills Surveies say 90 per centum of executive failures are attributable to interpersonal competences. factors such as taking squads. developing a positive work environment. retaining staff. inspiring trust. and get bying with alteration. If you lack the accomplishments to actuate your frontline employees to accept and optimally utilize new information engineerings. your organisation could be losing gross chances. This class grows out of what old research has referred to as interpersonal accomplishments involve societal insight ( Graham. 1983 ; Mintzberg. 1973 ; Yukl. 1989 ) to let for an consciousness of other’s reactions and apprehension of why they react the manner they do. The interpersonal accomplishment demand besides includes the accomplishments required for coordination of actions of oneself and others ( Gillen A ; Carroll. 1985 ; Mumford. Marks. Connelly. Zaccaro. A ; Reiter-Palmon. 2000 ) and dialogues accomplishments to accommodate differences among employee position and set up reciprocally hearty relationships ( Copeman. 1971 ; Mahoney. Jerdee. A ; Carroll. 1963 ; Mahoney et Al. . 1965 ; Mintzberg. 1973 ) . and persuasion accomplishments to act upon others to more efficaciously accomplish organisational aims ( Katz. 1974 ; mintzberg. 1973 ; Yukl. 1989 ) . Methodology 1 Data Collection and Sample Description Samples were restricted to the companies that adopted cognition direction or held similar procedure invention runs. The sample was designed to include people from different place. sections and industries. Respondents include executive rank directors of assorted organisations. In this survey. we conducted a questionnaire based study. The questionnaire’s informations is arranged in footings of assorted variables and five-point Likert graduated tables are used. Respondents are asked to bespeak the extent to which they disagree or agree with the given statement by choosing a point on the graduated tables for each inquiry. ( Where 1= strongly agree and 5= strongly disagree ) . 2 Survey Instrument This research uses a study questionnaire to prove the hypothesis. The questionnaire consists of 26 points about leading accomplishments. patterns and the public presentation of cognition based organisations. Items about leading accomplishments consist of cognitive accomplishments ( four points ) . interpersonal accomplishments ( three points ) . and strategic accomplishments ( two points ) . Leadership patterns consist of taking by illustration ( two points ) . coaching ( six points ) . squad interaction ( three points ) . Knowledge based organisations public presentation is assessed utilizing three points including: organisations merchandises ( two points ) . employees public presentation ( two points ) . and organisation repute in the market ( two points ) . 3 Theoretical Model The dependant variable is knowledge centric organisations public presentation. which is the variable of primary involvement. We attempt to explicate the discrepancy in this dependant variable by the two independent variables of ( 1 ) Leadership accomplishments and ( 2 ) Leadership patterns. By General Colin Powell’s: â€Å"Leadership is the art of routinely carry throughing more than the scientific discipline of direction says is possible† . Interpersonal accomplishments are â€Å"Considers and responds suitably to the demands. feelings and capablenesss of different people in different state of affairss. is tactful. compassionate and sensitive. and dainties with respect† . D. V I. V 5 Hypothesis Ho= Leadership does non impact cognition based organization’s public presentation. Holmium: P = 0 HA= Leadership affects cognition based organization’s public presentation. Hour angle: P gt ; 1 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION |Variables |Mean |S. D |N |Cronbach’s alpha | |Independent variables | |Cognitive accomplishments |1. 64 |0. 7795 |100 | . 564 | |Interpersonal accomplishments |1. 53 |0. 6276 |100 | . 371 | |Strategic accomplishments |1. 60 |0. 7695 |100 | . 289 | |Leading by illustration |1. 72 |0. 828 |100 | . 682 | |Coaching |1. 62 |0. 7848 |100 | . 781 | |Teaminteraction |1. 80 |0. 904 |100 | . 784 | |Dependent variables | |Organization’s public presentation |1. 85 |0. 8027 |100 | . 562 | |Organization’s offerings |1. 96 |0. 8795 |100 | . 676 | The leading skills requirement agencies range from 1. 53 to 1. 64 and the S. D ranges from. 6276 to. 7795. demoing a good scope and fluctuation. The leading patterns means range from 1. 62 to 1. 80 and the S. D ranges from. 7848 to. 904. while organization’s public presentation mean valued at 1. 85 and S. D. 8027 and organization’s offerings mean calculated 1. 96 and S. D. 8795. The correlativity between CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS This research proposes and tests a theoretical account of leading accomplishments and patterns to better understand the part of leading towards the public presentation of cognition centric organisations. The chief aim of this research is to look into the relationship between the leading accomplishments. patterns and KBO’s public presentation. The findings show how leading improves the public presentation of cognition centric organisations. A cognition organisation focuses on developing interpersonal. structural and web relationships to accomplish its ends and aims efficaciously and to foster bring forth new cognition and capablenesss for organisational fight and success. Several facets of the leading accomplishments were tested. most of which attained empirical support. The major findings are as follow. First. leading accomplishments grouped into three- parts composite: cognitive. interpersonal and strategic accomplishments. Second. leading accomplishments were related to organizationallevels. That is. occupations at higher degree in the organisation have significantly greater overall leading accomplishment demand. These findings have of import deductions for organisational research and pattern. They provide empirical grounds of the utility of sing different classs of leading accomplishments. Practically. this indicates that careful attending should be given to direction development systems because as directors proceed from lower. to mid. to exceed degree occupations. the rate at which they get strategic accomplishments will necessitate to be faster than that for leading accomplishments in general. Our consequences imply that effectual leading accomplishments and patterns positively impacts cardinal facets of KBO’s public presentation. We hope that future research will take advantage of the conceptual and practical findings and farther trial the theoretical account in the other organisations and better direction development. arrangement and engaging system in cognition centric organisations.

Project guide 4 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Project guide 4 - Essay Example In simple words it is the sum of all the expenditure that the company has to undergo in a particular financial year. Staff Costs Represents wages paid to employees and officers of the company. One effective way of controlling fluctuating staffing costs is to choose mature service providers who operate in multiple locations and have the capability of putting together an appropriate blend of experienced and entry level resources. 5 hours in the evening from 7 p.m. to 12 p.m. and 3 hours is in afternoon 12 a.m. to 3 p.m. In the evening of any weekend, the restaurant is most of the times completely packed for four hours and is occupied by around 25 people in the last hour. On an average a group spend around 1 hour on dinner. The bill generated is approx. 10$ per person at any given point in time. In the afternoon of the weekends generally 25 people can be seen in any particular hour. For the normal days the occupancy is around 25 people in the evening at any point in time and around 10 people in the afternoon. So the estimated revenue in FY08-09 is:- Each price will lead to a different level of demand and therefore have a different impact on a company’s marketing objectives. Demand and price are inversely related: higher the price, lower the demand. On an average ‘The Diners Park’ employees around 20 employees in a month and the salary cost of all employees is around 20,000$ every month. The cost of raw material is around 9000$ per month and the water and electricity bill cost around 2000$ per month. Apart from this, the miscellaneous cost is around 1000$ per month. The cost capital employed for the project is around 2000,000 USD. Taking the rate of interest to be around 6% per annum, the interest cost is around 120,000$ per annum. At Diners Park, we added more drivers to increase the speed of delivery. Even more importantly, we have introduced specially insulated, heat retaining,

Short answers Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Short answers - Research Paper Example This is illustrated by Phillips curve where as unemployment falls, inflation increases. The government should step in to solve unemployment problems according to Keynes. This is done through Central bank that ensures that there is more money in circulation (Froyen, 1995). The classical would advocate that the Federal Government supply money so as to match the rate of unemployment growth. If the two do not match, then there will be excess supply, which could be as a result of increased price of labour. In addition, the government should restrain from applying any stabilization measures (Tucker, 2011). Despite being expensive, the procedures employed by the United State drug and food administration are essential. This is to ensure that they are quality and fit for human consumption. The government can however, subsidize the prices so as to reduce their prices and be able to manage inflation (Harris, 2006). On the other hand, the government should not eliminate such requirements on hot dog content since it is not a basic need. A combination of fiscal and monetary policy should be employed in the current U.S. economy. Some of the fiscal policies include; government purchases and transfer payments. On the other hand, monetary policies such as Open Market Operation among others could be employed (Tucker,

The biological and learning perspectives

The biological and learning perspectives Aggression remains a substantial problem today. According to Berkowitz (1975) aggression can be defined as any behaviour which is intended to cause harm to another person whether physically or verbally. This investigation is an evaluation of the biological and learning perspectives of psychology accounting for the development of aggression in children. Aggression from the biological perspective is seen as an innate behaviour which is genetically transferred from the parents to their offspring. Supplementary biological factors which cause aggression are low levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin, as well as certain brain structures such as the hypothalamus and amygdala, that when manipulated, may result in aggressive behaviour. When considering the learning perspective and environmental determinants of aggression in children there are key factors which play an essential role. The observations of others behaviour as demonstrated by Albert Bandura (1961) as well as the frustration aggression hypothesis suggested by Dollard (1939) have been found to be considerable factors in the development of aggression. Video games have also been identified as a contributing cause of aggression in children. This examination investigates the origins of childhood aggression and evaluates two differing perspectives, these being the biological and learning perspective, and collectively concludes that there are various factors which contribute to a child acting aggressively. However, a collective understanding and strong evaluation of both the biological and learning perspective has led to a stronger foundation of understanding childhood aggression. Therefore, to fully understand the origins of aggressive behaviour, both biological and environmental factors must be considered within their limited scope. This leads to the conclusion that there are multiple forces which lead a child to acting aggressively; hence biological and environmental factors which trigger aggression cannot be isolated. Word Count: 282 Contents Biological perspective v Evaluation of the biological perspective ix Learning perspective xi Evaluation of the learning perspective xv Conclusion xvii References xix Bibliography xxi Introduction There are many ways in which aggression can be defined. According to Berkowitz (1975) aggression is any behaviour which causes intentional harm to another person. There are many different forms of aggression which include verbal, physical and emotional behaviours that are apparent in some children. Studies conducted on children (ranging in age from approximately 3 to 15 years old) suggest that aggression develops in children based on their biological background or their environmental context. This essay is an evaluation of the biological perspective and learning perspective of psychology accounting for the development of aggression in children. This issue is worthy of investigation since aggression has become a substantial social problem amongst upcoming generations. Alarming news articles and reports focus on aggressive acts. Children and youth growing up all around the world are resorting to violence on a daily basis. It has always appealed to me to understand the basis of aggressive behaviour as I have seen this behaviour amongst most children and teenagers, as well as adults. It is my curiosity and eagerness to discover more about the development of aggression from two opposing views, these being the biological and learning, which have motivated me to undertake this research topic for my extended essay. This essay is aimed specifically to evaluate the importance of innate drives and the environmental determinants of aggressive behaviour. Biological perspective The biological perspective of psychology is based on the assumption that behaviour is biologically determined. In Weiten (2007) text, the biological perspective belief that is referred to is that all psychological issues stem from a physiological background. Therefore, aggression in children, according to the biological perspective, is considered to be an innate behaviour. Biological factors which trigger aggressive behaviour in children are inheritance, where aggression may be passed from the parents to their offspring, as well as low levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin, and the activity of certain structures in the brain, that when manipulated may trigger aggressive behaviour. Many of the theories and case studies that have been put forward to support the hypothesis that aggression in children is biologically determined will be discussed in further detail. The biological perspective suggests that aggression in children is inherited through the traits of parents. Many theories have been driven by findings from research on animals, which highlight that there is some genetic aspect to aggression. Selective breeding has been one of the longest existing methods to find the existence of a phenotypic characteristic. In 1979 a Finnish psychologist, Kristi Lagerspetz, took the most aggressive mice from an assembly and mated them with other aggressive mice, and similarly the same applied for those non-aggressive mice. Lagerspetzs procedure was repeated over 26 generations of mice giving birth to their offspring (cited in Grivas.J, Carter.L 2005). The significant outcome of this experiment was that the mice that had been bred for aggressive tendencies demonstrated immense levels of aggression; where they instantly attacked other mice sharing the same cage. Mice that were not bred with aggressive mice did not act aggressively; when other mice atta cked them, they did not illustrate the tendency to retaliate. Lagerspetzs experiment can be criticised on the grounds that it cannot be conducted with humans because it is clearly unethical. A significant contribution of this selective breeding experiment is its illustration of a genetic basis of aggression and how it can be passed onto the offspring. These mice had a practical advantage over humans because these species have a short gestation period, which is essential as aggressive behaviour can be monitored over successive generations in a short period of time. The mice can have their behaviours observed in a lab, unlike humans. This is also a practical advantage as the mice were all kept in the same environmental conditions; hence their behaviour would not differ from one mouse to another because they shared the same environment. Arising from this experiment is the criticism of extrapolating results from animals to humans. Despite some similarity between humans and animals; there is still a large difference between them, therefore a direct link cannot be made between mice and children. Mice species have differing logic and reasoning capacities as compared to humans, hence mice do not facilitate the opportunity to choose to be aggressive or not, whereas children have the capability of logically choosing to act aggressively. On the other hand, more efficient methods of demonstrating that aggression in children is an inherited behaviour is emphasised by other research methodologies such as twin studies. Twin studies suggest that aggression in children is an inherited trait passed on from parents to their offspring. Twin studies are very useful for the reason that identical twins are monozygotic, and their genetic makeup is identical. Hence, all additional differences in their behaviour are accounted by their environment and experiences as an individual. In one study, conducted by Caspi (1998), data was collected from identical and non-identical twins following a questionnaire asking various personal and non-personal questions. The results indicated that aggressive behaviour was only partly inherited, and that environmental factors played an equally contributing role. However, according to Baron and Richardson (1994), the tendency to be aggressive is not passed on from the parents to the offspring; rather the temperament which is capable of making someone more or less aggressive can be inherited. This twin study is clearly indicative of the inheritance of aggressive behaviour, yet it cannot be claimed that inheritance is the only key factor which causes aggressive behaviour or the tendency to be aggressive in children. Over time research has also consistently indicated that low levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin plays a central role in increased levels of aggression in children. In a study conducted at the National Institute of Mental Health (Bethasda MD), a positive correlation was found between low levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin and the levels of aggression in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (Mitsis.E et al, 2000). In another study conducted by Russian researchers, silver foxes were studied. It was found that those foxes which had been bred for over 30 years for domestic behaviour, showed no defensive reactions to humans because they had high levels of serotonin in various structures of the brain, compared to the foxes which had been bred without freedom (Popova et al, 1991). These studies clearly highlight the role which serotonin plays in causing aggressive behaviour amongst children; the lower the levels of serotonin the higher the level of aggression. Once again, this research could be criticised on the grounds that it is difficult to associate these findings to children as they are different beings. The above experiments are of considerable value as the foxes could be trained and kept over an extended period of time where their behaviour is closely observed, unlike humans who cannot be kept in such environments. Certain parts of the brain have been found to be responsible for the development of aggression in children. The structure of the hypothalamus and the amygdala located within the brain are a leading biological cause of aggressive behaviour. Both structures communicate with each other via electric signals. The hypothalamus and amygdala can be manipulated using electrical currents, and they may be switched on or off disabling their normal operation using an electrode. Bard (1934) investigated the effect of lesions on the levels of aggression in cats. Bard found that when parts of the cortex were removed from the cats, they displayed sham rage where the cats acted aggressively. He also found that when parts of the hypothalamus were removed the sham rage disappeared, clearly demonstrating that the manipulation of the hypothalamus and cortex plays a role in the development of aggression. Evaluation of the biological perspective The biological approach of explaining aggressive behaviour in children is very scientific and is consequently regarded as reliable. It is based on many experimental studies which are conducted in laboratory conditions in order to eliminate any environmental influences on the findings. However, the location of the experiments is not only a strength but also a potential weakness. The biological perspective involves low ecological validity where most studies are conducted within laboratory conditions. Experiments conducted in the laboratory will most certainly produce different results then in real-life situations as participants will not demonstrate the exact same behaviour in real-life situations as they will under examination. Thus, this weakness does not implicate that such laboratory experiments are invaluable; rather they are limited to generalisabilty. However, positive correlations between real life situations can be drawn, highlighting that laboratory studies are considerably u seful. The biological perspective can be criticised on the basis that aggression in children cannot be related to studies that have been conducted on animals. An argument stemming from this point is that it is not possible to apply animal findings to humans regardless of the similarities because they are different beings. Parallels between humans and animals may be oversimplified, and therefore social, as well as learning processes, must also be taken into consideration. The analysis of animal results from the biological perspective requires cautious interpretation. However, using animals to demonstrate the link between childhood aggression and biological factors is also beneficial. Studies such as the breeding of generations as conducted by Lagzerspetz and lesions on certain parts of the brain, conducted by Bard, are contributing factors in the development of aggression which cannot be conducted on humans because it will cause psychological and physical harm to the participants and most li kely result in death. Similarly, there is always some sort of connection that can be drawn between animals and humans, therefore using animals can be a starting point to understanding the biological bases of aggression in children. Another weakness of explaining the development of aggression in children from the biological perspective is the reductionist nature of the biological approach. This is one of the main weaknesses which the biological perspective incorporates. The biological perspective does not regard or take into the account the interaction of the mind and body with the environment, rather it only takes into consideration neurological processes. Environmental factors are also not placed into perspective. This is a downfall as complex human behaviours cannot always be explained on a genetic basis; the surrounding environment also plays a central role in influencing and triggering aggressive behaviours. One certain structure of the brain cannot be the only factor which is responsible for the development of aggression in children, because most structures of the brain are connected and their influence or triggering of behaviour cannot therefore be based in one specific area. Correspondingly, the findings of all studies conducted cannot be generalised to all children. These findings are applicable to a small sample and findings cannot be predicted to be the same for a different sample of children as all children are different. Yet, this can be a starting point to understanding the basis of aggressive behaviour. Learning perspective The learning perspective is established on the basis that although everyone is born with a genetic endowment which is the root of instinctual behaviours, the majority of behaviour is learnt from the environment. The underlying principle of this assumption suggests that aggression in children does not purely develop as a result of biological factors, rather it accounts for a very minor part. According to Bandura (1961) aggression can be learnt from the observation of other people and their aggressive behaviour. Aggression in children can also be learnt through the observation of frustrated people who surround them and frustration also triggers aggressive behaviour (Dollard 1939). Alarming articles and studies have revealed that violent video games are linked to aggressive behaviour amongst children. Firstly, a theory proposed to support the theory of aggression from the learning perspective is the frustration-aggression hypothesis which was proposed by John Dollard (1939). The frustration aggression theory suggests that frustration is the main factor which contributes to aggression. For example, when an individual is frustrated, in a certain situation, they will immediately display aggressive behaviour. According to this hypothesis, aggression will only occur due to frustration and no other particular factor. Also, according to Glassman (2000) the level of aggression demonstrated is purely dependant on how frustrated one may be. For instance when a child is prevented from taking a course of action or possessing something it is most likely believed that the child will become aggressive; occurring as a result of being frustrated. Barker et al (1941) further investigated frustration as a cause of aggression in young children. In their study, children were shown a roomful of attractive toys which were kept out of their reach. The children were kept away from the toys for a while before they were allowed to play with them. The controlled conditioned group of the children were allowed to immediately play with the toys. Similar to Dollards findings (1939), it was observed from this conducted study that the children who were frustrated because they had to wait before being exposed to the toys, played aggressively with the toys by smashing and stomping on them. On the other hand, the children who were allowed to play immediately with the toys handled them carefully and played happily. One social determinant of aggressive behaviour is Albert Banduras social learning theory (1961) which highlights the role of observation and its consequences on the aggressive behaviour in children from the learning perspective. Albert Bandura views most human behaviour as learned by observing a model or simply another person, which affects a childs view of how this new behaviour can be developed and how this new attained behaviour is a guide for their actions. This provides the basis of explaining aggressive behaviour in children from the learning perspective. Banduras (1961) most well known experiment was the Bobo doll experiment; the Bobo doll being a plastic clown doll. In this experiment Bandura examined the consequential actions of children observing an adult behaving aggressively with a Bobo doll. During the experiment he had children watching models acting aggressively towards a Bobo doll. They watched the video of the model constantly acting aggressively by sitting on the do ll, punching it and kicking it repeatedly. Bandura had other children watch a non aggressive model playing calmly with the Bobo doll. Once the children were exposed to such models, they were taken into another room where there were many toys amongst them the Bobo doll. The results from this experiment indicated that children, who were exposed to the aggressive model and observed their acts, imitated aggressive behaviour towards the Bobo doll. In contrast, the children who were exposed to the non-aggressive model showed no or very little aggressive behaviour. Albert Banduras Bobo Doll experiment highlights the role of observation in childrens learning. Children were the subject as they are less socially conditioned unlike adults. However, this experiment raises the possibility that children may have thought that this experiment was a game as a consequence of the Bobo doll having a spring which causes it to spring back immediately after being knocked down. A criticism of this research is that it is not ecological the children may have not acted aggressively towards any human in real life. Another potential weakness is the fact that the children may have not been exposed to the Bobo doll previously, hence they did not know how to play with it. A criticism of the social learning theory is also that it does not take into account the physical and mental changes which a child undergoes as they mature. Children at different ages may respond to laboratory experiments in different ways. Much like observation of others behaviours, violent video games and television shows have also been proven to trigger aggression in children. The learning perspective suggests that children who play violent video games such as Doom, Wolfenstein 3D or Mortal Combat and others often experience aggressive behaviour, either physically or verbally. Violent video games have a supplementary impact on young children and trigger aggressive behaviour more than violent television shows because they are more interactive, engaging the child in aggressive acts and ultimately rewarding them for acting aggressively within the game. Dr. Craig A. Anderson, Ph.D. (2000) states, This medium is potentially more dangerous than exposure to violent television and movies. Dr. Anderson of Iowa State University in Ames and his colleagues found that in the U.S and Japan, Japanese and American children who played violent video games demonstrated more aggressive behaviour months later compared to their peers who didnt. In Andersons study, 181 Japanese students aged between 12 and 15 years old and 364 U.S. children aged between 9 and12 years old were tested. The U.S and Japanese children named their favourite video games and how often they played. The children from both groups were later on asked to rate their level of aggression and reports from their teachers and peers were also taken into consideration. From the results it was found that the children from each group who were exposed to more violent video games were much more aggressive than those who were less exposed. Comparisons were made between their prior levels of aggression and how there was a dramatic rise in this level (Cited in BBC News, Video games Increase Aggression, Health Section, 2000). Violent video games can impact on childrens aggression levels, as children begin to believe that the world is a hostile place, and aggressive acts are an acceptable part of normal daily life. Presumably, constant and excessive exposure to v iolent video games causes children to become desensitized to violence. Once they have been engaged in aggressive acts it impacts on the children emotionally, and as a consequence these children find it much easier and acceptable to engage in violence and aggressive acts. A criticism of this study is that the cultural context of the children was not taken into account. Japan and the U.S are two differing cultures; hence what is deemed as aggressive in Japan may not be aggressive in the U.S and vice versa. Hence, it is difficult to compare the behaviour of these children whilst ignoring cultural factors. Leonard Berkowitz (1989) investigated the effect of pain and discomfort on individuals to demonstrate their likelihood of acting aggressively. He induced pain by placing the participants hands in cold or warm water while they distributed rewards and punishments to a partner. Berkowitz identified that those who had their hands placed in the cold water caused greater harm to their partner than those who had their hands immersed in warm water. This is sufficient to draw the conclusion that pain is a contributing factor to aggression. Evaluation of the learning perspective The learning perspective also incorporates strengths and weaknesses. Similar to the biological perspective of explaining aggressive behaviour in children, it is reductionist. It explains aggressive behaviour in terms of a characteristic which is being learnt although it does not deny the genetic endowment of aggressive behaviour. The learning perspective argues that aggressive behaviour is learnt through observation, and triggered by the surrounding environment and conditions. It simplifies the occurrence of certain behaviours, especially aggression, into a few steps. For instance, the problem of reduction is evident in Albert Banduras study of the Bobo doll whereby aggressive behaviour is reduced to the process of imitation. Thus, it has overlooked other leading causes of the development of aggression including the childrens upbringing and home environment. Children were varied therefore some children may have been brought up in a violent home and exposed to many aggressive situatio ns. This may have affected the way they acted in the laboratory and the ultimate results of the experiment. It was also assumed that all biological influences such as levels of serotonin are identical for each participant. The frustration aggression hypothesis supported by Dollard (1939) is an inefficient method of demonstrating how childhood aggression develops as in some cases, such as learned helplessness, frustration may not lead to aggression; rather it may lead to depression. Therefore, frustration is not the only key factor which contributes to aggressive behaviour: there are other sources which may lead to this same outcome. The learning perspective also denies some very important mental processes which also result in the development of aggression in children. This perspective does not take into account how certain brain structures may trigger aggressive behaviour, in other words it does not take into account neurological processes, and rather it simply accounts for the influences of daily life and the environmental context which a person is brought up in. The learning perspective does not incorporate any biological or cognitive processes which are also responsible for the development of aggression. Nevertheless, the learning perspective focuses on the environment and the condition in which a child is situated to produce an aggressive response. It has many practical applications which have been effective in explaining the development of aggressive behaviour. It clearly highlights how certain behaviours, particularly aggression, can be learned by the observation of others. The learning perspective also has a low ecological validity, whereby the children who were engaging in the experiment may have acted differently in the laboratory than what they would have in a real life situation. To be specific, Albert Banduras Bobo doll experiment can be criticised on the grounds that the childrens aggression was measured away from their natural environment. However, if such experiments are conducted in a more realistic manner, then the results would be more beneficial in terms of understanding how aggressive behaviour in children develops. Conclusion This essay was specifically an evaluation of the biological and learning perspectives of psychology accounting for the development of aggression in children. Having considered the interpretations of the development of aggression in children from both the biological and learning perspective, and the criticisms which arise from the research conducted, it can be concluded that both the biological and learning perspectives contribute to the development of aggression in children. In terms of the biological perspective, aggression is viewed as purely being based on biological basis. It is regarded as highly reliable since it is based on science. However, the learning perspective views aggression as being unrelated to genes, rather aggression is learnt. The learning perspectives social learning theory is a useful explanation for the aggressive behaviour of children. It not only applies to direct experiences such as being disciplined by parents, but rather at all times such as when watching television. The frustration-aggression hypothesis has a weaker stance, because frustration does not always induce aggression, rather it may encourage retaliation. This hypothesis suggests that frustration accounts for all aggressive acts. For this reason it is not completely justified, because there are more determinants of aggressive behaviour. Both the biological perspective and learning perspective are based on evidence and practical studies which have been conducted. However, the learning perspective views aggression in children as having some sort of biological basis, yet through experience and reinforcement aggression becomes learned and evident amongst children. For instance, the role of the parent is paramount in using the biological factors of the child to mould the child and guide them through their development. If a childs genes are inclined to be aggressive, the parent within the environment will attempt to nurture and accommodate for their childs genes by attempting to provide a calm lifestyle. Parents may also choose to put their child in a hobby that is sports oriented to cater for the aggressive levels in order to use their energy in a positive way, where they stimulate thinking and reasoning skills preventing the child from resorting to aggressive acts. From this it is clearly evident that both the biologica l perspective and learning perspective account for and contribute to the development of aggression in children as it is difficult to isolate the contributing factors. It is clear that innate biological factors may be present in a child; however the environment sets the limits on how to behave and deal with social influences that influence a child to act aggressively. Understanding the underlying factors which contribute to aggressive behaviour will form the basis of combating the levels of violence all around the world where children, youth and adolescents often resort to violence. Through further investigation, the effect of cognitive and mental processes may now be evaluated to determine their influence on childhood aggression which will lead to educational programs being implemented in schools and for the general society. References Books Baron. R.A Richardson. D.C (1994). Human Aggression (2nd ed.). Plenum Publishing. Berkowitz, L. (1975). A survey of Social Psychology. Hillsdale, IL: Dryden Press Dollard, J. D. (1939). Frustration and Aggression. New Haven CN: Yale University Press. Glassman, W. (2000). Approaches to Psyhcology (2nd ed.). Philadelphia: Open University Press. Grivas.J, Carter. L. (2005). Psychology for the VCE Student (4th ed.). Australia: John Wiley Sons. Weiten, W. (2007). Psychology: Themes and Variations (7th ed.). Thomson Wadsworth. Articles Anne, H. (2009). Violent video games linked to child aggression. Retrieved July 18, 2009, from CNN, Health Section: http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/family/11/03/healthmag.violent.video.kids/index.html Video games Increase Aggression. (23rd April 2000). Retrieved July 5th, 2009, from BBC NEWS, Health Section: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/720707.stm Journals Barker, R. Dembo,T, and Lewin K. (1941). Frustration and aggression: An experiment with young children. University of Iowa Studies in Child Welfare, 18, 1-314. Berkowitz, L. (1989). Frustration-aggression hypothesis: Examination and reformulation. Psychological Bulletin, 106, 59-73. Caspi, A. Plomin, R., Corley, A, Fulker, D.W, DeFries, J.C. (1998). Adoption results for self-reported personality. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 75, 211-218 Bandura, A, Ross, D. and Ross, S.A (1961). Transmission of aggression through imitation of aggressive models. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 63, 575-582 Bard,P. (1934). On emotional expression after decortication, with some remarks on certain theoretical views. Psychological Review 41:309-329 and 424-449. Mitsis, Effie M,  Hampering. J.  M and Newcorn. J.H. (2000). Serotonin and aggression in children. Current Psychiatry Reports Journal, Volume 2, Number 2, (1535-1645). Popova N, Voitenko N, Kulikov A, Avgustinovich D (1991). Evidence for the involvement of central serotonin in mechanism of domestication of silver foxes. Pharmacol Biochem Behav.; 40:751-756

Essay --

According to Yount, the church should have evaluations â€Å"in order to make sure what God called one to do, is in fact getting done† (449). Evaluation is a word that many people are acquainted with, and although it is a familiar word, it seems to take on a different meaning in various settings, for example, in business, schools, trades, and particularly in the church. There are a lot of evaluation practices in existence within our culture which do not translate as easily when it comes to the life of the congregation, and that’s a good thing because, they should not, in fact, there need to be a means to sort them out, for example, when business practices are imported in the process of evaluation, the impact can be a negative one, although the congregation can benefit and learn from those members who possess valuable experiences in both business and the working world. The whole world belongs solely to God and he allows our Reformed theological tradition to be open to the vast knowledge and experiences that are gained from various settings in which Christians interact with the world. Ye...

Family Assessment and Intervention

Family Intervention Movie Assignment â€Å"Meet the Parents† One of our main objectives as future counselors is to understand individual clients is to first gain an understanding of family background. Working with family from a systems perspective, the counselor is able to gain an understanding to the ways in which family members interact, what the family norms and expectations are, how effectively members communicate, who makes decisions, and how the family deals with needs and expectations (Edleman & Mandle, 2002). In the concept of systems theory, a family can exist within a community (suprasystem) and at the same time have smaller relationships within that family (subsystems). By composing genograms, or family tree, one can see information on family relationships, health patterns, occupations, and religion. By composing an ecomap one can see information on how a family and its members interact with larger systems or smaller subsystems. The term family can be defined as â€Å"a group of individuals who are bound by strong emotional ties, a sense of belonging, and a passion for being involved in one another's lives (Wright & Leahey, 2000). After watching the movie, â€Å"Meet the Parents† I decided to watch the whole movie to see where it would be that the intervention would start. The scene where â€Å"Greg† tries to get the cat off the roof and ultimately to please Jack his girlfriend’s father he goes to a local animal shelter to purchase a look alike cat for the family cat that ran away, named Jinx (Which I thought in hindsight the cat’s name is the complete situation Greg finds himself in†¦jinxed). Once the family gets home and finds ‘Jinx’ has destroyed the dress and the house before his youngest daughter’s wedding everything hits the fan†¦emotions rage and Jack and Greg are starting to really express themselves. I think Greg does this because he feels he has nothing to lose. The interesting part is how this whole fiasco sort of brings the family and friends together†¦here is where I would begin my interview. The family members that I chose to conduct my interview and research on are the Burns and Greg (Gaylord Focker). By using the concepts of systems theory, genograms, and, I will be giving you an analysis of her amily and its relationships, health patterns, habits, customs, traditions, and how the members of the family interact with one another and also the outside community. People Characters Nurse Teacher Family Functioning Analyze, assess and suggest intervention Assessment of individuals Assessment of individual and Family dynamics and patt erns Behavioral issues and problems Family background Ask the fathers permission to marry the sister Teacher is motivated by what her dad thinks (smoking as a sign of weakness) Family values†¦compromised†¦living together Very pretentious Father is sarcastic and lacks sense of humor Parents still think their daughter as their little girl Mother is in denial and acts as if everything is wonderful Greg is Jewish not much of a family background for meals and family interactions and has problems with saying grace. Father has a lot of secretive ways—CIA psychological profiler Lie detector scene Burns family circle of trust†¦a tool of manipulation Son sneaks around and has limited freedom Everyone seems to want to please Jack Jack has at traditional mindset of a man’s role and a woman’s role Jack is controlling†¦. ven to training the cat how to use the bathroom Other son in law bought acceptance Jack’s friend the surgeon play’s into Jack’s machoism Wife was a voice of reason after the cat incident Address the following: What would a counselor look for or need to find out about this family? What would be essential or important How would the therapist go about doing this? Wh at is my assessment of family functioning What are unique things pertaining to this family to be aware of outside or developmental influences on the family (race, culture, stress, family development, remarriage, divorce, etc. What do I think the focus of the intervention should be? What are some treatment goals? What are some type of interventions or therapist interactions that would make a difference? Based on what I know about the family what strategies could be employed? If the family members were making their own changes or interventions, are they effective? Why or why not? If not changes or intervention is seen what do I feel is needed What dynamics need to change What would assessment, goals and intervention look like for this family/