The Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale free essay sample

This paper will cover the historical significance of the Stanford-Binet intelligence scale. This scale was originally called the Binet-Simon scale. Albert Binet and Theodore Simon together created this scale. This scale was originally created for children. Intelligence testing became significant in the 21st century as it enabled mainly schools to seek out children who need academic help. However, this test was taken a step further in the 21st century by major corporations who use the Stanford-Binet intelligence scale as a major tool during the hiring process and to determine a person’s IQ. Historical Significance The field of psychology owes the† notion of intelligence to the French psychologist Alfred Binet, who developed the Binet Simon scale together with his student Theodore Simon in 1904† (Rosati, 2004). Albert Binet and Theodore Simon believed â€Å"that in intelligence there is a fundamental faculty, the alteration or the lack of which, is of the utmost importance for practical life. We will write a custom essay sample on The Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page This faculty is judgment, otherwise called good sense, practical sense, initiative, the faculty of adapting ones self to circumstances. A person may be a moron or an imbecile if he is lacking in judgment; but with good judgment he can never be either. Indeed the rest of the intellectual faculties seem of little importance in comparison with judgment. However, in 1916 the Binet-Simon intelligence test was re-named to the Stanford-Binet intelligence scale by Lewis Terman (Becker, 2003). History of Stanford-Binet In 1891, Binet began working at the Sorbonnes Laboratory of Experimental Psychology and was appointed its Director in 1894. Theodore Simon applied to do doctoral research under Binets supervision (Plucker, 2012) According to Plucker, (2012) Binet and Simon created a scale that contained a variety of tasks the two men thought would representative a child’s abilities at various ages. This scale was based on many years of observing children in his or her natural settings. This scale consisted of thirty tasks each one more complicated than the task before. According to Plucker (2012) Binet and Simon believed that the easiest tasks could be accomplished by all children, even those who were severely retarded. â€Å"Some of the simplest test items assessed whether or not a child could follow a lighted match with his eyes or shake hands with the examiner. Slightly harder tasks required children to point to various named body parts, repeat back a series of 3 digits, repeat simple sentences, and to define words like house, fork or mama. More difficult test items required children to state the difference between pairs of things, reproduce drawings from memory or to construct sentences from three given words such as Paris, river and fortune. The hardest test items included asking children to repeat back 7 random digits, find three rhymes for the French word obeisance and to answer complicated questions† (Plucker, 2012, p 2). Significance in the 21st Century One of the main significance to the Stanford-Binet intelligence scale is its ability to measure a person’s IQ. According Kreger, (2012), â€Å"up until 1986 the Stanford-Binet Intelligence scale and all five editions remained the test of choice in identifying gifted children. According to Kreger (2012) in 1989 Kathi Kearney wrote that â€Å"it is her belief that the Stanford-Binet intelligence scale should be given as a supplementary test† (p3). According to Link (2002) â€Å"The Stanford-Binet IQ test is simply drawing on these same material cognitive techniques and associating ones ability to use them with the term intelligence, allowing the social classification that was the purpose of the test to be made according to the ability to think scientifically† The Effects on Psychology The Stanford-Binet Intelligence scale has played a huge role in the field of psychology. Today, there are many different categories of psychology. However, the Stanford-Binet scale fits best in the fields of child psychology, and industrial and organizational psychology (IO). As explained above this scale is based mainly around the ability to determine gifted children. Many gifted children are used as research subjects in psychology to help aide researchers in the advancement of intelligence. School psychologists especially use the Stanford-Binet to determine placement of a child based on his or her intelligence. Many large corporations retain the services of IO psychologist’s to ensure that employees are able to function and comprehend his or her job duties and responsibilities. Conclusion This paper covered an important part of psychological testing; the Stanford-Binet intelligence scale. This scale was originally called the Binet-Simon scale but was re-named in 1916 by Lewis Terman. This test is revolved around a person’s age and what is believed to be the normal range of IQ at that particular time. The significance of the Stanford-Binet revolves mainly around psychologists being able to recognize a â€Å"gifted child†. However, there are many ways in which this scale can be used. Employers of major corporations can also use this test to ensure the intelligence and integrity of its employees. Psychologists in almost every field use the Stanford-Binet scale; however it is most prevalent in child and IO psychology.

Will the status of Roma people impruve as the EU enlarge essays

Will the status of Roma people impruve as the EU enlarge essays Will the Status of the Roma people improve as the EU enlarges? When I die, you should bury me standing, Because I have been on my knees all my life. Who are the gypsies? Are they a tribe? Or maybe a sect? Where do they live? Where do all the myths about them originate? Why are there so many pejorative characteristics attributed to them? The aim of this paper is to foresee if the status of the Roma people will change and how it will change. In order to make such a prediction, I will approach the issues of the Roma from different angles such as historical background, treatment in the communist times, their situation in Europe today, and I will explain issues that are specific for them as a people. The condition of the Roma in Central and Eastern Europe is one of the most challenging issues that surfaced after the transition from communism. It has been said that no other ethnic group has been so excluded from the opportunities that came along with the transition than the Roma. Roma are a distinctive minority in Europe. Unlike other minority groups, they have no historical homeland, and they live in almost all countries of Asia and Europe. There are between 7 and 9 million Gypsies living in Europe, mostly living in Eastern and Central Europe, in the countries that are applying to the European Union. Clearly, significant results will not occur instantaneously. I believe it will take at least one generation for major changes to occur, that is, if significant efforts will be made. It is a major step forward that the EU requires the applicant countries to improve the situation of their Roma citizens, however it is not enough. Peoples mentalities are a very important factor, and as the Romanian secretary of state pointed out, it takes both sides, the Romani, and the non-Romani, to change attitudes. So far, one of the most fascinating things to me is the general attitude of ignoring gypsies. To say that the Gypsy pe...

Should College Ban Alcohol Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Should College Ban Alcohol - Research Proposal Example Coupled with many other problems, the freedom to drink alcohol in colleges has been seen to be responsible for a number of social ills. A section of the society feels that colleges should ban alcohol so that students do not drink on campus (Correia 56). Similarly, there are also others who feel that colleges should not ban alcohol. Both sides of the argument have advanced various reasons for their arguments. Nothing much in those two wide opinions has changed. The debate still rages. Pro-Alcohol Ban in Colleges Arguments Alcohol Drinking in Colleges Impact Negatively in Learning Outcomes To begin with, supporting side of the argument on whether colleges should ban alcohols has advanced various reasons for this position. Research results published in AlcoholEdu between 2008-2009 found out that alcoholism in college impacts negatively on learning objectives and outcome. The authors say, â€Å"The number of drinks consumed correlates with the number of classes missed.† By this, the authors imply that the more a student drinks in college, the more such a student will be inclined to miss classes. The authors feel that it should be the responsibility of the society to shape the development of such student so that do not waste study time. The strength of this assertion is that it logically points out that missed classes may most likely result in a fail grade in the unit concerned. Therefore, as such students mature up with time, they should be guided on the right path by banning alcohol on campus. Even so, it appears that such an argument is weak in the sense that it insinuates that colleges should babysit adult students.

How product packaging influences consumers Essay

How product packaging influences consumers - Essay Example Obviously most people fall for what is physically appealing and finding a commodity in the market that can stand out from the rest would make it sell more (Peter, Higgins and Richmond, 2013). This, therefore, means that there is some influence that packaging has on the consumer. This paper seeks to analyze and determine some of the influences that product packaging has on consumer behavior and how it will affect their choice in purchasing. With the growing rate of counterfeit products, consumers have realized that packaging of a product can give a clue whether the item is original and genuine. Most keen consumers take quite a considerable amount of time analyzing the product’s packaging in order to find elements such as government verification of quality, genuine manufacturer’s logo or stamp and many others just to be sure that the product is not a low quality duplicate of the original. Packaging, therefore, is a point of verification that consumers use. Those products having the rightful labeling will sell more (Lamb, Hair and McDaniel, 2012). Consequently, the appeal that the product gives will influence an individual into buying it. People prefer goods that stand out and owing to factors such as prestige and social identification; consumers are more likely to buy goods that are conspicuous and catchy. Young men, for example, are more likely to buy items that are well packaged such that when they walk with them everyone notices. This has also been found in women owing to the strong love for beauty. Consumers may be easily lured into buying items they did not plan for simply because they are attractive from outside. The realization that attractive and luring packaging influences customers into buying has had huge impact in packaging-oriented profession. A lot of market research has been now conducted to determine what packages the potential customers are more likely to be attracted to and why. Companies are

Chinese economy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Chinese economy - Essay Example China was forced to open coastal ports resulting in a steady flow of trade between the West and the East. According to Rit Nosotro, â€Å"Although the Europeans introduced railroads, highways, and started some industrial activity, the overall effect on China’s economy overall was negligible since it did not involve the hundreds of millions of peasants deep in the interior†. During the early and mid Qing period there was a considerable rise in Chinas population. But since there was no substantial industrial development China could not utilize the excessive manpower nor raise the standard of living. The economic condition of the government was poor since the dynasty could not collect enough taxes from a poor society. Also there was serious corruption as the government ate away a large part of the taxes collected. The powerful landlords evaded government taxes. All this led to a huge tax burden on the peasants. When these oppressed peasants rebelled (Taiping rebellion) the dynasty had to spend more money to control this rebellion thus making the financial conditions even worse. From the mid-19th century onwards political decentralization made collection of taxes more difficult.. Administrative inefficiency led to inefficient financial management. Also the unequal treatises prevented China from raising tariffs on foreign trade to pay off deficits and the government had to take huge foreign loans. To overcome the money problem, government increased domestic taxes causing more rebellions. Also there was an unfavorable balance of trade which reduced the value of the countrys currency thereby reducing the governments income. The wars that China fought with the foreign powers and the resultant war indemnities China had to pay in 1842, 1860, 1896 and 1900 also dented the economy. Finally in 1911 the Qing dynasty was overthrown. In a planned economy or direct economy the state manages the economy.

The influence of culture on accounting

The influence of culture on accounting Introduction Many studies have demonstrated that culture diversity had influenced accounting practice within national and international borders. Accounting can therefore be said to have been influenced by its environment, which includes the culture of the country in which it is being operated (Nobes Parker, 2008) Mueller et al. (1994), cited in Alexander.et al, also stipulate that each accounting system is a product of its specific culture and environment, and that different patterns of accounting are associated with a range of cultural factors such as societal values, religion, political systems and historical values. It is however no thought that those countries with same or similar cultural values or background are practicing accounting similarly. The purpose of this paper is to critically examine the extent to which these cultural values influence the practice of accounting and how the understanding of the role of culture in accounting can help us understand international accounting standards. The work of Hofstedes cultural value differences and Grays accounting values will be the major focal point of this paper. The relationship that exists between cultural values, accounting values and financial reporting will be examined as well. Key words: Cultural values; Accounting Values; Financial Reporting DIFFERENCES IN CULTURAL VALUES Culture is a way of life of a group of people, which includes the behaviours, beliefs, values, and symbols that they accept, generally without thinking about them, and that are passed along by communication and imitation from one generation to the next. The position that the ideas, meanings, beliefs and values people learn as members of society determine human nature. To support this definition, Hofstede, one of the greatest researchers of culture differences, defined culture as the collective programming of the mind which distinguishes members of one human group from another,( cited in Nobes parker 2008. p 25) For the purpose of comparability, this paper will base its analysis on Hofstedes work on cultural value difference and grays work on accounting values to see their impact on accounting practice and reporting. (Hofstede, 1984 p. 83, 84) defined and summarized four Cultural dimensions as, individualism and Collectivism, Large versus small power distance, Strong versus weak uncertainty avoidance, masculinity versus femininity. He also stipulates that there exist specific relationship in these cultural dimensions. Individualism versus collectivism is how in a society one group will prefer a much closed family system while the other group prefer belonging to an expanded family system. This cultural dimension looks at how society handles interdependence among individuals. The second cultural dimension, large versus small power distance seeks to divide a society between those few powerful groups of people who prefer power to be distributed unequally through institutions and organizations and those who feel that power should be distributed equally. This dimension addressed how a society handles inequalities amongst a people when they occur. The third cultural dimension by Hofstede, is the strong versus weak uncertainty avoidance which is, the extent to which members of a society feel uncomfortable with uncertainty and ambiguity .This feelings leads them to believing in promising certainty and to maintain institutions protecting conformity. He explained that a society with strong uncertainty avoidance maintained rigid codes of belief and behaviour and are intolerant of deviant people and ideas. The weak uncertainty maintain a more relaxed atmosphere in which practice counts more than principles and deviance is more tolerated. Masculinity and femininity, which is the last but not the least of the four cultural dimensions, describes masculinity as the preference, in a Society for achievements, heroism, assertiveness, and material success. Femininity on the other hand was said to represent a society where preference for relationships, modesty, caring for the weak and the quality of life is high. ACCOUNTING VALUES AND CULTURAL VALUES It is based on these Hofstedes classification of cultural dimensional differences that Gray (1988) also proposed a connection between those cultural dimensions and accounting values by specifically identifying four accounting values which includes; professionalism(implies self-regulation by the accounting profession itself) versus statutory (implies control by the government), uniformity (adherence to consistency and detailed regulations) versus flexibility (implies able to amend or adjust to suite a situation), conservatism (implies the tendency to under state profit and assets) versus optimism and secrecy (implies a preference for confidentiality) versus transparency ( implies disclosure of true state of affairs). The first two relates to authority and enforcement of accounting practice at a country level while the second two relates to the measurement and disclosure of accounting information at a country level as (cited in Nobes and Parker, 2008). Grays accounting values and Hofstedes cultural difference can be group into two categories. This paper will like to refer to these two groups as the collectivism category and the individualism category. The individualism category is made up of Professionalism, flexibility, transparency, optimism, individualism, small power distance, weak uncertainty avoidance and femininity. This category has the characteristic of self-reliance or self-interest and therefore in a society where individualism, small power distance, weak uncertainty and femininity dominate, accounting practice and financial reporting is likely to be professional, flexible, transparent and optimistic. Secondly the individuals quest for information to make decision on investments to satisfy his/her personal needs will prefer detailed report of a financial statement. This paper will like to associate this category to that of a capitalist society where the accounting regulations are not part of the common law but rather are in the hands of professional organisations of the private sector as stipulated in Alexander et al. (2009 p. 28). For instance in the UK, accounting laws and regulations are control by professional bodies such as the ACCA, CA, CIMA, and IASB. It can again be said that countries that practice the common law are also likely to practice accounting the same way. They are considered to be capitalism countries since they raises funds from the capital. They include, United Kingdom, Ireland Canada, Australia and the United States of America The second category of Hofstede cultural value difference and that of grays accounting values The collectivism category is made up of collectivism, large power distance, strong uncertainty avoidance masculinity and grays accounting values of statutory control, uniformity, conservatism and secrecy. This category has the characteristics of being control from a common source or being centrally planned. Countries or societies found to be dominant with these cultural and accounting values are more likely to practice accounting in the same way. The practice of accounting in this society or country is control by statutory institutions with detailed rules and regulations. The practice of accounting and reporting in these societies or countries will be geared towards the dictates of those in powers or in control. No detailed accounting is required and secrecy and conservatism dominates in the financial reporting (Kosmala-Maclullich, 2003). Here again this paper will associate this category of a society or a country to that of a socialist country where accounting laws and regulations are enshrine in the coded laws of the country. Governments in these countries use financial reports for their own purpose. The Democratic Republic of Germany adopted the Soviet Unions socialist ideologies after the Second World War. This adaptation included a methodological guidance in designing accounting information systems (Berry, 1982: 1890). Bailey (1990) also stipulates that the Marxism Theoreticians view the western-style accounting as an instrument for the exploitation of workers by the capitalists, accounting and financial reporting was therefore geared towards the dictates of those in authority. Young and David (1999) argued that Accounting activities at the enterprise level were focused exclusively on the preparation of reports required by the planning bureaucracy, and during this period, accounting was only seen as a primary source of information for the provision of financial statistics for the use in the preparation of budget; it was therefore a list of quantities instead of values. Accounting was more or less reduced to a clerical job; there was no professionalism in the practice. Judgemen t of reports (true and fair) was not entertained; standardisation was non-existence and so was the concept of profit, in short accounting standards and procedures were not in existence. Accounting in China Another country worth looking at is china which has a long history of cultural value which is characterise with collectivism, high in power distance, strong uncertainty avoidance and femininity. The Chinese will not mind sacrificing himself for the good collectivism or country (Yao F. 2007). The practice of accounting and reporting is control by the state under the auspices of the ministry of finance and the aim of this control is to gear the practice towards the general benefit of the planned economy. The user of accounting information is mainly the government, because most enterprises in china are owed by the state. The few individual who try to do some investments do not know much about accounting and finance. (Yao F. 2007). Although the state had accounting standards for Business Enterprises, they were just mere basic rules which were issued in conjunction with basic standards, as argued by Lin et al. (2001). There where however restrictions on some important accounting principles such as making provision for bad debts and obsolete inventories, recognition of impairments of assets, disclosure of financial information and many more. Secrecy and conservatism was dominant in financial reporting. Professionalism, transparency and flexibility were non-existence. Accountin g profession was reduced to a very low status. The dynamics of cultural values brought about a change in financial reporting by these countries with strong cultural values. As a result of the world becoming a small village and the growing of Multinational companies across the world, there is the need for comparability of financial Reports since its purpose is to help investors make informed and sound decisions. Based on the fact that the world is becoming a small place and countries need each other for their survival, most of the socialists countries like the East Germany, Portugal, Poland, Italy, and France have all adopted the capitalism system of financial reporting. The Chinese government, also have realise the need for adopting the international financial reporting standard (IFRS) which is being champion by the International Accounting Standard Board (IASB), but yet it only talked about the convergence of the accounting standard and not a totally acceptance. (Yao F. 2001) Conclusion It is quite obvious that cultural values have influenced the practice and reporting of accounting and countries with similar cultural values practicing accounting similarly. With the world becoming a global village and the fast cultural changes across the world, the need for harmonization and convergence of accounting standards was given a serious consideration by centrally planned countries, but a country like China, although have made efforts to embrace international financial reporting system, is still holding on to some of its cultural accounting practices. This is an indication that so far as cultural values remain different, accounting practice will be affected and the only way out is the harmonization and convergence of accounting standards.

A Postmodern Take on a Hollywood Film Classic Essay -- Movies Papers

A Postmodern Take on a Hollywood Film Classic The jacket blurb on Robert Coover’s creative compilation A Night at the Movies reads: â€Å"From Hollywood B-movies to Hollywood classics, A Night at the Movies invents what ‘might have happened’ in these Saturday afternoon matinees. Mad scientists, vampires, cowboys, dance-men, Chaplin, and Bogart, all flit across Robert Coover’s riotously funny screen, doing things and uttering lines that are as shocking to them as they are funny to the reader. As Coover’s Program announces, you will get Coming Attractions, The Weekly Serial, Adventure, Comedy, Romance, and more, but turned upside-down and inside-out.† It is perhaps more appropriate to call Coover’s work a creative compilation as opposed to a novel or even a collection of short stories. A single theme of â€Å"what might have happened† runs throughout each of the inclusions, each inclusion being devoted to a particular Hollywood movie. Thus, the text as a whole is united b y means of this common thread, but the thread is thin and stretched tightly, resulting in each inclusion having the ability to stand alone as a complete and independent work, related to the others, yet individual. The complete collection may be examined as a work, or conversely, each individual â€Å"story† may be considered a finished work to be studied. Each chapter invents its own reality, a reality of the screen, of the movies, that is brought into closer contact by means of a literary text. The book as a whole, then, glorifies in the postmodern tradition multiple interpretations of reality. Movies themselves present alternative realities or interpretations of perceived realities, most often differing from our own individual constructions. Thus, by offering ... ...nto playful pornography, and in doing so has once again acted in the postmodern tradition. Transforming this film classic is in a way blasphemy. The film has been held in the highest esteem by movie critics for decades, and here Coover has deconstructed and destroyed it in a mere thirty-one pages. The manner in which he has done it is indeed witty, however, and certainly eclectic and new. Works Cited Barth, John. â€Å"The Literature of Replenishment,† from Atlantic Monthly 254: 1. January 1980. Coover, Robert. â€Å"You Must Remember This,† in A Night at the Movies. Normal: Dalkey Archive Press, 1997. 156-187 Epstein, Julius J., Philip G. Epstein, and Howard Koch. Casablanca. Original Screenplay. Warner Brothers Studio, 1942. Hoover, Jeff. â€Å"Towards a Description of Modernism and Postmodernism in Literature.† Cedar Rapids: Coe College, Sept. 21, 1999.