Why Iq Tests Dont Test Intelligence Essays - Psychometrics

Why Iq Tests Don't Test Intelligence Why IQ tests don't test intelligence The task of trying to quantify a person's intelligence has been a goal of psychologists since before the beginning of this century. The Binet-Simon scales were first proposed in 1905 in Paris, France and various sorts of tests have been evolving ever since. One of the important questions that always comes up regarding these tools is what are the tests really measuring? Are they measuring a person's intelligence? Their ability to perform well on standardized tests? Or just some arbitrary quantity of the person's IQ? When examining the situations around which these tests are given and the content of the tests themselves, it becomes apparent that however useful the tests may be for standardizing a group's intellectual ability, they are not a good indicator of intelligence. To issue a truly standardized test, the testing environment should be the same for everyone involved. If anything has been learned from the psychology of perception, it is clear that a person's environment has a great deal to do with their cognitive abilities. Is the light flickering? Is the paint on the walls an unsettling shade? Is the temperature too hot or too cold? Is the chair uncomfortable? Or in the worst case, do they have an illness that day? To test a person's mind, it is necessary to utilize their body in the process. If everyone's body is placed in different conditions during the testing, how is it expected to get standardized results across all the subjects? Because of this assumption that everyone will perform equally independent of their environment, intelligence test scores are skewed and cannot be viewed as standardized, and definitely not as an example of a person's intelligence. It is obvious that a person's intelligence stems from a variety of traits. A few of these that are often tested are reading comprehension, vocabulary, and spatial relations. But this is not all that goes into it. What about physical intelligence, conversational intelligence, social intelligence, survival intelligence, and the slew of others that go into everyday life? Why are these important traits not figured into intelligence tests? Granted, normal standardized tests certainly get predictable results where academics are concerned, but they should not be considered good indicators of general intelligence because of the glaring omissions they make in the testing process. To really gauge a person's intelligence, it would be necessary to put them through a rigorous set of real-life trials and document their performance. Otherwise the standardized IQ tests of today are testing an extremely limited quality of a person's character that can hardly be referred to as intelligence. For the sake of brevity, I will quickly mention a few other common criticisms of modern IQ tests. They have no way to compensate for cultural differences. People use different methods to solve problems. People's reading strategies differ. Speed is not always the best way to tackle a problem. There is often too much emphasis placed on vocabulary. Each of these points warrants individual treatment, and for more information refer to The Triarchic Mind by RJ Sternberg (Penguin Books, 1988, p18-36). It is possible to classify all the reasons that IQ tests fail at their task into two main groups. The first grouping is where the tests assume too much. Examples of this flaw are the assumption that speed is always good, vocabulary is a good indicator of intelligence, and that different test taking environments won't affect the outcome. The second grouping comes because the tests gauge the wrong items. Examples of this are different culture groups being asked to take the same tests as everyone else, and the fact that the tests ignore so many types of intelligence (like physical, social, etc). These two groupings illustrate where the major failings of popular IQ tests occur and can be used as tools for judging others. IQ tests are not good indicators for a person's overall intelligence, but as their use has shown, they are extremely helpful in making predictions about how a person will perform in an academic setting. Perhaps the problem comes in the name intelligence tests when it is obvious this is not what they really are. The modern IQ test definitely has its applications in today's society but should be be used to quantify a person's overall intelligence by any means.

The forgotten group memeber case Essay Example

The forgotten group memeber case Essay Example The forgotten group memeber case Essay The forgotten group memeber case Essay Essay Topic: Sociology The facilitator, Christine, is assumed to embrace the same roles and adhere to the equivalent theories defined for a leader. Also, it is believed that the principles taught within Professor Rasmussens Organizational Behaviour class are consistent with those discussed by Dr. Keeping. The outcomes associated with the alternative solutions are based upon the likelihood of their interpretations within the group meeting corresponding with our interpretations of the theories utilized and are not explicitly applied with certainty. Statement of the Problem Due to lack of: clearly defined team roles, demonstrated leadership qualities, effort by all members and acknowledgment of communication barriers, conflict was imminent within the group. Immediate problems to be addressed by all members of the group include Janets feelings of exclusion from the group and Christines lack of insight into the apparent causes of Janets loss of motivation to be a group member. Professor Rasmussen must decide whether to resolve the feelings of inequality between the group members and if delegating a further assignment to Janet is appropriate. Analysis of the Problem As stated in the course outline received by all students at the commencement of the term, group work is considered to be the primary medium through which applying the theories learned in class is to be implemented. Causes of animosity within the group may be attributed to group dynamics, norm formation, leadership inefficiencies, perceptions, conscientiousness and communication barriers. As explained by Professor Rasmussen during the second class, all groups undergo four stages of interaction: forming, norming, storming and performing1. These four phases are also referred to as mutual acceptance, communication and decision making, motivation and productivity and control and organization. Interaction amongst those who have had no previous relations together is facilitated through the first stage; where personal preferences and work schedules are exchanged, strengths and weaknesses made apparent and expectations clarified2. The first group meeting held was used to recognize these necessities. The second stage, where norms, goals and performance ideals are mutually established through discussion, should not occur without careful consideration and input by all members. The formation of the group failed to fully complete this stage however, allowing the ambiguous actions of members to be perceived incongruently. Norms are behaviours that social groups deem proper when interacting, so that actions may be consistent and activities made predictable3. To be effective, all must clearly understand and adhere to these expectations for there to be cohesiveness. At the commencement of the semester, Professor Rasmussen defined his norms for the groups and required all students to sign a contract, indicating that all expectations have been acknowledged. Unfortunately, within Christines group, not all members abided by the norms. One member in particular, Janet, failed to fulfill the contract to its fullest extent, however, one should not fault the lack of cohesiveness strictly to Janet. The group accepted the norms delivered by Professor Rasmussen but did not redefine or set out norms to be suitable for them selves. Nor was the contract or its contents reviewed during the group meetings. Therefore, it may be inferred that the group failed to establish strict rules or guidelines, causing the situation they are presently in. Christine, as facilitator, should have ensured that the norms were set as they are a vital aspect of a successful group4. Christines style of leadership throughout this situation may be described using the theory of Leader-Member Exchange. This theory focuses upon the unique relations between a leader and their subordinates. Greater personality similarities contribute to closer relations, allowing for stronger bonds to be forged5. These strong personality connections cause the subordinate to be designated a member of the ingroup. The ingroup consists of those who receive special preferences such as inclusion within social activities that occur outside of the organization. Those subordinates who do not receive this special treatment are considered the outgroup members. As facilitator, Christine did not form a strong inter-personal relationship with Janet, her subordinate. As sole member of the outgroup, Janet did not satisfy the need to relate to her colleagues as defined by ERG; a theory first proposed by Clayton Alderfer that defines the needs of existence, relatedness and growth as essential to human motivation. The need of relatedness is the ability to identify with ones peers and establishing a sense of belongingness6. Janet was not able to experience the cohesiveness established through the extracurricular social interactions. The rest of the members were able to receive these benefits and become highly cohesive due to their designated statuses as members of the ingroup. Because Janet was excluded from the ingroup and was allocated to the outgroup, she was lead to encompass unmotivated behaviours. She was lead to feel unmotivated, as she was a victim of the fundamental attribution error principle. This theory states that one may have their preferences and ideals seen as the primary cause of their actions although situational attributions may be the proper cause7. Janet experienced this bias by the members of her group, as she chose to help her boyfriend with his project instead of meeting with the group at the designated time, as she previously agreed to. From her perspective, she did not intentionally choose to spend the allotted time with her boyfriend, however the group feels that her actions were a blatant attempt to avoid contributing further. This principle was also used by Janet, as she attributed Christines lack of social inclusion to the general dislike of her personality. Due to the diverse personality composition of the group, it is imperative that the leader manages the situation with care to ensure that conflicting ideals do not affect the groups cohesiveness. Stereotypes attributed amongst the members of the group lead to distrust as well as communication problems. A leader must recognize these issues and allocate the required time towards helping the group unify8. When Christine first met with her group, she made stereotypical assumptions about each individual based upon her first impressions and the brief biographies supplied to her. One may describe representativeness heuristics as a method in which a person evaluates others based on characteristics or previous occurrences9. Christine utilizes this principle when she assumes that Janet is unmotivated and uninterested with the group project; as she was late to the first meeting and mentioned all her free time was spent with her boyfriend. This causes the group to feel as though Janet does not want to work with them, which leads her to feel unwelcome. Although Janet has contributed her allotted portion of the assignment, Christine still holds negative feelings due to selective perception10; the ability to omit information, which does not correspond to, established beliefs. Despite the fact that Janet was a fully contributing member, the group continued to hold a negative bias due to her lack of social activity. Also, Mike had the tendency to put forth less effort than other group members, which is looked upon as free riding. A free rider is one who tries to maximize their outputs while minimizing their level of inputs11. Due to his lack of focus and recurring need to bring humour to all situations, Mike is seen as a fully contributing member because of his constant presence. Christines lack of leadership contributed to the differing ways in which each individual was treated, causing the group to have a lack of respect for her position. A persons conscientiousness defines the range of tasks they wish to sustain and the variety of activities in which they chose to involve themselves. A person who appears to focus on effectively completing a small number of goals is viewed as displaying high-conscientiousness. They value the characteristics being responsible, organized and self-disciplined. Anchored at the opposing end of the continuum are those whom are regarded as exhibiting low-conscientiousness. They apply themselves to a large number of responsibilities that often cause them to become overwhelmed by the volume and incapable of applying the effort required. People within this category tend to be careless, irresponsible and lack self-sufficiency12. In applying this theory to the case, it is apparent that Janet tends demonstrate characteristics consistent with a less-conscientious person. She is studying at a university, maintaining two jobs and is fully committed to a serious relationship. Therefore, Janets time is greatly consumed with a larger variety of activities than others within her peer group. This detracts from her performance in the group-case study. Communication is an essential element for coordinating efforts and sharing information within any interpersonal atmosphere13. Barriers to communication arose concerning Mikes free- riding tendencies and Janets failure to attend group meetings regularly due to Christines failure to fulfill the role of facilitator. Instead of avoiding the conflict, Christine should have resolved the issues as they became apparent, for they caused stronger concentration upon Janets individualized status.

A Beginners Guide to the Neolithic Period

A Beginner's Guide to the Neolithic Period The Neolithic period as a notion is based on an idea from the 19th century, when John Lubbock split Christian Thomsens Stone Age into the Old Stone Age (Paleolithic) and New Stone Age (Neolithic). In 1865, Lubbock distinguished the Neolithic as when polished or ground stone tools were first used but since Lubbocks day, the definition of Neolithic is a package of characteristics: groundstone tools, rectangular buildings, pottery, people living in settled villages and, most importantly, the production of food by developing a working relationship with animals and plants called domestication. Theories In archaeological history, there have been many different theories about how and why agriculture was invented and then adopted by others: the Oasis Theory, the Hilly Flanks Theory, and the Marginal Area or Periphery Theory are only the most well-known. In retrospect, it does seem odd that after two million years of hunting and gathering, people would suddenly start producing their own food. Some scholars even debate whether farming- a labor-intensive task which requires the active support of a community- was really a positive choice for hunter-gatherers. The remarkable changes that agriculture brought to people are what some scholars call the Neolithic Revolution. Most archaeologists today have abandoned the idea of one single overarching theory for the invention and cultural adoption of farming, because studies have shown that circumstances and processes varied from place to place. Some groups willingly embraced the stability of animal and plant tending while others fought to maintain their hunter-gatherer lifestyle for hundreds of years. Where The Neolithic, if you define it as the independent invention of agriculture, can be identified in several different places. The main hubs of plant and animal domestication are considered to include the Fertile Crescent and the adjacent hilly flanks of the Taurus and Zagros mountains; the Yellow and Yangtze river valleys of northern China; and central America, including parts of northern South America. Plants and animals domesticated in these heartlands were adopted by other peoples in adjacent regions, traded across continents, or brought to those people by migrations. However, there is increasing evidence that hunter-gatherer horticulture led to independent domestication of plants in other locations, such as Eastern North America. The Earliest Farmers The earliest domestications, animal and plant (that we know of), occurred some 12,000 years ago in southwest Asia and the Near East in the Fertile Crescent of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers and the lower slopes of the Zagros and Taurus mountains adjacent to the Fertile Crescent. Sources and Further Information Bogucki P. 2008. EUROPE | Neolithic. In: Pearsall, DM, editor. Encyclopedia of Archaeology. New York: Academic Press. p 1175-1187.Hayden B. 1990. Nimrods, piscators, pluckers, and planters: The emergence of food production. Journal of Anthropological Archaeology 9(1):31-69.Lee G-A, Crawford GW, Liu L, and Chen X. 2007. Plants and people from the Early Neolithic to Shang periods in North China. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 104(3):1087-1092.Pearsall DM. 2008. Plant domestication. In: Pearsall DM, editor. Encyclopedia of Archaeology. London: Elsevier Inc. p 1822-1842.Richard S. 2008. ASIA, WEST | Archaeology of the Near East: The Levant. In: Pearsall DM, editor. Encyclopedia of Archaeology. New York: Academic Press. p 834-848.Wenming Y. 2004. The Cradle of Eastern Civilization. pp. 49-75 in Chinese Archaeology in the Twentieth Century: New Perspectives on Chinas Past, Volume 1. Xiaoneng Yang, editor. Yale University Press, New Haven.Zeder MA. 2008. Domestication and e arly agriculture in the Mediterranean Basin: Origins, diffusion, and impact. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 105(33):11597-11604. Zeder MA. 2012. The Broad Spectrum Revolution at 40: Resource diversity, intensification, and an alternative to optimal foraging explanations. Journal of Anthropological Archaeology 31(3):241-264.Zeder MA. 2015. Core questions in domestication research. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 112(11):3191-3198.Zeder MA, Emshwiller E, Smith BD, and Bradley DG. 2006. Documenting domestication: the intersection of genetics and archaeology. Trends in Genetics 22(3):139-155.

The software process models Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The software process models - Essay Example The requirements are based on system functionalities and roles and so would not undergo any change with time. b) The requirement capturing process for the user interface is an on-going process as a few of the requirements are subjected to change with availability of measures such as skill level of users, type of interface access methodologies, compliance with technological advancements, etc. The model is generally used in small, simple throwaway projects with output as short lived demos, proof-of-concept or prototypes. No separate planning, risk assessment, designing, building, testing phases are required. The administrative system in AILS requires thorough gathering of requirements, understanding the working of existing processes and workflows and data accessing details for integration with the interface which the model fails to provide. For the user interface however, the model can be used the requirement of gaining user satisfaction. Interface can be made and tested; missing or ambiguous portions can be identified and fixed in the next build till a workable interface is achieved. In the AILS administrative system, the requirements necessitate the need of completely capturing of fixed requirements and functionalities to produce a complete product as deliverable. Therefore, the model seems to be appropriate for the task. Spiral model employs risk management approach, an essential requirement in the large mission-critical projects, where reusable, high quality versions of software are delivered before the requirements change again. For the user interface, applying the model would produce a workable solution but with an overhead of unnecessary risk analysis. User interface is not a critical task and therefore does not require extensive risk analysis. For the user interface, the model can be applied owing to the varying scope and requirements. An initial role based interface, accessing data may be developed and tested.

The Importance of Being Earnest Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Importance of Being Earnest - Essay Example In this case, Jack is portrayed as an emotional (Wilde, 54). In addition, the second comparison that shows a large difference between the play and the film concerns timing and passage of time. The story is covered within a course of three days which represents a day for each play. In the initial act, the readers are introduced to all the actors except of Miss Prism, Cecily, and Mr. Chausable. In this act, the film and the story show Jack proposing to Cecily and having her mother objecting the proposal. In the story, act two shows new characters such as Chausable, Cecily, and Miss Prism. However, in this case, the film does not separate the acts and the introduction of these new characters is done earlier that they were presented within the story (LightShadeMovieV, n.p). Act three in the story shows that a happy ending is inevitable as Cecily and Algernon get married. The film also has a similar ending but various flashbacks that lack in the story – an example is the dialogues between Jack and Earnest concerning Lady

Essay --

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE This account mainly focuses in brief on my intention, aspiration and objectives of why I want to get admitted in MS under the department of Economics, especially in South Dakota State University, as most the people of a developing country like Bangladesh, are afflicted with poverty, ignorance and lack of economic management that are like a rift in the lute in our social, economic and political arena. These problems always haunt me and my thoughts like Pluto in the deathbed. I want to contribute in a widespread way in these zones that will have far-reaching effect on the development, growth and advancement in our poverty-stricken society. For making up my dream fruitful and pragmatic, I am in a crying need for acquiring more knowledge and understanding in Economics to bring about a radical change in economic management and development. To me South Dakota State University is unique in the sense that, here Master of Science in Economics focuses on relevant topics on economics and also encompasses rigorous study in economic theory, agricultural and resources economics, research methods, quantitative techniques etc. which are essential to make my foundation stronger enough to imply this knowledge on emerging economic issues. The department of Economics offers courses with theoretical analysis and real world application and also work on a broad range of issues, such as Personnel and Labor Relations, Farming and Food Systems Economics, Economic Development, Economics of the International Sector which fit with my area of interest. By getting an opportunity of doing course work and carrying out research on my preferred area I am confident of building up myself befitting for higher studies as well as for contributing t... .... By involving myself in this project work, I enriched my knowledge on the impact of energy subsidy in Bangladesh. The probability of worsening the economic growth due to giving subsidy on that particular sector was our finding. As I am in persuasion for master degree, I have come to know about the South Dakota State University by searching in internet. I firmly believe that the chance to do my master degree in this university will be the turning move towards accomplishing my desired goal. I am confident of not only upholding the academic excellence and dignity of the institution but also make remarkable contribution. I believe that I will be able to contribute considerably to the research in your university. I also believe the education from your institution and other opportunities that come to my way will facilitate me obtaining my objectives. Thank you.

Super bakery

Bakery is a virtual company, in this company many things go on, but it only deals with the core functions of the industry when the other portions of the company are contracted out. Since the bakery Is a leader when It comes to the Institutional baked goods market, the business may have ongoing concerns maintaining the quality of its goods and services. The Super Bakery management department agree to put into play the BBC plan (activity based costing plan).Super Bakery has an extra challenge when putting this operation system to work by doing this plan. The reason for this Is due to the bulk of the functions being contracted out, but the plan is meant to help the company keep control over the contracted out functions. The strategy used by Super Bakery was to Identify an undeserved market and compete in that market. They decided to choose the school system within the institutional food market. The difficulties with this market are government requirements and funding shortfalls.Super Ba kery developed a high nutrient baked good that replaced the high fat donuts because it meets the USDA recommendations or the food that was to be served to the children. This market was also restricted by high costs associated with freshly produced baked goods. Super Bakery went against the market norm and began refrigerating their product. Through the use of vacuum sealing they are able to distribute the product nationally without having to have bakeries in every city, so they made their market anywhere in the US without adding costs.Since Super Bakery was catering to the school systems, this gave them additional access to cheaper and fresher ingredients. This was due to the different overspent supported commodities which helped their distributors reduce costs by Implementing just In time delivery. Probably one of the most remarkable strategies used by Super Bakery was the outsourcing of the major operations of the bakery business. Super Bakery oversees the production and delivery o f their products, but contract out the major functions such as manufacturing, selling and distribution of their product.In this sense, they are a virtual corporation that oversees the process but doesn't get bakers flour under their fingernails. The managers of Super Bakery sought out a new method for assigning costs because their old traditional system did not accurately reflect the differences In real cost structure. Super Bakery's management thought it was necessary to install an BBC system, as an effective way to more efficiently manage the company activities. While attempting to add great value, the business managers desire to make the least investment in fixed assets, staff, and working capital.Managers inside Super Bakery believe installing an activity-based system was required because the company understood that the company benefited by outsourcing some activities, but also realized the need to control and coordinate these services. The company's ability to control the cost of the outsourced businesses was a big challenge that leads to manager's decision to implement activity-based cost system. The management's reasoning works because an activity-based cost system will enable Super Bakery to create a specific breakdown of the costs of customer's orders.Also, the BBC system prevents the distortion that may happen with traditional overhead cost allocation. Management suspects a wide fluctuation in the cost of serving customers throughout the country. A new improved pricing system was required due to orders with low profits margins being subsidized by orders with high profit margins. The key requirement of the new system would enable the company to more accurately assign costs to each customer's order. The BBC system is beneficial to the company because it can accurately identify to managers which areas are more profitable and assist in strategic product planning.The internal users will be able to aka better overall financial decisions that will have a po sitive effect throughout the company. Managers know that the Super Bakery business would certainly benefit from the installation of the BBC system. This reasoning works because in an activity-based costs system costs are tracked by individual accounts according to performances of outsourced activities and presents detailed data concerning workflow cost. The system assigns overhead costs directly to the actual activity cost pool and uses multiple bases.Management's plan involves implementing an effective activity-based costing system capable of thoroughly analyzing the company's many activities. Super Bakery adapted the BBC system over the old traditional system because they realized the advantages in accurately identifying costs(internally and outsourced) associated with the business activities. The managers of Super Bakery found it necessary to install an BBC system that has now proven to be valuable in tracking profitability of individual accounts and outsourced performance. There are two different cost systems that Super Bakery could choose to use.A Job order cost system is one that takes a specific Job into account and tracks all the costs for that one Job and then totals the costs together. The other system is a process order cost system which is used when a company produces a similar product and tracks the costs by department as a whole. The cost system that would be more suitable for Super Bakery would be a process order cost system. Since Super Bakery is a producer of similar baked goods, specifically doughnuts, and they outsource their entire production line, a cost system would make the most sense for taking into count the many different cost centers.A process cost system also allow for multiple work in process accounts but Super Bakery has contracts and orders placed by vendors across the United States. With using a process cost system, Super Bakery would be able to keep track of multiple orders and contracts at the same time. Another aspect of a pr ocess cost system that Super Bakery can take advantage of is that costs are assigned by department. Super Bakery would be able to track the costs for each vendor and count it as a department.A process order cost system would be the best option for Super Bakery because it allows for flexibility and the Super Bakery did a great Job figuring out the best cost system for their company. The cost system is activity based cost system that lets the company take full advantage of productivity, and this leaves room to provide each client with extraordinary care personally. The virtual corporation is able to monitor expenses with a minimal in-house staff while controlling outside vendor costs without sacrificing product and customer service excellence.