Observation Paper Essay Example for Free

Observation Paper Essay Conformity is behavior change designed to match the actions of others. During my research, I found many examples of conformitive behavior. I often related conformity to adolescents due to the fact that they usually do their best to try and fit in when it comes to group settings. This type of behavior can be seen in college students attending educational facilities away from home. Those that are in dorms tend to indulge in drinking even if they aren’t â€Å"big drinkers†. They do this to conform to that of others and to be included in the fun and try and fit in. One last example that I will discuss prior to getting into my own observation, was the study that was done my Crandall in 1988 which examined normative social influences involving bulimia in college sororities. Sororities are the true definition of conformity and those that don’t conform are usually not allowed to continue to pledge. In the particular sororities that were examined, Crandall found that it had its own norm when it came to the â€Å"right† amount of food to eat and the popularity within the sorority was associated with adhering to this norm. Those that wanted to be a part of the sororities needed to conform to the â€Å"norm† and fell into a bulimic state. These girls had to of known this was not healthy for them yet they wanted to continue to become of part of this group and follow the â€Å"norm† that was set out. To me, this is just ridiculous. Some of us have issues with conforming and I believe I’m one of those people. The observation that I decided to conduct was that of a military setting. I decided to do this based on the fact that when I was in the military, there were times when I struggled with those appointed over me because I knew the tasks that they were giving me were wrong. I wasn’t willing to conform when I knew it wasn’t right. This is where my â€Å"issue† with authority came into play. The military is one of, if not the largest, organization that requires conformity to the fullest. Those that don’t conform will be punished. During my reading I found a Japanese saying that really hit close to home. â€Å"The nail that sticks up gets hammered down†. What that means to me is that it’s better to not stand out in the group but rather conform and fall amongst them. Prior to the start of my observation, I had a background of the military setting so I guess we could call that an unfair advantage because maybe I didn’t go into this assignment with open-mindedness. I had the assumed idea that those being observed would  conform to the standards set forth by the military official in charge of them regardless if they thought that it was right/wrong. I envisioned that normative pressure would come into play since those that are in authoritative position are respected and looked up to. So, in order to support my assumption, I decided to have my wife, who is currently active duty and a Division Officer, assist me. She didn’t do this by choice, but I had her conform ï Å  I asked her to give personnel in her division orders that they would know were wrong. For instance, she gave three separate Sailors (2-E3, 1-E4) direction to go to McDonald’s to get her something to eat while in a duty status. Then, she briefed all of them at duty section muster that no one was authorized to leave the confines of the ship on their duty for any reason to include going to get something to eat. They all were aware this wasn’t allowed but being that she told them, they thought that it must be right. There was no questioning attitude, just a â€Å"yes Ma’am† by every single one. I wanted her to take it one step further so I asked her to do something that would affect the safety of Sailors and see how they responded. Would they conform? So, all her Sailors are required to wear protective head gear and glasses due to the dry dock environment and the hazards associated. She went to quarters and directed them all to come back tomorrow with only their hard hats. She stated glasses were no longer required. Not one person said anything when she gave this information out. No one questioned her but simply just went on about their days. The next day, over 75% of her personnel showed up without glasses. This was clearly a safety violation and could potentially have an impact on their individual safety but because she was an authoritative figure, they accepted that risk and conformed to what she stated. It wasn’t right but they did it anyway. After it was completed, she let them know that it was ok to question things that you thought weren’t right. She informed them about the study and stated that she was surprised so many had not followed their instincts and did the right thing. I wasn’t quite so shocked by the results. I saw a lot of Sailors do things that aren’t necessarily right because someone higher ranking told them and instead of questioning them, and possibly getting in trouble, they just did it. So, the results she got didn’t surprise me. In the military, it’s like the unspoken rule†¦just conform. Overall, this study was exactly what I thought it was going to be. In many  situations, we are uncertain how to think or act/react to those around us especially when it’s not the socially accepted â€Å"norm†. We tend to use the behavior and actions of others to dictate what were going to do. Informational social influence occurs because we conform using others as a source of information. That’s exactly what happened in my observation. No one stood up and said it was wrong so being that my wife told them it was right (she was the source of information), they did it! Was it right, no! This is where I think change needs to happen. Stand up for what you believe. Don’t just be rebellious because you can but have a reason and stand by it. Find people who believe in the same thing that you believe in and take a stance. Her Sailors should have confided in one another and they all should have worn their glasses to muster knowing that it was their safety that they were protecting. All of them should have stood up to protect themselves!

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The main purposes in conducting this assignment are: †¢ To able to carry out analysis into complex engineering problem making use of systematic approach to provide valid conclusion. †¢ To be able to apply appropriate techniques, resources and modern engineering and IT tools (Matlab) towards the assigned question. †¢ To learn about a control system analysis and design tool called the root locus. †¢ To highlight the tight link between the theory and applications and the design process. INTRODUCTION: In an engineered system we may normally have one or more design parameters, adjustments, or user settings. It is essential to determine if any of these will make the system unstable. This is generally undesirable and possibly hazardous. For example, think of a washing machine that vibrates so much that it ‘walks’ across a floor, or a high speed aircraft that fails due to resonant vibrations. Root-locus plots are used to plot the system roots over the range of a variable to determine if the system will become unstable, or oscillate. The root locus is a way of presenting graphical information...

Listening Skill is a neglected Art Essay

In learning a particular language, we enhance the communicative language skills; the receptive skills and productive skills. Receptive skills include understanding through listening and reading. Productive skills are speaking and writing. When we learn English as a language and when we utilize this language as a tool for communication, we learn and make use of all these communication arts. But normally, people become strong in some skills and weak in others. Most of the time, Listening is considered to be a weakness. Listening is considered as a neglected art. Almost everyone can hear, but few can really listen. Many people fail to recognize the art of listening and the value of listening to acquire information. They tend to ignore the fine line that separates the distinction between the natures of passive listening and active listening. In our daily conversation with people, meetings or conferences, and formal classroom set up, listening is believed to be of paramount concern. People tend to neglect the art of listening because of the different language barriers apart from the dominant fact that people are fond of talking rather than listening. Few people can achieve understanding the essence of what has been said by a certain speaker because they have not mastered the skills necessary for listening. These language barriers include poor vocabulary to be able to comprehend what has been spoken about, lack of interest on the speaker or what we call non-egocentric pro-social behaviour which is essential on the part of both, the speaker and listener. Absence of focus or concentration which may be influenced by physical and even emotional barriers can hinder listening. Close-mindedness and over-stimulation which make a person too quick to judge because of the speaker’s accent, appearance, impression and poor delivery can also be contributing factors why listening is neglected. People tend to develop more negative listening habits rather than positive listening habits which definitely hinder listening to be able to comprehend the essentials of what has been listened to. According to K Crawford, An open ear is worth much more than an open mouth, so listen! 2. Oral communication skills are a significant factor in the acquisition of facts and in the process of learning. Oral communication skills refer to speaking and listening competencies. These are necessary to be able to participate verbally in discussions and interactions, to be able to exchange ideas and concrete information, to make clear and persuading presentations and of course to interact with a variety of audiences. These skills are utilized as we communicate with other people. These are essentials in the acquisition of facts. We learn from listening and at the same time we are able to figure out facts when we air out our thoughts and opinions through speaking. Oral communication is the ability to talk with others to give and exchange information and ideas. We acquire information when asking questions. We give information when giving directions and we exchange messages when coordinating our work tasks with others. Explaining and persuading are essentials in the process of learning especially to us as teachers. Our students learn more and easily persuaded when things are explained well. It is said that oral skills are at the very foundation of literacy. Speaking and Listening, such as in a classroom talk, help students to learn, to reflect on what they are learning, and to communicate their knowledge and understanding. Thus, oral skills are important in the process of learning. These communication skills are significant factors in acquiring information and learning. 3. What we do is far better than what we communicate basically means that we have to walk the talk not just talk the talk. An old adage says, â€Å"Actions speak louder than words†. That is so true. Benjamin Franklin advocates, â€Å"Well done is even better than well said†. According to Arnold Glasow, â€Å"An idea not coupled with action will never get any bigger than the brain cell it occupied.† These quotes elaborate the importance of the fulfilment of what has been communicated, planned, and agreed. What has been planned must be realized and executed. For instance, a lesson well planned will never be effective unless it is executed and proven. In the context of education and learning, this has something to do with the application of what has been learned and caught. As mentioned in the Domains of Bloom’s Taxonomy, Knowledge is more of a fundamental skill compared to Application. Therefore, application is far better than knowledge same thing with Cognitive domain and Psychomotor domain. Learning (cognitive) would not be as effective as expected without psychomotor skills (actions).Students may acquire information and learn facts but I believe applying these acquired information and learned facts on a real life situation is even more relevant. On the context of real life situation, actions are aid to be mirror of the mind. What a person thinks is expressed when she/he speaks. The ideas have been communicated. When we communicate with people, we can only let them know what our opinions and thoughts are, we only let them understand what we say. Persuasion has always been a question. When we communicate, we may be understood by other people but we seldom persuade their minds most especially if what we say is against or far even more opposite to what other people see from us. This explains what William Shakespeare said, â€Å"Action is Eloquence†. It is through actions where we give judgements, fulfilments and realizations to all that have been communicated. I’d like to end my response with these inspiring lines about how actions are vital in our lives. â€Å"The vision must be followed by the venture. It is not enough to stare up the steps, we must step up the stairs. â€Å"- Vance Havner,

An Analysis Of The Scarlet Letter - 1022 Words

Adultery in Easy A Based of a Novel â€Å"The Scarlet Letter† Saul Ibarra English IV South Texas Business Education Technology Academy In the movie Easy A a cinematic film directed by Will Gluck is a comedy about a girl in high school whose social life completely changes because of a small lie that dominates her image. This rumor connects to Nathaniel Hawthorne’s the scarlet letter due to the fact that themes are drawn such as sin and redemption. Emma stone plays the protagonist Olive Penderghast and fits in the stereo typical quintessential nobody, over looked and unpopular. Hester her only friend is the exact opposite, unlike Hester, Olive’s only sin was not the action of committing adultery but the action of lying.†¦show more content†¦This is solely based upon that they happen to be women that sinned not men. Both Olive and Hester serve as symbols of social disobedience in both eras. Although back then in 1642 Puritanical Boston the worst crime women could commit was adultery, both women were no secret to the public about it. Hester is known for being embarked under a public punishment given by her public society. Olive decides to take a different route in which other than denying the rumor she embraces her given image, decides to buy and accommodate her new lingerie clothing with the meaningful red letter A such as Hester herself. By adding red letter Olive is connecting her life to the readings of â€Å"The Scarlett Letter† all while embracing the â€Å"sin† of adultery. Olive implements these large Red Letter A’s to make a social statement that if people truly and honestly think she is an adulterer why not own it and have fun with the attention. She gets this idea based on the novel that she is reading in high school The Scarlett Letter. The Red Letters A’s serve as a purpose to announce to public eye that she committed adultery and sin. Although back in the sixteen hundred’s it was a public punishment, in more modern times olive Penderghast uses it to make a social statement. Easy A is about how society judges’ teens for their sexuality especially girls. Olives exact words â€Å"I usedShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of The Scarlet Letter 972 Words   |  4 PagesAnalysis of The Black Man In The Scarlet Letter Symbolism is the practice of representing things by symbols, or of investing things with a symbolic meaning or character. In the novel â€Å"The Scarlet Letter†, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, symbolism is the main feature of the story. Symbolism is used throughout the novel to describe every object in the story from the characters to the rosebush to the scarlet letter itself. One of the major symbols in â€Å"The Scarlet Letter† is the black man, who can not only beRead MoreScarlet Letter Character Analysis1081 Words   |  5 Pagesliterary works, which is expressed throughout Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter. Pearl being an outcast from the rigid Puritan morals, and Hesters being independent and strong-willed challenges traditional society. These aspects all mirror the authors emotions and hardships of his early life through the literary element of characterization. Through the analysis of the main characters Hester and Pearl, we see how The Scarlet Letter is a reflection of Hawthornes life, and how the struggles and feelingsRead MorePsychoanalytic Analysis : The Scarlet Letter 1354 Words   |  6 PagesPsychoanalytical Analysis Throughout The Scarlet Letter there are many Freudian symbolisms that can be found scattered throughout this American classic. In nearly every chapter there is at least one reference to a phallic or yonic symbols to demonstrate the longing for a male figure in both Pearl and Hester’s life, and the symbolism to depict the shift from id to ego. 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The scenes in order areRead MoreAnalysis Of The Scarlet Letter 963 Words   |  4 Pagesare the source of them is the way to redemption. In the novel The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, a Puritan woman named Hester Prynne commits the crime of adultery with the reverend of the town and bears a child from this unlawful union. Hester faces punishment in the form of a large scarlet letter â€Å"A† that she must wear upon her bosom so that all may know the sin of infidelity she has committed. In The Scarlet Letter, the evolvement and fate of the character of Hester Prynne demonstratesRead MoreAnalysis Of The Scarlet Letter 1234 Words   |  5 PagesNadia Innab Mrs. Mogilefsky English 3 AP 31 August 2015 The Scarlet Letter Questions 1. One of the author’s purposes in delivering this literary piece to the public is to expose the hypocrisy of society. For example, when Hester chooses to accept her Scarlet Letter instead of wear it with shame, society looks at her as if there was something wrong with her conscience. Hawthorne states, â€Å"This morbid meddling of conscience with an immaterial matter betokened, is to be feared, no genuine and steadfastRead MoreAnalysis Of The Scarlet Letter 1610 Words   |  7 Pagesthat the mysterious ailment afflicting the minister is connected to her mother’s sin. -The townspeople do not see the obvious connection between Dimmesdale and Hester have even though they both are affected by the same place on the body (The scarlet letter on the heart and Dimmesdale hand over his heart). -Pearl connect Dimmesdale to the â€Å"Black Man† who is the devil, to show he has sinned -The townspeople ignore the obvious connection between Dimmesdale s declining health and Hester’s sin becauseRead MoreAnalysis Of The Scarlet Letter 1233 Words   |  5 PagesKyle Cho Mr. Ertman AP Lit Per.4 2 November 2015 In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s time-honored novel, The Scarlet Letter, the relationship between Pearl and her biological father, Arthur Dimmesdale, changes from that of unfamiliarity and fear to one of love and acceptance. Throughout most of the novel, Dimmesdale is unable to face Pearl without being reminded of his sin and he becomes estranged to his own child. As a result, Pearl lacks a true connection with her father which becomes a detriment to her