Principles That Define the Culutral Level of Analysis Essay

Explain how principles that define CLOA may be demonstrated in research. ’ The first Principle states that Humans are information processors. Cognition refers to the mental tasks or thinking involved in human behavior. Thinking may involve memory, attention, perception, language and decision making at any one time. Cognitive psychologists see these cognitions are active systems; In between taking in and responding to information a number of processes are at work. Information can be transformed; reduced, elaborated, filtered, manipulated, selected, organized, stored and retrieved Therefore the human mind is seen as active system processing information, and cognitive psychologist’s aim to study these processes. Central to this information processing approach is the computer metaphor. One of the difficulties facing cognitive psychologists is that they were trying to study processes that are not directly observable. Consequently the computer revolution of the 1950 provided the terminology and metaphor they needed. People, like computers, acquire information from the environment (input). Both people and computers store information and retrieve it when applicable to current tasks; both are limited in the amount of information they can process at a given time; both transform information to produce new information; both return information to the environment (output). This information processing approach was adopted by Atkinson and Shiffrin in their Multistore Model of memory (1968). This model sees memory as an active process. Information flows in through the sensory stage (input). It then flows to the short-term memory before it is transferred to long term memory where it can be stored and later retrieved. A further example of information processing is the organization of information into schemas in the LTM. Schemas are mental models of the world. Information in LTM is stored in interrelated networks of these schemas and these schemas can affect retrieval. Simply put, schema theory states that all knowledge is organized into units. Within these units of knowledge, or schemata, is stored information. A schema, then, is a generalized description or a conceptual system for understanding knowledge-how knowledge is represented and how it is used. According to this theory, schemata represent knowledge about concepts: objects and the relationships they have with other objects, situations, events, sequences of events, actions, and sequences of actions. A simple example is to think of your schema for dog. Within that schema you most likely have knowledge about dogs in general (bark, four legs, teeth, hair, and tails) and probably information about specific dogs, such as collies (long hair, large, Lassie) or springer spaniels (English, docked tails, liver and white or black and white, Millie). You may also think of dogs within the greater context of animals and other living things; that is, dogs breathe, need food, and reproduce. Your knowledge of dogs might also include the fact that they are mammals and thus are warm-blooded and bear their young as opposed to laying eggs. Depending upon your personal experience, the knowledge of a dog as a pet (domesticated and loyal) or as an animal to fear (likely to bite or attack) may be a part of your schema. And so it goes with the development of a schema. Each new experience incorporates more information into one’s schema. The second principle of CLOA states that the mind can be studied scientifically. Cognitive processes are difficult to study. They often occur rapidly, and inside the mind so they cannot be observed directly. It is only the responses that participants make when given some cognitive task to perform that can tell us about cognitive processes. These tasks usually take place under tightly controlled lab experiments where the main aim is to isolate a particular component of the cognitive process for the study. One of the earliest and most famous experiments into cognitive processes is the Stroop Effect. The Stroop effect is a phenomena involved in attentional processes. Although we will actually focus on the process of memory this is a good study to look at. People are often introduced to the Stroop Effect in beginning psychology classes as they learn about how their brains process information. It demonstrates the effects of interference, processing speed (reaction time) and automaticity in divided attention. The effect is named after John Ridley Stroop who first published the effect in English in 1935. In his experiments, J. R. Stroop administered several variations of the same test for which three different kinds of stimuli were created. In the first one, names of colors appeared in black ink. In the second, names of colors appeared in a different ink than the color named. Finally in the third one, there were squares of a given color. In the first experiment, 1 and 2 were used. The task required the participants to read the written color names of the words independently of the color of the ink (for example, they would have to read â€Å"purple† no matter what the color of its ink was). In the second experiment, stimulus 2 and 3 were used, and participants were required to say the color of the letters independently of the written word with the second kind of stimulus and also name the color of the dot squares. If the word â€Å"purple† was written in red, they would have to say â€Å"red†, but not â€Å"purple†; when the squares were shown, the participant would have to say its color. Stroop, in the third experiment, tested his participants at different stages of practice at the tasks and stimulus used in the first and second experiments, to account for the effects of association. Stroop noted that participants took much longer to complete the color reading in the second task than they had taken to name the colors of the squares in Experiment 2. This delay had not appeared in the first experiment. Such interference was explained by the automation of reading, where the mind automatically determines the semantic meaning of the word (it reads the word â€Å"red† and thinks of the color â€Å"red†), and then must intentionally check itself and identify instead the color of the word (the ink is a color other than red), a process that is not automatized. This is a classic laboratory experiment that involves the manipulation of an independent variable (colour or name of word) to see what effect it has on the dependent variable (reaction time). It attempts to control the influence of all other extraneous variables – such as other cognitive processes or skills. It also allows us to establish a cause and effect relationship between task and mental process. The strengths of the experiment are that it got valid results but however was still very unethical which not usuall in psychology is. One more strength is that it is an easy experiment which does not need a lot of input to carry out. The study can be considered cross cultural as any human would act the same in this situation. Obviously the reaction times would be different but in the end anyone would take longer to read the words writte in a different colour. Cognitive processes are influenced by social and cultural factors, is the statement which forms the third principle. Although cognitive tasks such as memory and attention are universal, there are cross cultural variations in processing mechanisms. Bartlett’s study demonstrates how memory can be distorted by cultural schemas. Schemas are representations of knowledge based on experience. In his study in which British participants were asked to recall a native American folktale. He found that the story of ‘The War of the Ghosts’ was difficult for Western people to reproduce exactly because of its cultural content which was unfamiliar to them so in fact they encoded the meaning of the story adapted to their existing cultural schemas. As a result Bartlett concluded that interpretation plays a large role in remembering events or stories. We reconstruct the past and try to make it fit into our schemata, the more difficult this is to do, the more likely it is that elements are forgotten or distorted so that it fits and remembering is integrally related to the social and cultural context in which it is practiced. Cole and Scribner (1974) studied memory skills in both American and Liberian children. They argued that cognitive processes are universal but not cognitive skills. Cognitive skills are dependent on the environment – education, social interaction, culture and technologies make up the environment they observed the effects formal schooling / education (culture) had on memory they compared recall of a series of words in the US and amongst the Kpelle people using word lists that were culturally specific. They found that in general educated Kpelle children performed better in the recall of list than no educated Kpelle children and those overall American children performed better than Kpelle children. Although this could be interpreted as memory skills being better amongst Americans children than Kpelle (African) children such an interpretation would overlook the influence of culture. Western schooling emphasizes certain cognitive strategies such as clustering / categorizing. It is unlikely such parallels exist in traditional societies like the Kpelle People learn to remember in ways that are relevant for their everyday lives, and these do not always mirror the activities that cognitive psychologists use to investigate mental processes The strengths of this lab study are that it was carried out ethically and the with the results we can almost confirm the cross cultural validity but of course we cant confirm it with 100% as exceptions will always be there. The applications of this study are basically already demonstrated within the study as it can be used for memory in schools or even at a working place.

Racism and ethnicity Essay

Joseph Addison once said that, â€Å"If men would consider not so much where they differ, as wherein they agree, there would be far less of uncharitableness and angry feeling in the world. † This holds true to the sentiments I have when it comes to the numerous injustices people incur due to their skin color, ethnicity, and the like. I have seen and witnessed first hand the harm people can cause to one another due to petty differences between them; and I have also often pondered why such acts occur in our world. I used to think that this may be an isolated case; a freak phenomenon that has occurred solely in the confines of my home land. A social phenomenon that has existed in my home land due to the history our people have gone through. Yet, I have seen that such injustices and anger occur in other lands such as the United States of America and knowing of this makes me wonder if racism can be found in all societies regardless of geographic location and history. To get a better understanding of this social phenomenon I have decided to look into the cases of racism I have seen in my home country of Serbia and compare that to those acts I have seen here in America. Before I do proceed, I think it is necessary to take into consideration what racism really is. Many scholars have given various definitions to this phenomenon and the differences in the definitions can be attributed to the fact that the term covers a broad spectrum of implications of race-based bigotry, prejudice, violence, oppression, stereotyping or discrimination. Since it covers such a wide array of topics and takes into account various social issues we can take into account 2 general definitions of racism; the sociological and the legal. Racism is broadly defined as a form of discrimination based on characteristics of race and existing either as individual racism, which originates in the racist beliefs of a single person, or institutional racism, which occurs when racist ideas and practices are embodied in the folkways, mores and norms (Leeder. 2003). On the other hand, sociologists Noel Cazenave and Darlene Alvarez Maddern define racism as â€Å"†¦ a highly organized system of ‘race’-based group privilege that operates at every level of society and is held together by a sophisticated ideology of color/’race’ supremacy. Racist systems include, but cannot be reduced to, racial bigotry,† (Cazenave and Maddern 1999: 42). Based on these definitions we can see two dominant themes when we speak about racism. The first among the two is the fact that racism takes into account the psyche of an individual. To be more precise, we deal with the construct of beliefs a person or group may hold against others as embodied by the mores and norms they have. The second aspect that we find is the fact that racism is a highly organized group structure as pointed out by Noel Cazenave and Darlene Alvarez Maddern. With regard to the second aspect, we find that racism is a social construct, a privilege of certain groups within a society. Hence, we are led to conclude that the social phenomenon can very well exist in any society. After all, there is no true homogenous society and the fact remain that differences abound between groups. Take the United States of America, though it is a single country the social structure can still clearly delineated between the different races that occupy its geography. As for my home country of Serbia, we also see that racism cuts across groups as I have seen people display acts of racial discrimination on gypsies; a group who since their unexplained appearance in Europe over nine centuries ago, the gypsies have refused to fall in with conventional settled life. They remain a people whose culture and customs are beset with misunderstanding, and who cling to their distinct identity in the teeth of persistent rejection and pressure to conform. This social group has been long been ridiculed and persecuted in Serbia. I have also personally seen people who look like neo-Nazis with their shaved heads launching verbal assaults and beating up gypsies. It is a saddening truth that things like this happen. What’s worse is the fact that gypsies are actually persecuted all around Europe. Other shocking instances of racial acts can also be seen in soccer games in Serbia. An example of this is even cited on a blog/news commentary on the Fox Sports website.

Gobi Fund Essay

Why is it difficult to establish a new fund? Why is track record so important in fund raising? The main concern is to convince the investors to invest their money in Gobi. Therefore, it is necessary to raise a rational-sized fund. To raise a new fund is not an easy thing to do as everything including the fund structure, team, approach, LP base, and amount of capital have to be defined appropriately. The general partners also need to contribute their own money in order to convince the investors to invest together with them. The track record is very important in fund raising because if Gobi has a good track record, more investors will be interested to invest in it. Q2. Prepare a SWOT analysis for Gobi Fund II proposal in the context of venture capital fundraising. Gobi operates in an area where there is a lot of pent up demand (IT and digital media). * Gobi can acts like a bridge for western LPs to invest in Chinese companies. It is difficult to raise a new fund and if Gobi do not really have a good track record, it will become harder to gain the investors trust in order to raise the new funds. May have the advantage in acquiring a higher return from investment in the IT and media market since they already invest in that industry during the early stage. Meaning that they already have the experiences in investing in IT industry, therefore, may not become a problem to earn a high return. What are the keys to raising the second fund and how large should it be? There is no definite answer in this question as they could be changing depends on the situations. The planning horizons may take between 7 to 10 years or maybe longer than that because of a lack of infrastructure and development in the industry. The fund size may be between $100 million to $200 million allowing around $2 million to $5 million for each company. The subsequent funds should be of similar size or larger as the industry grows. Gobi wants the first close at $75 million. The key is whether to include more financial LPs or not. Q4. From the perspective of a potential LP, what are your choices when funding international focused VC funds? Would you fund Gobi? Gobi has never exited from an investment before, and there is high level of risks involved in the development of early stage IT companies as well as huge risks that may impede company development and growth. However, Gobi operates in an area where there is a lot of pent up demand (IT and digital media) and Gobi can acts like a bridge for western LPs to invest in Chinese companies. It may be a good choice to invest in it if it offers a rational return considerate with the level of high risks involved.

To Spank, or Not to Spank

To Spank, Or Not To Spank COM/156 October 30, 2011 Parents have different ways of punishing their child. Anything from grounding them from things, making them do extra chores, time outs and spanking them. The most effective of these, is spanking. In a research project by Marjorie Gunnoe, â€Å"children who were spanked between the ages of 2 and 6 grew up to be happier and well-adjusted as teenagers. † Spanking a child is not abuse. It is a means of punishment. You should only use your hand to spank your child. Showing your child they have done wrong, by spanking, will teach them to not do what it is that they did, again. You should never use a belt, shoe, switch, or any other foreign object. Those would be considered weapons, and that would be child abuse. Spanking is not a hateful means of punishment. It shows the child they have done wrong and need to be punished. It is an effective means of punishment. Children learn not to do the same wrong again. A child will grow up â€Å"happier and well-adjusted† by spanking them. The controversy of spanking is worldwide. Opinions differ on pro-corporal punishment and anti-corporal punishment. People who are against corporal punishment believe that spanking is child abuse. They say there are better ways of punishing a child. People who are for corporal punishment believe that spanking is a good form of punishment, yet they also know there are different ways of punishing a child. Parents who spank their children find it is more effective as a punishment. A research done by Marjorie Gunnoe, psychology professor at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, states that â€Å"spanking is more effective on children ages 2 to 6 years old. It has also been said you should not spank a child under 18 months old or a child over the age of 10. Spanking a child over the age of 10 can have a negative effect and make a child more aggressive growing up. The American College of Pediatricians, or ACP, reviewed the research on corporal punishment and concluded that spanking, as discipline, can be effective on children when it is used properly, but should not be solely relied on to keep your children in line. Spanking your child out of anger, or with anything other than your hand, leaving welts and/or bruises, is considered to be child abuse. Spanking should not be impulsive, spank only with your hand once or twice, and the child should be forewarned of the spanking and reason for the spanking in order for it to be successful. The saying, â€Å"Spare the rod, spoil the child† comes from a biblical proverb (Proverbs 13:24) â€Å"He who withholds the rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him diligently. † What this means is, if you don’t punish a child when they do wrong, you will spoil them. This goes way back. You want to punish your child for their wrong, and make sure it is effective enough to get the point across. If you don’t effectively punish your child, they will think it is okay to keep doing the wrong. Kosciusko County (Indiana) Department of Child Services sees hundreds of cases per year involving child abuse and/or neglect. Of those cases, there is physical abuse such as punching, hitting, kicking, and biting. Yet there are only a â€Å"handful† of cases involving an out of control parent spanking their child. Tiffany Malone, a caseworker for the DCS, has seen many cases of abuse and neglect. She stated, â€Å"You can spank your child as long as you do not leave any marks, and you do not spank them with anything except an open hand on the buttocks. It has also been said you can spank your child’s feet. been charged with Battery on a minor for leaving excessive marks on their child. In the Indiana Supreme Court case Willis vs. State, Sophia Willis is raising an unruly child and spanked him several times with a belt or extension cord, which lead to marks on the chil d’s arm (from missing the buttocks. ) She ended up receiving 365 days in jail, and had to do 357 of those suspended to probation. The judge stated, â€Å"This is a tough area of the law. Because you know that a person’s intent was not to do a wrong thing. It has also been said, â€Å"The law is well settled that a parent has a right to administer proper and reasonable chastisement to his child without being guilty of an assault and battery. † By knowing our boundaries and limitations, we can successfully correct our children in a positive way. By spanking them. The mixed reaction by so many is just misunderstanding. No one has to spank a child. When nothing else works, spanking is a last ditch effort. It may be a controversial form of punishment, but it does work. Older children that look back on their younger years are happy they were spanked. They grew up happier, did well in school, and did well as they grew up. There are different laws in different states. Some condone corporal punishment, some do not. Some countries have banned corporal punishment all together. As long as there is no anger or foreign objects involved in spanking a child, it is not considered child abuse. Some psychologists, DCS workers, parents, and courts condone spanking. There are court cases stating it is a parent’s right to decide whether or not a spanking should be administered. It is also the parent’s responsibility to react, without vengeance, appropriately while administering a spanking to a child. A parent should not be found guilty of punishing their child no matter. Unless there is a sinister demeanor involved, a parent is completely capable of punishing their own child without chastisement from others. Children are our future and we want nothing but the best for them. By spanking our children, we are teaching them right from wrong and making their future that much brighter and worth looking for. Citations/References http://www. lifesitenews. om/news/archive/ldn/2010/jan/10010507 http://www. mlive. com/news/grand-rapids/index. http://www. cerm. info/bible_studies/Topical/spanking. htmssf/2010/01/is_spanking_children_ok_calvin. html http://www. tldm. org/News11/AmericanCollegeOfPediatriciansSpanking. htm Tiffany Malone- Kosciusko County Child Protective Services, Warsaw, Indiana http://www. in. gov/judiciary/opinions/pdf/08290801mgr. pdf http://w ww. in. gov/judiciary/opinions/pdf/06100801rdr. pdf http://www. in. gov/judiciary/opinions/pdf/05311101msm. pdf http://www. in. gov/legislative/ic/code/title35/ar41/ch3. html To Spank, or Not to Spank To Spank, Or Not To Spank COM/156 October 30, 2011 Parents have different ways of punishing their child. Anything from grounding them from things, making them do extra chores, time outs and spanking them. The most effective of these, is spanking. In a research project by Marjorie Gunnoe, â€Å"children who were spanked between the ages of 2 and 6 grew up to be happier and well-adjusted as teenagers. † Spanking a child is not abuse. It is a means of punishment. You should only use your hand to spank your child. Showing your child they have done wrong, by spanking, will teach them to not do what it is that they did, again. You should never use a belt, shoe, switch, or any other foreign object. Those would be considered weapons, and that would be child abuse. Spanking is not a hateful means of punishment. It shows the child they have done wrong and need to be punished. It is an effective means of punishment. Children learn not to do the same wrong again. A child will grow up â€Å"happier and well-adjusted† by spanking them. The controversy of spanking is worldwide. Opinions differ on pro-corporal punishment and anti-corporal punishment. People who are against corporal punishment believe that spanking is child abuse. They say there are better ways of punishing a child. People who are for corporal punishment believe that spanking is a good form of punishment, yet they also know there are different ways of punishing a child. Parents who spank their children find it is more effective as a punishment. A research done by Marjorie Gunnoe, psychology professor at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, states that â€Å"spanking is more effective on children ages 2 to 6 years old. It has also been said you should not spank a child under 18 months old or a child over the age of 10. Spanking a child over the age of 10 can have a negative effect and make a child more aggressive growing up. The American College of Pediatricians, or ACP, reviewed the research on corporal punishment and concluded that spanking, as discipline, can be effective on children when it is used properly, but should not be solely relied on to keep your children in line. Spanking your child out of anger, or with anything other than your hand, leaving welts and/or bruises, is considered to be child abuse. Spanking should not be impulsive, spank only with your hand once or twice, and the child should be forewarned of the spanking and reason for the spanking in order for it to be successful. The saying, â€Å"Spare the rod, spoil the child† comes from a biblical proverb (Proverbs 13:24) â€Å"He who withholds the rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him diligently. † What this means is, if you don’t punish a child when they do wrong, you will spoil them. This goes way back. You want to punish your child for their wrong, and make sure it is effective enough to get the point across. If you don’t effectively punish your child, they will think it is okay to keep doing the wrong. Kosciusko County (Indiana) Department of Child Services sees hundreds of cases per year involving child abuse and/or neglect. Of those cases, there is physical abuse such as punching, hitting, kicking, and biting. Yet there are only a â€Å"handful† of cases involving an out of control parent spanking their child. Tiffany Malone, a caseworker for the DCS, has seen many cases of abuse and neglect. She stated, â€Å"You can spank your child as long as you do not leave any marks, and you do not spank them with anything except an open hand on the buttocks. It has also been said you can spank your child’s feet. been charged with Battery on a minor for leaving excessive marks on their child. In the Indiana Supreme Court case Willis vs. State, Sophia Willis is raising an unruly child and spanked him several times with a belt or extension cord, which lead to marks on the chil d’s arm (from missing the buttocks. ) She ended up receiving 365 days in jail, and had to do 357 of those suspended to probation. The judge stated, â€Å"This is a tough area of the law. Because you know that a person’s intent was not to do a wrong thing. It has also been said, â€Å"The law is well settled that a parent has a right to administer proper and reasonable chastisement to his child without being guilty of an assault and battery. † By knowing our boundaries and limitations, we can successfully correct our children in a positive way. By spanking them. The mixed reaction by so many is just misunderstanding. No one has to spank a child. When nothing else works, spanking is a last ditch effort. It may be a controversial form of punishment, but it does work. Older children that look back on their younger years are happy they were spanked. They grew up happier, did well in school, and did well as they grew up. There are different laws in different states. Some condone corporal punishment, some do not. Some countries have banned corporal punishment all together. As long as there is no anger or foreign objects involved in spanking a child, it is not considered child abuse. Some psychologists, DCS workers, parents, and courts condone spanking. There are court cases stating it is a parent’s right to decide whether or not a spanking should be administered. It is also the parent’s responsibility to react, without vengeance, appropriately while administering a spanking to a child. A parent should not be found guilty of punishing their child no matter. Unless there is a sinister demeanor involved, a parent is completely capable of punishing their own child without chastisement from others. Children are our future and we want nothing but the best for them. By spanking our children, we are teaching them right from wrong and making their future that much brighter and worth looking for. Citations/References http://www. lifesitenews. om/news/archive/ldn/2010/jan/10010507 http://www. mlive. com/news/grand-rapids/index. http://www. cerm. info/bible_studies/Topical/spanking. htmssf/2010/01/is_spanking_children_ok_calvin. html http://www. tldm. org/News11/AmericanCollegeOfPediatriciansSpanking. htm Tiffany Malone- Kosciusko County Child Protective Services, Warsaw, Indiana http://www. in. gov/judiciary/opinions/pdf/08290801mgr. pdf http://w ww. in. gov/judiciary/opinions/pdf/06100801rdr. pdf http://www. in. gov/judiciary/opinions/pdf/05311101msm. pdf http://www. in. gov/legislative/ic/code/title35/ar41/ch3. html

Midway, Turning Point in World War II Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Midway, Turning Point in World War II - Essay Example At the Battle of the Coral Sea, May 7 and 8, 1942, the American fleet took a terrible beating and appeared on the verge of collapse. Admiral Yamamoto knew when he attacked Pearl Harbor that the only way to wage a successful war against the United States was to completely wipe out his only opposition, the navy of the United States. The fact that Japan was an island nation allowed for the development of a large trading fleet as well as the largest military navy in the world. Without control of the Pacific, Japan could not expect to last long as everything had to be transported to Japan via ships. If the American navy could be eliminated from the Pacific, Japan would be able to control the entirety of its trading sphere. Yamamoto had to get the United States into one last battle where his power could be successful against a weaker enemy. The key to his plan was found to be Midway, the lookout for Hawaii. With Midway captured, and Hawaii neutralized, Japan’s only problem would be forced further east to the United States.

Creating film script by myself (This is not an essay) Essay

Creating film script by myself (This is not an ) - Essay Example It was the phone ringing. Jessie stands up and walks to the corner of the room where a black phone is kept by the side. She picks up and answers The room is a huge platform which has a lot of seats for the proceedings to be witnessed by people. Brown chairs with windows on all the sides, sunlight is visible all over the room. The magistrate is seated in front of a huge green desk wearing glasses and reading a notepad. Officers in blue dress are seen to be standing in front of two large boxes where people can stand and testify. Two tables are kept in front of the huge desk of the magistrate where the defense attorney and the state attorney would take their seats. Jessie and Jones walk up to the chairs and have a seat so that the proceedings can begin. All the evidence is pointing towards the fact that Mrs Craig was the only one present at the crime scene. Do I have the permission of calling a security guard who is always present outside the home of Mrs Craig your honor? You may leave. Your honor as per my information Mr Craig was working in the real estate business and was involved with a bunch of property dealers who could be wanting his death. May I call upon his real close friend

Fundametals of pedagogy assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Fundametals of pedagogy assignment - Essay Example A significant factor concerned in meeting these objectives is motivation. If learners are not motivated in one way or another, then it is most expected that little or no learning will occur, or, if, by any chance, some learning occurs, then it is likely that it will not be retained for future use. Educational theories have great influence on educational structure. In order to capitalise on the success of individual and school-wide, classroom teaching programs, teachers and school administrators should consider students needs, as well as their hierarchical order (Mead, 2009). This should be a top priority in the creation of such programs so that learners can have the ability to reach their most prime level of potential. For instance, if a learner/student does not feel comfortable with the class-room environment, his/her classmates, feels hungry, then the student/learner will not be in a capacity to concentrate well on learning. The student will be preoccupied with these agitations. A number of learning theories (social learning, Behaviorism and Jean Piaget among others) can rectify this as they can help a student understand the best way they can learn in order to make education effective to them (Tough, 2003). Learning is one of the most significant actions in which humans partake. It is the central goal of the educational procedure, even though most of what individuals learn happens outside of school. Comprehending any theory needs a clear thought of what the theory is trying to clarify. When a certain word is applied, individuals normally think everyone has a similar understanding of what the word signifies. Sadly, this is not the case always. In trying to comprehend the numerous theories of learning and their effects to education, it is useful to understand that the phrase â€Å"learning† means diverse things to diverse people and is applied fairly differently in diverse theories (Tough, 2003). As theories of learning developed over the past half-centu ry, descriptions of learning modified from transformations, which happen in the brain or actions of a person to changes in participation in enduring activities with other people to transform in an individual’s identity in a group (for instance, a change to being a leader from being a follower). Even though, a majority of definitions of learning entail a change in a person’s knowledge, capacity to carry out a skill, or take part in an event with other people, there are significant differences among the theories concerning the nature of this amend (Tough, 2003). This paper will apply two educational theories – social learning and behaviorism – to an educational experience that I have associated with and critically examine how well these two theories account for that experience. Social Learning Mary, a 37 year old Nigerian woman living with HIV/AIDs, was acknowledged by From the Ground Up – a group that is involved in building HIV/AIDs programs to hel p both those who are affected, as well as infected with the virus – for her outstanding service who elevate people from the illness. Her story mainly reflects the social learning theory (peer education), which I find extremely significant to associate with as HIV/AIDs is a disease that has affected many in our world today. Mary states that her personal