The Cost of Language Switch of Bilinguals Essay

The Cost of Language Switch of Bilinguals - Essay Example This paper culminates in form of a discussion and suggestions to the educators and for the bodies of knowledge covering the entirety of the spectrum of stakeholders in the language learning and acquisition and domains particularly for bilinguals Bilingual speakers normally have to shift across the two languages in their communication activity and particularly in speech production. The fundamental fact here is that the bilinguals have to separate their two languages and settle for the appropriate lexical alternative; one language for effective communication purposes. Abutalebi J et al 2007) note that in the sense of the foregoing, the process entails that the bilinguals have to be possession of effective neural mechanisms that will suffice to facilitate smooth switching and to avert the highly likely chances of interference or the probable competition between the two language alternatives. This is particularly so considering the fact that the first and second languages both posses protruding neuro-anatomical bases as illuminated by the topical neuro-imaging researches. Bilinguals have to possess feasible lexical selection. This highlights the dynamics that characterise the process in which bilinguals have to go through in the techniques of switching between languages. The switch demands various neural mechanisms and facilities which have been illumined by various researches and propounded models. The broad range of varying challenges or costs that a bilingual incurs in the process of switching between languages demands a deeper exploration. The process evidently involves various psychological transitions and processes which will be explored in this study. Literature Review The concern and keen interest around the nature of costs and processes entailed in the switch between languages by bilinguals has received overwhelming contributions from various researchers, scholars and professionals. The studies, experimentations and researches conducted shed valuable light on the nitty-gritties of the language switching process of the bilinguals. Rodriguez-Fornells et al (2002) have presented that the processes of language switching for bilinguals can be accomplished on the basis and facilities of effective neural mechanism that will suffice to prevent distortion and interference and even the projected tendency of competition involving the two languages of the bilingual. The scholars have reinforced that the foregoing is particularly so in view of the fact that the first and second languages have both overlapping neuro-anatomical foundations that have been enunciated in researches focused on neuroimaging. In the contributions made by Costa et al., 1999; (2004) there is a presentation and outline of two salient models. The scholars have proposed two kinds of neuro-cognitive theories and frameworks on the matter of lexical selection mechanisms. One of the model types takes a thrust articulating that in the language switching processes only words in a particular language system are activated. In this framework the researchers

The Right Birthday is the Key to Success in the Matthew Effect Essay

The Right Birthday is the Key to Success in the Matthew Effect - Essay Example In hockey, for instance, being born between the months of January to March, gives some talented children the benefit of looking bigger and stronger. As a result, they get drafted to leagues that prepare them for the Memorial Cup. They receive better training, education, and attention, which enhance their chances of success. This is called the â€Å"Matthew Effect,† which is based on the concept of â€Å"accumulative advantage.† It states that a little advantage early in life, when sustained through subsequent opportunities, lasts a lifetime. I agree with this theory, because I also experienced and witnessed how older people and people, who had the looks and background, find the way to the top easier than the rest, who do not have these advantages. Gladwell’s idea of success is different from the general public, because the latter romanticizes the idea of self-effort, which is vital to the notion of the American Dream. On the contrary, Gladwell asserts that succes s is largely a product of environmental and biological factors. The general public often thinks that successful people are wholly self-made. They started from the bottom and inched their way to the top. Self-determination and individual effort are well-admired ingredients of the American Dream. In essence, this dream stresses that no one can stop a driven individual, whatever his/her color, gender, and age might be. Gladwell disagrees with this thinking, because he believes that successful people have certain advantages in one way or another. He examined the trends in the birthdays of children and adolescents getting into Canadian hockey teams. He discovered that the cutoff dates in the educational and sports systems give advantage to children, who were born at certain months. As a result, those who were born in other months do not have the same training, education, and attention given to them, which disadvantage them as students and athletes in the long run. These examples suggest that the public’s idea of individual success is not so individual-driven after all. Gladwell’s thinking is important, because he brings into public discussion the implanted disadvantages in society, which is bad for individuals and the general public alike. The â€Å"Matthew Effect† suggests that children, who do not get through different kinds of cutoff, get lesser resources and attention than those who do. At the same time, children, who are born at the right time and place, also get unwarranted advantages. This means that one of the negative outcomes of the â€Å"Matthew Effect† is social inequality. The society does not benefit from this system too, because it does not maximize all potential talents and skills, as Gladwell points out. This kind of system prioritizes particular people, which promote social inequality in the long run, and leads to unused or undeveloped talents, talents that society can also reap to become more developed as time goes by. Gladwell recommends overhauling the system to ensure that people, who are born at the same months or at certain clusters, are trained together, so that they can access equal resources and attention from their teachers and talent scouts. I agree with Gladwell, because I think that the â€Å"Matthew Effect† is real and significant in actual life, based on first-hand experiences and memories. I have a younger brother, who is now14 years old and his birthday is in December. The cutoff for kindergarten is January. Our parents held him back for

Education for Indigenous Australians Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Education for Indigenous Australians - Essay Example AESOC (2008) reckons that the representation of students in other areas in vocational education and training is also something to write about even though with pinch of salt. Regardless of some remarkable milestones, educational stakeholders both in government agencies and the private sector have expressed concerns about the sluggish pace at which reforms have unfolded. Often, many indigenous students drop out of school while at quite an early age. This has been marked by the existing gaps in indigenous and non-indigenous Australians (AESOC, 2008). The government has however increasingly crafted policy interventions in favor of indigenous-specific intervention programs (Carol 2004). A number of leaders in Australia and elsewhere in the world are of the opinion that it is important to review school curriculum with a view to prepare students for further education and successful careers. Even more importantly is the notion that many schools should expand aims of learning in a manner that takes care of a more career oriented approach to education. This means the adoption of new strategies and expansion of career oriented approach to learning rather than just preparing students for University Education in Australia (Hudis 2001). Some high schools are re-organizing their curriculum around careers with the explicit view of aiding students for further education and putting more emphasis on careers with market angling to employment needs (Hudis 2004). Pundits have argued that some of the major bottlenecks of globalization that brought about the current economic crisis are found in the failure of governance in educational role at both the national and international levels in relation to educational policies and building up of sound economies based on realistic and sustainable education-based skills. Consequently, a grave focus has been put on relevant education coupled with factors such as effective educational policies that appreciate the dynamics of the global economy (Carol, 2004). Fazal et al. (2005) notes that educational policies have been affected a great deal. He states that various governments and their agencies, under the conditions of globalization, have been changing a number of things. These include not only the rationale for education but also getting actively involved in reconstructing the syllabi and approaches of teaching by being cognizant of factors such as technology e.g. the use of internet and other technological advancements in the world today. Largely, all these take into account the ever-changing aspects of international relations and globalization. Opportunities and Reasons for More Career Oriented Approach in Enhancing Academic Achievements of Students in the Market Place, both Globally and for Australians Interestingly, majority of school leaders have in recent past shown concern that in the communities, many educators, those in business leadership and parents are becoming worried that many high school graduates are increasingly falling below standards as far as responding to the needs of employers in the job market are concerned (ASI, 2003). Further, with no exception to Australia, the curre nt economic challenges have brought about the issue of employers looking workers with high-end skills rather than just education (Carol 2004). Through globalization, educational policies that appreciate the understanding of the global economy are being empathized. Education meets two basic levels: equality and social issues and skills demanded by employers. Accordingly, the concept of democratic level-headedness suggests the call for a system of education that facilitates socio-economic progress and appreciation of a culture of economic relevance, which can be used meaningfully to take part in communities’

Russia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Russia - Essay Example This is due to the challenges people encountered during communism, which made numerous people end up trusting more their families based on the support they received like combining their resources to survive. Hence, currently people seem to prefer trusting more close families. From then to date the state has significantly grown especially with the inception of Russian Federation, which emerged after the cessation of Soviet Union. This growth has been attributed to exclusively reliance on resources especially oil and gas (whose reserves are in Western Siberia), hence giving the state unequaled power not only economically but also politically in the region. For instance, 2/3 of the state’s oil and gas export head to the European Union region thus comprising 24% of the Russia’s GDP. Oil and gas transportation is merely by pipelines as well as physical tanks by respective firms. The economy of Russian federation has been through immense progress, which has always had many se tbacks. Due to rising energy prices and the radiant global economy, the country has benefited greatly and been through higher growth rates before 2008’s great recession (Hanouz & Prazdnichnykh 3). The Western sanction issues during 2014 invasion into Ukraine have also been a contributing factor. During these years, the country faced not only price drops but also low demands and financial sector almost collapsing. Despite all these, the government countered its issues and challenges mainly through stimulus spending. The country has not really grown at the same pace as its competitor despite the availability of many resources as well as educated population but this also as a long term goal, shows the potential Russia has to compete with the super powers. Since the crumpling of Soviet Union, Russia has been changing notably from a centrally planned and globally isolated economy to a more of globally integrated and market based economy. In 1900s during their economic reformations, most of

Eastern Philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Eastern Philosophy - Essay Example The word Buddha refers to ‘the awakened one’ who has been enlightened. The philosophy of the Buddhist is that every on stands a potential of Buddhahood whether aware or unaware. Though this religious believe traces its origin among the Hindus, its fundamental believes are different from that of the Hindu. According to the Hindu, Buddhism is viewed as unorthodox (nastika). The history of this religion can be traced back in the early 566 B.C. through the royalty prince Siddhartha Gautama. Being a son to Indian Warrior-King, Gautama (the founder of Buddhism) led a very extravagant life from childhood to adulthood following the privileges associated with the uppers caste of prince-hood . When prince-hood living proved boring, he went off his way in search of understanding. In his external search, Gautama was finally made to believe that suffering awaits come end time. On believing the old man’s words, Gautama renounced his princely privileges and joined the monkhood, which deprived him of worldly possessions with strong hope of comprehending underlying truth of the surrounding environment. It was a tree that he finally believed that the end to suffering was ultimately salvation. Following his epiphany, Gautama became popular to the people of the same faith as ‘Buddha’, meaning "Enlightened One." Throughout his life, Buddha (Gautama) spent his entire life journeying about India, while preaching and teaching his understanding of the real world. This religion is based on four fundamental noble truths about suffering. These teachings are; the truth of suffering, the truth of causes of suffering, the truth and believe about the end of suffering, and the truth about the paths that leads believers off suffering. In the simple terms, Buddhists believe in the existence of suffering, suffering has its root cause; suffering would come to end via certain path. According to them, sufferings exist and we only need to navigate our ways through to attempt rectifying the situation. The first truth seeks to recognize the existence of suffering, the Second Truth determine the root causes of suffering. According to the Buddhists, ignorance and desire lie deep on the route to suffering. They also strongly believe that craving for material wellbeing, pleasure and immortality are human wants which can never be fulfilled. As a result, desire to have them satisfied would be more detrimental and would cause more suffering than good. With limited capacity for insight and mental concentration, Buddhists believe that development of the mind would be limited, thus unable to fairly grasp the truth about nature. Vices such as envy, greed, anger and greed, are due to ignorance. Though they also believe on the concept of leisure, but to them leisure fleets. They argue that pursuit of pleasure and leisure leads to unquenchable thirst. The same analogy is given on happiness. In the end, aging, death and sickness are inevitable for the entire hum an race. In the third Noble Truth, Buddhists believe that there is an end to suffering either by death or through achieving Nirvana spiritual position. The Fourth Noble Truth highlights methods that are deemed significant in achieving an end to suffering, commonly referred to as Noble Eightfold Path. The Eightfold Noble Paths are; Right Thought, Right Understanding, Right Speech, Right Livelihood, Right Action, Right Effort, Right Concentration, and Right Mindfulness. In addition, the path to overcoming suffering is divided into three themes: good moral conduct (Thought, Understanding and Speech), mediation and mental growth (Action, Effort, and Livelihood), and insight or wisdom (Mindfulness and Concentration)3. Hinduism Beliefs Hinduism is one of the historically old religious beliefs that is said to have originated basically from the Indian subcontinent. Philosophers and other religious scholars have always treated it as being more of a law or eternal path (Santana Dharma) than a

Joe Salatino, President of Great Northern American Case Study Essay Example for Free

Joe Salatino, President of Great Northern American Case Study Essay Joe’s employees need to understand how people form perceptions and make attributions for several reasons. As they are in a selling business, employees need to know how they can best be perceived as to earn the trust of their customers. It is important to know how to be ethical in selling as well as trustworthy so that customers feel confident in choosing their services time and again. Aside from how their customers may perceive them, they must also be aware of how their employer sees them. It is important to employers to find capable, confident and hardworking potential employees. In 2011 CBS news did a story on how others see us and how we see ourselves. This report asserts that it is more important to know how others see us as it is by their reactions to who we perceive them to think we are that our own actions come from. They give a couple of examples right off about how a first date can leave you feeling defeated or conversely very confident. Just because you walk away feeling one way or another is not necessarily an indicator of how the date actually went or what the other party thought of you. Another example is given in that it not necessarily important for a company’s top executives to have a positive opinion of their product or service, it is more important that the consumer have an idea of their offering that generates more and more business. This usually comes from a positive perception of what they have to offer. These principals easily align with the idea that it is important in general to do what you can to have others form a positive impression of you. So, what makes a good first impression? Forbes magazine proposes theses 5 traits. First, â€Å"set an intention. † This means to visualize what you want out of whatever you are undertaking. For example, if it is a job interview, see yourself in the position with the traits you deem necessary for success at that position. You will be much more likely to pull off an air of those attributes if you have first taken the time to role play in your mind a successful turnaround of the event. Second, â€Å"think about your ornaments. † In other words, pay attention to the details of your outward appearance. For men this may mean choosing the right watch to portray the success they see themselves having, for women it may mean jewelry or makeup that puts them in that same space. For both genders hair, shoes, and clothing are important factors in building the perception you are seeking. For instance, someone who is running for congress would want to choose more conservative and sophisticated looking â€Å"ornaments† whereas someone seeking a job with Vogue magazine may want to dress very current and â€Å"edgy† for their interview to show they are relevant for the position they seek. We can easily apply this to Joes employees as they will want to know what type of companies they anticipate receiving business from. If they know that they are dealing with a very â€Å"traditional† client they may want to dress for success that day by choosing clothing that portrays a traditional and trustworthy image. Conversely, if they are meeting with a client who takes big risks and hopes for their partners in business to as well, they may want to choose a look that portrays confidence and a spunky, no holds barred attitude. At Verizon Wireless we have a very relaxed work culture that more often than not is fun and youthful. However, when interviewing for a new position within the company it is no different than most traditional settings. Candidates seem to do better when they are dressed professionally and are well polished overall. Going back to the Forbes article, the third tip is to â€Å"be conscious of your body language. † Pay particular attention to your posture, handshake, eye contact and what you are doing with your hands. A confident person is not going to be slumped over, slouching and have their arms crossed. A confident person is going to sit or stand up straight, give their attention to the person with whom they are seeking attention by offering polite eye contact and also by using their hands to emphasize they are open to the others input. Fourth on the list of must do’s for a good impression is â€Å"avoid bad days. † Often in the business world networking is a key part of building strong business relationships. Forbes suggests that if you are having a terrible day at work then it is likely you are not going to be up for dealing with people. Your courtesy and smile are going to appear in genuine if you are not really in the mood to be there and people will pick up on that. If you can skip that mixer you had planned to attend go for it. If not, do something that will lighten your mood and hopefully get your head in a more light-hearted place. Lastly, â€Å"be interested and interesting. † Who wants to spend their time on the dud of the group? Be interested in those you are serving. No one wants to only hear about you, and no one wants to feel like you certainly have more important things to be doing than helping them. Learning Theory Joe has several theories of learning to choose from in how he prefers to teach his employees. The two main theories in discussion today are Social and Operant learning theory. For general understanding let’s look further into the specifics of each. Mosby’s medical dictionary defines Operant conditioning as â€Å"a form of learning used in behavior therapy in which the person undergoing therapy is rewarded for the correct response and punished for the incorrect response. †(2009) In other words, a leader demonstrates desired behaviors and rewards others when the same behaviors are demonstrated. Second is Social theory. Mosby’s states, â€Å"A concept that the impulse to behave aggressively is subject to the influence of learning, socialization, and experience. Social learning theorists believe aggression is learned under voluntary control, by observation of aggressive behavior in others, and by direct experience. †(2009) In short, people will not engage in reproduction of a behavior without motivation. The best way for Joe to motivate and empower his employees in this situation is with Operant conditioning. This affords Joe the chance not only to demonstrate the correct behavior he desires, but also gives him a platform to modify negative traits as well. Joe is looking for people to showcase his business and put forth the same united front of loyalty and customer respect that he has put in place at Great Northern American. Improving Employee Performance Operant conditioning is best in the work environment as it gives a more level playing field for all to succeed. Some people are born naturally more talented than others, but this does not in any way make them less important in the workforce. Some people may never be number 1 overall in a company (and some don’t desire to be as it requires a lot of commitment) but that does not mean that they are incapable of modeling successful behaviors and attaining top notch ratings. Operant behavior allows for these individuals to succeed where as Social learning theory only really rewards one person overall rather than celebrating the victories along the way for each individual. I personally find it more rewarding to have encouragement along the way. Too often I’ve come in second place and have nothing to show for all my hard work. When this happens I’ve had nothing in the way of reward though I put in significant amounts of work in hopes that I could be the best. Verizon Wireless rewards us along the way and I have certainly been motivated to do better and try harder because of that. I appreciate that Operant conditioning is consistent throughout the entire work year whereas Social learning builds up to one pinnacle moment. Verizon sets attainable yet challenging goals for each individual and once you have met or exceeded those goals, you are pushed to reach for the next rung of the ladder (I. . going from Representative to Sr. Representative) and with that next step you are rewarded with a pay increase and more opportunities for further career development within the company that will help you in future upward mobility opportunities. Likewise, if you are not meeting the minimum expectation you will not be afforded the opportunity to move into the next level of your position, and you may possibly be put on a â€Å"corrective action plan. † Joe could apply this in practical ways as Verizon does with rewards and consequences along the way of career progression. Value of Self Efficacy Joe can best use his evaluation of potential employees’ self-esteem to hire the best by taking stock in his own first impression of a potential employee. He will have a gut instinct reaction to this first impression and he should feel confident in the portrayal each candidate puts forth. Verizon does a good job of asking employees how they would like to be â€Å"coached. † Joe could put something like this in place with potential employees to see if their learning style matches that of the culture of Great Northern American. Self-Efficacy is something that a potential employer (Joe in this case) can look at and determine how driven someone appears. Psychology Today states, â€Å"For instance, people high in self-efficacy take better care of themselves, see tasks as something to be mastered, and they feel more empowered. They’re not controlled by circumstances. They see setbacks as challenges to be overcome and can cope with hardship better than those with low self-efficacy. They learn from failure and channel it into success, like Thomas Jefferson, Walt Disney and J. K Rowling. People higher in self-efficacy also have a greater sense of motivation and persistence. † (LaVan, 2010) With this in mind a correct assessment of self-efficacy can ensure Joe his is hiring someone who will seek to succeed at whatever task he or she is given. To compliment this assessment, Joe must also be willing to â€Å"pump up† his employees. He should offer compliments to good work and publicly praise achievements. This will keep his employees motivated to continue putting their best foot forward for him long after the interview process is completed and the candidate is settled into their job function.

Treating Alcoholism

Treating Alcoholism Introduction Alcoholism is defined as a disease that is persistent, progressive and often fatal. It is not a symptom of other diseases or emotional problems; it is its own disorder. Alcohol affects every part of the body even the brain which will eventually adapt to the alcohol use by becoming dependent on it after prolonged use. Genetics and environment are factors that are influenced by this disease. Drinking can reduce life expectancy by 10-12 years and next to smoking is the second most common preventable cause of death in America. The earlier a person starts drinking, the greater their chance is of developing serious illness later on. Once dependant on alcohol, its very difficult to quit. The cause of alcoholism is unknown. Just drinking gradually and consistently over time can produce alcohol dependence and cause withdrawal symptoms during periods of abstinence, but this is not the only cause of alcoholism. To develop alcohol dependence several other factors typically come into play, like genetics, culture and psychology. The signs of alcoholism or a dependence on alcohol vary from person to person and depend on how much the person drinks or how the person drinks. The definition of alcohol use and abuse ranges from moderate drinking, which is defined as equal to or less then two drinks a day for men and equal to or less then one drink a day for women. Hazardous or heavy drinking would be defined as more then 14 drinks per week or 4-5 drinks at one sitting for men or more then 7 drinks a week or 3 drinks in one setting for women or frequent intoxication in either gender. Harmful drinking is when alcohol consumption has actually caused physical or psychological harm or alcohol consumption has persisted for at least a month or has occurred consistently for a year. Alcohol abuse is used when the person either cant fulfill work or personal obligations and/or has recurrent problems with the law. Alcohol dependence is used for people that three or more alcohol related problems in a period of one year that in cludes increased amount of alcohol needed to produce an effect earlier obtained with less alcohol, experiences withdrawal symptoms or drinks to avoid withdrawal symptoms, drinks more then intended, unsuccessfully attempting to cut down or quit, gives up hobbies or leisure activities to drink. Summary Emotional and behavior problems such as depression and anxiety put people at a high risk for alcoholism and often are the reason the elderly turn to alcohol. Problem drinking in this case can be a way to self medicate. People may also use alcohol to become less inhibited in public situations that for some may be a source of great anxiety. Those that have impulsive personalities are also at a great risk for developing dependence to alcohol, due to the fact that they have low impulse control. Alcoholism affects every part of the body causing illness, cancer and with long term consumption can even cause death. Frequent, heavy drinking is associated with a higher risk of death to injury, violence and medical disorders, like pancreatitis, upper gastrointestinal bleeding, nerve damage and even impotence. As people age it takes few drinks to become intoxicated and organs are damaged by smaller amounts of alcohol then younger people. Those that require surgery also have an increased risk of postoperative complications, including infections, bleeding and decreased heart and lung functions, along with wound healing problems. If withdrawal symptoms are present can inflict further stress on the body and delay healing. Neurological or mental disorders can be caused from binge drinking which can cause memory impairment and problems thinking and concentrating. Nerve damage from severe vitamin deficiencies can impair mental function and memory and cause emotion disorders and even psychosis, like Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome, that causes loss of balance, confusion and memory loss and can lead to permanent brain damage and even death. Diagnosing alcoholism can be hard, since nearly always people deny the problem. But for most, denial may be the first warning sign that their drinking is out of hand. There are tests to screen for alcoholism, most are short and allow the person to take them on his or her own time. Because people deny their problem or attempt to hide it, the questions relate to problems associated with drinking, rather then the amount of liquor consumed. The quickest test is the CAGE test and is an acronym for: 1. Attempts to CUT (C) down on drinking. 2. ANNOYANCE (A) with criticisms about drinking. 3. GUILT (G) about drinking. 4. Use of alcohol as an EYE-OPENER (E) in the morning. This test is called a Self Administered Alcoholism Screening Test (SAAST) and appears to be the most useful in detecting alcoholism in white middle aged males. Alcoholism, hard to detect in elderly women is sometimes diagnosed as depression and prescribed anti-anxiety drugs that can have dangerous effects when mixed with al cohol conclusion Treatments for alcoholism vary, but the overall goal in treatment is total abstinence, since those that abstain have better success rates then those that dont. Treatment should also, include replacing addictive patterns with satisfying, time filling, behaviors which are able to fill the void in daily activities when drinking has stopped. Because alcoholism is so difficult to treat, most doctors will choose to treat alcoholism as a chronic disease that include relapses and remission periods. Inpatient and outpatient treatments are available to those that would benefit most from these types of treatments. Those with co-existing medical or mental disorders or those that might harm themselves have greater success with inpatient treatments at a psychiatric hospital or alcohol center. Outpatient treatments work best with people that have a good support system and are able to take medications for mild to moderate withdrawal symptoms. Psychotherapy treatments focus on Psychotherapeutic approaches and include cognitive-behavior therapy is used for severe alcoholism and gives people the opportunity to learn to cope and control their behavior, by changing the way they think about drinking and Interactional group psychotherapy that includes group based therapy like Alcoholics Anonymous or AA, 12-step program. Alcoholism is a very real and serious disease that requires medical treatment and those suffering will require lifelong care and support.