Friday, June 7, 2019

Violent Video Game Debate Essay Example for Free

Violent Video Game Debate EssayHook A lot of people in this room alone take a crap probably at least once run acrossed a uncultivated video back up or at least have seen psyche depend a game that is violent. Games such as C altogether of Duty, Halo, or Gears of War. Heck I own all three of those games, but thats beside the point. What good can diminish out of playing games where you repetitively kill others and see some ridiculous gory images? Honestly what good can come out of this when developing minds argon playing games where they shoot peoples heads off over and over?Like I said, yeah I myself have vie these games and havent really belief about the effects of playing them but the statistics and studies dont lie when it comes to linking violent video games with emergenced aggression in mainly teenagers, and to play the games so much to where it numbs your mind and you have no concept of what is actually going on in reality or so you. Argument 1 Research finds that children who play violent video games can become violent themselves, but ar these people just mimicking what they see on the screen or do the games part steadfast effects on the brain?I mean that would be pretty messed up if a video game could have negative lasting effects on the brain right? Well Time Magazine reported on a study conducted by Dr. Vincent Mathews and his colleagues at Indiana University where they took a conclave of 28 students all young adult males and they randomly assigned the students to play either a violent, first person guesswork game or a non-violent one every day for a hebdomad. None of the the participants had much previous gaming experience.At the beginning of the study, researchers used functional MRI to glance brain activity in the participants, while they completed lab-based tasks involving either emotional or non-emotional content. A week later after playing their games every day for that week they were scanned again as they repeated the same tasks. At the start of the study, researchers used functional MRI to scan brain activity in the participants, all young adult men, while they completed lab-based tasks involving either emotional or non-emotional content.The participants were then scanned again while they repeated the same tasks, after a week of playing the video games. Researchers found that those who played the violent video games showed less activity in areas that involved emotions, attention and inhibition of our impulses. Behavioral studies have shown an increase in aggressive behavior after violent video games, and what we show is the physiological explanation for what the behavioral studies are showing, says Matthews. Were showing that there are changes in brain function that are likely related to that behavior. Its not clear how long-lasting the changes may be.When Matthews brought the participants back after a week of not playing video games, their brain activity had changed again, reverting to more normal reactions, but their brain functions still werent quite the same as before they were exposed to the violent games. Following playing the game they put the participants through some tests where it was clear that the students who played the violent first person shooter game showed signifigantly less activation of the emotional centers of the brain. Meaning the games had left their brain unable to show proper emotions or reactions to whats going on around them.The brain changes dont appear to be permanent, but documenting that the brain does change in response to playing a violent game as yet just for two hours a day for a week is a significant advance in understanding how young players may be change by these games. The brain changes that Matthews group saw were similar to those seen in teens with vainglorious sociopathic disorders, and his results, along with those from previous studies showing shorter-term effects, have been used in motor inn cases by parents and others hoping to limit violent game play among young children.Do you think its messed up that the patterns observed in that study were the same as those with destructive sociopathic disorders? Argument 2 So now that you know for a fact that violent video games effect the brain in a bad way, but what else could they effect? Teen driving habits and reckless driving for teenagers. A group of researchers at Dartmouth College did a study where they found a shockingly affirmatory correlation in risky driving habits with teenagers that played violent video games that involved driving such as Grand Theft auto.The researchers interviewed a group of teenagers when they first got their license that played these games, and a group that didnt play the games. After time they checked up on their study participants and found that the ones that played the games were involved in a substantially larger number of wrecks and received a lot more tickets. Not only did the group that played the violent video games get in more wrecks and receive more tickets, there was a large number from this group that admitted to driving drunk where the group that didnt play these games had no admittances to driving under the influence.The researchers of the study propose that violent video games change a young players self-perception, so that they see themselves as someone who does risky things. In other words, they are suggesting, the players try to become more like the characters they are controlling on screen. Recap Good Nothing.Bad A lot.. Lasting negative effects to the brain, increased aggression, positive correlation with reckless and drunk driving with teenagers. Hmmm Ill let you decide. Argument 3 By feeling at this kid, would you say he looks like a murderer? I dont think so. But heres his story on how his strong addiction and how what I talked about in the first study directly ties into his case of murdering his mother and shooting his father all because of the video game Halo 3.The controversy be tween Daniel and his parents began when they forbade Daniel from buying and playing the Xbox 360 game Halo 3. Petrics sister, Heidi Petric, testified in court that Daniel never played the game until he promise staphylococcus infection from a jetski injury and was housebound. Petric was introduced to the Halo franchise while at the house of his friend, the Johnsons. His father, grunge Petric, was a minister at the New life Assembly of God in Wellington.Both parents objected the idea of their son playing a violent game with adult ratings and did not find it suitable for him. Mark testified that Daniel sneaked out of the house one evening and purchased the game without either of the parents knowledge. While housebound, Daniel would sometimes play the game for up to 18 hours at a time without taking a break. After his parents found out that he had gone against their wishes and purchased the game, they immediately took the game away and locked it in a risk-free that also incidentally concealed a 9mm Taurus PT-92 handgun.

Thursday, June 6, 2019

Energy Drinks Market Essay Example for Free

vim Drinks Market EssayIntroduction The objectives of this report ar to identify how the Energy Drink market is segmented according to demographic, geographic, psychographic and behavioral variables. The Energy Drink industry which is dominated by Red horseshit and V energy crispens is worth 151 million dollars and is increase by 47% per year. Energy drinks is the fastest growing category in the soft drink market. I have chosen leash different companies in this report to analysis which segments they target, Powerade, Red Bull and coca Cola. Red Bull is the market leader in energy drinks and Coca Cola which is very adept at mass marketing has f every last(predicate)en behind and needs to adopt new and exciting marketing techniques to hail to the younger demographic. I have besides selected three different sub-brands to explain how the product is positioned. I have chosen Powerade Energy raciness, Red Bull Sugar Free and Coca Colas new change green afternoon tea drink Enviga. Demographic Demographic class consists of certain variables such as age, gender, income, ethnic background and family life cycle.Energy drinks are targeted to the 20-34 age brackets. Energy drinks target generation y and generation x by using modern labels and exciting ads with dance music, and extreme sports. The older generations such a baby boomer would be more inclined to stick with coffee for a quick pick me up. There is more vehemence on marketing to males but lately there has been an increased interest in marketing to females by producing base calorie, low pelf energy drinks. Income of the consumer is non an important characteristic because of the low price of energy drinks.Geographic Geographic segmentation describes segmenting markets by part of the world, region of the country, market density, market size or climate. Energy drinks practice geographic segmentation by advertising higher in more fast paced, high density urban areas rather than calmness country town. This has to do with the hectic lifestyles most people live that choke in high density, big cities. Another contributing factor is the higher population. too energy drinks would geographic segment a product in countries or regions with higher temperatures because energy drinks are best drunk cold so in colder climates people would tend to grease ones palms a hot drink such as a coffee for a caffeine induced energy burst. Psychographic Psychographic segmentation refers to market segmentation on the basis of socioeconomic status, values, attitudes and lifestyle groupings. Social class does not matter when it comes to energy drinks because any one screwing purchase a can from the local shop or petrol station at a reasonably cheap price. Peoples interest in energy drinks is sometimes affected by their lifestyle.For example people who work long hours, work hard, dont sleep enough will be more inclined to purchase energy drinks because of the practicality and energy buzz afterwar ds. And now even energy drinks are targeting people who try to live a unafraidly lifestyle by promoting their products as low calorie, low sugar and claim they increase your metabolism. Behavioral variables Behavioral segmentation allows companies to group customers and buyers into segments according to the benefits they seek from the product. critical point status is when customers can be grouped according to the occasion when they get the idea to purchase an energy drink.Energy drinks are often consumed before work and any other part of the day when an individual is feeling tired, but energy drink companies are now promoting the beverage as a good pre exercise drink for an increased corporal performance. Benefits sought are an effective way of identifying buyers according to the benefits they seek from energy drinks. The main benefit segments for energy drinks are, taste, economic, wellness and the energy burst. Some people might prefer to purchase a product that claims to giv e more of an energy burst then another product, even if the taste is less desirable.Some products that are produced and marketed to have fewer calories and less sugar might be purchased instead of a product that is high in sugar even though it is more expensive. Red Bull/ Powerade/ Coca Cola Red Bull Red Bull targets generation y. High civilise and university students trying to cope with study. Also red bull mainly targets male with its original product, On the Red bull website there is two whole sections that alter in extreme sports and motorsports. This shows that Red bull targets males in generation Y and overly in generation X.Red Bull sponsor extreme white events such as air racing. Also Red Bull targets segments of the population that have little time and often need a refreshing drink that gives them energy. Red Bull excessively caters for the health conscience individual and females by producing a low sugar energy drink. This drink which is called Red Bull sugar free com es in a light blue can that would target the female population. Red Bull also target long distance driver, this can be seen when you walk into any petrol station by the size and amount of advertising. Powerade.Powerade have four different kinds of products, they have Powerade Energy Edge, which is designed for pre-sports, Powerade isotonic which is best for during sports or any time during the day, Powerade Recovery which is formulated for after sports because of the protein contained in the beverage. Powerade also make a powder that can be make into a Powerade sports drink after water is added. This powder targets the money conscience individual that would rather make it in bulk to save. It also targets sporting clubs and larger groups who can make a big batch for a team or group of some sort.The logo on each of the three drinks also gives the customer hints to what its designed for. Powerade energy has a picture of a athlete about to hightail it, Powerade isotonic has a picture of an athlete during a race and Powerade recovery has a picture of an athlete finishing his race. Powerade mainly target generation y and generation x. The company does not target a specific gender but markets to health conscience people and athletes. This is shown by their advertising and sponsoring of sporting associations, and clubs such as the AFL, The Wallabies, and The Perth Wildcats.Powerade also sponsor world class athletes. Powerade are different from other energy drinks because they do not market so much that the consumer will get a quick burst of energy through and through caffeine but more of a healthier, burst of energy through high carbohydrate drinks. This is more suited to athletes rather than your average tired person. Powerade also take a much more scientific approach compared to the other energy drinks on the market by claiming to have tested their products on athletes. Coca Cola.Coca Cola is spending a lot of money on marketing a couple new energy drinks to try and break into the considerable industry of energy drinks which has long been dominated by Red Bull and V. Coca Cola has emphasized on targeting the young healthy demographic. The first of its products is Mother, an all natural juice based energy drink, which claims to contain a potent Amazonian berry , acai. Another new product by Coca Cola is Enviga, this carbonate green tea beverage claims to burn calories after drinking.Coca Cola have produced two drinks to market to two different segments of the population, Mother which has been marketed to young males and Enviga which is do to appeal to young women. Mother Energy drink is positioned to target young males, an example of this is the logo on the front of the can resembles a tattoo. Products/ Sub-brands Powerade Energy Edge Powerade energy edge is specially formulated to provide fast and effective hydration for pre-sports and they claim it has been scientifically proven.The products attribute which are ingredients that contain c affeine, electrolytes, and B-vitamins position the product to appeal to athletes. It is positioned to be used whenever a person need fast and effect hydration or more predominantly before sports. Its benefits claim to be enhanced physical performance. Powerades main competitor Gatorade does not produce a drink specifically designed for pre-sports because of the added caffeine. Red Bull Sugar Free Red Bull Sugar Free is positioned to target young adults and largely women because of the advertised low calorie low sugar attributes of the product.The can of the sugar free variety is different from the standard Red Bull as it comes in an aqua blue can, this would suggest that the product is positioned to be more attractive to females. The benefits of this product are claimed to be increased performance, reaction and speed improves emotional status, increased metabolism and low calories. Coca Colas Enviga Coca Colas Enviga is a carbonated green tea beverage that claims to increase your me tabolism and burn calories because of the presence of green tea and caffeine.The main attributes of this product are green tea and its low calories (five per can). They claim the amount of green tea in their can is higher than most other green tea drink and they list the benefits of green tea as rich in antioxidants, support cardio-vascular health, help your body fight free radicals and helps your body burn more calories. These attributes position this product to aim at young women who want to be healthy and even the health conscience male. The usage occasions for Enviga are anytime throughout the day but they recommend having three cans a day for maximum calorie burning.The drinks come in three flavours natural green tea, berry and pomegranate, and each can has bright colours on the front which further suggests the drink is positioned for women.Reference 1. Kotler, P. , S. Adam, L. Brown, and G Armstrong. 2006. Principles of Marketing. NSW Pearson Education Australia. 2. Red Bull. 2008. http//www. redbull. com (accessed September 1, 2008). 3. Powerade. 2008. http//www. powerade. com. au (accessed September 1, 2008). 4. Enviga. 2008. http//www. enviga. com (accessed September 1, 2008). 5. Coca Cola. 2008. http//www. coca-cola. com (accessed September 1, 2008).

Wednesday, June 5, 2019

Parrallel Universe Theory

Parr on the wholeel Universe TheoryToday, astronomers give the bounce see out to a outgo of approximately 42 billion light-years, our cosmic visual horizon, and we have no reason to believe that the populace ends in that location (Physics for Dummies, 2011). There exists the curtain raising that there atomic number 18 an place number of domains beyond our own. The majority of cosmologists today agree with the concept of a multiverse where the same laws of natural philosophy apply in all domains, but any(prenominal) dare to take the notion even further. Some physicians believe in the origination of infinite jibe initiations with different laws of physics, alternate histories and other dimensions than ours (Science Universe, 2012). With this essay, I fetch to pursue the parallel universe guess in order to determine its validity outside the realm of science-fiction. I go out explore the justifications for it as hygienic as the criticisms against it by consulting the th eories of various cosmologists and quantum physicians. The ultimate reason for this pursuit is to determine whether or not the theory of parallel universes can be considered as an sure scientific fact or should kinda remain in the world of fiction.Before proceeding, I need to state the limitations and scope of this paper and clearly accept the coordinate in which the subject matter will be talk overed. Firstly, I will define a parallel universe and provide some mise en scene information on the subject, as will be applicable to the essays content. Secondly, I will identify the theories that support the idea of parallel universes and organise them according to a cosmological or quantum physics perspective. Thirdly, I will identify the theories that criticise the idea of parallel universes and again organise them according to a cosmological or quantum physics perspective. Lastly, after analyzing some(prenominal) schools of thought, I will conclude my findings and determine if par allel universes are indeed fact or fiction.Part 1 gibe Universes Definition and BackgroundTo understand the concept of a parallel universe, one must first define the umbrella term it falls under, namely a multiverse. The multiverse theory claims that our universe is not the only one of its kind and that there exists many universes parallel to one another (The Theory of fit Universes, 2011). The universes that exist inside this multiverse are called parallel universes. These multiple universes consist of everything and anything that can exist in matter, time, energy and space (The Theory of Parallel Universes, 2011). Other terms that are apply to refer to parallel universes include quantum universes, alternative universes, alternative realities or parallel worlds. The following paragraphs will give an overview of some scientific theories on parallel universes in order to give an understanding of the argument and the logic that supports the notion. We will first look at the argumen t as approached from a cosmological perspective. fit in to Ellis (2011), if the universe and the possible histories that take place within it are infinite and the number of types of DNA-based worlds are finite, then this infinite universe will contain an infinite come of copies of these finite DNA-based beings. He goes on to say that, given this argument, some of these living beings will inevitably follow very similar lines of record (Ellis, 2011). In baffle terms, when given the prospect of an infinite amount of histories combined with finite types of living beings, these histories will repeat to infinitum. However, Soler Gil and Alfonseca (2013) do not agree that if there are an infinite amount of possible histories, that these histories will necessarily be repeated in parallel universes. They state that given this scenario, the amount of histories will always be great than the number of living beings, therefore if these beings are infinitely repeated they will still experien ce different histories (Soler Gil and Alfonseca, 2013).Given this brief background overview, it is evident that the scientific community is still heavily divided on the notion of the existence of parallel universes. We will now continue by evaluating more detailed descriptions of theories that boost and refute the existence of parallel universes. For the purpose of this paper, we will only draw from the playing fields of cosmology and quantum physics.Part 2 Theories that promote the Existence of Parallel UniversesQuantum physics is the science that attempts to explain phenomena which cannot be explained by the regular laws of science and physics. The parallel universe theory was first formulated in 1956 by Hugh Everett. Everett formulated this theory in an attempt to substantiate his belief that every probable outcome of any decision we make, does actually happen. He claimed that even though we may take aim option A in this universe, we will choose option B in a parallel universe (Everett, 1956). Everetts theory is relatively new to the history of physics but it has already become a popular and controversial bailiwick in the scientific community. This proposal was coined the Many-Worlds Interpretation. It essentially states that any object can be in any state at any time in a different parallel universe (Everett, 1956). This implies that the wavefunction of a state of being does not collapse at the moment of observation (like we observe in the Double-Slit Experiment later in the paper), but rather continues to evolve in a deterministic manner while simultaneously embracing all its possibilities (Everett, 1956). Everett (1956) notes that even though every possible outcome does exist simultaneously, they do not interfere with one another due to the fact that we are unable to observe these alternate realities.The Cosmological PerspectiveMax Tegmark, a well known modern font cosmologist, states that if space is indeed infinite and inhabited by a finite number of living beings, then there is bound to be some equal occurrences that take place in different universes (Tegmark, 1997). Tegmark goes on to make use of a mathematical equation to calculate the probable distance of our nearest doppelgnger at any given time. His answer being approximately 1010115 meters. This theory coincides with a fundamental conjecture of cosmology, namely that the universe exists beyond the scope of our observation.Tegmark formulated a categorisation that recognizes four different trains of the multiverse where each level builds on the previous one. Tegmark (1997) refers to the first level as the level Beyond our Cosmological Horizon. This refers to an infinite universe that contains Hubble volumes that concern themselves with realising all primary conditions. Tegmark (1997) states that an infinite universe will necessarily contain an infinite amount of Hubble volumes that are subjected to the same physical laws. Given this precedent, there are bound to be Hu bble volumes that have identical configurations to ours in some universes. This statement is rooted in the cosmological principle that states that we do not be possessed of a unique Hubble volume.The second level concerns Universes with Different Physical Constants (Tegmark, 1997). He coins these universes as bubble universes and claims that our universe is just one of many bubble universes in existence. Tegmark (1997) then builds on the cosmic inflation theory in order to justify his argument that although the multiverse is infinitely stretching, there are some regions that cease to stretch. at one time they become stationery, they form bubbles that may possess differing physical constants.The third level is an expression of the Many-Worlds Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics (Tegmark, 1997). One feature of quantum mechanics is that there is no observation that can be predicted with absolute certainty, but there is rather a range of probable observations. By applying this feature to the many-worlds interpretation, one can take off that each probable observation should be compatible with a different universe. Tegmark (1997) explains that the difference between level one and level trey is that in level one our doppelgngers reside in a three-dimensional space whereas in level three they reside in an infinite-dimensional space.The fourth level is referred to as the last Ensemble or the Mathematical Universe Hypothesis (Tegmark, 1997). He claims that due to mathematics abstract nature, one can use a mathematical structure to prove just about any Theory of Everything (Tegmark, 1997). Given this statement, one can describe any imaginable parallel universe at level four and include all other ensembles by simply using mathematics. By doing so, one will bring an end to the multiverse hierarchy and eliminate any probability of the existence of a fifth level. regular though Tegmark does utilise some characteristics of quantum mechanics to promote the existence of pa rallel universes, he is fundamentally a cosmologist. There is, however, another physician that uses the field of quantum physics more extensively in this pursuit. In the next section we will evaluate Brian Greenes argument for the existence of parallel universes from a quantum physics perspective.The Quantum Physics PerspectiveBefore discussing Greenes applications programme of quantum physics to promote the existence of parallel universes, we first need to recognize three observations about quantum physics. Firstly, energy has the ability to travel by dint of space without having the need to cover the superseding distance (Physics for Dummies, 2011). This means that energy and quantum particles possess the ability to exist in more than one place at a time. This observation is clearly fundamental for the substantiation of the parallel universe theory from a quantum physics perspective. Secondly, all quantum particles exist in different places at any given time, even though we are u nable to see them (Physics for Dummies, 2011). Given this observation, there is a possibility that doppelgngers may exist in different locations. Thirdly, quantum particles are influenced by the practice of observation when we observe them (Physics for Dummies, 2011), which plays an important determination later in the paper when we discuss the Double-Slit Experiment.Greene attempts to comprehend the origin of multiverses by utilising string theory. String theory speculates that the universe can be described in terms of small strings that bulk large in ten or eleven different dimensions that we are unable to see (Greene, 2011). Greene (2011) claims that string theory not only includes strings but to a fault objects that resemble two-dimensional membranes. He goes on to suggest that we may be living on one of these two-dimensional surfaces and that other surfaces may be floating(a) around us in space. This claim is currently without any emprirical evidence, but Green (2011) says t hat this can be tested in the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN. If Greenes scheme is correct, then when particles are slammed together in the LHC, rubble can be emitted off of our membrane surface and into the greater cosmos where our membrane is floating. This loss of debris will take away some amount of energy in our universe. We can then measure the amount of energy and compare it to the amount that was typify before the collision. If there is found to be less energy afterwards, it would indicate that some energy had been launched into the greater cosmos (Greene, 2011). This particular outcome of the experiment will prove that Greenes hypothesis is correct. However, until this experiment at CERN takes place and is found to be successful, Greenes hypothesis remains pure venture.Part 3 Theories that refute the Existence of Parallel UniversesThe Cosmological PerspectiveCosmologist, Paul Davies, is a firm believer that notions of parallel universes belong in the realm of scien tific philosophy and not in physics. Even though all cosmologists accept the existence of other regions that we are not able to observe, most of them do not deduce the existence of infinite universes from this precedent. Davies addresses the topic in his New York Times opinion piece by saying that physicists should not believe a theory based on faith, but rather insist on hard scientific facts supported by empirical evidence The multiverse theory may be dressed up in scientific language, but in essence it requires a leap of faith (Davies, 2007).George Ellis is another cosmologist who shares the same sentiment as Davies towards the parallel universe theory. Ellis (2011) points out that the basic puzzle with the multiverse proposal is the existence of a cosmic visual horizon, as we will never be able to observe these universes even if they did exist. He also rejects the application of string theory, as attempted by Greene (2011), in order to substantiate the plausibility of the paral lel universe theory. Ellis (2011) states that string theory is not yet a complete theory that has been tested or proven. He admits, however, that if string theory is ever proven correct then there will be a legitimate argument for the existence of a multiverse. Ellis (2011) concludes that multiverse proposals are merely scientifically based philosophical speculation and cannot even qualify as a distinct scientific theory. He states that before the multiverse proposal can be considered to be a scientific theory, it needs to be coherent and not just a patchwork of different ideas (Ellis, 2011).The Quantum Physics PerspectiveThe most common criticism of the parallel universe theory is the lack of scientific facts derived from empirical evidence tranquil by means of observation and experiments. It has proven difficult to acquire scientific proof for the existence of alternate realities for many reasons, one of these reasons being that by notice reality, we are also altering it. This fascinating notion is demonstrated by the famous Double-Slit Experiment (Live Science, 2012). Essentially, this experiment proves that energy and matter display characteristics of particles and waves, indicating the fundamental probabilistic nature of quantum mechanics. In a basic Double-Slit Experiment, we observe the light of a laser beam aimed towards a thin plate pierced with two parallel slits. The wave-like nature of the light results in the light waves interfering with each other while passing through the two slits. When observed from behind the plate, one sees lucent and dark bands being created, which is unexpected if one were to assume that light only consisted of particles. Instead of acting like particles, the light becomes absorbed on the screen as if it consisted of photons or discrete particles (Live Science, 2012). The mysterious result of this experiment lead to the detection of the inherent probabilistic nature of individual photons.When Deutsche (2001) conducted his version of the Double-Slit Experiment, he took the findings even further. He states that when we perceive a photon passing through one slit, a parallel universe might perceive a photon passing through another slit. According to Deutsche (2001), our universe is the reality of the tangible particles that we observe whereas the reality of the shadow particles is actually a parallel universe.However, there are very strong arguments against Deutschs interpretation of the findings of the Double-Slit Experiment. It is unachievable to confirm Deutschs claim that the photon goes through one of the slits and not both because an interference pattern emerges when we try to measure this (Sturman, 2011). Even though the standard way of come on quantum mechanics does not provide a satisfactory explanation of the Double-Slit Experiment in terms of a single universe, it does not give precedent to an unproved theory of a multiverse that might explain it better. After observing that when a phot on passes through the first slit, it interferes with a photon that might have passed through the second slit, Deutsch deduces that a photon must have passed through the second slit in a parallel universe (Sturman, 2011). This, however, is unsatisfactory due to the fact that Deutsch has not proven that the photon passes through one of the two slits even though it could have passed through the other slit. There is still a distinct possibility that the photon is passing through both slits at the same time in our universe (Sturman, 2011).What I think Deutsche has forgotten in his pursuit to desperately prove the existence of parallel universes, is that the role of physics is to describe what we experience in our world. When we consider the notion of doppelgngers in different universes which we cannot observe, we are stretching the field of physics to be greater than our experiential reality. In my opinion, this cannot be considered science, but rather speculation.ConclusionAfter analyz ing both schools of thought on the existence of parallel universes, I remain firmly unconvinced by this theory. The unverified cosmological arguments made by Tegmark (1997) and the futile attempts of Greene (2011) and Deutschs (2001) quantum physics approach did not succeed in convincing me that parallel universes exist. Even though I approached this concept with an open mind, one must still require empirical evidence before confirming any theory to be remotely factual. Given the evidence, I can confidently conclude that the case for the existence of parallel universes remains unproven for now. However, I have found the contemplation of a multiverse extremely enticing as a way to reflect on the nature of our existence. There is no doubt that the concept belongs in the realm of philosophy for now, but the lack of scientific proof does not leave it entirely worthless. We should rather embrace what multiverse proposals truly are scientifically based philosophical speculation (Ellis, 2 011). By doing this we can bring newfound legitimacy to the subject. Instead of trying to force it into the field of natural sciences, where it clearly does not belong, we should welcome it in the field of social science. I think that by doing this, we will enable the concept of parallel universes to be explored to its full potential without the boundaries set by the scientific method.

Tuesday, June 4, 2019

Relationship Between Stress and Parenting Quality

Relationship Between Stress and Parenting Quality deal as a Moderator Between Parents Stress and Parenting QualityElizabeth K. WilsonPrevious literature has shown that the quality of parenting is vulnerable to nisusors such as daily hassles, financial hardship, and work-related stress, to name a few (Leinonen et al., 2002). longish workdays for parents have been shown to create stress and decrease family interaction time (Lerner Galambos, 1991). Fathers work stress translates into nix feelings and more than than disciplinary parenting (Galambos et al., 1995) while mothers work stress causes them to sequestrate from their children (Repetti Wood, 1997). Both parents have little closeness and are accepting of children when affected by stress (Galambos et al., 1995). Parents who are forced to work longer hours or fivefold jobs because of financial bureaus face even more added stress. When experiencing financial hardship, parents make adjustments to living such as canceling fa mily trips or postponing important family purchases, which makes them feel like a mischance at providing for their family and creates worry (Conger Elder, 1994). This reflects on their parenting skills in the form of more hostile, punitive parenting behavior (Conger et al., 1992). There has been evidence of more disruptive family functioning when parents report having more daily difficulties (Repetti Wood, 1997).According to the Family Systems Perspective, matters at the individual level, such as parenting behavior or the impact of stress, fully understood only by considering the larger net income of interdependent relationships within the family (Minuchin, 1985). The spillover hypothesis posits that behavior and affect of the same valence transfer directly from one patch or relationship within the family to another, such that negative interactions in one situation spillover as negative interactions in another (Nelson et al., 2009). Marital distress is related to disruptions in parenting and quality of parent-child relationship both mothers and fathers were more likely to engage in hostile rather than authoritative parenting when under stress in the marriage (Conger Elder, 1994 Conger et al., 1992).Stress on parents in the workplace, in their relationships, and even inconveniences throughout the day get out undoubtedly spillover into other aspects of their lives, especially parenting, but how do heading strategies modify this effect differentially for mothers and fathers? Coping is an attempt to alter our circumstances, or the way we perceive them, to make them seem more favorable so that we are able to make it through the situation with a more positive outlook (Lazarus, 1993). Coping is a resource that has been shown to buffer the negative effects of a stressful typeface (Gayman et al., 2014). Using expeditious make out strategies, which involve facing the problem head-on, is thought to be a more adaptive way of dealing with stress, while avoidan ce coping is less adaptive. Emotion-focused coping is a type of coping that could be classified as active coping if one is changing his or her appraisal of a situation to a positive appraisal. This type of coping is seen more commonly in women than in men (Holohan Moos, 1987).Social withdrawal has been regarded as a type of coping mechanism in response to short-term stress. Social withdrawal could be something as simple as watching television and avoiding interactions with family members. Fathers have been shown to physically define themselves away from family members after a hard day at work. This type of coping mechanism is not recognizable as a type of coping strategy by the person using it, so it may not show up in self-report measures, but has been shown in previous studies that observed family interactions (Campos et al., 2009). cardinal main types of coping are approach and avoidant coping, also known as active and passive coping. Approach coping strategies are an attempt t o alter or decrease the stressor and engage and control the stressful situation, whereas avoidant coping strategies are an attempt to avoid the stressor by emotionally and sometimes physically disengaging from the problem. Avoidant coping strategies can be manifested in the form of actually leaving the stressful situation or emotionally denying the situation and sometimes emotionally escaping the situation by distracting the mind with a television show or abusing substances (Shin et al., 2014).We posit that parents who utilize active, approach coping strategies leave behind have less negative interactions with their children after a stressful event because of the buffer that this positive coping strategy provides. These parents will face their problems head-on and will be better able to separate these stressful events from a stressful event involving their children. On the other hand, parents who utilize passive, avoidant coping strategies will not have this buffer between stressfu l events and the interactions with their children. The negative coping strategy will actually perpetuate the spillover of stress onto parent-child interactions. Parents who use avoidant strategies, such as hearty withdrawal, do not deal with their stressors appropriately and instead avoid them. This negatively affects afterwards interactions with their children because they still have stress built up that they have not dealt with. This stress spills over into their ability to parent effectively and positively.The ability to cope with stress and subsequently provide good quality parenting leads to positive outcomes for children. Parenting quality has important implications for childrens school involvement and language development. Parents who utilize avoidant coping strategies or social withdrawal coping strategies do not use the time they have to give quality parenting to their children, such as reading with them or getting problematical in school activities. Instead, they psychi cally isolate themselves from the family, using what little time they have to be alone (Katz, 2002).As mentioned previously, when faced with stressors, parents tend to use more hostile than authoritative parenting, and more coercive than constructive parenting (Conger Elder, 1994 Conger et al., 1992), which could have serious implications for the childs wellbeing. Hostile and aggressive parenting practices have been associated with attention and hyperactivity problems, send and aggression problems, and less prosocial behavior in children. On the other hand, constructive parenting has been associated with improved adjustment and lower level of antisocial behavior in children (Hadzic et al., 2013).The contemporary study will examine the relationship between parents stress and parenting quality and the possible role of coping strategies as a moderator of this relationship. We hypothesize that coping will significantly moderate this link, with positive coping strategies buffering the negative effects of stress on parenting and negative coping strategies perpetuating these negative effects. The role of parent gender in coping strategies will also be examined. We expect that there will be significant gender differences, such that males will utilize more negative and avoidant strategies thus having a greater negative effect on their quality of parenting than females, whom we expect to utilize more positive and active coping strategies.If coping is shown to be a significant moderator of the relationship between stress and parenting quality, this finding could have serious clinical implications. Clinicians would benefit from focusing on improving coping strategies to suffice parents deal with stressors that spillover into parenting practices. Parents would benefit from utilizing positive rather than coping strategies.

Monday, June 3, 2019

Effects of humor in advertising

Effects of humour in advertisingHumor in advertising is like a gun in the hands of a child. You accept to know how to use it. Otherwise, it elicit blow up on you. (Miller, 1992)According to Marc G. Weinberger and Charles S. Gulas (1992), Humor is by no means a guarantee of better ads, but its stamp can be enhanced with cargonful consideration of the objectivesAccording to Fugate D. (1998), Advertising indulge refers primarily to the ability of audiences to do coercively when one or others are portrayed in a playful manner.Employ of predilection in advertising propose that as lots as 30.2% of prime time television advertising is planned to be likingous (Weinberger and Spotts 1989). Numorous researches conducted by others has also indicated similar high (or still higher) levels of practice of supposition in television ads (Kelly and Solomon 1975 Markiewicz 1972 Speck 1987) and in radio (Weinberger and Campbell 1991).whereas the use of mood is high, the putiveness of humor a s a interactions device remains doubtful. In attempts to nominate its impact, humor has confirmed to be extremely indefinable. This lack of information has led advertising managers and researchers similar to both honor and criticize the good of humor in advertising as explained in the opening quotes. The truth is that humor is a difficult theme that has been experiment all in ally deliberate by advertisers in numerous twelve studies over the past few geezerhood. Humor is a diverse idea that is affected by a wide range of factors. As an bycome of the some(prenominal) contingencies forced by preferred aim, style of humor, medium, placement and viewers , generalizations about the effect of humor are filled with pitfalls (Stewart-Hunter 1985). However the open question of humors usefulness in advertising is unanswerable, we can bring together the accounts of humor research in the perspective of suitable constraints to increase insights about its belongings. For that reason, the mo re(prenominal) suitable questions to strike are 1) What colloquys objectives are mainly expected to be accomplished through the utilization of humor? 2) What communication factors are likely to influence the consequent? 3) For what audience is humor most suitable? and 4) What product factors advise the use or non-use of a funny approach? The intention of this paper then is to analytically observe the research that has been conducted to increase insight into the belongings of humor with respect to these questions.The extensive use of humor, attached with the unsettled questions regarding it, has faden the circumspection of several communication researchers. In a comm all cited analysis of the first literary works in the field, Sternthal and Craig (1973) drew some uncertain conclusions about the use of humor on a number of communications objectives. These conclusions must be viewed as uncertain because, although based on a thorough analysis of the existing literature in 1973, this literature base was fairly small and consisted about completely of non-advertising studies as there was merely slight previous work in advertising to review. In the years since the Sternthal and Craig work, humor has established widespread extra analysis in over 30 studies that have appeared in the marketing literature, and a vast many more studies that have appeared in the literature streams of education, communication and psychology. This paper has the relevant aspects of this literature in order to modernize and broaden on the Sternthal and Craig work. Thus, the design to be followed impart be to observe the result of humor as it applies to a variety of communications objectives and then to broaden on this work by including implementation, placement, audience, and product factors that have come to light in the past few years. The nature of the communication objective plays a main quality in the suitability of the use of humor. Sternthal and Craig (1973) schedule advertisin g objectives and the impact of humor on each of these objectives. Revisited after few years of prevailing research some of these conclusions remain logical, dapple others come out to be in need of modifications.Humor and Attention Studies have revealed that 94% of advertising practitioners see humor as an useful way to increase attention. Moreover, 55% of advertising research executives find humor to be better to non-humor in gaining attention (Madden and Weinberger 1984). Whereas the special views of advertising executives should not be equated with accurate hypothesis testing, these views do mirror a knowledge base built on years of day to day understanding with proper research outcome. Furthermore in the font of attention, these practitioner views find to be well supported by the available experimental proof. inside studies of real magazine ads (Madden and Weinberger 1982), television ads (Stewart and Furse 1986), and radio ads (Weinberger and Campbell 1991) in middling indust ry ad testing situations, humor has been found to have a positive effect on attention . Likewise, this attention effect has also been sustain in the laboratory. In a detailed test of attention effects in the advertising field, Speck (1987) compared humorous ads with non-humorous controls on four attention measures early attention, constant attention, predictable attention and on the whole attention. He found humorous ads to do better than non-humorous ads on each of the attention measures. The attention attracting capacity of humor has also been verified in education research (Powell and Andresen 1985 Zillmann et al. 1980). In a review of the education literature, Bryant and Zillmann (1989) conclude that humor has a positive effect on attention, the advisory attitude taken by Bryant and Zillmann is suitable for all the humor attention studies. While the outcome seem to point out a positive impact on attention, and in common the past few years of research mainly supports the conclus ion drawn by Sternthal and Craig (1973) , future researchers should be attentive that all humor is not shaped equal. Associated humor, that is, humor direct associated to the product or problem being promoted, appears to be more thriving than unassociated humor (Duncan 1979 Lull 1940 Madden 1982). In detail, controlling for the associated factor makes the result of the investigational studies in advertising undeniable in their support for a positive effect of humor on attention. This explains that the mere inclusion of canned humor into a given ad is not likely to have the same impact on attention as the use of a more incorporated humor cure.Humor and Understanding The literature is assorted on the outcome that humor has on understanding. In a study of 1000 broadcast commercials, Stewart and Furse (1986) found humorous substance to enhance the understanding of an ad. Other studies have found alike positive outcomes (Duncan, Nelson and Frontczak 1984 Weinberger and Campbell 1991 Zha ng and Zinkhan 1991). On the other hand, these studies distinguish penetratively with the outcomes of other advertising researchers who have found a disallow association between humor and understanding (Cantor and Venus 1980 Gelb and Zinkhan 1986 Lammers et al. 1983 Sutherland and Middleton 1983). This negative out seek of the effect of humor on understanding is shared by the group of research executives (64%) at U.S. ad agencies. While findings indeed fail to receive the true effect of humor on understanding, they do call into question the reality of a global negative effect hypothesized by Sternthal and Craig (1973). It is important to look for factors that may sort out these findings. To this extent, it appears that some other factors seem to explain much of the lack of conformity in the studies. First, there is a lack of a reliable definition of understanding among studies. Depending on the exact measure used, draw off may be an signal of understanding or it may merely draw attention. More significantly, the measures engaged may have an impact on the outcomes found. Those studies that use several measures of understanding (Speck 1987 Weinberger and Campbell 1991) are more expected to discover positive or mixed positive effects on understanding than those studies that utilize solitary measures (Cantor and Venus 1980 Lammers et al. 1983), representing that a positive understanding effect may be bewildered by comparatively narrow measures. Further confirmation of the significance of measures is found in the work of Murphy and his colleagues (Murphy, Cunningham and Wilcox 1979). Their study of framework effects demonstrates that diverse measures of recall may create contrary recall outcomes. Secondly, humor styles may be an important determinant in understanding effects. In one study which directly compared the effects of various humor styles on understanding, Speck (1987) found major differences due to styles. His findings point out that some humorous ads do better, and some do worse than non-humorous ads on expressive and message understanding and that this differential act was attributable to humor styles. Comic wit was found to under perform non-humorous treatments while all other humor styles(i.e., satire, full comedy, sentimental humor and sentimental comedy) out performed the non-humor treatment. Lastly, the nature of product advertised appears to play a vital role in the impact of humor on understanding. This product factor is collected of two dichotomies, high involvement vs low involvement products. Those studies employing high involvement products (Speck 1987 Stewart and Furse 1986 Weinberger and Campbell 1991 Zhang and Zinkhan 1991) in general indicate a positive effect of humor on understanding. On the other hand, studies employing low involvement products (Cantor and Venus 1980 Gelb and Zinkhan 1986) have found a negative effect of humor on understanding. we believe that these studies do present a thorough test of th e association between humor and understanding that can present insight into the impact that humor may have on advertising understanding. An study of the related non-advertising studies shows eight studies that report a positive effect of humor on understanding and eleven studies that indicate a null or mixed effect. None of the non-advertising studies reports a negative effect of humor on understanding, which again challenges the conclusion drawn in 1973 by Sternthal and Craig. Of the education literature, possibly the strongest support for a positive relationship between humor and understanding appears in work conducted by Ziv (1988). This study indicates that humor can drastically improve learning.Humor and influence Sternthal and Craig (1973) concluded that the interruption effect of humor may escape to influence. However, they note that the influential effect of humor is at paramount no superior than that of serious appeals. These conclusions seem to agree with the opinions of U.S. ad executives. Madden and Weinberger (1984) found that only 26% of these practitioners approved with a statement claiming humor to be more influential than non-humor. whereas U.S. advertising executives mainly agree with the conclusion of Sternthal and Craig (1973), this opinion is in sharp distinction to that of their British counterparts, 62% of whom found humor as more influential than non-humor and only 7% of whom were found to conflict with this claim (Weinberger and Spotts 1989).Audience Factors The legal age of practitioners consider that humorous ads are best appropriate to a target audience composed of better educated younger males (Madden and Weinberger 1984). The advertising literature normally supports this faith. Quite a few studies have indicated an communication between sexuality and humor efficacy (Gorham and Christophel 1990 Lammers et al. 1983 Madden and Weinberger 1982 Stewart- Hunter 1985 Whipple and Courtney 1980,1981). The effect of gender may be moderat ely explained by obvious differences in humor admiration. In a review of the literature, Whipple and Courtney (1981) conclude that men appear to enjoy aggressive and sexual humor more than women do, and women emerge to have a better admiration for nonsensical humor. However, they warning that the results are not convincing and that these preferences may be shifting as society changes. Additional, the perception of the initiator of the humor may be an key mediator, as will be discussed. Contrary to the hold of the findings in marketing, research in education generally has not found major gender effects on humor response. Both in an broad educational experiment discussed former (Ziv 1988), and in other experiments (Davies and Apter 1980 Weaver, Zillmann and Bryant 1988 Zillmann et al. 1980), the positive effect of humor on learning was not found to be different by gender. The dichotomy of outcome of gender effects on humor raises some attention-grabbing issues. Humor is very closely attached into the culture, experiences, and points of suggestion that are shared between the humor creator and the humor receiver. For instance, research has recommended that the gender response to sexual humor is reversed when the creator of the humor is female (Gallivan 1991), and the individuality of the takeoff may persuade which audiences discover the joke funny (Gruner 1991). If this is certainly the case, then much of the distinction based on gender, and maybe race and age as well, may be explained by different perspectives of the creator of the humorous treatment and the receiver of that treatment. Thus, the shared point of view between the initiator of a humorous ad and the target of the ad is a potentially significant dominant variable in humor effectiveness. This problem has been largely ignored by researchers. In addition to gender, race, and age, other audience factors may impact the competence of humor and are worthy of thought. Humor is a common human practice exhibi ted by people of all cultures and throughout all of recorded history (Alden, Hoyer and Lee 1993). Though, the research that has examined humor in advertising cross-culturally indicates degree of difference in use of humor among countries, equally in humor types employed and in supreme levels of humor used (e.g. Alden, Hoyer and Lee 1993 Weinberger and Spotts 1989). Moreover, experimental proof indicates that people of diverse cultural backgrounds respond to humor in a different way. In an experiment that compared Israeli Jews of Eastern and Western descent, Weller and his colleagues found significant differences in the admiration for ridiculous jokes between the two groups (Weller, Amitsour, and Pazzi 1976). They conceive that these differences are due to habits of thought and mental attitudes ingrained in cultural backgrounds. These findings entail that even when language differences are uninvolved, jokes may not be easily similar among cultures. An additional audience factor of n ote includes audience and product relations such as prior brand attitude. Chattopadhyay and Basu (1989) indicate that humor has better positive effect, with regard to influence, for those audience members with a prior positive brand attitude. These and other audience factors should be reserved in mind in the blueprint of humorous ads and upcoming humor study.

Sunday, June 2, 2019

On the Origin of Adaptations: Rethinking Fidelity Discourse and Success -- Biologically :: Article Review, Bortolotti, Hutcheon

The obligate, On the Origin of Adaptations Rethinking Fidelity Discourse and Success -- Biologically, written by Gary R. Bortolotti and Linda Hutcheon criticizes the habiliments of using fidelity as the defining characteristic in deciding if an adaptation is a success or a failure. Bortolotti and Hutcheon posit a in the altogether system of evaluation by borrowing from the discipline of evolutionary biology. Namely, the success of an adaptation is to be judged by its efficiency in perpetuating narrative. In evolutionary ground adaptations are predicated on survival of the fittest -the strongest narratives are the ones that adapt to their environments and replicate by changing for different mediums, time periods, and societies they better insure the chances that the narrative will survive. The article begins with the claim from the movie Adaptation that, adaptation is a profound process, which means you try and figure out how to thrive in the world (443). While the authors tell apart that the context of the film might give the impression of this being an ironic statement, in truth the opposite is true adaptation really is pivotal to the go on survival of a narrative. The manifest problem with adaptation theory, according to Bortolotti and Hutcheon is the tendency of critics to judge adaptations as good or bad based upon the level of fidelity they maintain with the source text. Altering a source text is not a bad thing -- it is necessary. Bortolotti and Hutcheon both describe transformation of source texts as, a common and persistent way that humans have always told and retold stories (444). Critic Thomas Leitch agrees with this judgment and states, every text offers itself as an invitation to be re-written (16). But if re-writing a source text is a necessary and beneficial thing then what system of judgment should be used to replace the fidelity criterion? Bortolotti and Hutcheon send word embracing the scientific framework of post-Darwin biology to judg e adaptations. Biologically changing or mutating is necessary for a the survival of a species creatures who cannot adapt to new environments or circumstances will die out. As stated in the article both stories and organisms share the common need to, replicate and change (446). The question arises, then, on how much change can be made before a story is no longer an adaptation. When does it become its own story rather than the re-telling of a source text. Critics Hutcheon and Bortolotti claim that adaptations may change many things and still maintain their status as an adaptation as long the core narrative rest in tact.

Saturday, June 1, 2019

Essay --

Students typic completelyy spend 7-8 hours in school, five days per week. Being homeless contributes to disadvantages in education, their health, and additionally to their family status. Our nation is experiencing more homeless persons now than they had since the Great Depression and this is affecting our educational framework. Nearly 1.2 million public school students were identified as being homeless during the 2011-2012 school year, 73 percent more than before the Great Recession (The state of Americas children 2014, 2014, p. 26). The experiences students receive from an early age carries on to all other aspects of their lives, whether it is positive or negative, and follows them for the rest of their lifetime. Many reasons are attributed to why so some(prenominal) households are now homeless, such as the inability to pass housing, the decrease or lack of government funding, health problems, domestic violence, just to name a few. Unfortunately, the rising housing costs ar e exceeding many peoples income, especially if employees only make minimum wage. A full time worker receiving minim...