How Is the New SAT Scored

How Is the New SAT Scored SAT/ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips The scoring model on the new SAT varies essentially from the scoring model that was utilized on the old adaptation of the test. It's essential to know about these progressions with the goal that you can design your considering and test-taking techniques appropriately. In this article, I'll experience all the scoring contrasts that have occurred for the new SAT and what they mean for you as an understudy. Primary Scoring Differences The greatest change in the new SAT scoring structure is that it utilizes a 1600 point scale rather than a 2400 point scale.The Math segment is as yet worth 800 points.The Reading and Writing segments together are called â€Å"Evidence-Based Reading and Writing† and record for the other 800 points.The article is discretionary and scored independently from the various decision bits of the test (your paper scoredoesn't affectyour Evidence-Based Reading and Writing score). Another distinction in the scoring strategy isthe end of point derivations for wrong answers.On the old SAT, you were docked a fourth of a point for each question you addressed incorrectly.The SAT is presently increasingly like the ACT in that off base answers are dealt with equivalent to questions that were left clear (no focuses included or deducted). There are alsofour answer decisions for each question now as opposed to five. I don't get This' meaning for You? Since there’s no speculating punishment, you don’t need to stress over whether you should theory or leave an inquiry clear on the test.Guessing is consistently the correct decision! This doesn’t essentially imply that it's simpler to get a higher score since the test is bended to represent these changes. In any case, it takes a portion of the worry of the testing procedure. The change to a 1600 scale shouldn’t sway you except if you’re attempting to think about your scores out of 2400 on the old SAT to scores on the new version.This might be a worry on the off chance that you need to know how much you’ll need to improve to get a score on the new SAT that’s equal to your objective score on the old SAT. Here's a diagram thatwill assist you with changing over your present or more established scores to their proportional numbers on the new SAT. In any case, remember that the most recent scoring model gives more weight to Math score. On the old SAT, Math just made up 33% of your all out score. On the new SAT, it makes up half. This could imply that understudies who are particularly solid in Math will improve on the new SAT by 50 or so focuses. On the off chance that you scored a 800 on Math and a 650 on both Reading and Writing on the old SAT, you would have a composite score of 2100. Accepting you kept on remaining at a similar level after taking the new SAT, a 800 in Math and a 650 on the Evidence-Based Reading and Writing area would give you a 1450. This score is 50 focuses higher than the 1400 you would anticipate for yourself in the event that you duplicated 2100 by 66% for an immediate change to the new scale. Most schools will acknowledge scores from both the present SAT and the new SAT for in any event two or three years. The College Board will give schools concordance tables to assist them with judging and look at scores over the two distinct tests. Also,score choiceis still a choice, so you don’t need to stress over that changing with the refreshed test. Lock up your terrible SAT score in a safe taken cover behind a common work of art in your rich old uncle's house. Nobody will ever think about it except if he bites the dust and you and your cousins need to go through a creepy night secured his home (and his will specifies that you need to reveal your most profound, darkest insider facts to one another so as to get a bit of the legacy). New SAT Subscores The new SAT likewise incorporates an unpredictable scoring structure past the principle segment scores.There aretest scores for Math, Reading, and Writing, each on a size of 10-40. Additionally, the new SAT hastwo unique classes of inquiries, Analysis ever/Social Sciences and Analysis in Science.These are likewise scored on a size of 10-40.These scores are called â€Å"cross-test scores† in light of the fact that every one of the classifications spread inquiries in each of the three areas of the test. Moreover, there areseven subscores, each on a size of 1-15, for the accompanying classifications: Order of Evidence (Reading and Writing) Words in Context (Reading and Writing) Articulation of Ideas (Writing) Standard English Conventions (Writing) Heart of Algebra (Math) Critical thinking and Data Analysis (Math) Visa to Advanced (Math) Here's a breakdown of the diverse subscores in this realistic taken from the Khan Academy site: This implies each question on the test fits into different subscore classifications. Take, for instance, this inquiry from the Reading segment of one of the new SAT practice tests: The diagram following the section offers proof that blessing providers base their expectations of how much a blessing will be acknowledged on A) the gratefulness level of the blessing beneficiaries. B) the money related estimation of the blessing. C) their own wants for the endowments they buy. D) their relationship with the blessing beneficiaries. This inquiry would normally be remembered for the subscore for the Reading test.It would likewise be remembered for the Analysis ever/Social Sciences cross-test score: since it manages the translation of a chart that contains information about a sociological marvel, it expects you to think scientifically in a sociologies setting. It would not be a piece of the Command of Evidence or Words in Context Reading subscores in light of the fact that it doesn't approach you to give proof to your response to a past question or show your comprehension of the importance of a word in the entry. What an insightful blessing! I unquestionably won't discard these in the following garbage would i be able to happen to see! Need to become familiar with the SAT yet burnt out on perusing blog articles? At that point you'll cherish our free, SAT prep livestreams. Structured and driven by PrepScholar SAT specialists, these live video occasions are an extraordinary asset for understudies and guardians hoping to get familiar with the SAT and SAT prep. Snap on the catch beneath to enroll for one of our livestreams today! I don't get This' meaning for You? The new subscores mean more data about your qualities and shortcomings on the test.These scores help feature your particular qualities for schools and furthermore give direction on where you can improve your skills.College Board has collaborated up with Khan Academy to offer afree prep program for the new SAT that personalizesyour prep plan dependent on your subscore appropriation to assist you with concentrating on improving your particular powerless zones. The subscores additionally point to new question types on the present SAT.Notice that â€Å"Command of Evidence† is a subscore class for Reading questions.Questions that approach you to refer to confirm for your answers are currently a significant segment of the Reading section.These questions solicit which lines from the entry give the best proof to the response to the past inquiry, pushing you to comprehend the thinking behind your response.This can be an or more in that it may wipe out senseless errors on some understanding inquiries, however it likewise includes a difficult new layer of investigation. â€Å"Words in Context† is additionally a telling classification; understanding jargon in setting is currently a greater piece of the Reading section.The end of sentence finishing questionsmeans that there are more jargon in setting questions.These center less around cloud jargon and more on understanding subtleties in the implications of all the more ordinarily utilized words. The presence of â€Å"Problem Solving and Data Analysis†, alongside the two cross-test diagnostic scores, implies that there arequestions that request that you decipher information and apply scientific and consistent thinking to genuine situations. Paper Scores On the present SAT, the paper is discretionary, and its organization has additionally been updated.Rather than getting some information about your conclusion on a general inquiry, the article brief requests that you read an entry and break down the contention that is presented.The College Board says that the new exposition is â€Å"a part like an ordinary school composing task in which you’re requested to examine a text.† The paper is scored from 2-8 across three unique measurements: Reading, Analysis, and Writing.The expositions are still perused by two graders, yet now every grader scores the article on a size of 1-4 in Reading, Analysis, and Writing. These scores are then included for a score from 2-8 in every class. This implies the most extreme paper score is a 24, and the base is a 6. Here'sa rubric that clarifies precisely how these scores are determined.Essentially, the contrast between a propelled paper and an only capable exposition is the degree of comprehension of the source message that the understudy illustrates. A propelled article shows an intensive understanding of how subtleties in the content interrelate to help the writer's contention. It goes past a fundamental outline of the creator's focuses to give a wise, centered investigation of the contention. You should have the option to utilize an amplifying glass on the article. From what I've seen on Google pictures, examination can't occur without one. I don't get This' meaning for You? The College Board has made another article group in which understudies must show systematic abilities that are basic for achievement in college.On the new exposition, you’re requested to clarify how the writer fabricates their contention in the entry and bolster your focuses with pertinent proof and details.Asking understudies to compose a paper about another person’s contention is a superior method of passing judgment on perusing and composing aptitudes than requesting that they compose a supposition piece. Regardless of whether you end up in a humanities discipline in school, you’ll likely compose an examination paper or possibly investigate different people’s logical or chronicled discoveries at some point.An capacity to comprehend

HISTORY Bachelor Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

HISTORY Bachelor - Essay Example To the extent Goldhagen's notorious section eight, Police Battalion 101: Assessing the men's thought processes, the primary concern of contention with this part has to do with the allegation that numerous common Germans had inspiration to take an interest in the Holocaust, and had a few intentions in doing as such. Numerous individuals have felt that the book's missing can't safeguard the assaults against it or, then again, that the book's achievements don't clarify its fruitful deals. In any case, this thought of the book is foolhardy; concentrating on Goldhagen tacks consideration away from his significant cases, and to inspect the essential issues of the book itself. The book's proposition is very natural; its focal case thinks about a nullification of fifty years assessment and research in regards to the Holocaust. The significant focal point of part eight's ideas really contends against the possibility that the mass destruction of the Jewish individuals happened dependent on rationale and the higher classes of government. The mass homicide of the Jewish individuals would have given the Nazis a few troublesome issues when arranging how to move toward the killings (Hilberg). Be that as it may, the administration arranging was amazingly mind boggling, just as the executing, which was extremely basic to the underlying accomplishment of the elimination. The procedure by which the slaughter was sorted out expelled ordinary people mentally and ethically from the activities of the administration. This would imply that either the ordinary people who partook in German culture were unconscious of the destruction, or may have even maybe had a protection fr om the whole idea. Nonetheless, Goldhagen doesn't concur with this idea; he feels that even normal Germans had against Semitic convictions that permits them to by one way or another partake in, or neglect, the activities of the legislature. Goldhagen states that it was the intellectual and worth structures of common Germans- - to be specific their harmfully hostile to Semitic convictions - that established the focal causal operator of the Holocaust (67-68). At the point when initially looking at this idea, it truly appears that Goldhagen's case is maybe more clear than most would need to acknowledge. In the event that the ordinary residents of Germany were against the mass elimination of the Jews, for what reason would the Nazis have endeavored so immaculately to kill the millions they murdered Wouldn't the regular German residents make more endeavors, by and by and freely, to help the Jews The Anti-Semitism in Germany, in this way, was not a branch of the Nazis' very own quarrel, however part of the social build of all residents of Germany. Consequently, Goldhagen feels that the Nazis can't be accused exclusively for the annihilation of the Jews; the whole German individuals ought to be thought of, as this appeared to have been to a greater degree an across the country endeavor. Hitler's initiative and vanquishing of Europe may have made the way for mass slaughtering; in any case, the media portrayal of the Jews as subhuman and Hitler' s control of the German individuals were insufficient to embrace such a huge undertaking of annihilation. Rather, Goldhagen feels that the abhorring of the Jewish individuals by the German individuals made significant progress before this, and originated before Hitler's control of Germany. Or maybe, it appears to have been a piece of the German culture for a long while. Goldenhangen's verification comes not on the focal point of the eradication camps present in Germany and

Self Introduction Essay Samples Help You Write Your Own Papers

Self Introduction Essay Samples Help You Write Your Own PapersSelf introduction essay samples are very important for students who are trying to write essays. These essay samples not only offer some great ways to incorporate them into your essay, but also help you get a clearer picture of what this form of essay is all about. The concept of a personal essay has changed over the years, and it is changing even more in the future. We have a lot to learn about students who take their personal essays seriously.A personal essay is generally written to explain a student's thoughts and feelings about themselves, their families, their teachers, etc. in the context of their lives. It provides insight into how the student understands themselves. Some students write essays about themselves in order to provide further insights into the emotional and intellectual growth they are experiencing.There are many ways to approach writing a personal essay. You can do it yourself by researching your topic a nd choosing to base your writing on information you find interesting or relevant. You can also work with a professional writer. You can find hundreds of online samples that are professionally written by professional writers. In the end, however, it is up to you to decide how you want to write the essay.In addition to the fact that there are thousands of self introduction essay samples, the scope of these samples is also much wider than just a few paragraphs. They can provide you with a lot of different methods to include in your essay. From using a popular song, to using an old quote, to making an analogy, they will also provide some great examples of how to use a combination of various approaches to write an impressive essay.Self introduction essay samples help you to discover some great ways to make use of your sources and introduce topics that will be crucial to your essay. You can find examples of how to write articles, books, articles, essays, and dissertations. These samples a lso contain great ways to introduce ideas and concepts that will be pivotal to your essay.Self introduction essay samples will help you know how to use some of the most common formats in an easy to use way. If you are not sure how to proceed with some of the formatting used in these samples, they will teach you all of the basics that you need to know. They will give you tips for using headers, footers, titles, and text boxes.Writing a paper is a very important process for almost any student. It is a way for you to express your views on a subject or to demonstrate knowledge and understanding about a topic. The important thing about this kind of essay is that you create a sense of connection with your reader by conveying important information through the text you use. While it is easy to get lost in the many different options available, these samples will help you get a better sense of how to structure your essay.If you are having trouble writing your own essay, you may find these sam ples of self introduction essay samples helpful. There are many ways to approach a personal essay. You can find ways to use a variety of resources, including the websites and sample essays included in these samples.

The Unions Ability to Conduct Total Warfare and...

The Unions Ability to Conduct Total Warfare and Confederate Defeat The American War for Independence was a successful struggle of a smaller nation fighting a larger, more powerful force. However, in the case of the American Civil War, the larger more powerful Union defeated the southern Confederacy. The Union won the Civil War because the Confederacy could not sustain a war of attrition in the Napoleonic style that evolved into Total War. This paper will briefly explain what Napoleonic warfare is and examine the resources of the North and South. Then, the paper will develop how the Union used its advantages in resources and the use of Total War to defeat the Confederacy. The American War for Independence, on the American side,†¦show more content†¦There were many battles fought in this style. Some of the famous battles fought in this style are Gettysburg, Fredericksburg, Antietam, and Chancellorsville. Here is an account of Pickett’s Charge during the battle of Gettysburg, which exemplifies Napoleonic warfare: â€Å"†¦Longstreet ordered a concentration of Confederate artillery†¦to soften up the enemy at the point of attack. For almost two hours an artillery dual among nearly 300 guns filled the Pennsylvania countryside†¦ [Then] With parade-ground precision, Pickett’s three brigades moved out†¦ It was a magnificent mile-wide spectacle.† This style of battle may have worked, at times, for the Confederacy. However, in the long run, it would lead to the South’s defeat. The North had a preponderance of resources that are needed to conduct a war of European style. In order to conduct a war, a government needs men to fight and an economy that can be suited for wartime production. For wartime production to be efficient, there needs to be available labor, transportation, communication, natural resources, and foodstuff. The North had a larger population, more fighting age men, more railroad and canals, and more factories that could produce materiel. For example, the North had 5,832,128 draft animals (horses, mules, and asses) compared to 2,928,494 in the South. Furthermore, in 1840, the South had 44 percent of the nation’s railroad lines. By 1850, â€Å"the more rapidShow MoreRelatedContemporary Issues in Management Accounting211377 Words   |  846 Pagesis respected for the ways in which he can comb ine conceptual understandings with pragmatic insights. He has been sought out to provide that extra element of conceptual clarity for the most complex of practical accounting endeavours. No doubt such abilities reflect Michael’s early grounding in both the practice of accounting and its economic theorization, the former at Ford and the latter initially at the London School of Economics and thereafter as a lifetime endeavour. But personal though his achievements

Abortion Is Beyond Necessary For Mothers - 1229 Words

According to multiple sources, having the highest level of knowledge, and knowing the physical and mental side effects of abortion is beyond necessary for mothers. Many women suffer from mental instabilities long after their decision to abort. In the article â€Å"The Mental Effects of Abortion,† it states from the narrator when speaking about her friend that â€Å"She told me that not one day had passed that she did not think about her baby and regret her decision. My heart ached for my friend, as she was clearly tormented by her decision.† By reading many articles and biographies, they never fail to remind me why I strongly support, and can defend the Pro-Life Movement. The Pro-Life Movement is a social and political movement in the United States opposing on moral or sectarian grounds elective abortion and usually supporting its legal prohibition or restriction. Additionally, there is an endless amount of physical and mental side effects of abortion, but there is not enough cures for the pain that endures forever. Abortion can cause some permanent changes within the lady s physical body for example; incomplete removal of the baby, inability to get pregnant again, a torn cervix, and other effects of that nature. Every four out of ten some are fully educated about that all around topic of abortion itself- many women do not know that abortion can be deadly if the procedure if not done correctly. In the article â€Å"Let s Just Say It: Women Matter More Than Fetuses Do,†about sixty yearsShow MoreRelatedAbortion : The Only Medical Procedure1251 Words   |  6 PagesAbortion in Queensland is the only medical procedure that is still considered a criminal offence in the Criminal Code Act 1999 (Qld). Since the abortion laws were introduced societies attitudes, safe medical practices and women’s status in Australian society have changed. As a result the current laws do not reflect modern day’s society’s view and does not effec tively protect stakeholder’s rights. Abortion should be decriminalised and made legal up to 17 weeks. However abortion past 17 weeks can onlyRead MoreShould Abortion Be Legal?889 Words   |  4 Pages Abortion is beyond doubt a debatable topic all around the world. In the United States, people are nowhere near any settlement of the matter and have not come to an agreement for the foreseeable future. The topic of abortion brings up a debatable issue regarding prenatal testing. An ultrasound is a standard procedure where the fetus can be checked upon and evaluated. With this procedure, abnormalities of the fetus can be detected, so further testing can be done to determine the health of the fetusRead MoreAbortion Is Not The Murder Of An Infant1507 Words   |  7 Pageshas a different perspective on abortion. The first written works of Christianity states â€Å"You shall not kill the embryo by abortion and shall not cause the newborn to perish.† In the early Christianity, abortion was prohibited. The early church leader who had agreed on abortion stated: â€Å"that if an abortion was performed to hide the consequences of fornication and adultery, then it was a sin that requi red penance.† This lit the sparks between Christians on whether abortion was considered a murder or notRead MoreShould Abortion Be Legal?879 Words   |  4 PagesAbortion is a very debatable topic all around the world. In the United States, people are nowhere near any settlement on the matter and have not come to an agreement for the foreseeable future. The topic of abortion brings up a debatable issue regarding prenatal testing. An ultrasound is a standard procedure where the fetus can be checked upon and evaluated. With this procedure, abnormalities of the fetus can be detected, so further testing can be done to determine the health of the fetus. NeverthelessRead MoreAbortion1572 Words   |  7 Pages Abortion Fact #1: Every abortion kills an innocent human being. Every new life begins at conception. This is an irrefutable fact of biology. It is true for animals and true for humans. When considered alongside the law of biogenesis – that every species reproduces after its own kind – we can draw only one conclusion in regard to abortion: every single abortion ends the life of an innocent human being. Fact #2: Every human being is a person. Personhood is properly definedRead MoreIs Abortion Morally Wrong?1704 Words   |  7 Pagessociety is how the legalities apply to the process of abortion. In this debate, most people usually connect with either the â€Å"pro-life† argument, or the â€Å"pro-choice† argument. Before developing a position, it is important to understand both sides of the argument and weigh the consequences of each. The common ground between the two is often mistaken, making it difficult for people to find their position. People who support banishing legal abortions are usually referred to as â€Å"pro-lifers.† They usuallyRead MoreAbortion Is The Most Controversial Right1377 Words   |  6 Pagesinduced abortions are common and occur among women of all social and economic groups. Where the abortion rate is high, it likely reflects that levels of contraceptive use are not sufficient to meet the fertility desires and family planning needs of women and couples. History/background of the issue: Since 1996, abortion rates declined by at least 2% per year in 12 of the 28 countries with complete abortion counts and trend data, and rates increased by this much in two countries. Abortion rates wereRead MoreAbortion : Pro Choice Or Pro Life Essay1492 Words   |  6 Pages The topic of abortion is a highly controversial discussion that has been prominent in the debates of morals and politics for decades. Most people agree that on the topic of abortion, it is like a black and white fallacy, which is an issue that only has two options. For example, a black and white and fallacy is that a person can either be a Republican or Democrat, there is no other option. In the discussion of abortion, the black and white fallacy is either pro-choice or pro-life. Despite this commonlyRead MoreThe Issue Of Pregnancy Termination1215 Words   |  5 Pagesyears of age. Abortion has been legal in the United States since Roe v. Wade, a 1973 landmark decision held that the Fourteenth Amendment’s right of personal privacy covered the woman’s choice to carry a child or not. Republican Administrations such as those of Former Presidents’ Ronald Raegan and George W. Bush have been tough on abortion rights and sparked anti-abortion movements (Joffe 2013). With a new republican president in the White House and existing restrictions on abortions, it is importantRead MoreEssay on Abortion is Death1566 Words   |  7 Pages â€Å"If we accept that a mother can kill her own child, how can we tell other people not to kill each other? Any country that accepts abortion is not teaching its people to love, rather, to use violence to get what they want† -- Mother Theresa If the people who have worked on finding a cure

Eyewitness Testimony as a Source of Reliable Evidence Free Essays

string(156) " source of information and pay close attention to it, but the witness may have had a hard time remembering the event and the testimony could be inaccurate\." Eyewitness Testimony as a source of reliable evidence In relation to cognitive psychology, is eyewitness testimony reliable in today’s judicial system? Word Count: 3944 ABSTRACT Is eyewitness testimony a reliable source of evidence in today’s judicial system? Many jurors tend to pay close attention to eyewitness testimony assuming that what they hear is exactly as it happened. They ignore the psychology behind remembering an event. Our brain is a complex structure and it is difficult to absorb every stimulus in our surrounding. We will write a custom essay sample on Eyewitness Testimony as a Source of Reliable Evidence or any similar topic only for you Order Now We pay great attention to some aspects of a situation while completely ignoring others. It is advisable for expert psychologists to be present during a court case that involves eyewitness testimony, as they are more aware of its flaws. We store information in schemas and when we gain new knowledge it is altered in order to fit these schemas. Leading psychologists such as Elizabeth Loftus, Neil Bartlett and Yullie Cutshall have carried out research in order to demonstrate how our memory can be altered by psychological factors such as leading questions, reconstructive memory and weapon focus. This research paper contains a vast number of experiments and studies done in order to illustrate the unreliability of our memory and whether courts should rely on eyewitness testimony as a prime source. Age and gender also serve as factors that influence eyewitness testimony. Through research and analysis, it is concluded in this paper that eyewitness testimony should not be given superiority over other actual evidence presented, as our memory is the least reliable source. It is worthwhile to carry out further investigation about the case if eyewitness testimony is the only evidence available, as false testimonies could lead to an innocent individual being charged guilty. Word Count: 260 CONTENTS Abstract †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. Page 2 Introduction †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. Page 4 Discussion†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚ ¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. Page 7 Misleading Questions†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Page 7 Anxiety and Stress†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. Page 9 Weapon Focus†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Page 11 Reconstructive Memory†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. Page 11 Confident Testimony†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. Page 14 Age†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Page 15 Gender†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã ¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. Page 16 Conclusion†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Page 17 References †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. Page 19 INTRODUCTION The reliability of eyewitness testimony has often been questioned in cases of crime and violence but yet the judicial syste m seems to ignore its flaws. Numerous psychologists have carried out experiments and studies regarding this issue. Eyewitness testimony has a large psychological background that judges, lawyers and the jury seem to ignore. Our ability to remember certain situations and events may be distorted according to the time and place that the event occurred or the time and place that the eyewitness testimony is given. Cognitive psychologists have carried out profound research about this phenomenon and have found that eyewitness testimony can be related to human schemas, reconstructive memory and our ability to remember. The knowledge we have gained from the world is stored in our brain as an organized package of information called a schema. The ‘schema theory’ states that the knowledge we have already gained through our life has a major influence on what we remember. According to Cohen (1986) as cited in Gross (64), the human mind uses past experiences in order to deal with new experiences. Our behavior is guided by the set of schemas that we have in our brain. The new experiences that we face are not just ‘replicated’ into our memory but instead are reconstructed in order to fit our schemas. The reconstruction of memory is an active process and happens throughout our life (Gross, 64). Therefore, how we perceive an event is strongly influenced by our past experiences. Human memory is seen as an unreliable source when we apply the idea of reconstructive and interpretative nature of memory to eyewitness testimony. The probability of people being wrongly accused increases as the importance of eyewitness testimony in the cases of accidents and crimes increases, and therefore the guilty do not come to justice (Gross, 64). Many experiments conclude that law professionals and judges rely and place their decisions on eyewitness testimony, however, researchers investigated on situations whereby the innocent had been accused. As cited in Miller’s article (2006), Gary Wells (1998) researched on forty such cases and with the help of DNA testing it was found that all forty convicted suspects were actually innocent. The witnesses wrongfully accused the suspects in thirty-six of these cases. The human brain has a limited capacity to deal with the incoming information but yet every moment we encounter a large variety of stimuli like sights, sounds and smells. However, as mentioned above if we encounter stimuli which conflict with our schemas, we reconstruct our memory in order to fit our chemas. The human brain therefore focuses on some aspects of the situation while ignoring the others in order to cope with the sensory barrage. This process of choosing stimuli is called selective attention. Eyewitnesses tend to collect information that relates to their interests and may ignore other vital aspects of the event (Glassman, 5). It is difficult for witnesses to reconsider their initial understanding once the y have stated facts in a specific way or have already indentified an individual as the performer, due to the reconstruction of their memory (e. . once an eyewitness recognizes an individual in a line-up it is likely for them to recognize the same individual in later line-ups even though that individual may not be the performer). Jury’s place great reliance on eyewitness testimony and ignore the dangers of false memories (Engelhardt, n. d). In view of these findings, this work will investigate the â€Å"extent to which eyewitness testimony is reliable in today’s judicial system† focusing on major factors that influence our memory and ability to remember. Cognitive psychology plays a major role in this investigation as it involves the idea of memory and schemas. DISCUSSION â€Å"An account given by people of an event they have witnessed† (Eyewitness Testimony Psychology) is usually referred to as an eyewitness testimony. One may be asked to recall the event they witnessed and describe what happened. Jury’s tend to find eyewitness testimony to be a reliable source of information and pay close attention to it, but the witness may have had a hard time remembering the event and the testimony could be inaccurate. You read "Eyewitness Testimony as a Source of Reliable Evidence" in category "Papers" Research done by a number of psychologists regarding eyewitness testimony found that it could be affected by many psychological factors such as leading questions, anxiety and stress, weapons and reconstructive memory (Eyewitness Testimony Psychology). Factors such as age and gender could also affect the way in which individuals remember events. Influence of psychological factors on eyewitness testimony Misleading questions American psychologist, Elizabeth Loftus, represented the application of Cognitive psychology to the real world. Her experiments demonstrated how misleading information could cause eyewitnesses to reconstruct their memories (Gross, 64). A leading question is a question that contains information previously unknown to the witness. In one of her studies with Palmer (Loftus and Palmer, 1974) as cited in the article Memory (Psychology), the participants watched a videotape that showed an automobile accident consisting of two cars. After watching the videotape the participants were presented with a questionnaire whereby the question was altered for groups of participants. One question asked, â€Å"About how fast were the cars going when they hit each other? † For other participants the verb ‘hit’ was replaced by ‘smashed’, ‘collided’, ‘bumped’, or ‘contacted’. Even though all participants viewed the same videotape, their speed estimates differed considerably depending on how the question was asked. When the verb ‘contacted’ was used, the average speed estimate was 32 mph, when the verb was ‘hit’ it was 34 mph, 38mph when it was ‘bumped’, 39 mph when it was ‘collided’, and 41 mph when it was smash. Loftus carried out a follow up study a week later whereby she asked the participants whether there was any broken glass in the videotape. Participants that were presented with the verb ‘smashed’ were twice as likely to ‘remember’ any broken glass than the participants that were presented with the verb ‘hit’. The information that came in much later after the original event had occurred incorporated with that event, hence causing the original even to be remembered in a different way. The introduction of false signs misrepresented the participants’ memories (Memory (Psychology)). The power of misleading questions is demonstrated in the above study by Loftus Palmer. An answer is determined by how the question is asked. The tendency to distort one’s memory of an event when later exposed to misleading information about it is known as the misinformation effect. The witness’s memory could be affected by questions asked by the police, friends or attorneys. Reconstruction of memory could also take place if information about the case or crime comes in weeks or months later. This may change what the witness has to say on the witness stand (Memory (Psychology)). The questions and information presented in the courtroom may cause the witness to remember the incident differently and the eyewitness testimony becomes inaccurate. Leading questions lead to the reconstruction of memory in order for the new information to fit into our already existing schemas. Leading questions therefore have the tendency to make eyewitness testimony unreliable in today’s judicial system. It is important for lawyers to know about the consequences of these questions and therefore construct their questions well. Anxiety and stress Along with leading questions it is said that anxiety and stress is a psychological factor that affects eyewitness testimony. Some researchers have questioned whether attentional focus is a reason that causes poor recall of a violent incident. Clifford and Scott (1978) as cited in the article Eyewitness Testimony Psychology, found that when individuals witness a rather violent incident they seem to remember less than individuals who witness a non-violent incident. They carried out a study whereby they presented a film with violent attacks to a group of participants. The control group who saw a less violent version of the film remembered more of the forty items about the event than the participants. The control group was not exposed to very stressful conditions as compared to the participants. Although this may have not been a real-life situation, the memory of the participants was affected by anxiety. An increase in anxiety and autonomic arousal is caused by violent incidents that in turn have a disadvantageous effect on memory. On the other hand, a study carried out by Yullie and Cutshall (1986) (as cited in the article Eyewitness Testimony Psychology) contradicts Clifford and Scott’s findings. The research gathered by Yullie and Cutshall was that of a real-life situation hence making their data more accurate. The researchers showed that individuals had accurate memories when they witnessed a stressful event up close. The event was of a shooting just outside a gun shop in Canada. The scene witnessed was of a criminal who robbed the gun shop off guns and money but eventually was shot six times and died on the spot. Straight after this shooting had taken place, the police asked to interview thirteen individuals who were there at the time of the event and had witnessed it. Five months later these same thirteen individuals were interviewed again. It was found that the recall was still as accurate as it was five months after witnessing the event. The two misleading questions that were presented by the police did not affect their memories or alter their testimony. However, one limitation to this study was that the witnesses interviewed were at different distances from the scene and the ones that were the closest went through a greater level of stress and this in turn may have assisted with their ability to remember the event vividly (Eyewitness Testimony Psychology). Through both the studies carried out about anxiety and memory recall we can say that experiments carried out under laboratory conditions may not give the same results as when it is a real-life situation. Memory recall of a real-life situation is accurate even after a few months and the loaded questions do have as much of an effect as they do in laboratory experiments (e. g Loftus Palmer, 1974) (Eyewitness Testimony Psychology). The above information gives a re-assurance that eyewitness testimony is not completely unreliable depending on the situation and the witness’s role in the event. There may be some situations where memory distortions take place and other situations where they do not. Whether memory distortion or reconstruction takes place or not depends on the witness’s state of mind at the time of the event. The emotional state of the individual may cloud their reason, judgment and perception; therefore it is necessary to be neutral and unbiased when witnessing a crime scene. Weapon Focus The study by Yullie and Cutshall (1986) also relates to ‘weapon focus’ as a psychological factor that affects eyewitness testimony. When weapons are involved the witness is less likely to remember details about the riminal but is more likely to remember the details of the weapon (Eyewitness Testimony Psychology). An experiment conducted by Johnson and Scott (1976) as cited in Loftus et al (56) illustrated this phenomenon. In the ‘no weapon’ condition participants overheard a mild conversation in the next room about an equipment failure, witne ssed a confederate enter the room with a grease pen, watched him utter a single line and leave. In the ‘weapon’ condition the participants overheard a violent conversation along with crashing objects, saw a confederate enter the room with a bloodied letter opener, watched him utter a single line and then leave. Participants in both condition witnessed the target individual for four seconds. It was found that 33% of the participants in the ‘bloody letter opener’ condition identified the culprit correctly and 49% of the participants in the greasy pen condition identified the culprit correctly. A reduced ability to remember the confederate was associated with the presence of a weapon. Jury’s should take into account whether or not weapons were involved in the crime. This is because the eyewitness will be less likely to recognize the criminal and an innocent individual may be held guilty. Our attention is usually drawn to the weapon and we ignore what else may be happening in our surroundings. Reconstructive Memory The reliability of eyewitness testimony can yet be argued through reconstructive memory. As mentioned earlier reconstructive memory is another one of the many psychological factors that has an effect on eyewitness testimony. Psychologist Neil Bartlett played a key role in associating reconstructive memory to eyewitness testimony as he stated that ‘recall is subject to personal interpretation dependent on our learnt or cultural norms and values’. We have already established the fact that the human memory alters according to the way in which we store information in our brain, it is not stored exactly as it seems to be; different people interpret a situation differently and therefore store it in a way that makes sense to them. The brain stores information in schemas, but these schemas are able to distort unconsciously ‘unacceptable’ and unfamiliar knowledge in order to ‘fit in’ with the already stored information or schemas that we have which n turn results in unreliable eyewitness testimony (Eyewitness Testimony Psychology). Bartlett’s research about reconstructive memory found that â€Å"memory is an active process and subject to individual interpretation or construction† (Eyewitness Testimony Psychology). War of the Ghosts, (Bartlett (1932) as cited in Eyewitness Testimony Psychology) was his most famous study whereby he tried to show that we attempt to link what we remember with our e xisting schemas. In other words, our memory is not just an accurate footage of what has happened but it is what we make of it. Bartlett mentioned that we usually involuntarily modify our memories so they make more sense to us. In the study Bartlett’s participants heard a story and had to re-tell the story to another person. The story was a North American folktale called ‘The War of the Ghosts’. When the participants were asked to recount the details of the story, each individual seemed to tell it in their own individual way. As the participants re-told the story, it became shorter, puzzling ideas were rationalized or omitted altogether and details changed to become more conventional or familiar. The information about the ghosts was omitted as it was difficult to explain and participants recurrently recalled the idea of â€Å"not going because he hadn’t told his parents where he was going†, as that circumstance was more familiar to them. Through the above study Bartlett was able to conclude that our memory is distorted by the existing knowledge and schemas we have in the human brain. Therefore, it seems that each individual reconstructs their memory to conform to their individual values and attitudes towards the world. This is a clear indication that our memories are anything but reliable. How we view and remember things depends on our ethics, culture, belief and past experiences. Also through reconstructive memory we make hasty generalizations basing information on what we ‘think’ may have happened due to the information we already have stored. We shape and assemble the incident according to our stereotypes and expectations. This can further be elaborated through a study by Allport and Postman (1947) as cited in Jarvis Russell (131), whereby they presented participants with a picture of a scruffy white man threatening a smart black man with a razor. Later when the participants were told to recall the picture they recalled that a scruffy black man was threatening a smart white man with a razor. This fitted in with the American stereotypes of that time; the participants reconstructed their memory according to their expectations. We can say that reconstructive memory is yet another reason that makes eyewitness testimony unreliable; however, some psychologists do believe that schema theory exaggerates the inaccuracy of memory. It cannot predict what and how people remember, as we do not know which schemas are being used. The study by Allport and Postman also ties down into another way our cognitive system introduces error, which is by the means of inference. Inference emphasizes on how humans tend to make assumptions past the literal meaning. Many memory distortions are a part of this inference whereby what the eyewitness says to have witnessed is not what was perceived but a mere extension of it, hence, leading to an inaccurate recall of the event or incident (Glassman, 440) Flaws of the eyewitness as an individual Confident Testimony Confident testimony is yet another flaw that tends to put innocent people in jail. When the witnesses say with absolute confidence that ‘this is the guy that did it†¦ I will never forget that face’, it is difficult to argue with their beliefs. Confidence is a strong characteristic and although people may make mistakes with their testimony the way in which they give their testimony has a strong outcome on the jury. It becomes difficult to question their evidence and discredit their feelings after knowing that the witness went through a horrible crime especially when they give their testimony with absolute assurance. Jurors will usually believe them. A major flaw that Elizabeth Loftus points out is that judges do not usually use the help of experts in order to bear out to the jury about the flaws of eyewitness testimony. It would be helpful to have a few cognitive psychologists as part of the jury in order to point out the factors that affect eyewitness testimony; however some judges will allow this while others will not. Jury’s that are unaware of the flaws of eyewitness testimony will have a larger percentile of wrongful verdicts compared to jury’s that are educated about he flaws. Elizabeth Loftus went on to explain that jury’s that are unaware of memory distortions will tend to decide their verdict from their ‘gut feeling’. Jury’s that are ignorant about these flaws rely greatly on the witness and have a propensity to discount the balance that needs to be present between the eyewitness testimony and the physical scientific evidence. Loftus also pointed out that when a witness repeatedly sees the accused they become encrypted in the victim’s memory, even if they are innocent. The victim may continually see the suspect in photos and line-ups during the duration of the investigation period and court case. This may make it possible that the witness will then not be able to recognize the true criminal anymore, especially if the crime was witnessed for a short time and the victim was not able to perceive every stimulus in the surrounding. Therefore, when the witness will testify with absolute confidence that the ‘suspect’ is the actual criminal, it will be difficult for the jury to argue (Miller, 2006). Age Psychological factors definitely play a huge role in eyewitness testimony but the characteristics of the witness also matter. Jury’s should also take into account the age and gender of the witness. Certain research has been done in order to identify the accuracy of a child’s eyewitness testimony; it is much less accurate than the adults’ testimony. This is because children are not able to give concrete answers to the questions that require much explanation. Children have less cognitive competence i. e. their information processing skills for problem solving, language and attention are undeveloped. Psychologists from University of Southampton conducted research to analyze a child’s ability to answer repeated questions during a testimony. When a child gives a testimony they are afraid to be incorrect therefore repeated questions are not beneficial when it comes to child eye-witnessing as the questions confuse them and make them think that their original story was not true. The first information provided by the child is always the best. The younger the child is, the less accurate the testimony will be. Children usually give incorrect information due to their need to be socially approved. Karpel et al (2001) as cited in Science Aid carried out research associated with age and eyewitness testimony. His aim was to see how reliable eyewitness testimony is in older people. Young adults (17 – 25) and older adults (65 – 85) were shown a video of a theft. They were then asked to recollect what they had seen in the video. The results of both age groups were compared and it was seen that the information provided by the young adults was more precise and their testimony was less likely to change when asked leading questions.. In order to ensure that information provided by elderly people is accurate it is advisable not to expose them to misleading questions as their memories are easily distorted. Also, older adults misremember context and therefore must be questioned carefully. As seen, age is another factor that affects eyewitness testimony and its reliability. It is important to know the age of the witness before moving on with the case as psychologists may have a slight idea about how reliable the provided information might be (Science Aid). Gender There has been no concrete evidence as yet that males and females have a significant difference when identifying a criminal. Research by Shapiro Penrod (1986) as cited in Wells Olson (280) found that females are more likely to make accurate identifications but are also more likely to make false identifications, as they are more likely to try and ‘attempt’ to identify. Due to this males and females capitulate an equal ability to identify criminals and give an eyewitness testimony. However since the male and female brains differ slightly, both genders will pay closer attention to different features of the incident, but the overall ability in eyewitness identification is impossible to tell apart. CONCLUSION Through research we have found that eyewitness testimony can be quite fallible and that there are a number of factors that seem to interfere with our memories. It is important for jury’s to be aware of these factors before placing a verdict and should not place great reliance on factors such as confidence and vivid descriptions of details. If possible, it is advisable o find other evidence rather than eyewitness testimony. A major limitation of the research investigated is that majority of the studies done in relation to eyewitness testimony are laboratory studies. This inhibits us to generalize the data collected to the real world. An implication for future research would be to carry out more interviews with individuals who have witnessed acts of crim e and violence rather than basing conclusions on laboratory studies. Also, it could be helpful to carry out research regarding a number of factors that affect eyewitness testimony (e. g. study that compares the ability to remember events when the variables are age, gender, weapons and misleading questions). The limitation presented does not change the fact that human memory is a very personal and comparative aspect and therefore cannot be a foundation for any important decisions. It is important to know that memory changes with time and every consequent attempt to recall the event will be just another skewed interpretation of the event. Eyewitnesses can refute or support the general facts about the case but the details and their testimony should not be put superior to the actual evidence presented in court. Studies have also proven that innocent people have been accused due to eyewitness testimony, this elaborates on the unreliability of it. Our ability to recall an event is affected by the information provided after the event, the level of stress and anxiety we are at during the time of the event also affects it, the presence of weapons also distorts our memory, reconstructive memory is yet another psychological factor that makes eyewitness testimony unreliable, our expectations, age and gender also play a role when giving a testimony. All these factors should be taken into consideration when the evidence provided is eyewitness testimony. The reliability of eyewitness testimony in today’s judicial system is very low and should be analyzed in depth before reaching conclusions. REFERENCES Engelhardt, L. (n. d. ). â€Å"The problem with Eyewitness Testimony†. Agora. Retrieved Jan. 02, 2010 from http://agora. stanford. edu/sjls/Issue%20One/fishertversky. html. Eyewitness Testimony Psychology research. (2007). Psychology Degree and A-level online resources. Retrieved Feb. 2, 2010 from http://www. simplypsychology. pwp . blueyonder. co. uk/eyewitness-testimony. html Glassman, William E. (2000). Approaches to Psychology. Buckingham, England: Open UP. Gross, Richard D. (1999). Key Studies in Psychology. London: Hodder Stoughton. Jarvis, M. , Russell, J. (2002). Key Ideas in Psychology. Cheltenham: Nelson Thornes. Loftus, E. F. , Loftus, G. R. , Messo, J. (1987). Some facts about weapon focus. Law and Human Behaviour. Memory (psychology) – MSN Encarta. (n. d. ). Retrieved Sept. 14, 2009 from http://encarta. msn. om/encyclopedia_761578303_5/Memory_(psychology). html Miller, Z. (2006, October 14). The Accuracy of Eye Witness Testimony and Its Flaws. Retrieved December 23, 2009, from http://ezinearticles. com/? The- ­Accuracy- ­of- ­Eye- ­Witness- ­Testimony- ­and- ­Its- ­Flawsid=328261 Science aid: Eyewitness Testimony. (n. d. ) Science Aid: High School, A Level and GCSE Science. Retrieved 13 Dec. 2009 from http://scienceaid. co. uk/psychology/cognition/eyewitness. html Wells, Gary L. , Olson, Elizabeth A. (2003). Eyewitness Testimony. Ames, Iowa: Iowa State University. How to cite Eyewitness Testimony as a Source of Reliable Evidence, Papers

Paul Bunyan Essays - Paul Bunyan, American Folklore,

Paul Bunyan Paul was a great tall man who loved to eat pancakes. In fact he was so tall that when his was little his parents had to leave him in the forest because they were getting complaints from the neighbors. But Paul wasn't alone when he got older and was walking along the mountains and saw to big horns sticking out of the blue snow. He pulled them up and found a big baby ox who was blue like the snow they were having. Once Paul looked into his eyes they became the best of friends. He decided to call to call the ox Babe. Paul and Babe were basically inseparable. Once they got into a wrestling match. Paul threw Babe one and Paul whipped Babe back. When they were all done the created a mountain range we know today called the Grand Tetons. Also one day Paul and Babe had to walk a long way threw Minnesota in the snow. There foot prints were so big that when the snow melted it formed a thousand lakes. But Paul an Babe's biggest adventure was when him and Paul had to clear out the Dakotas so that people could live on the land. Well they were doing this Babe had pulled roads and rivers straight so that they could carry the logs where they could go. Babe was a very strong ox as you have just read and he was getting stronger and taller by the minutes. The men said that if you look at Babe for 5 minutes you could actually see him grow. The men also said that if u measured between his eyes it would turn out to be some where between 42 axe handles. It took Paul, babe, a million or so men to clear the Dakotas but with the help with Sally's pancakes they finished in about a year. After that last tree was cut Paul was so happy that he went up to the mountins and carved president Roosevelt and three other past president's faces in them. Later on Paul was asked to see who could cut the most trees down in a certain amount of time. It was him and Babe against a man with something called a chainsaw. Paul cut his heart out to try to win. But when they measurements came in the man with the chain saw had won. Paul was so sad that him and Babe just walked right in to the woods where they still are today, but they aren't chopping trees.Oh no, they have noticed there are becoming less and less trees in the world today so they are trying to plant more trees.

Leighton Thompson Essays - Culture, Cultural Studies, Anthropology

Leighton Thompson Essays - Culture, Cultural Studies, Anthropology Leighton Thompson In his essay, "America: The Multicultural Society" Ishmael Reed comprehensively outline why he believes America should be considered as a melting pot instead of a monolithic' society , commonly referred to as Western Civilization'. The author recalls quite a few personal experiences which proves that America consists of several races and cultures. Reed criticizes the hypocrisy of western civilization as he points out that a vast number of Europe's practices are heavily influenced by other cultures such the African and Japanese. He continues to negate this idea by pointing out that even the system of government is influenced by other cultures. The author comments on how Puritans are idolized even though they are an inhumane group of peopl e. Reed finishes his essay by commenting on how ridiculous it is to believe that America is just being invaded by other cultures, when in fact America has always been an amalgamation of cultures.

Definitions and Examples of Anthypophora in Rhetoric

Definitions and Examples of Anthypophora in Rhetoric Definition Anthypophora is a  rhetorical term for the practice of asking oneself a question and then immediately answering it. Also called (or at least closely related to) the  figure of response (Puttenham) and  hypophora. The relationship between anthypophora and hypophora is confusing, says Gregory Howard. Hypophora is seen as the statement or question. Anthypophora as the immediate reply (Dictionary Of Rhetorical Terms, 2010). In Dictionary of Poetic Terms (2003), Jack Myers and Don Charles Wukasch define anthypophora as a figure of argumentation in which the speaker acts as his own foil by arguing with himself. In Garners Modern American Usage (2009), Bryan A. Garner defines anthypophora as a rhetorical tactic of refuting an objection with a contrary inference or allegation. See Examples and Observations below. Also see: ErotesisFigurative LanguageRhetoricRhetorical QuestionTwelve Types of Questions in Casablanca EtymologyFrom the Greek, against allegation Examples and Observations What makes a king out of a slave? Courage! What makes the flag on the mast to wave? Courage! What makes the elephant charge his tusk in the misty mist, or the dusky dusk? What makes the muskrat guard his musk? Courage!(The Cowardly Lion in The Wizard of Oz, 1939)Is our species crazy?Plenty of evidence.(Saul Bellow, Mr. Sammlers Planet. Viking Press, 1970)In Switzerland, they had brotherly love, five hundred years of democracy and peace, and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock.(Orson Welles as Harry Lime in The Third Man, 1949) Sir Winston Churchills Use of AnthypophoraYou ask, what is our policy? I will say it is to wage war, by sea, land, and air, with all our might and all the strength that God can give us; to wage war against a monstrous tyranny, never surpassed in the dark, lamentable catalog of human crime. That is our policy.You ask, what is our aim? I can answer in one word: Victory. Victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror; victory, however long and hard the r oad may be, for without victory, there is no survival.(Winston Churchill, address to Parliament, May 13, 1940) President Barack Obamas Use of AnthypophoraThis is our first task, caring for our children. It’s our first job. If we don’t get that right, we don’t get anything right. That’s how, as a society, we will be judged.And by that measure, can we truly say, as a nation, that we’re meeting our obligations?Can we honestly say that we’re doing enough to keep our children, all of them, safe from harm?Can we claim, as a nation, that we’re all together there, letting them know they are loved and teaching them to love in return?Can we say that we’re truly doing enough to give all the children of this country the chance they deserve to live out their lives in happiness and with purpose?I’ve been reflecting on this the last few days, and if we’re honest with ourselves, the answer’s no. We’re not doing enough. And we will have to change.(U.S. President Barack Obama, speech at a memorial service in Newtown, Connectic ut, on December 16, 2012, two days after the massacre of 26 children and adults in an elementary school) Governor Andrew Cuomos Use of AnthypophoraDuring his two years in office, [New York Governor Andrew] Cuomo has developed a habit of answering reporters queries by asking his own questions. He sometimes engages in a lengthy back-and-forth, asking four or five questions and replying in a single response.For instance, at a news conference in October, Mr. Cuomo was asked about the plight of financially strapped upstate cities. The Democratic governor reframed the question to show how he had set a budgetary example that others could follow.The days of wine and roses are over? No, Mr. Cuomo said about upstate cities before a segue into his own accomplishments. Can you close a $10 billion deficit? Yes. Does the place operate? I think better than before. Did the walls crumble? No. Was it hard? Yes. Was it unsettling? Yes. But did we do it? Yes. I think you can bring costs in line with revenue.It was an expansive example of Mr. Cuomos frequent Socratic soliloquies, which he has employed to m ake points on issues ranging from overhauling Medicaid to changing how teacher performance is judged to passing new gun-control laws. Sometimes they take the form of question-and-answer sessions, while other times Mr. Cuomo holds a mock debate, taking both sides of an issue.It is a classic rhetorical tactic known as anthypophora, a device found in Shakespeare, the Bible and the speeches of former presidents, linguistic scholars say. . . .Philip Dalton, an assistant political communications professor at Hofstra University, called Mr. Cuomos approach smart rhetorically. Sometimes questions are posed to you with built-in assumptions that you dont want to affirm by answering them, Prof. Dalton said. You can bypass the whole question by asking the question yourself, and it allows you to frame the answer in way thats advantageous to yourself.(Laura Nahmias, Got Questions for Cuomo? So Does He. The Wall Street Journal, February 18, 2013) Falstaffs Use of AnthypophoraWhat is honor? A word. What is in that word honor? What is that honor? Air. A trim reckoning! Who hath it? He that died o’ Wednesday. Doth he feel it? No. Doth he hear it? No. ‘Tis insensible, then? Yea, to the dead. But will it not live with the living? No. Why? Detraction will not suffer it. Therefore, I’ll none of it. Honor is a mere scutcheon. And so ends my catechism.(Falstaff in Act V, scene 1 of Henry IV, Part 1 by William Shakespeare) Guillaume Budà © in Defense of AnthypophoraAnother most unfair attack I had almost forgotten to mention: in quoting the words of my letter, you make out that I put you say in the present tense instead of you will say, as though I had actually invented words from some earlier letter of yours. This is what you complain of, although in fact I was using the figure anthypophora, maintaining not that you did but that you might have said so; for everywhere in my draft it has the future tense you will s ay. So you have begun to attack me not merely with rhetorical subtleties, as your custom was, but with fabrications.(Letter from Guillaume Budà © to Desiderius Erasmus, 1519. Correspondence of Erasmus: Letters 842-992, 1518-1519. University of Toronto Press, 1982) The Lighter Side of AnthypophoraDo I get annoyed when people ask themselves their own questions and answer them (rendering the interviewer irrelevant)? Yes I do. Should we allow this virus in the paper? No we shouldnt.(Kevin Mitchell, quoted by David Marsh and Amelia Hodsdon in Guardian Style, 3rd ed. Guardian Books, 2010) Pronunciation: ant-hi-POF-era or an-thi-PO-for-a

Public policy project Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Public policy project - Assignment Example The reforms are; new benefits, protection and rights, rules for the Insurance Companies, the taxes, the tax breaks, spending, funding, creation of committees, education and among others. The idea Affordable Healthcare Act (ACA) came just a month after the inauguration of Obama (February 2009). During this time, the president addressed a joint assembly of the United States Congress, imploring the Congress that time was right for the overhauling of the health care. On September 9, Obama went yet another joint session of the Congress to outline the reform measures in regard to the Act. The version of the health care bill was passed on November 7 by the House of the Representative by a slim margin of 220-2015. Later on the Senate proceeded with its debate on the health care that was projected to be passed before the Christmas. Though it went through many hurdles, on December 24, all the Democrats united and the Senate passed its version of the legislation. On March 23, 2010 President Obama signed the Act. The Supreme Court on June 28, 2012 rendered the final decision to uphold the health care law. According to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the Affordable HealthCare Act’s coverage expansion is approximated to cost $1.363 billion for the periods 2014-2023 in the mandatory expenditures (Gruber, 2011). The ACA and its companion reconciliation legislation contains a number of the provisions that are designed to raise the revenue to offset the cost of the health reform law. Apart from the individual mandatory tax/penalty, the ACA is partly funded by the increased taxes on the other non-health and health related items and services. Additionally, there are numerous new increased taxes and the fees that are meant to fund the Act. Some of the sources for the Act include; 0.9% increase in the Medicare Tax Rate, 3.8% new tax on the unearned income of the

Early and silent cinema,cinema attractions Essay

Early and silent cinema,cinema attractions - Essay Example The reason for this choice is to show the gradual development of the filmy trends towards modernism. Both the films being silent motion pictures do not have any dialogue. So the actors’ dexterity is the main thing, which made them successful. The Kiss was one of the most popular movies in its genre in the end of the 19th century. This film concentrated more on romance than anything else. It was a challenging job for the director William Heise to make a romantic motion picture where dialogues were not possible to appear. Released in the year 1896, just as the name shows, this was the first film, which showed an onscreen kissing sequence. There were, however, alternative titles given to this film. They were like â€Å"The Mary Irwin Kiss†, â€Å"The Rice Irwin Kiss† and â€Å"The Widow Jones†. All these titles were mainly used in the United States of America where the connoisseurs appreciated the film. John McNally was a playwright who had an earlier work called â€Å"The Widow Jones†. Now this was where the idea of The Kiss was made. The kissing scene is actually said to be the last of McNally’s drama. This work of art is one of the first vaudeville performances transformed into a film. There was no well-knitted plot in this film as such. All it involved was just a kiss. A couple kisses – and this is where the film starts as well as it ends. Rice and Irwin were two popular stage personalities of the late 19th century and they were the only two people who performed in this movie. Kissing on the screen was something, which raised a great hue and cry wherever it was released. Moreover, some viewers were also excited to see a couple kissing on each other’s lip as this was perhaps the first erotic approach made in the world of motion pictures. There were even some controversies regarding the sequence as it was taken to be pornographic as ‘kissing†™ was made public. (Heise, 2008) Voyage à   travers limpossible, Le on the other hand, was a film which involved

Management From The Corps :: essays research papers

I want to use this opportunity to discuss two things, both near and dear to my heart; The United States Marine Corps and Management. Throughout this paper I want to focus on how I think civilians can learn to be better managers by using what that corps has established over it’s illustrious 223 years as the â€Å"Best Management-Training Program in America† Inc. (Freedman).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The United States Marine Corps manages using a principle I learned in this course: Decentralization! Let me break this down. I learned it quite simply as the rule of three. But before I define this, I will briefly explain to you a small portion of the Marine rank structure. A Corporal is the first rank that an enlisted Marine is considered a leader due to his/her rank (though all Marines are trained to lead). The Corporal is the first of the Marine Non-commissioned Officers (NCO’S), then in ascending order is the Sergeant, Staff Sergeant, Gunnery Sergeant, and so on. Now back to the rule of three. Each Marine has three responsibilities. In our organizational structure, a Corporal has a three-person fire team; a Sergeant has a squad of three fire teams; and a Staff Sergeant has a platoon of three squads; and so on, up to the Colonels and Generals.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  For the typical business, decentralizing and flattening organizational structure involves â€Å"gutting several layers of management, often leaving managers overwhelmed with as many as a dozen direct subordinates† (Freedman). In contrast, the Marine Corps has been able to push out authority but still maintain a â€Å"simple hierarchical structure designed to keep everyone’s job manageable† (Freedman).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  What at first glance may seem rigid or narrow, the many layers between the Private and Colonel lend opportunity for innovation. At the same time, even the lowest ranking Marine, the Private knows that he or she is expected to do whatever it takes to accomplish the mission. An organization (civilian) may want to look at this a little further. We must have established managers, but the notion of delegation of authority should be expanded in the civilian world. Well considered delegation of authority not only lifts some pressure off the titled manager, but also gives some well-deserved leadership satisfaction to an employee who may never have had the chance to be a â€Å"manager†. The success of the Marine Corps Management strategy is apparent in the vast numbers of ex-Marines who hold the Chief Executive Officer, President, Vice President, Chairman, and Manager positions at all levels in top. Management From The Corps :: essays research papers I want to use this opportunity to discuss two things, both near and dear to my heart; The United States Marine Corps and Management. Throughout this paper I want to focus on how I think civilians can learn to be better managers by using what that corps has established over it’s illustrious 223 years as the â€Å"Best Management-Training Program in America† Inc. (Freedman).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The United States Marine Corps manages using a principle I learned in this course: Decentralization! Let me break this down. I learned it quite simply as the rule of three. But before I define this, I will briefly explain to you a small portion of the Marine rank structure. A Corporal is the first rank that an enlisted Marine is considered a leader due to his/her rank (though all Marines are trained to lead). The Corporal is the first of the Marine Non-commissioned Officers (NCO’S), then in ascending order is the Sergeant, Staff Sergeant, Gunnery Sergeant, and so on. Now back to the rule of three. Each Marine has three responsibilities. In our organizational structure, a Corporal has a three-person fire team; a Sergeant has a squad of three fire teams; and a Staff Sergeant has a platoon of three squads; and so on, up to the Colonels and Generals.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  For the typical business, decentralizing and flattening organizational structure involves â€Å"gutting several layers of management, often leaving managers overwhelmed with as many as a dozen direct subordinates† (Freedman). In contrast, the Marine Corps has been able to push out authority but still maintain a â€Å"simple hierarchical structure designed to keep everyone’s job manageable† (Freedman).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  What at first glance may seem rigid or narrow, the many layers between the Private and Colonel lend opportunity for innovation. At the same time, even the lowest ranking Marine, the Private knows that he or she is expected to do whatever it takes to accomplish the mission. An organization (civilian) may want to look at this a little further. We must have established managers, but the notion of delegation of authority should be expanded in the civilian world. Well considered delegation of authority not only lifts some pressure off the titled manager, but also gives some well-deserved leadership satisfaction to an employee who may never have had the chance to be a â€Å"manager†. The success of the Marine Corps Management strategy is apparent in the vast numbers of ex-Marines who hold the Chief Executive Officer, President, Vice President, Chairman, and Manager positions at all levels in top.

The Silver Linings Playbook Chapter 30

Like a Shadow on Me All of the Time Veronica drops us off in front of the Plaza Hotel on Saturday, saying, â€Å"Break a leg,† just before she pulls away. I follow Tiffany into the lobby, where four towers of water shoot out of a large fountain – at least ten feet up in the air. Real fish swim around in the pool of water, and signs read do not throw coins into the fountain. Tiffany has been here before. She walks right past the information desk and leads me through a maze of hallways with gold wallpaper and swanky-looking light fixtures that are all large bronze fish with lightbulbs in their mouths. Finally, we find the hall where the dance recital will take place. Red curtains frame a large stage. A huge banner hangs high above the dance floor; it reads dance away depression. We try to register at a desk, and it becomes obvious that we are the first contestants to show up, because the fat woman who is in charge of registration says, â€Å"Registration is not for another hour.† We sit down in the last row of seats. I look around. A huge chandelier dangles above us, and the ceiling is not just a regular ceiling, but has all sorts of plaster flowers and angels and other fancy things sticking out of it. Tiffany is nervous. She keeps cracking her knuckles. â€Å"Are you okay?† I ask. â€Å"Please don't talk to me before the performance. It's bad luck.† So I sit there and start to get nervous myself, especially since I have a lot more riding on this competition than Tiffany does, and she is obviously rattled. I try not to think about losing my chance to send Nikki a letter, but of course this is all I can think about. When other contestants begin to arrive, I notice that most of them look like high school students, and I think this is strange, but I do not say anything – mostly because I am not allowed to talk to Tiffany. We register, give our music to the sound guy, who remembers Tiffany from last year, I know, because he says, â€Å"You again?† After Tiffany nods, we are backstage, changing. Thankfully, I'm able to slip into my tights before any of the other contestants make it backstage. In the far corner, I'm minding my own business, sitting with Tiffany, when an ugly woman waddles over and says to Tiffany, â€Å"I know you dancers are pretty liberal about your bodies. But do you really expect me to allow my teenage daughter to change in front of this half-naked man?† Tiffany is really nervous now. I know because she does not curse out this ugly woman, who reminds me of the nurses in the bad place, especially since she is so out of shape and has a poofy old-lady haircut. â€Å"Well?† the mom says. I see a storage closet on the other side of the room. â€Å"How about I go in there while everyone else changes?† â€Å"Fine with me,† the woman says. Tiffany and I enter the supply closet, which is full of abandoned costumes from what must have been a children's show – all sorts of pajama-looking suits that would make me look like a lion or a tiger or a zebra if I put one on. A dusty box of percussion instruments – tambourines, triangles, cymbals, and wooden sticks you bang together – reminds me of the music room in the bad place and music relaxation class, which I attended until I was kicked out. And then I have this terrifying thought: What if one of the other contestants is dancing to a Kenny G song? â€Å"You need to find out what songs the other dancers are performing to,† I tell Tiffany. â€Å"I told you not to talk to me before the performance.† â€Å"Just find out whether anyone is dancing to any songs played by a smooth jazz performer whose initials are K.G.† After a second she says, â€Å"Kenny – â€Å" I close my eyes, hum a single note, and silently count to ten, blanking my mind. â€Å"Jesus Christ,† Tiffany says, but then stands and leaves the closet. Ten minutes later she returns. â€Å"No music by that person,† Tiffany says, and then sits down. â€Å"Are you sure?† â€Å"I said no Kenny G.† I close my eyes, hum a single note, and silently count to ten, blanking my mind. We hear a knock, and when Tiffany opens the door, I see that many moms are backstage now. The woman who knocked tells Tiffany that all the dancers have checked in and are changed. When I leave the storage closet, I am shocked to see that Tiffany and I are the oldest contestants by at least fifteen years. We are surrounded by teenage girls. â€Å"Don't let their innocent looks fool you,† Tiffany says. â€Å"They're all little pit vipers – and extraordinarily gifted dancers.† Before the audience arrives, we are given a chance to practice on the Plaza Hotel stage. We nail our routine perfectly, but most of the other dancers also nail their impressive routines as well, which makes me worry we will not win. Just before the competition begins, the contestants are brought out before the crowd. When Tiffany and I are announced, we take the stage, wave, and the applause is mild. The lights make it hard to see, but I spot Tiffany's parents in the front row, seated with little Emily, Ronnie, Veronica, and a middle-aged woman who I guess is Dr. Lily, Tiffany's therapist, because Tiffany told me that her therapist would be in attendance. I scan the rest of the rows quickly as we walk offstage, but I do not see my mother. No Jake. No Dad. No Cliff. I catch myself feeling sad, even though I did not really expect anyone but Mom to show up. Maybe Mom is out there somewhere, I think, and the thought makes me feel a little better. Backstage, in my mind I admit that the other contestants received more applause than we did, which means their fan bases are larger than ours. Even though the woman who announced us is now giving a speech, saying this is a showcase and not a competition, I worry that Tiffany will not get the golden trophy, which would kill my chance to write Nikki letters. We are scheduled to perform last, and as the other girls do their numbers, the applause ranges from mild to enthusiastic, which surprises me, because during the preshow rehearsal, I thought all the routines were excellent. But right before we are set to dance, when little Chelsea Chen concludes her ballet number, the applause is thunderous. â€Å"What did she do out there to get such good applause?† I ask Tiffany. â€Å"Don't talk to me before the performance,† she says, and I start to feel very nervous. The woman in charge of the recital announces our names, and the applause is a little livelier than what we received before the competition. Right before I lie down at the back of the stage, I look to see if maybe Jake or Cliff showed up late, but all I see when I look out into the audience is the hot white from the spotlights that are on me. Before I have a chance to think, the music starts. Piano notes – slow and sad. I begin my incredibly drawn-out crawl to center stage, using only my arms. The male voice sings, â€Å"Turn around †¦Ã¢â‚¬  Bonnie Tyler answers, â€Å"Every now and then I get a little bit lonely and you're never coming round.† At this point Tiffany runs onto the stage and leaps over me like a gazelle or some other animal that is beautifully nimble. As the two voices continue to exchange verses, Tiffany does her thing: running, jumping, tumbling, spinning, sliding – modern dance. When the drums kick in, I stand and make a huge circle with my arms so people will know that I am the sun and I have risen. Tiffany's movements also become more fervent. When Bonnie Tyler builds up to the chorus, singing, â€Å"Together we can take it to the end of the line; your love is like a shadow on me all of the time,† we go into the first lift. â€Å"I don't know what to do and I'm always in the dark.† I have Tiffany up over my head; I am steady as a rock; I am performing flawlessly. â€Å"We're living in a powder keg and giving off sparks.† I begin to rotate Tiffany as she lifts her legs out into a split and Bonnie Tyler sings, â€Å"I really need you tonight! Forever's gonna start tonight! Forever's gonna start tonight.† We make a 360-degree rotation, and when Bonnie Tyler sings, â€Å"Once upon a time I was falling in love, but now I'm only falling apart,† Tiffany rolls forward down into my arms and I lower her to the floor as if she were dead – and I, as the sun, mourn her. â€Å"Nothing I can say, a total eclipse of the heart.† When the music builds again, she explodes upward and begins to fly all around the stage so beautifully. As the song continues, I again make huge, slow circles with my arms, representing the sun as best I can. I know the routine so well, I can think about other things while I am performing, so I begin to think that I am actually nailing this performance pretty easily and it is a shame my family and friends are not here to see me dancing so excellently. Even though we will most likely not win the audience's loudest applause – especially after Chelsea Chen obviously brought every single one of her family members to the performance – I begin to think we will win anyway. Tiffany is really good, and as she flies by me so many times, I begin to admire her in a way I had not previously. She has kicked her game up a notch for the competition and is now showing a part of herself I had not previously seen. If she was crying with her body for the last month or so, whenever we practiced in her studio, she is weeping uncontrollably with her body tonight, and you would have to be a ston e not to feel what she is offering the audience. But then Bonnie Tyler is singing, â€Å"Together we can make it to the end of the line,† which means it is time for the second lift – the hardest one – so I lower myself into a squatting position and place the backs of my hands on my shoulders. As the song builds, Tiffany stands on my palms, and when Bonnie Tyler sings, â€Å"I really need you tonight,† Tiffany bends her knees, so I engage my leg muscles and push upward as fast as I can, extending my arms, elevating my palms. Tiffany shoots high up into the air, does a full flip, falls into my arms, and as the chorus dies down, we gaze into each other's eyes. â€Å"Once upon a time I was falling in love, but now I'm only falling apart. Nothing I can do, a total eclipse of the heart.† She falls from my arms, as if dead, and I – being the sun – set, which means I lie back on the floor and use only my arms to slowly push myself backward and out of the spotlight, which takes almost a full minute. The music fades. Silence. For a second I worry that no one will clap. But then the house explodes with applause. When Tiffany stands, I do too. Just like we practiced so many times, I hold Tiffany's hand and take a bow, at which time the applause thickens and the audience stands. I'm so happy, but at the same time I am sad because none of my family and friends came to support me – but then I hear the loudest Eagles chant I have ever heard in my entire life. â€Å"E!-A!-G!-L!-E!-S! EAGLES!† I look up toward the back rows, and not only do I spot Jake and Caitlin and Mom, but also Scott and the fat men and Cliff and the entire Asian Invasion. They are all wearing Eagles jerseys, and I start to laugh when they begin to chant, â€Å"Baskett! Baskett! Baskett! Baskett!† In the front row, Ronnie is smiling at me proudly. He gives me the thumbs-up when we make eye contact. Veronica is also smiling, and so is little Emily, but Mrs. Webster is crying and smiling at the same time, which is when I realize that she thinks our dance was really beautiful – enough to make her cry. Tiffany and I run offstage, and the high school girls congratulate us with their gaping eyes and their smiles and their chatter. â€Å"Oh, my God. That was so amazing!† they all say. It is easy to see that every one of them admires Tiffany because Tiffany is an excellent dancer and a talented choreographer. Finally Tiffany faces me and says, â€Å"You were perfect!† â€Å"No, you were perfect!† I say. â€Å"Do you think we won?† She smiles and looks down at her feet. â€Å"What?† I say. â€Å"Pat, I need to tell you something.† â€Å"What?† â€Å"There's no gold trophy.† â€Å"What?† â€Å"There are no winners at Dance Away Depression. It's just an exhibition. I made up the part about the wreath just to motivate you.† â€Å"Oh.† â€Å"And it worked, because you were beautiful out there onstage! Thank you, and I will be your liaison,† Tiffany says just before she kisses me on the lips and hugs me for a very long time. Her kiss tastes salty from the dancing, and it is strange to have Tiffany hugging me so passionately in front of so many teenage girls in tights – especially because I am shirtless and my torso is freshly shaved – and also I do not like to be touched by anyone except Nikki. â€Å"So now that we are done dancing, can I talk about Eagles football again? Because I have a lot of Eagles fans out there waiting for me.† â€Å"After nailing the routine, you can do whatever you want, Pat,† Tiffany whispers into my ear, and then I wait a long time for her to stop hugging me. After I change in the storage closet, Tiffany tells me there are no more naked teenagers backstage, so I go to greet my fans. When I hop down off the stage, Mrs. Webster grabs my hands, looks into my eyes, and says, â€Å"Thank you.† She keeps looking into my eyes, but the old woman doesn't say anything else, which makes me feel sort of weird. Finally Veronica says, â€Å"What my mother means to say is that tonight meant a lot to Tiffany.† Emily points at me and says, â€Å"Pap!† â€Å"That's right, Em,† Ronnie says. â€Å"Uncle Pat.† â€Å"Pap! Pap! Pap!† We all laugh, but then I hear fifty Indian men chanting, â€Å"Baskett! Baskett! Baskett!† â€Å"Better go greet your rowdy fans,† Ronnie says, so I walk up the aisle toward the sea of Eagles jerseys. Other audience members I don't know pat me on the back and congratulate me as I weave my way through them. â€Å"You were so good up there!† my mother says in a way that lets me know she was surprised by my excellent dancing skills, and then she hugs me. â€Å"I'm so proud!† I hug her back and then ask, â€Å"Is Dad here?† â€Å"Forget Dad,† Jake says. â€Å"You got sixty or so wild men waiting to take you to the most epic tailgate party of your life.† â€Å"Hope you weren't planning on getting any sleep tonight,† Caitlin says to me. â€Å"You ready to end the Pat Peoples curse?† Cliff asks me. â€Å"What?† I say. â€Å"The Birds haven't won since you stopped watching. Tonight we're taking drastic measures to end the curse,† Scott says. â€Å"We're sleeping in the Asian Invasion bus, right outside the Wachovia parking lot. We set up the tailgate party at daybreak.† â€Å"Ashwini is driving around the block right now, waiting for us,† Cliff says. â€Å"So. Are you ready?† I am a little shaken by the news, especially since I just finished such an excellent dance routine and was hoping to simply enjoy the accomplishment for more than ten minutes. â€Å"I don't have my clothes.† But my mom pulls my Baskett jersey out of a duffel bag I hadn't noticed before and says, â€Å"You have everything you need in here.† â€Å"What about my meds?† Cliff holds up a little plastic bag with my pills inside. Before I can say or do anything else, the Asian Invasion begins chanting louder: â€Å"Baskett! Baskett! Baskett!† The fat men pick me up above their heads and carry me out of the auditorium, past the fountain full of fish, out of the Plaza Hotel, and onto the streets of Philadelphia. And then I am in the Asian Invasion bus, drinking a beer and singing, â€Å"Fly, Eagles, fly! On the road to victory †¦Ã¢â‚¬  In South Philadelphia, we stop at Pat's for cheesesteaks – which take a long time to prepare, as there are sixty or so of us, and no one would dare go next door to Geno's Steaks, because Geno's steaks are inferior – and then we are at the Wachovia parking lot, parked just outside the gate so we will be the first vehicle admitted in the morning and therefore will be guaranteed the lucky parking spot. We drink, sing, throw a few footballs, and run around on the concrete; we roll out the Astroturf and play a few Kubb games under the streetlights, and even though I have only had two or three beers, I begin to tell everyone I love them because they came to my dance recital, and I also tell them I'm sorry for abandoning the Eagles mid-season and that it was for a good reason, but I just can't say what – and then I am on a bus seat and Cliff is waking me up, saying, â€Å"You forgot to take your night meds.† When I wake up the next morning, my head is on Jake's shoulder, and it feels good to be so close to my brother, who is still asleep. Quietly I stand and look around and realize that everyone – Scott, the fat men, Cliff, all fifty or so Asian Invasion members – is asleep on the bus. Two or three men are sleeping in every seat, with their heads on each other's shoulders. Everywhere brothers. I tiptoe to the front of the bus, past Ashwini, who – in the driver's seat – is asleep with his mouth wide open. Once outside, on the small patch of grass between the street and the sidewalk, I begin the same push-up and sit-up routine I used to do back in the bad place, before I had access to free weights and a stationary bike and the Stomach Master 6000. After an hour or so, first light comes. As I finish the last set of sit-ups, I feel as though I have burned off my cheesesteak and the beers I drank the night before, but I can't help feeling like I should go for a run, so I run a few miles, and when I return, my friends are still sleeping. As I stand next to Ashwini and watch my boys sleep, I feel happy because I have so many friends – a whole busful. I realize that I left the Plaza Hotel without saying goodbye to Tiffany, and I feel a little bad about that, even though she said I could do whatever I wanted after we performed so well. Also I am very eager to write my first letter to Nikki. But there is Eagles football to think about now, and I know that an Eagles victory is just about the only thing that will smooth things over with my father, so I begin to hope, and I even say a little prayer to God, who I bet was pretty impressed with my dance routine last night, so maybe He will cut me a break today. Looking at all those sleeping faces, I realize I have missed my green-shirted brothers, and I begin to anticipate the day.

Megaraptor - Facts and Figures

Name: Megaraptor (Greek for giant thief); pronounced MEG-ah-rap-tore Habitat: Plains and woodlands of South America Historical Period: Late Cretaceous (90-85 million years ago) Size and Weight: About 25 feet long and 1-2 tons Diet: Meat Distinguishing Characteristics: Large size; bipedal posture; long, single claws on front hands About Megaraptor Like another impressively named beast, Gigantoraptor, Megaraptor has been a bit oversold, in that this large, carnivorous dinosaur wasnt technically a true raptor. When the scattered fossils of Megaraptor were discovered in Argentina in the late 1990s, paleontologists were impressed by a single, foot-long claw, which they assumed was located on this dinosaurs hind feet--hence its classification as a raptor (and one that would have been even bigger than the biggest raptor yet identified, Utahraptor). On closer analysis, though, it turned out that Megaraptor was actually a large theropod closely related to Allosaurus and Neovenator, and that those single, oversized claws were located on its hands rather than its feet. Sealing the deal, Megaraptor has proved to be similar in appearance to another large theropod from Australia, Australovenator, a hint that Australia may have been connected to South America later into the Cretaceous period than was previously thought. Its place in the dinosaur bestiary aside, what was Megaraptor actually like? Well, it wouldnt be surprising if this South American dinosaur was covered with feathers (at least during some stage of its life cycle), and it almost certainly subsisted on the small, skittery ornithopods of its late Cretaceous ecosystem, or perhaps even on newborn titanosaurs. Megaraptor may also have encountered, or even preyed on, one of the few true raptors of South America, the appropriately named Austroraptor (which only weighed about 500 pounds, or a quarter of Megaraptors size).