Your Voice. Your College Essay.

What do you want colleges to know about you when they read your essay? The college essay is arguably one of the most important parts of the application. Learn what makes an essay stand out to college admission officers and what to look out for in your writing. Colleges want to see students who are good at what they do. They want students with a variety of skills and it is imperative to show each one what you have to offer. Some skills, such as the ability to understand science, mathematics and the humanities are a given when you apply to colleges. Your academic performance shows colleges how proficient you are in these subjects. However, other skills, including leadership, public speaking, organization, teamwork, etc. are not calculated in a transcript. Instead, you must show them what you are good at. When I applied to colleges, one of the first tasks that I gave myself was to make a list of words, adjectives and phrases that I wanted colleges to notice. I wanted them to know about my leadership in the classroom and outside, my ability to speak to large audiences easily and my undying passion for teamwork. These were the three skills that I thought were most important to communicate to colleges, so I constructed responses and described extracurricular activities relevant to those three skills. Each time you write an essay or add an extracurricular activity, think for a moment what this tells colleges. Does it demonstrate one of your skills? or does it just give them a fun fact about yourself? Each sentence you write should be strategically placed in order to demonstrate your skills. There isn’t a better way to show colleges what you are good at than through extracurriculars and responses to various essay prompts. By the time I have completed my application, I asked my sister, brother, family members and close friends to review it. I only showed them extracurricular activities and responses to the essays and asked them what they have learned about me. I also asked specific questions, such as what skills they thought I had, and what skills they thought I lacked. One of the best ways to show colleges one of your strengths is through the â€Å"overcoming a challenge or ethical dilemma† question. Answering this question tells the colleges three things: a personal story about yourself and the types of activities that you perform, the way in which you think under stressful conditions, and what skills you have used or learned in order to overcome that challenge. This is perhaps the best out of all the application essays for you to show the colleges what your biggest strengths are. At the end of the day, the college admissions officers will see the applications through their lenses. By presenting yourself in the way described above, you quietly suggest to colleges that you would be a great addition to their campus. Each item is crafted to point them in the right direction. Hopefully, those extra skills and traits that you include will convince admissions officers to accept you. Conveying the right message in your essay is essential to getting a colleges attention. Make sure that your combined essays allow each facet of your personality to shine, whether in strong extracurriculars, word choice, or compelling stories.

The Top 6 ACT Science Tips You Must Use

The Top 6 ACT Science Tips You Must Use SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Many students struggle with ACT Science. Students, who came to me for tutoring after taking their first official ACT test, typically performed worst on this section.It is very fast and unlike any other science test. This section more than any other is about pacing and strategy. I was able to boost my ACT Science score 5 points with a few tips.So, what simple tips and tricks can you use to boost your ACT Science score right now? ACT Science Tip #1: Save the Conflicting Viewpoints Passage for Last Every question in the ACT Science section is worth the same point value, so you want to get the most points in the limited amount of time given (35 minutes total or 52.5 seconds per question). To get the most points, you should save the most time-consuming passage for last, which conflicting viewpoints is.If you do not know the 3 Types of ACT Science Passages, read this articlefirst. As a brief summary, there are 3 types of passages, 7 passages used on the test: 3 Data Representation Passages 3 Research Summaries Passages 1 Conflicting Viewpoints Passage The Conflicting Viewpoints Passage has no graphs or tables.Instead, there are two or more scientists/students/theories presented in short paragraphs.The questions ask you about each viewpoint and the differences and similarities between the viewpoints.You need to read and understand the entire passage to answer the questions.Therefore, this passage will take the longest, so save it for last, so it doesn’t kill your pace. Conflicting Viewpoints should be THE END You should be able to speed through the other 2 types of passages using our next tip: ACT Science Tip #2: Use Only Visuals to Answer Questions in Data Representation and Research Summary Passages Again, since every question is worth the same point value and you only have 52.5 seconds per question, you want to answer as many questions as you can in the shortest amount of time. Saving Conflicting Viewpoints until the end will save you some time, but not reading the Data Representation and Research Summary passages will save you even more time. Most of the questions in these 2 types of passages can be answered by using the visuals and not reading the passage, so you will actually save time and answer more questions correctly by not reading these passages! Counterintuitive, I know. Since the majority of the questions ask you about data which is presented in the visuals, you just need to look at these visuals to find the correct answer. Learn more about this in our other article on time management and section strategy. Again, skip reading these passages, jump right to the questions and answer as many as you can with visuals alone.If you can’t get to a final answer, at least use the visuals for process of elimination: ACT Science Tip #3: Use Process of Elimination Again,you have very little time on the ACT Science section (5 minutes per passage or 52.5 seconds per question). You need to find ways to make the best use of your limited time. So, as you start to notice what cannot be the correct answer, cross it out. This process of elimination will help you make the best use of your time and will lead you to the correct answer. If you don'tuse process of elimination, you may jump to pick an answer before making sure it is the best answer choice. With process of elimination, you know your final answer is the only one thatCANbe correct. If it is wrong, cross it out! You do not want to let anything slow you down, including the big science terms: ACT Science Tip #4: Make Sure You Read the Right Figure and Pay Attention to Labels In my experience teaching students, the most common careless mistake I see is reading the wrong figure and mixing up the labels. If you look at Figure 2 when you're supposed to be looking at Figure 3, you'll make huge mistakes. And you can bet the ACT has trap answers that bait you into these mistakes. Similarly, graphs often have labeled x and y-axes, and you need to make sure you're looking at the correct axis to find the correct data value. Check out my guide on reading graphs to make sure you don't make these mistakes. ACT Science Tip #5: Don't Get Stuck onBig Science Terms ACT Science is really a misnomer; the test should be called the â€Å"reading with very confusing big words and tricky visuals† section.The reason ACT Science does not force you to memorize AP level Bio or complete IB Physics HL problems is that not everyone takes all of that math in high school. For ACT Science to be a fair standardized test for all high school students, the test asks you about basic science concepts in tricky or confusing ways. The ACT Science does not expect you to be familiar with the big science terms it throws at you. ACT Science Tip #6: Don't Study ScienceTerms If you need to know a science term to answer a question, the term will be defined for you in the passage. For most of the large science terms that are not defined,you will not need to understand them to get to the answer.Think of it as a matching game. If a question asks about average change in AGTB and you do not know what that is, simply find the term â€Å"average change in AGTB† in a visual (such as a graph) and then see if you can find the data you need to answer the question. There are only 4 outside knowledge questions on ACT Science that require you to know concepts outside of the passage. We detail every concept you need to know in this guide. Recap Use these 6 tips and you will see an instant improvement: Save the Conflicting Viewpoints Passage for last. Try to use only visuals to answer questions in Data Representation and Research Summary Passages. Use Process of Elimination. Make sure you read the right figure and pay attention to labels. Do not get caught up in the big science terms. Don't actually study science to improve your score. Keep these tips in mind before your test and you'll avoid careless mistakes and save time! These strategies alone may not help you push your score to the maximum. Be sure to check out our other articles for maximum score improvement. What’s Next? Learnabout the differenttypes of questions on the ACT Science section such asfactual questions,interpreting trends questions, and experimental design and hypothetical change questions. Looking for overall ACT Science review? Read our complete guide to the section. Taking the ACT really soon? Check out our guide to cramming. Want to improve your ACT score by 4+ points? Download our free guide to the top 5 strategies you need in your prep to improve your ACT score dramatically.

5 Career Strategies You Can Take from The Art of War

5 Career Strategies You Can Take from The Art of War If you’ve ever read The Art of War by Sun Tzu, you know that it was meant to be a guide for actual warfare. Taken slightly less literally, all these centuries later, it’s also a handy guide for approaching and surviving any kind of conflict, including those at work- not to mention a fantastic primer for building your leadership skills. Let’s look at some of the key points in the book that you can apply to your own career.1. Strategy is Everythingâ€Å"Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win.†If you don’t have a plan, it’s easy to get mired in the day-to-day and lose sight of your goals. It’s crucial to have short-term and long-term professional goals so you’re making active progress, instead of just dealing with whatever comes your way and waiting around for the next thing.2. Be Ready to Compromiseâ€Å"The greatest victory is that which requires no battle.à ¢â‚¬ You may know you’re right on a particular point or a way to do things, but ask yourself- if I go all in on this, what is achieved here? Part of being a team member means being ready to compromise and negotiate to make sure work is getting done. If you’re working on your own, then sure- it’s your way or else. If you’re working with others, it’s important to take their points of view into account as well. Knowing your priorities can help you figure out when it’s important to fight for something, and when you’d be better off finding a compromise.3. Keep Calmâ€Å"The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.†Work is not the place to lose your cool, even when things are rough, or someone makes you angry. Find alternative ways to settle conflicts without yelling. You can also work on your at-work relaxation techniques to help you cope with stress and resolve issues without flying off the handle.4. Embrace Off ice Politicsâ€Å"He will win who knows how to handle both superior and inferior forces.†Workplaces have politics. This is just as true if you work in a fast food restaurant as it is if you work for a Fortune 500 company. Any time you put different personalities together to achieve common goals, part of your own job will be working together with others to make sure you’re getting things done.Rather than avoid conflicts, work on them and through them. You’ll be building good skills, and racking up experience points you can point to later for a promotion or a new job.5. Keep Your Confidence Levels Upâ€Å"You have to believe in yourself.†Strategy, planning, and good habits are fantastic ways to boost your career, but they’re not the most important element- you are. If you play to your strengths and know that you can handle whatever comes your way (even if it requires some extra battle planning), that confidence can improve both your work performance and the quality of opportunities that come your way.

Proposed Website Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Proposed Website - Assignment Example The body of the essay will explore various aspects of the proposed website. The proposed website Jenkins (2012, p. 9) in his studies described a website as, â€Å"a set of related web pages that contain contexts such as audio, video, image, and text, among others.† McNeil (2010) further noted that a website is usually hosted on a web server that can be accessed through the Internet or through a local area network that has an internet address, which is known as Uniform Resource Locator. Since Dual-Tech Inc is in the business of selling and distributing electrical appliances, the proposed website will be a commercial website that will serve various purposes and therefore, it will fit into various classifications of websites. For example, the proposed website will be a corporate website that offers information about Dual-Tech Inc and secondly, the proposed website will be an electronic commerce website that enables vendors to purchase electrical appliances via the online channel. On the basis that the proposed website will be an e-commerce website, it is of essence to note that it will be product based. This means that the proposed website will involve the actual selling of electrical appliances through the website whereby vendors will be required to wire funds or payments through electronic transfer and afterwards the company will dispatch the electrical appliances to their preferred location. Secondly, on the basis that the website will be an electronic commerce website it is beneficial to note that the proposed website will act as shop window for Dual-Tech Inc. Basic features of the proposed website First of all the website will be accessed through the local area network within Dual-Tech Inc premises and secondly it will be accessed through the internet connection, which will enable employees to login into the website from any location outside the business premises. This will be enabled by hosting the website in a server that offers both connectivity and is reliable. Secondly, by giving the website a unique domain name it will enable users to access the website easily as it will come as the first item during any search. On the issue of connectivity, the proposed website will be designed in a manner to ensure that users can access the website through smart phones and tablets, and this will be guaranteed by hosting the website in a web server that offers great connectivity from any location using various mediums such as personal or work computers, smart phones, and tablets. Since three different users will be using the website, it will have three different levels of access. The public will not have any special access rather they will only be allowed to view pages within the website that gives a preview of the company, stocks available, location of the business premises, key officials of the company, mission statement, and the objectives of the company. Vendors and employees of Dual-Tech Inc will have different access panels. Vendorsà ¢â‚¬â„¢ access panel will lead them to a web page that contains the list of stocked items and available online payment options that are secure. As for the employees’ access panel, it will lead them to

American Architecture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

American Architecture - Essay Example In 1879, after four years of studies spent under the tutelage of another famous architect of that time John Edelmann, Sullivan was hired as a junior partner by the famous structural engineer Dankmar Adler. Their partnership lasted until the year of 1896 when Sullivan started to experiment with new materials such as steel girders that made possible construction of much taller buildings than before. Sullivan had certain creative differences and disputed intensively about style issues with Daniel Burnham, the author of the Columbian Exposition in Jackson Park in 1893 and with one of his students, Frank Lloyd Wright. Sullivan insisted that 'form should follow function' thus proclaiming the primary importance of the purpose of a building as compared to the design1. Sullivan's legacy is an important element of modern Chicago. The Jewler's Building at 17 S. Ashland Avenue designed and built by Adler and Sullivan in 1882 was designated as one of Chicago landmarks a century later. Together with Adler he also built the Kaufman Store and Flats at 2312-2314 N. Lincoln Avenue designated a city's landmark in 1996. Another famous masterpieces of Sullivan which became Chicago landmarks are the Holy Trinity Russian Orthodox Cathedral and Rectory located at 1121 N. Leavitt Street build by Sullivan alone in 1903, the Auditorium Theater at Roosevelt University, and the Carson, Pirie, Scott Store at the corner of State and Madison. Integrity of structure and ornament, emotional tension of the form, and outstanding individuality of the building are the most noticeable features of Sullivan's style: "Nurtured by the artists sympathy with life, the ornament spoke: it was the voice of the artist and the building -- indeed they were one, the building a 'stock personality' and the architect an interpreter and prophet"2. Today Sullivan is considered perhaps the most influential architect and critic of the Chicago School, the father of the modern skyscraper, and a mentor to another outstanding American architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Frank Lloyd Wright Frank Lloyd Wright (June 8, 1867 - April 9, 1959), one of most innovative and prolific American architects of the last century, was born in Richland Center, Wisconsin. Wright attended but did not finish the high school in Madison, Wisconsin, and in 1885 entered the University of Wisconsin where he studied civil engineering. In 1887 Wright moved to Chicago to go apprentice to a well-known Chicago architect, Joseph Lyman Silsbee. It was during that time that Wright worked with Louis Sullivan whom he would later acknowledge as a mentor. At the end of 1880s Wright got married and moved to Oak Park, Illinois. In 1893, he quit his partnership with Sullivan and established his own firm in Chicago. After five years Wright transferred his practice to Oak Park where he had his most productive and stable days. Sidetracked by romantic misadventures, Wright designed some buildings in Arizona and Wisconsin, but those works were not as good as the works of his Illinois period. Frank Lloyd Wright founded the Prairie School of Architecture characterized by long and horizontal designs and organic architecture that won a wide domestic and international acclaim. Wright's rehash of the famous Sullivan's

Effect of Background Environment on Learning and Recognition

Effect of Background Environment on Learning and Recognition The effect of background environment on the learning and recognition of Chinese numeric characters Abstract Previous researches on human memory found that the context present at learning and testing can have a significant impact on how well information is remembered, suggesting that information learned in one context is better recalled when the same context is reinstated during testing (McGeoch, 1932; Godden Baddeley, 1975; Schwabe Wolf, 2009). The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of classical background music on learning and recognition of Chinese numeric characters. Participants (N=60) were randomly exposed to four different situations over an established period of time while given a sheet consisting of nine Chinese numeric characters to remember. After remembering the list of numbers they were tested on their recall of the numbers either in the same environment they were learnt or in the alternative environment. Using a 22 between-subject designs analysis it was found that recall was better in the matching conditions. Additionally, numbers learned in a quiet conditio n produced more errors during recall in a noisy condition, suggesting that performance is worse when the environmental contexts are mismatched. These results suggest that the effects of background noise on memory retrieval can be eliminated when a dissimilar learning context is reinstated at test. These findings have important implications for educational concerns. Introduction The theory of working memory model considers the mind to have strictly limited attention resources in processing parallel steams of information, and can become overloaded when exposed to excessive amount of information. Early investigations of memory discovered that the context at learning and recall can have an impact on how well information is remembered, suggesting that information learned in one context is better remembered when similar context is reinstated during recall. Accordingly, in this context it has been established by prior studies that external stimuli such as background music would possibly interfere with cognitive processing. Previous researches that have tested recognition memory in an environmental context that is different from the learning context have produced inconsistent results. (Davidson, Powell, 1986; Banburry Berry, 1998) observed that background music enhance task performance on a variety of tasks. However, (Saufley, OtakaBavaresco, 1985; Klatte, Bergstro m Lachmann, 2013) found that students’ exam performance were not significantly better when learning and testing took place in the same environmental context, compare to a different context. This aspect of memory has been known as context-dependent memory (CDM). The CDM has been extended to different context and have received some previous attentions in the literature, including; olfactory stimuli (Pointer Bond, 1998; Cann Ross, 1989), alcohol states (Eich, 1980), and testing environment (Godden Baddeley, 1975), among many other context. Background music has been shown to be another potential context under which CDM seems to occur. In a number of studies changes in context between learning and testing have produced a significant affect during recall,whereas, in other studies this effects has not been shown (GeiselmanGlenny, 1977; Geiselman Bjork, 1980; Russo, Ward, GeurtsScheres, 1999; Smith, Glenberg Bjork, 1978; Smith Vela, 2001; Godden Baddeley, 1975; Smith, 1985; Fernandez Alonso, 2001). Nevertheless while external stimulus (such as music) appears to enhance individuals’ learning, it could be distracting to others. For instance, (Smith, 1985) examined the e ffect of background music on CDM. In which subjects were asked to learn a list of words under one of three background music conditions (Mozart piece, jazz selection or quiet condition). He concluded that participants who were exposed to the same musical context recalled significantly more words during testing. This provides evidence that the idea of background music can serve as an effective retrieval cue for earlier learned material and does produce CDM effects. According to the literature cited above, individuals tend to recall information better when the environmental context matches from encoding to retrieval. This was supportedin a study conducted by (Grant, Bredahl, Clay, Ferrie, McDorman Dark, 1998). In this study, the participants were instructed to study meaningful information under either noisy or quiet conditions. Then, they were asked multiple-choice and short-answer questions on the previously learned material. A reduction in recall was noticed in participants whose noise level was mismatched during learning and testing compare to those whose noise-level was matched. This suggests if the music played throughoutthe administration of the test and learning is the same, this will improves memory because similar background cues promote memory retrieval. Researches have also demonstrated the effects of background noise on task performance (Hygge, Evans Bullinger, 2002; Ylias and Heaven, 2003), underlining the harmful effects of noise as a distractoron an individual’s performance. Banbury and Berry (1998) found that performance was lower in the presence of background noise (taped office noise) compare to quiet conditions during recall. Also greater disruption was noticed when both learning and recall occurred in the same noisy environment. However, there has also been research contradicting these findings. Avila,Furnham and McClelland (2011) found no significant difference in task performance in the presence background noise. The present study considers the effects of background environment on learning and recognition of Chinese numeric characters. Three research questions are addressed. The first question is whether learning context affect recall. The second research question is whether testing context affect recall. And finally, the third research question that was addressed is to see whether there is an interaction between learning contexts and testing context. Also, in line with previous studies (Grant, Bredahl, Clay, Ferrie, McDorman Dark, 1998; Cann Ross, 1989; Smith, 1985), it was predicted that there would be an effect of context. It was expected that tasks performed in learn quiet-test quiet conditions would yield better results during recall than tasks performed in learn noisy-test noisy conditions, indicating that the background environment(Classical music) is a distracter to performance. The rationale for these predictions would be that background music could prevent full concentration on memo ry task; this could be because extra information during testing could be distracting to participants. Additionally, percentage error scores were expected to be significantly higher in the quiet-noisy condition during learning and recall, suggesting that background noise contribute to lower performance in memory. Perhaps this could be due to the fact that attention will be drawn to the background music while learning, therefore, leading to poorer recall during testing. Finally, performance was predicted to be significantly higherin no background noise condition. The rationale for these results would be that according to prior studies the presence of background noiseand changed environment during recall could impair performance, potentially through distraction. Method Design The first research question used a 22 between-subjects design to analyse the collected data. This was chosen to determine whether differences exist between different background situations (quiet and noisy) and whether one is more effective than the other. The independent variable was context at learning, with two levels; quiet and noisy. This addresses whether background music affects learning. The second research questions also used a between-subjects design. The independent variable was the context at testing, with two levels; quiet and noisy. This addresses whether background music affects recall at testing. The third research question addresses whether there this a interaction between context at learning and testing. For all the research questions the dependent variable was the number of errors. This was measured by counting the numbers of incorrect answers given by each participant. Participants Sixty participants (22 Males, 38 Females), ranging in age from 18 to 65 years old (M=29, SD=12. 1) participated in the study. The groups were randomly allocated from personal contacts of the researchers. Participants were divided into four groups each assigned to four different conditions. However, it is important to note that any Chinese participants or anyone with a previous knowledge of Chinese language were excluded from the study, due to the nature of the task. Materials (or Measures) The stimuli were the ‘noise’,which was played via Youtube throughout the study for a specific condition. Since classical music may cover a wide range of stylistic variances, the present study used Vivaldi The Four Seasonsthis was chosen as classical music is frequently heard in the radio and thus musical style would be familiar to the participants (VanWeelden, 2012). The test consisted of nine Chinese numeric characters,which were selected for the purpose of the study (appendix). In order to avoid practice destruction sheet (word search) was used, which was randomly selected on the Internet (appendix 7). Procedure The experiment was conducted in a room assigned by the researchers. Participants were given consent forms to fill out at the beginning of the study and were informed of their right to withdraw at any point (appendix 3,4). They were also given an instruction sheet, detailing what they were required to do (appendix 2). The study was an independent-measure design. All sixty participants were assigned to four different conditions. Each condition consisted of 15 participants and depending on their groups they were exposed to either a quiet or a noisy room with classical music being played in the background. Also, depending on the conditions the researchers explained to the participants that music would be played while they were given a sheet with nine Chinese numeric characters to remember the meaning of (appendix 1). The participants were then given five minutes to remember the meaning of each numeric character. Then, in order to redirect participant’s attention and to avoid pract ice subjects were given a distraction task of a word search to complete under three minutes. Then, they were asked to return to their respective room, depending on their conditions (quiet or noisy) and were allowed five minutes to identify the meanings of the same nine Chinese characters on a separate testing sheet presenting with symbols but no meanings (appendix 6). At the end of the experiment participants were debriefed (appendix 5) and instructed in the same verbal and written manner throughout the experiment. Result The analysis conducted a 22 ANOVA with learn (quiet, noisy) and test (quiet, noisy) conditions as between-subject variables were conducted on the percentage error recall. This was done In order to determine whether recall would be higher when the learning and testing context were quiet in comparison to noisy, and whether recall would be better when learning and testing context matched compared to mismatched. The mean and standard deviation for recall scores are reported in table 1. The results of the ANOVA confirmed that as predicted there was a significant main effect of context at learningF(1,56)=6. 287, P=0. 015, such that participants made significantly more errors in a noisycondition than in a quiet condition (M=22. 96 and M=11. 85 respectively). (See graph 1, figure 1). In addition, along with the prediction, there was not a significant main effect of context at test (p>0. 05),noisy condition produced more error compare to quiet condition (M= 21. 48 and M=13. 33 respectively). And finally, There was not a statistically significant interaction effect between learning and testing context, F(1,56)=3. 381, P=0. 071. This means that context at learning had the same effect at both levels of the other IV, context at test. Table 1. Percentage memory recall during quiet and noisy test conditions following quiet and noisy learning conditions. Figure 1: Estimated mean log of errors scores in Chinese numeric character recall task of context at learning. Discussion Our primary goal in this experiment was to examine the effect of background music on learning and recall. It was predicted that the detrimental influence of background music on memory retrieval would be lessened if the learning and retrieval environments matched. The present findings confirmed this prediction. The participants performed worse when the learning and testing context were dissimilar. This is in line with previous studies of impaired memory retrieval following background noise (Dalton Behm, 2007; Dobbs, Furnham McClelland, 2011). If, however, the learning and testing context were matched, this detrimental effect of stress disappeared. But, in confliction with some studies, the results provide no evidence for an interaction of background music and context effects in memory processes. Participants learned better in learn quiet-test quiet condition (M=11. 85), but did not necessarily recall higher when they were tested in a noisy condition (M=31. 11). Also, participants prod uced more errors in learn noisy-test noisy (M=14. 81) as opposed to learn noisy-test quiet condition (M=11. 85), suggesting that participants performed poorly when the learning and test context were mismatched. This can be supported by many studies (Fernandez Alonso, 2001; Schwabe Wolf, 2009). Although we focused mainly on the manipulation of the environmental (i. e. , external) context, it is important to note that the presence or absence of other stimuli can also be conceptualised as a change in internal context. In this study internal stimulus such as personality trait, emotional state and mood were not assessed during learning and recall. Also, mood, which can be affected by emotions and feelings, can improve or hinder with successful learning model of the engaged individual. Additionally, as mentioned before personality trait could be a factor that needs to be considered. The influence of music on memory performance has also been linked to personality types. A study piloted by Furnham and Bradley (1997) demonstratedthat pop music could be a distracter on the performance of introverts and extraverts. It was proposed that in the presence of music extravert would perform better than introverts. The findings determined that when pop music was played recall was severely le ssened for both introverts and extraverts. Also, it was shown that introverts recalled significantly lower than extraverts in the presence of pop music condition as well as introverts in the silent condition. Overall, introverts seemed to be easily distracted in the presence of background noise. This researchexposed evidence that overall background noise, such as music, TV and background conversation could improve performance in complicated cognitive tasks for extraverts, while it will considerably impair introverts’ task performance (Furnham Bradley, 1997; Dobbs, Furnham McClelland, 2011). A possible confounding variable in between-subjects designs in this experiment could have been related to individual differences, in which the participants’ characteristic differed one group to another, for instance the participants in one group may be older, smarter, then the participants in another group. This was somehow controlled by giving the exact same information to every participant and treated equally. Also, environmental variables may have affected the findings in which characteristics of the environment differed between groups, for example the groups were tested in different rooms, one group may be tested in a larger room and another group in a smaller room. However, we had no control over assignment of individuals to groups, as the groups were randomly allocated. It is important to note that the Chinese numeric characters where unfamiliar to the participants, these may have affected their recall regardless the condition their were set in, however, this needs to be taken into further consideration. A group of different ages were exposed to one task that had been designed to assess the participants’ ability ton how well they canremember unfamiliar Chinese characters. As Fernandez Alonso (2001) found that older participants recall better when they were tested in the same context, but no effects was shown for the younger participants. However, this had no impact on the direction of the data, but it makes the sample less reliable. In summary, the results of the present experiment indicate that the detrimental effects of background music on memory retrieval can be prevented when the environmental context at learning and testing match. These findings have important implications for educational concerns, to find out whether the negative impact of background music on learning or testing will be reduced if students are tested in the same room/context, instead of in an unfamiliar room. Word count: 2194

Dissertation Sample †Is it Possible to Reduce the Harm Caused by Human Trafficking?

Abstract This paper reviews the practice and extent of human trafficking across the globe in order to assess the harm which is inflicted upon victims. This paper utilises case studies and academic research from the USA and Northern Ireland in order to find that regardless of the activity or the experiences of victims, all experiences psychological trauma. However this paper finds that there is also an informational black hole which can potentially impact upon the treatment of victims following a period in captivity, Introduction The phenomenon of human trafficking has increased as a problematic national international issue in recent years. Both state in non-state actors have attempted to combat this industry, however the focus upon the experiences of harm which victims experiences remains part of a subjective construct. This paper assesses what harm victims experience but in doing so seeks to address the extent and scale of human trafficking as a local and global issue. This paper utilises academic research and state policies from the USA and the Northern Irish Province of the UK in order to make findings in relation to the harm which human trafficking causes. This paper concludes that all victims of human trafficking experience psychological harm regardless of the role which they were expected to undertake. In essence, victims are reduced to being defined as begin vulnerable as a result of their experiences. What is Human Trafficking It is estimated that human trafficking earns criminal syndicates around $32 billion per annum (Haken 2011). The human trafficking networks which exist across the globe impact upon. It is a system that can be evidenced in almost all countries and of people who reside in those states (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNDOC), 2011). The natural conclusion to any research on the subject of human trafficking tends to conform to an idea that it concerns the transportation of a large number of vulnerable people from the periphery to the core (UNODC, 2011). A number of centres of gravity have been established where trafficking gangs tend to concentrate their efforts. These areas include, but are not limited to, Western Europe, Dubai and the USA. However, other markets also exist in countries such as India where there is a market in both the internal relocation of victims, in this case predominately children, of trafficking, and externally to the aforementioned locations (Finnegan 20 08). Global approaches to human trafficking are overseen by the United Nations (UN) which defines the practice as being the ‘recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation’ (UNODC 2000: n.p.). The UN working definition has been commuted in to the legal frameworks of domestic jurisdictions which, despite being semantically different they are, for all intent purpose, they possess the same underlying meaning as that of the UN’s. In the USA for example, the practice of human trafficking is legally defined as being ‘Trafficking in persons† and â€Å"human trafficking† have been used as umbrella terms for the act of re cruiting, harboring, transporting, providing, or obtaining a person for compelled labor or commercial sex acts through the use of force, fraud, or coercion’ (US Dept of State, 2014: n.p.). In the UK, In the UK, the racquets which organise human trafficking are defined as being ‘those involved, normally working with others, in continuing serious criminal activities for substantial profit, whether based in the UK or elsewhere† (SOCA, 2013: n.p.). A number of international bodies also are incorporated into the fight against human trafficking. The World Bank, for example, possesses its own definition human trafficking as ‘the abuse of public power for private benefit’ (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime 2011: 5). Other organisation which are active in the fight against human trafficking includes the International Labour Organisation (2013: n.p.) which supports a perspective that women make up just over half of all trafficked people, with males and children making up the remainder. In essence, the issue and prevalence of human trafficking is considered to be an important issue on global as well as domestic terms and incorporates state and non-state activity (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, 2011: 4). In the USA, the local perspective considers that human trafficking is akin to a form of modern slavery (US Dept of State, 2014: n.p.). Modern Slavery Discourse With human trafficking being considered as akin to modern slavery is a label which is highly relevant to this subject area. Figures regarding trafficking to the USA are wide. For example Baldwin, Eisenman, Sayles, Ryan & Chuang (2011: 1) suggest that eighteen thousand are trafficked there annually, whilst Hughes (2001: 9) presented estimated of over one hundred thousand per annum. In this instance it is arguable that both may be correct. Recent years have seen US border controls and immigration fall within the remit of Homeland Security (Dept for Homeland Security, 2014). In their article, Hepburn and Simon (2010: 1) note that legislative definitions of human trafficking are similar. The reason for this is that all states take their leads from the UN policy. The UN definition, therefore, can be considered as being all encompassing and constitutes a policy which the majority of, if not all, states agree upon. Indeed a number of third party non-governmental organisations also have policies and working definitions in this area. One country of focus for the USA in its fight against human trafficking is Moldova which the USA sees as being a main country of origin for those trafficked to its shores. Additionally the US government argues that ‘women and children (are) trafficked for the purpose of sexual exploitation to the Balkans; other European countries; and the Middle East’ (Embassy for the United States: Moldova 2013: n.p.). One factor for the discrepancy for the difficulty in calculating the numbers of victims of trafficking is the nature of the activity. Since it incorporates criminal actions which seeks to secrete victims into a host nation, the possibility of creating accurate figures is an extremely challenging task. Indeed this is a reality which the UK government realised when attempting to evaluate the extent of the practice in that country as well as the wider European Union space (HM Parliament, 2009: 9). At this point it is to be noted that there is a clear difference between the transportation of people by illegal or criminal organisations via human trafficking and the international migrant trade. In the latter of these, willing participants pay syndicates to move to another country. Finnegan (2008) notes that human trafficking routinely involves further criminal offences including fraud, deception and coercion, and can result in the employment of people in, for example, forced labour and prostitution. In the vast majority of cases it can be assessed that those victims who are trafficked are aiming to escape from social deprivations, conflict, violence and poverty (Finnegan, 2008). Similarly there tends to be a level of state involvement through corrupt practices by individual state agents (Finnegan 2008). UNODC (2013) argues that trafficking for the purposes of prostitution and sexual exploitation comprises the vast majority of cases. This narrative provides a greater insight into the phenomenon of human trafficking in affected countries however on a personal scale the impact upon the victims can be considered to be more devastating. Harm caused by Human Trafficking It is noted that in the UK, the devolved Northern Irish authority argues that there must be three components for human trafficking to occur. These components are the act, the means and the purpose (Public Prosecution Service for Northern Ireland, 2012).Each of these components must be in place for the offence of human trafficking to be considered as a crime. The referred to act concerns the recruitment of people; the means brings into play coercion, threats or intimidation; whilst the threats or force in order to coerce people whilst the purpose equates to the role being carried out, for example, prostitution, forced labour et al (Public Prosecution Service for Northern Ireland 2012: 4). Where all three of these elements have been confirmed, the possibility for prosecution is increased. Similarly a support network for victims is initiated. In the USA victims of human trafficking are predominately considered as being an issue for health care providers (Baldwin et al., 2011: 2). This policy is based upon statistical research which argues that over a quarter of all people who have been trafficked are in need of medical care whilst under the control of their captors (Baldwin et al., 2011: 2). These findings have placed the US healthcare system at the forefront of the fight in identifying victims and, by implication, the controlling criminal racquet. However Baldwin et al. (2011: 2) highlight the fact that information regarding the impact of trafficking on victims remains scant and argue that this finding is based upon a lack of data from state organisations such as law enforcement agencies, health care providers and human rights groups. Baldwin et al.( 2011: 1-3) reach this outcome despite the widespread practice which they argue can be found across the USA in over ninety cities and in thirty states. However the scant inf ormation which has been reflected thus far in this paper, in terms of state led assessments and academic research also suggests that the extent of human trafficking remains part of a subjective narrative. The US based National Human Trafficking Response Centre (2014: n.p.) notes the extent of trafficking is almost half of that which was argued by Baldwin et al. (2011) and is also different form that discussed by Coonan (2004). These outcomes impact upon the policy responses to issues related to harm which is experienced by people who have been trafficked, particularly where there are a number of medical or psychological interventions needed to assist victims in recovering from their experiences. The study conducted by Coonan’s (2004) utilised a number of victims of human trafficking, many of whom had originated from Mexico (Coonan, 2005: 208). All, bar one, had been employed in the sex trade with the latter being used for domestic servitude. All of these participants showed symptoms of mental health issues which related to a strong desire for physical security. However it is to be noted that Coonan (2004) failed to question victims on the rationale for this desire. As such, this area too remains part of a subjective concept and represents an inherent weakness in Coonan’s (2004) The need for physical security could potentially relate to a psychological fear of being taken and forced back into the activity which they were previously undertaking, or it could provide evidence of a need for safety from physical beating. Either way the strong desire for physical security is indicative of mental strain and evidence of trauma. As a further failing in Coonan’s ( 2004) paper it is to be noted that he did not discuss the experiences of being caught up in the human trafficking trade. This is a missed opportunity to gain a greater insight into the harm done by experiences. A further study by Hepburn and Simon (2010) provides details of the experiences of victims and, as a result, provides a greater insight into the harm done during time in captivity. Hepburn and Simon (2010: 6) state that women who were trafficked to join the US sex trade had to have sex over six hundred times simply to pay off their debts. Added to this were accommodation and food bills, resulting in a continual captive state. In this particular instance these women had to live in a condemned building, had no choice but to drink contaminated water and trap pigeons in order to eat. As such, in this case, long term physical illness cannot be ruled out. Similarly the exposure to regular sexual activity means that sexually transmitted disease cannot be ruled out (Hepburn and Simon, (2010: 6-7). One area where Hepburn and Simon were successful in their study was to concretise the need for physical security, where here, it can be evidenced that a fear of being recaptured was an overriding factor in the low mental health status of victims. Hepburn and Simon (2010: 8) also highlighted that women had been, in part, exposed to domestic US life, resulting in additional men tal stress and trauma Harm Reduction Programmes The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (2009: 9) notes the psychological impact of trafficking upon victims and argues that the experiences of people are akin to a state of Stockholm syndrome. Here, captives are psychologically attacked to their captors and are subsequently mentally aligned to their captors (Graham, (1994: xvi). In essence the experiences of trafficked people is not dissimilar to the psychological experiences of those who have been taken hostage, cult members or long term prisoners of war (Graham, 1994: xvi). This is a factor which the Northern Irish authorities have recognised and people who have been liberated from trafficking are subsequently placed in a secure accommodation setting for six weeks in order that they can reflect upon their experiences whilst in captivity (Public Prosecution Service, 2012: 15). The process also helps victims to come to terms with a number of other areas of their experiences, obtain medical assessments and access the relevant tr eatments. The main overriding factor which affects all people is the psychological issue. This occurs regardless of the role which was undertaken. A further benefit of this approach is that it allows victims to open upon about their experiences and can help law enforcement agencies gather information in order to improve their intelligence assessments of the extent and practices which occur within their jurisdiction. However the overriding factor in the approach which the Northern Irish authorities utilise is based upon recognition that victims are vulnerable. It is this recognition that informs subsequent intervention processes from a plethora of state organisations. In essence, victims in Northern Ireland experience a multi agency response which is highly individualised and may include health specialists, social services, mental health services, law enforcement and immigration services. One further factor to note is that victims in this Province are also granted an immigration one year stay of execution in order that the relevant authorities can oversee their integration back in to civil society prior to being returned to their homeland and families (Public Prosecution Service, 2012: 13-22). Conclusions In conclusion, information regarding the harm caused by human trafficking is still evolving. Where information is available it is evident that all victims experience mental trauma as a result of their experiences. In achieving this finding this paper has assessed the scale and extent of the practice and has considered academic and state led research and practices. The mental harm experienced is indicative of a psychological state which is akin to Stockholm syndrome; as a result victims can be classed as being vulnerable and are in need of individualised levels of care. Knowledge of this outcome has the potential to reduce the harm caused by human trafficking however the evident lack of complete information is hampering the ability of institutions and state agencies to limit the harm done. As an issue of best practice the Northern Irish system can be seen as being the best approach to limiting harm and to promote a successful recovery. Bibliography Baldwin, S., Eisenman, D., Sayles, J., Ryan, G., & Chuang, K., (2011), Identification of Human Trafficking Victims in Health Care Settings, (J), Health and Human Rights, Vol. 13, (1), pp. 1-15. Coonan, T., (2004), Human Trafficking: Victims Voices in Florida, (J), Journal of Social Work Research and Evaluation, Vol. 5, (2), pp. 207 – 218. Dept for Homeland Security, (2014), Fixing Our Broken Immigration System Through Executive Action – Key Facts, (online), available at http://www.dhs.gov/immigration-action?utm_source=hp_feature&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=dhs_hp, (accessed on 01/12/14). 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