Deception in Research A Critical Analysis

Deception in Research A Critical Analysis Introduction The Stanford prison experiment was a psychological research on the impacts of being a prison guard or a prisoner. As the name suggests, the test was carried out at Stanford University between August 14 and August 20, 1971. It was conducted by a group of renowned researchers in the psychology field, led by Phillip Zimbardo. The latter was a well known professor of psychology.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Deception in Research: A Critical Analysis specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The research was funded by the US Office of Naval Research. The research attracted the interest of both the Marine Corps and the US Navy. It was conducted to investigate, and possibly explain, the discrepancies between the prisoners and the military guards. Zimbardo and his research team came with a hypothesis to conduct the study. The scholars hypothesized that the intrinsic personality traits of the prisoners and the guards w ere the key source of abusive behavior in prison. Consequences of Deception There are several advantages and disadvantages associated with the use of deception in research. The costs and benefits of deception can be traced in the Zimbardo’s study. According to the scholars, the prisoners had internalized their responsibilities, although some indicated that they would acknowledge â€Å"parole† even if it would entail forfeiting their pay. The prisoners, however, acted to the contrary. They continued to participate in the study even after their requests for parole rejected. Zimbardo held that the prisoners did not have any reasons for continuous contribution in the research after losing all their monetary compensation. But they did continue with their contribution, possibly because they had internalized the ‘prisoner’ identity. Zimbardo noted that, out of the more than fifty individuals who had participated in the experiment, only one person questioned its m orality (Zimbardo, 1973). The results of the study indicated the obedience and impersonality of the individuals when presented with a legitimizing ideology. The results also addressed the issue of institutional and social support. The scholars used two theories in the study. The first was applied cognitive dissension theory (Nier, 2010). The second was the power of influence theory. The outcome of the research supported the situational attribution of behavior. The results refuted the dispositional attribution (Nier, 2010). The actions of the participants were attributed to the situation. Individual personalities did not play a significant role in this case. The findings of this research were compatible with those made in Milgram’s study.Advertising Looking for essay on psychology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In the latter experiment, ordinary individuals obeyed orders to administer distressing and hazardou s electric shocks to another individual (Haney Banks, 1973).  After the research, there were uprisings in some penitentiary facilities. They included Attica and San Quentin correctional institutions (Haney Banks, 1973). The uprising raised concerns over the methodology adopted in the study and findings made. The prisoners and the guards embraced their respective obligations, something that was not anticipated. The parties went beyond what the researchers had projected. The situation gave rise to dangerous and psychologically destructive conditions in the prisons. A third of the prison guards were believed to have displayed authentic sadistic behavior (Zimbardo, 2007). The lead researcher was forced to admit the fact that he had inactively allowed for immoral actions, which were conducted under his watch. The scholar concluded that both the guards and the prisoners were engrossed in their obligations. He also realized that he had immersed himself too deeply his own study. As a re sult, he was forced to terminate it. The Stanford prison study was widely regarded as an alarming academic undertaking. It bared the participants to the risks associated with the exposure of the dark side of human nature (Fiske, 2010). What If Deception was not used? The findings of the study may have been significantly different if the researchers had not used deception at all. Some critics of the study hold that the participants were just involved in role-playing. To this end, the participants were structuring their behavior depending on how they were expected to act. They were believed to reproduce their acts according to the stereotypes revolving around the behavior of guards and prisoners. Such behaviors could not have been exhibited if the researchers did not engage in deception.  The experiment came out as an examination of the impacts of oppressive leadership. Because of this, several ambitious guards changed their behavior to match the patterns that the scholars were tryi ng to deduce (Zimbardo, 1973). The change in behavior was one of the major impacts of using deception in the study. Furthermore, the study was condemned on environmental validity basis.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Deception in Research: A Critical Analysis specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Several conditions established in the study were subjective. The conditions were not connected to real-life situations. A case in point is the blindfolding of new prisoners. The prisoners were prohibited from wearing underwear or looking out of the window. Conclusion In summary, the study (which was intended to establish whether or not the intrinsic personality traits of prisoners and guards were the key sources of abusive behavior in prison) did not get the desired results. The main reason for this was the use of deception. The results obtained were not in line with what the researchers had anticipated. The researchers conduct ed the study under unfavorable conditions. If deception had not been used, then both prisoners and guards would have behaved as anticipated. Therefore, the use of deception in social-psychological research produces undesired results. References Fiske, S.T. (2010). Social beings: Core motives in social psychology. London: Wiley. Haney, C., Banks, W. C. (1973). Interpersonal dynamics in a simulated prison. International Journal of Criminology and Penology, 1, 69-97. Nier, J. (2010). Taking sides: Clashing views in social psychology. London: McGraw-Hill Higher Education. Zimbardo, P. (1973). The mind is a formidable jailer: A Pirandellian prison. New York: Free Press.Advertising Looking for essay on psychology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Zimbardo, P. (2007). The Lucifer effect: Understanding how good people turn evil. New York: Random House.

How to transform your teams communication skills

How to transform your teams communication skills A catalogue for transforming communication skills Writing is one of those work activities that we just assume we can do. So much so that its not even something we tend to give much thought to. Yet in the last decade or two, its silently taken over our working lives. Email alone accounts for a staggering four hours of an average workers day, according to a recent survey by Adobe of more than 4,000 workers across Europe and the US. And thats before theyve even begun to include bids, slide decks, reports, letters, procedures or policies. But how many of those communications engage their audience and get results? And how many damage relationships that then take months to repair (if they ever are)? It only takes a moments thought to realise that few skills are more important today than the ability to communicate well. We’re here to help You may know us from our regular business-writing tips and blog posts. You might have already been on an Emphasis business-writing course, either as an individual or with your company. Or maybe you’ve downloaded a copy of The Write Stuff: our free, comprehensive guide to business writing. However, you might not be aware of the full range of training services we offer that can bridge this critical skill gap. This includes our unique, pre-course writing analysis, which shines a spotlight on the documents you or your team produce, and reveals which areas are the priorities to improve. We have just the course for you To help you, we’ve created an interactive PDF guide to our services, which includes not just business writing but also communication skills courses. For example, we have created a new and innovative presentation skills course, The reluctant presenter. Its aimed at people who have a deep fear of presenting, and is delivered by trainers who have overcome their own fears and can share their secrets. We’ve also developed the worlds most comprehensive online business-writing course, called Emphasis 360. To learn more about any of our programmes, and how they can help transform your teams (or your own) communication skills, download a copy of our course catalogue now. You can also call us on +44 (0)1273 732 888 for a chat with one of our friendly team. Image credit: Rawpixel.com / Shutterstock

Hitler Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Hitler - Essay Example f races (including the Jews), he ran away to Munich where he stayed until the outbreak of World War 1 where he voluntarily enrolled to become a soldier. He therefore joined World War 1 as a soldier with the Germany Army and fought in several wars. Other than receiving awards at the war (he was awarded two iron crosses which was a mark of bravery (Haugen 103)), he also received injuries including serious one on the thigh which led him to be admitted for two months and this was followed by the first bout of blindness as a result of a mustard gas (both bouts of blindness were temporary however). His heart hardened in the military and he gained confidence which was useful later on when he decided to join politics. His road to politics was built from the defeat of the Germany army in the way and also the exploitation of the detrimental economic, social and political conditions in that nation. Hitler is renowned for his excellent oratorical skills and it is this skill that enabled him to j oin politics and rise through the different leadership positions (Haugen 54). His good oratorical skills combined with his anti-Semitism nature and the quest for a strong government is what made him be discharged from the army and he started working for the National Socialist German Workers Party (NSDAP) gathering audiences and crowds to defer with and criticize the government and give speeches against the Jews and Marxist (which he both detested). It is his popularity and courage that led to him receiving financial backing from the rich citizens who were supporting him. He was known for his blackmail nature and he used this method to get what he wanted and even rise in positions in many occasions. One of these occasions was the rise to become the party chairman of National Socialist German... Hitler is renowned for his excellent oratorical skills and it is this skill that enabled him to join politics and rise through the different leadership positions (Haugen 54). His good oratorical skills combined with his anti-Semitism nature and the quest for a strong government is what made him be discharged from the army and he started working for the National Socialist German Workers Party (NSDAP) gathering audiences and crowds to defer with and criticize the government and give speeches against the Jews and Marxist (which he both detested). It is his popularity and courage that led to him receiving financial backing from the rich citizens who were supporting him. He was known for his blackmail nature and he used this method to get what he wanted and even rise in positions in many occasions. One of these occasions was the rise to become the party chairman of National Socialist German Workers Party replacing Dexter who was the very same person who introduced him to the party in the first place. His quest for power is what made him organize a coup (a fact that is not known to many people). Hitler served a prison term in Landsberg prison after attempting a coup (Beer Hall Putsch) to overthrow the German government but which failed. The prison term was supposed to be for five years but later he was released only after nine months (after the Supreme Court of Bavaria pardoned him) and he then decided to take over the government legally. It is while in prison that Hitler wrote a book about his struggles while in prison and they were published in a book called Mein Kampf.

Government Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Government - Article Example The main point the author made in her article is that education is a right of all people, whether illegal immigrants or not, and asking for immigration papers or making inquiries into their immigration status is a form of discrimination, and constitutes an infringement of his or her civil rights as an individual. School district authorities who require proof of citizenship on enrollment time are guilty of a law passed during the time of President Ronald Reagan, which only requires proof of residency such as a water, phone or electric bill (Armario 1). This knowledge is somehow related to my class because we are being taught how to respect the rights of all people and how not to discriminate against a certain class of people. In other words, America should embrace multi-culturalism from its varied ethnicities, indicated by its motto, â€Å"E Pluribus Unum† or â€Å"one from many† which is indicative of Americas status as the melting pot of the world, ready to welcome anybody to its shores and live freely. The financial crisis resulting from a bursting of the housing bubble and the subprime mortgage collapse has put severe strains on the finances of most states and in particular, those of certain school districts. This caused the recent attempts to exclude the illegals from school. Armario, Christine. â€Å"Public Schools Reminded not to Turn Away Illegal Immigrants.† Associated Press, 6 May 2011. Web. 19 Jun. 2012.

Rates of reaction - molarity Essay Example for Free

Rates of reaction molarity Essay Chemistry Coursework Rates of Reaction Molarity (Concentration) Aim: to find out if the concentration of HCl affects the amount of hydrogen gas given off when a magnesium strip is added. Apparatus: Gas syringe to take all the gas from the reaction and measure it Test tube to hold the two reactants Measuring cylinder to measure amount of water and acid Stop watch to time the reaction Delivery tube to deliver the hydrogen into the gas syringe Ruler + Scissors to measure and cut the magnesium Reactants: Magnesium strip Hydrochloric acid 2HCl + Mg H2 + MgCl2 Preliminary Work: From preliminary work I have found out that using 20 cm3 of acid and using 2 cm of magnesium for 1 minute gives off sufficient gas to measure accurately and I also found that for the molarity I should not go lower than 0. 6 as there of gas given off will be too slow. This is how I did the experiment: I set up the experiment as shown above   Added 2 cm of magnesium strip to 20 cm3 of HCl   I then wrote down the volume of the gas every 5 secs for 1 minute of the reaction   Use concentrations   M to see which would be suitable. Scientific Knowledge: A chemical reaction needs reactant particles to collide successfully for it to take place. For the chance of a successful collision to take place more frequent collisions need to occur. These four factors affect the frequency of collisions therefore affecting the rate of reaction: Concentration there are more acid particles in the same volume so they are more likely to collide with the magnesium particles. Temperature when the temperature is increased the particles gain kinetic energy, which means the particles vibrate more which in turn means they are more likely to collide successfully. Surface Area a larger surface are means more particles are exposed. Therefore as larger number of collisions occur Catalyst the catalyst lowers the amount of energy needed for a collision without taking part therefore more successful collisions will take place. However I am only testing concentration so from this knowledge I know that the higher the concentration the more likely that the particles will collide. Prediction: I believe that as the molarity decreases so will the speed at which the gas collects. I predict this because of my preliminary work and scientific knowledge. This knowledge is that as the concentration increases there are more particles in the same volume so then there will be more successful collision. This means the volume of gas collected in the first minute should decrease as the concentration decreases.   Set up the experiment as shown above   Add 2 cm of magnesium strip to 20 cm3 of HCl   Write down the volume of the gas every 5 secs for 1 minute Use concentrations M To make the different concentrations I added water to 1M hydrochloric acid: Molarity Water/Acid cm3 1 Fair test/Reliability: By controlling all the other variables (temperature, surface area and using a catalyst) I am leaving only one thus making my results accurate and reliable and easier to test. I am also using the same amount of acid (variable) and magnesium each time making it a fair test. I have also repeated my experiment so that I can average out my results making it fair, as extremities will be averaged out. To make it a reliable and fair test I have made sure that the gas syringe is always at 0 at the beginning of each experiment and I will start the clock as soon as the Magnesium meets the HCl and always make sure that the Mg is cut to exactly to 2 cm. Safety: Always wear goggles so that no acid can go in your eye Wash acid after using acid so that acid does not transfer onto things that you touch and worse in your mouth (from the food that you eat). Results: Test 1 Molarity (M) Water/Acid cm3 T 5s I 10s M 15s E 20s 25s I 30s N 35s 40s S 45s E 50s C 55s S 6Test 2 Molarity (M) Water/Acid cm3 T 5s I 10s M 15s E 20s 25s IVolume of H2 collected Rate of Reaction: The rate of a reaction is how quickly the reactants turn into products. To work out the rate of reaction I have decided to find the time that each reaction took to reach 8 ml of H2 and converting it into a rate. The formula for Rate of Reaction is 1/time (secs) Molarity (M) Calculation Rate (3dp)   The rate of reaction tell you how fast each reaction takes to get to point as you can see from my rate of reaction graph as the molarity increases the reaction is quicker apart from 0. 8 (sources of error in evaluation). This graph is useful, as initially I has thought 0. 7 moles was the incorrect result but this graph proved otherwise. Also from this graph I can find out what the rate should have been for 0. 9 ideally which is 0. 036 so the time it would have taken for this experiment to reach 8 ml of H2 is 1/rate = 1/0. 036 = 28. 7 seconds. I can also predict other results:   Conclusion As my graphs and results show the volume of gas produced in the first minute increases with the increase in molarity apart from 0.8 moles, this anomaly occurred both times which is unusual but apart from that result I know that Molarity is proportional to volume of gas collected per minute. E. g. it takes longer for 8 ml of gas to be collected as the concentration reduces, which proves my prediction right. This is because there are more particles in the same volume if the concentration is increased. Here is a diagram: Less moles More moles Evaluation I believe the plan was good and enabled me to get the results that I needed. My experiment went very well apart from my one anomaly (0.8 Moles) this is unusual as it happened both time as but these are some reasons why this happened: Sources of Error Gas syringe was only to the nearest ml Magnesium it used up the HCl around it and turned it into MgCl but did not react with the acid at the bottom making the reaction slower Heat as the Mg reacts with HCl heat is given off speeding up the reaction Human Error reading the gas wrong, starting or stopping the clock at the wrong time etc. Solving these Errors Gas syringe use a position sensor on the gas syringe, which is attached to a computer. This will record the results with no anomalies. Magnesium shake the test tube every so often Heat cant solve this, the reaction is exothermic Human Error use a position sensor on the gas syringe, which is attached to a computer. This will record the results with no human anomalies. Extension To extend the investigation I would do the experiment again put try and put right all the sources of error and see if my results come out perfect. Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Patterns of Behaviour section.

Redefining Public and Private Essay -- Equality Gender Papers

Redefining Public and Private "Public and private are imbedded within a dense web of associational meanings and intimations and linked to other basic notions: nature and culture, male and female... The content, meaning, and range of public and private vary with the exigencies of each society's existence and turn on whether the virtues of political life or the values of private life are rich and vital or have been drained, singly or together, of their normative significance." The mantra of second wave feminism, "the personal is political," signifies the first attempt to break down the gendered division between the private sphere attributed to women and the public sphere of men. There is no clear origin of this public/private division; it could have been, as Germaine Greer humorously suggests, "while the male-hunter-gatherer strolled along burdened with no more that his spear and a throwing stick, his female mate trudged along after him carrying their infant, their shelter, their food supplies and her digging stick." It appears that, from the moment of human interaction and language, and its implicit category making of social divisions, women have always been associated with the private, and men with the public. From the beginning of first wave feminism and the fight for women's suffrage, women have been using politics to enter the public realm of men, thus challenging the stark division between public man and private woman. A goal of the feminist movement has been to create equality between the sexes, both in the public and private spheres of life. In doing so, the gendered spaces of men and women have become blurred and, because of the linkage between public/private and man/woman, respectively, the division between pr... ...ssion, and Abortion: Women Who Oppose Abortion Rights in the Name of Feminism." Feminist Nightmares: Women at Odds, Feminism and the Problem of Sisterhood. Ed. Susan Ostrov Weisser and Jennifer Fleishner. New York: New York University Press, 1994. 159-188. Regan, Priscilla M. Legislating Privacy: Technology, Social Values, and Public Policy. Chapel Hill, NC: The University of North Carolina Press, 1995. Roe v. Wade 410 U.S. 113 (1973) Siltanen, Janet and Michelle Stanworth. "The politics of private woman and public man." Women and the Public Sphere. Eds. Janet Siltanen and Michelle Stanworth. New York, NY: St. Martin's Press, 1984. 185-208. Woolf, Virginia. Three Guineas. New York, NY: Harcourt, Inc., 1938. Young, Iris. "Pregnant Embodiment." Body and Flesh: A Philosophical Reader. Ed. Donn Welton. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishers Ltd, 1998. 274-290.

Hiring Of Employees

The school will higher teachers using a structured interview with allowance for questions that may arise. This will be done using qualified private recruiter company but after the establishment of the school the interviews will be undertaken by the administrators and at least three teachers.During the advertisement of the interview people from all academic background will be encouraged to apply especially the young and energetic. A variety of issues will be considered at the time of the interviews. This will include the academic background, spirituality, leadership skills and extra curricula qualifications. After interviewing the candidates a selection will be done that will put into consideration the race, gender and professions.The school will have a head teacher who will be a professional teacher and an administrator who could be a retired teacher. The school will be expected to start on a small scale with only three grades. The initial number of teacher is expected to be at least six.The school will also hire a few other temporary teachers who will step in on special occasions. This could be collage students pursuing their studies in different fields who will open up the children to the mystery of different education a head of them.The special occasions will include when the regular teachers are on training. The professional teachers will be considered such that in every three teacher one should be a professional teacher. Other employees to be recruited will be the secretary, the drivers, cooks, gate keepers and the cleaners.Since the school will be of the lower grades the secretary will be expected to be of the same qualification as some of the teachers with good computer skills. All the other staff are expected to have some basic academic background that can enable them to communicate effectively. They should also be dedicated to their work and should be of good moral standards.Evaluation of the school employeesThe teachers the administrators and the othe r employees will be evaluated to find out if they are performing their duties effectively. The evaluation will consist of a list of questions that will give the performance index of the employee when answered.