Comparing and contrasting agency theory and stakeholder theory Essay

Comparing and contrasting agency theory and stakeholder theory - Essay Example In a corporation the principal are the shareholders, whose agent is the chief executive officer hired by them; thus, the agent is expected to act in the interest of the shareholders. The main challenge is in motivating the agents to increase their productivity to a level they would achieve if they were the owners. Further, one of the key factors of agency theory is that principals and agents have different preferences or goals; and these divergent preferences can be aligned with the help of incentive contracts. Stakeholder theory is to a great extent not a formal, unified theory, but is more of â€Å"a broad research tradition, incorporating philosophy, ethics, political theory, economics, law, and organizational social science† (Solomon, 2007, p.23). Stakeholder theory is underscored by the fact that companies are large and have a far-reaching impact on society; hence they are accountable to many more sections of society than their shareholders alone. A common feature among a ll stakeholders of a company is their participation in an exchange relationship with the company by providing contributions while expecting their own interests to be fulfilled through ‘inducements’. ... has to maintain the support of all of these groups, balancing their interests, while taking measures to ensure that all the stakeholder interests can be maximized over time in the organization. Thesis Statement: The purpose of this paper is to compare and contrast Agency theory and Stakeholder theory; and to determine which theory offers the most useful insights into corporate behaviour. Agency and Stakeholder Theories are Based on Essential Moral Principles: of Honouring Agreements and Respecting the Autonomy of Others Firms with high levels of agency may face threats from other firms in the business environment, through the mechanism of the market for corporate control. These assumptions are based on presuming the presence of a functional, â€Å"efficient, competitive environment, in which information asymmetries are minimal, and competitive pressures are high† (Udayasankar, Das and Krishnamurti, 2005, p.1). Agency theory pertains to discussion on moral hazards and agency co sts. Agency theory can only be applied effectively if four moral principles were observed: â€Å"avoiding harm to others; respecting the autonomy of others; avoiding lying; and honouring agreements† (Solomon, 2007, p.25). That is, the principal-agent model would be applicable only if it was based on the setting of these moral principles. Thus, the principle of agent morality stated that only when agents fulfilled their basic moral duties as human beings, could they involve themselves in maximizing shareholders’ wealth. Further, Agency theory is interwoven with transaction cost theory. Both provide different views of the theory of the firm and of managerial behaviour, while using different terminology to describe the same problems and issues. For example, while agency theory confronts moral hazards

Team Reflection Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Team Reflection Paper - Essay Example During the ACC 544, Internal Control System, I was a member of team C. The purpose of this paper is to describe the interaction and learning experience that occurred during this course through the team learning mechanism. I have taken over 15 courses at the University of Phoenix online at the graduate level. Each of these courses had team assignments to be performed by a small group of students of 3-6 members. I believe that the university is doing a great job in their teaching methods because it is preparing us for the workplace of the future. Virtual teams are a hot trend in the managerial field due to the globalization movement and the fact that there are thousands of global corporations worldwide. â€Å"Managing a virtual team means managing the whole spectrum of communication strategies and project management techniques as well as human and social processes in ways that support the team. During the last six weeks I had the privilege to work with an outstanding team. It was a pl easurable experience working with a great group of professionals. Starting in week 1 team C always had great communication among the members. Communication in the workplace is an important variable that must be managed well by the leaders of an organization. Communication problems can lead to misunderstanding and conflict. Team C did not experience any of these symptoms. Whenever anyone was called upon to deliver data or information everyone responded promptly. As I mentioned earlier I have been a part of several work teams at the University of Phoenix. I believe that this team has been the most functional and productive team I have ever been in. The academic results prove my premise. Team C received a perfect grade of 25/25 on five projects the team completed. I’m a good student, but I do not have a 4.0 G.PA. Team C achieved perfection due to its hard work, commitment to excellence, cooperation, outstanding communication, and concise writing. I wished I would have had these teammates with me in all my previous courses. One of the best things about Team C was the lack of an ego. In other team I have worked on somebody always wants to be the team leader without getting approval from the other members. Team C did not have that problem. I believe that the leadership responsibilities were shared equally among the members. I loved the fact that the team member willingly divided the work parts without having anyone tell them to do things they did not want to do. Another great aspect about the team was the punctuality of the deliverables. At the University of Phoenix online the members of study teams depend on each other. If one member fails to deliver their work on time it creates a chain reaction that affects the quality of the work of the team. Team C cared about each other and respected the academic well being of the other members. The perfect grade the team was able to achieve in the five assignments will increase the chances of all the team members obtai ning a passing grade at the end of the course. I enjoyed working with this team because there was mutual respect among all the players on the team. The team was very organized throughout the entire course. This help the communication process because everyone always knew what they were supposed to do. I took initiative prior to week four and week five projects of creating an outline a few weeks before of how to separate the work in the team. This strategy worked well as everyone knew

Are students have changed Essay Example for Free

Are students have changed Essay Our students have changed radically. Today’s students are no longer the people our educational system was designed to teach. (Prensky,2001). Prensky further stated that children in the 21st century are classified as Net-gen, and digital-gen but the most useful description Prensky found for these children is Digital Natives. This is evident because in the 21st century children as young as three years are mastering the uses of computers, videogames, internets, tablets, mobile phones and other technological devices. According to Janssen (n. d) digital native is an individual who was born after the widespread adoption of digital technology. Technology is so advance and useful to students it seems like they get so addicted to it and felt like they can’t do without it and the other hand it helps students to improve in learning. Three changes that are seen with the first century learner regards to technology, they are more dependent on technology, misuse of information and unlimited thinking skills. Firstly, the internet is known as one of the greatest invention of modern age; a gateway that is magical to resources, information and communication unlike anything we previous dreamed of. It is claimed by many that it is the greatest single technological advance for education, as it opens opportunities for studying, learning and discovering. But as time goes by and the first generation of students grows up with modern internet technology from birth to teenage years, questions have been asking are children being dependent on technology. The internet provides students with  enormous advantage of a world of information at their finger tip. A single tap of the finger on the keyboard can deliver a hundred of articles under a second; far hours from when students would spend time spinning through library books and journals in days passed by. With the ease of access, the internet comes with disadvantages such as false and incorrect information that is easily distributed and can be difficult to trace sources and support the information. On, on the other side the volume of research materials online can make students to find information they need too easy, allowing them to compile these information by copying and pasting without understanding and analysing the information they are sifting through at all. While students from twent y years and beyond would have to read and absorb a huge amount of information such as putting together a report on tree frogs. These students have to use different sources for each part of the project; while on the other hand digital natives would discover everything needed to know by the internet site, picking up a little knowledge in the process. According to Jannsen (n.d) people believes that children who are digital natives think differently due to their early exposure to technology and have become accustom to using technology to solve the repetitive tasks that form the basis of traditional learning With the rise of different technology, and the fantastic way that produce communication from mobile phones to iPods to Skype and face book, modern students have become available to a wealth of education opportunities. Pupils from Jamaica can now hold an online debate with a class of their contemporaries in United States and others, interactive group webpage, class blogs, and programs that design interactive online animations which allowed educational communication to form. The reliance on the mobile phones and the laptops is taking toll on areas in education such as literacy and writing skills. This is said to be suffering as children write less and more text message expression take preference over their grammar. Also the suffering of simple communication skills and understanding of personal interaction as young people spend more time online communicating using their keyboards rather face to face contact. The reliance of such method for communication can cause students to form unhealthy relationships with others, concerned about critics that was said, and open up possibilities of cyber-bullying that is very dangerous and persecution of people online. Secondly, the expansion of the use and easy  availability of technology makes it easy for society to do negative activities that often violates the law. The main problems are the misuse of copyright, distribution of forbidden materials, violation of privacy or personal data and other serious activities. This activity can be seen in education field where the increase of plagiarism among students. Students can find information on the internet free and plagiarize other’s work whether if it is intentionally or without realising it. According to Lindemann C(2013) among students in grades 7-12, 21% have turned in a paper downloaded from the Internet. More than a third (38%) copied text from a website. The more students rely on the internet such as Google and Wikipedia answers to answer their home work questions, they are required to use less of their minds to come up with independent thoughts and opinions. Instead they simple click, copy and paste. Plagiarism is not the only way of cheating. The internet is not the only way; students can used other technology such as mp3 players, mobile phones, calculators and other technologies. In gaining information using phones this can be done by emails, texts, Bluetooth, as well as phone calls. According to Takahashi (2011) many educators perceive them a slacking more formal ICT skills. The availability and ease of use of technology makes cheating possible. The environment opens possibilities for academic dishonesty which can be difficult to discover. Students find simple and fast way to get through their studies, such way is to share materials, results, papers, information about exams. A majority of website offers a variety of finished work materials for essays, seminar papers, reports, and even degree works, answers to test for final exams in bachelor or master courses. These website are made for students to upload their work voluntary and the provider usually do not get benefit from the sites; while some sites will offer small benefit for uploading the work. Downloading the work can also be free without registration, if not unless the provider creates a user account or a fee. The reason why students plagiarize is the overload of information. The more information you have leads to the first step towards good school paper. Technology is used by teachers and professionals to increase the quality of leaning. The growth and progress in ICT changes education compare to decades ago and introduce methods that increase in students learning. From this students need to learn how to deal with information for assignments,  work tasks, research tasks and other information problems. Thirdly, technology affects students thinking skill. According to Wolpert S (2009) as technology has played a bigger role in our lives, our skills in critical thinking and analysis have declines, while our visual have improved. Thinking is the ability to reflect, draw on conclusions, knowledge, reason and insight. It is what makes students communicate, build, create and become civilized. Thinking is based from learning, observing, remembering, questioning, arguing, judging and others. The exposure of technology as changes learners. Because of students’ brain still developing and malleable, the exposure of technology causes digital natives brain to be wire in ways different from previous generation. Reading encouraged the brain to be focused and imaginative; but pleasure for reading has decline in young people which enhances thinking and creates imagination that visual media such as video games, television cannot. The using of visual media will allow students to process information better but most don’t allow students to get the time to reflect, analyze or imagine. Reading develops reflection, imagination, critical thinking as well as the development of vocabulary. Through reading, these skills are developed. Students today are more visual literacy and are less print literacy thus many students are not being seen reading often and reading for pleasure. Technology strengthens student’s ability to scan information quickly and efficiently. An impl ication for teaching and learning is that workshops or seminars should be implemented for teachers so that they receive training to know how to integrate the different types of technology into their lessons and make learning more engaging for students. As we know that student gravitates to technology and we are living in 21st century. Attending these workshops teachers are able to know more about each technology such as the usage, programs and others. They are able to monitor the technology by themselves and by doing so they are able to carry out the lesson effectively and stimulate children learning. One implication for policy makers is that in order for the teachers to integrate the technology in the classroom to meet the need of his students, firstly you should provide or equipped the schools with the necessary technology. Without these, teachers will unable to do so, which he or she wants to; so that her students can grasp the concepts well. For the school to be equipped policy makers should also develop an infrastructure to  place the technologies. Provide the necessary security and to eliminate outdated hardware and software and replace them with up to date as the years are passing by. â€Å"When technology integration in the classroom is seamless and thoughtful, students not only become more engaged, the y begin to take more control over their own learning†. (Hertz 2014). Technology integration is the use of technology in the classroom that helps to carry out learning concepts and to manage the class, such technology are computers, overhead projectors, digital cameras, internet, tape recorders, and CD-ROMs. Digital camera is a great application in the classroom as it allows collecting and documenting exciting events in the environment. Integrating digital camera properly can help to link lessons to student’s lives. For example class letter, development of stories and community based research. Cameras can be share between classes and capture images quickly and easily, in which pictures provide important context for children learning experience. Images that are culturally relevant can be a very powerful strategy for students to learn about their community. For example teaching about vocabulary, teachers can send students outdoor with the digital camera to take pictures of events, objects or actions that represent the vocabulary that was discussed . Students can be asked to write sentences or paragraph highlighting new vocabulary. Which is a very excited way for students to increase their vocabulary and become better readers; and teachers could give students the opportunity to take pictures of events or actions that reflect in a story that was read to them, downloading pictures from the computer then allowed children to write a sentence or paragraph about each picture. Having students to take pictures of the story event or action will help them to relate what they reading to their own lives in their community. Digital camera can be used to do storytelling which produces narrated short films using music, photos and voices. The grade 3 lesson â€Å"who are the people in my community†, students and teachers can take a walk within the community with the camera and take pictures of community helpers and write sentences about each role within the community. The teacher and students can produce their story by downloading the pictures on the computer using programs such as Photo-Story, Windows Movie Maker, Powe rPoint, that include narration for each. The tape recorder and boom box can be used to engage student and help save time. One activity for the whole class is teachers can use a student to  become the classroom DJ. Using a microphone, the student announces the topic of the day’s lesson. With a book in hand students can read along with their teacher during reading time. Students can even listen to a recording of their teacher who record the book tape before. The boom box can be used to create electronic portfolio that showcase student’s best work and the learning progress during a time period. By doing this teachers can record the students reading or thinking process when solving a problem, a video clip of his or her oral presentation and a CD with the child digital story. The tape recorder can be used to record student’s reading of a text at regular intervals which is assessed at each interval and strategies plan to improve the reading fluency. The overhead projector is a display system that is used to present images, videos, texts to students. It helps to carry out concepts and for students to grasp concepts by which it stimulates learning by watching videos, interactive games and retrieving texts which aid in the development of different learning styles such as audio and visual learners. The teacher faces the students while the notes that are prepared previously revealed. The lesson becomes engaging and students are attentive or focus and not only that but the teacher becomes more efficient by sharing and creating reusable work. . An example of how teachers can make the projector a part of her lesson is if a teacher is trying to bring across the lesson of the topic family to a grade two class, students will watch a video of the family then have a discussion with the teacher, from the video students will define the term family in their own words. Students will use family related terms seen in the video to write at least five sentences. The family related terms are like: grandmother, brother and sister. References Prensky M (2001) Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants Retrieved February 19, 2014 from http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/Prensigrants%2520-%2520Part1.pd Hertz MB (n.d) How to Integrate Technology Retrieved February 21, 2014 from http://www.edutopia.org/technology-integration-guide-implementation Wolpert S (2006) Is technology producing a decline in critical UCLA Newsroom Retrieved February 21, 2014 from http://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/is-ducing-a-decline-79127.asp Lindemann C (2013) How to Stop the Plagiarism Plague | Education.com Retrieved February 21, 2014 from http://www.education.com/magazine/articlcle/stop-plagiarism-plague Janssen C (n.d) What is a Digital Native? Definition from Techopedia Retrieved February 21, 2014 from www.techopedia.com/definition/28094/digital-native Takahashi (2011) Academia.edu | Documents in Digitalian Academia.edu Retrieved February 23, 2014 from www.academia.edu/Documents/in/Digitalian

John Stuart Mills Theories On Liberty

John Stuart Mills Theories On Liberty John Stuart Mill was one of the foremost liberal theorists of the 19th century, binding modern and classical liberalism in his ideas. His defence of liberty however, has been greatly contested by traditionalist views but also highly defended by revisionist views as will be examined in his paper On Liberty (1859). Mills belief in individualism through utilitarian ethics appears contradictory and highly debated. His harms principle and his assumptions on human nature also submit to controversial views. On one hand, traditionalists condemn Mill as a highly inconsistent thinker and his work On Liberty very critical in itself, but on the other hand, revisionists see Mill as a consistent thinker who naturally refines and develops pre-existing liberal ideas. J.S. Mills father, James Mill, was a strong utilitarian theorist  [1]  . His beliefs along with the utilitarianism works of British philosopher Jeremy Bentham had a huge influence on J.S. Mill growing up  [2]  . In Mills essay On Liberty, we can examine how his defence of individualism with utilitarian contentions create critical views. Mill believes in the ethic of utilitarianism in that the state and individuals ought to be judged by their ability and action to promote the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people  [3]  , however as traditionalists see it, attaining the utmost social good involves forfeiting certain individuals and sacrificing their happiness  [4]  , because happiness of a majority is greater than the happiness of a few individuals. Thus, the rudiment of utilitarianism is in dispute with Mills beliefs in individuality and self-development. In On Liberty, Mill defends freedom of the individual against tyranny of the majority  [5]  where dominant groups, more so the dominance of public opinion, inhibits lesser individuals  [6]  . Mills objection to the majority of society excluding the minority contradicts his utilitarian ethic. 19th Century English critic James Fitzjames Stephen condemns Mills endeavour to defend individual liberty from a utilitarian viewpoint by arguing that, if the fundamental value for utilitarianism is to effectively enhance happiness of a society to the greatest extent, then a consistent utilitarian policy of social betterment will not be especially tender toward individual liberty  [7]  , the interest of the majority outweigh the rights of the individual minority. Stephen views that utilitarian principles pursues social welfare through restricting opinions of some members of society  [8]  and that individualism cannot be viewed with a utilitarian ethic J.S. Mill attempts to do. On the other hand, revisionists argue that such traditionalist views are misinterpreted and that Mills contradictions with utilitarianism is a natural development of his utilitarian predecessors achievements  [9]  and his work not entirely incoherent. In Rem B. Edwards view, Mill is a minimizing utilitarian and that the principle of utility does not impose on individuals the moral obligation to maximize utility  [10]  , but focuses on happiness alone as the ultimate standard of value governing all human areas of practice.  [11]  In On Liberty, Mill regards utility as the ultimate appeal on all ethical questions; but it must be utility in the largest sense, grounded on the permanent interests of a man as a progressive being.  [12]  That is to say, Mills believes that utilitarianism is principle of the higher pleasures, and that freedom of choice, reflective thought and active imagination is a vital ingredient to human happiness.  [13]  For Mill, diversity of opinio n leads to positive social good, therefore overlooking the minority and silencing their opinions deprives the human race, posterity as well as the existing generation.  [14]  For revisionists, Mill as a utilitarian is not essentially inconsistent if he knowingly sacrifices some utility for the sake of a fair distribution of the utility that remains.  [15]   J.S. Mills notorious principle of liberty, the harms principle has also been disputed by traditionalist and revisionist views. In chapter four of On Liberty, Mill argues that peoples actions ought not to be as free as opinions and should be limited if they are a nuisance to other people  [16]  . He states that the only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilised community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others.  [17]  Traditionalist criticizes Mills harm principle because Mill leaves room to suggest that it would be acceptable to limit liberty anytime if it could harm society in anyway. By making harm to others a legitimate reason for state interference, the legitimate powers of the state could extend and outweigh the need to value individuality.  [18]   Another traditionalist indictment against Mills principle of liberty is towards his account that actions should only be restricted if those actions are other-regarding and effect other people, and not if those actions are self-regarding, which affect only the individual themselves and therefore should be exercised with absolute freedom  [19]  . The traditionalist criticize that we cannot clearly distinguish between the two actions Mill propose, as it is inevitable that peoples actions affect others because people are not entirely secluded, therefore in theory any individual act can cause harm to others. As Fitzjames Stephen puts it, I think that the attempt to distinguish between self-regarding acts and acts which regard others, is like an attempt to distinguish between acts which happen in time and acts which happen in space. Every act happens at some time and in some place, and in like manner every act that we do either does or may affect both ourselves and others. I think, the refore, that the distinction (which, by the way, is not at all a common one) is altogether fallacious and unfounded.  [20]   In response to traditionalist criticism, revisionists attempt to clarify self-regarding acts and other-regarding acts. In J.C. Reeses essay, A Re-reading of Mill on Liberty, he distinguishes other-regarding actions to affect other peoples interests in their moral rights, that of liberty and security.  [21]  Therefore, the harm to others implied in On Liberty refers to the harm of an individuals moral interests, resulting in injustice towards the individual.  [22]  As such, revisionist argue that self-regarding actions can be clearly distinguished from other-regarding actions and support Mills harm principle in that actions can be restricted if they are injurious to the moral rights of security and liberty of other people. The significant notion about human nature Mill makes in On Liberty, is how people can best understand and learn about their own opinions and activities from accepting challenging and opposing opinions and arguing against them. One can only faithfully understand their opinion by defending it.  [23]  This belief, based on the social utility of the individual is significantly disputed by traditionalists who argue people may not be able to best understand their opinions and values from dissent. For example, people who have different vocabulary for discussing moral and political issues may simply argue past each other, rather than challenge opposing opinions and therefore a diversity of opinions may not be socially beneficiary as it cannot increase utility, or happiness, which Mill defends as the essence of liberty.  [24]  Mills claim about the need for dissent in order to truly understand ones own opinions is hereby less convincing. It is easy to see how J.S. Mills defence of liberty is highly contentious in views. As explained in this essay, Mills prominent works such as On Liberty, gather traditionalist criticism as well as revisionist support. While traditionalists criticize Mills defence of liberty from a utilitarian ethic, revisionists encourage us to respect Mills work as a distinct process of developing liberalism. Mill refuses to accept fully the utilitarian principles inherited from his father and Bentham, nor reject them for his belief in individual sovereignty  [25]  , but rather attempts to settle the two antagonistic viewpoints to defend liberty.

Solids, Liquids, and Gases :: essays research papers

Solids, liquids, and gases are the three main, or fundamental phases of matter. Each one has a different density and a different level of stability. What determines the stability of each phase is the bond between it's atoms. The tighter the bond between it's atoms the more stable that phase of matter is. Solids are the most stable form of matter, followed by liquids, and then gases. Solids have a definite shape and do not take the shape of their container. Liquids do not have any definite shape and do take the shape of their container, the same is true with gases. Once again it is the bond between the atoms of liquids, and gases that make it have no definite shape. The first phase of matter is solids. Solids are the most stable form of matter. Solids are more stable than liquids and gases. One type of solid is a Crystalline solid. The particles in a crystalline solid have a regular repeating pattern. The types of crystalline solids are metals, alloys, salts, valence crystals, molecular crystals, polymers, and plastics. Most elementscrystalize as metals. Some solids can also be frozen liquids. The atoms in a solid are tightly bonded which means it has a definiteshape. The second phase of matter is liquids. Liquids have no definite shape. Liquids are less orderly than solids but more orderly than gases. Liquids can flow very easily. Liquids also take the shape of their container. Most liquids are very good conductors. Most liquids are also good solvents. Some solids float in liquids depending on their density. If the solid is less dense than the liquid then it floats on the liquids surface. If the solid is more dense than the liquid then it sinks in the liquids. For example an egg normally sinks in water because it's density is higher than water's density. When you add salt to the water the density of the water becomes higher than the egg's density so the egg floats. The third and final fundamental phase of matter is gas. Gases are the least orderly of the three phases of matter. Gases take the shape of their container because of the very weak bond between their atoms. Gases are also very low in density. The average gas is 1000 times less than that of the average liquid. The volume of gas varies with many things including temperature and pressure. These are explained in Charles's and Boyle's laws. Boyle's law states that the volume of gas varies indefinitely with the pressure applied to it.

Sorting Through Education :: Classrooms School Learning Essays

Sorting Through Education "The whole world’s a classroom, and to really make it one, the first thing is to believe it is." (62) This quote is from Jon Spayde’s article entitled "Learning in the Key of Life" in which he discusses education outside of the classroom. Education is a word that encompasses all new knowledge that a person receives. This includes learning to walk and talk as a child, learning to read and write, learning to make friends and how to keep them. We receive an education everyday starting the minute we wake up. Some knowledge is practical, such as cooking and working effectively with others, and other knowledge is philosophical such as complicated mathematical theorems and Protegra’s idea that "Man is the measure of all things." The question now becomes which type of knowledge is more important, practical or philosophical? My challenge to the reader is to try to see these two ideas as a weighted balance. Both sides are equally important and each enriches the other. If there is enough of both everything tends to balance nicely with each idea corresponding with another. What happens if learning and education focuses more on one then the other? The scale is then lopsided. The more extreme the tilt toward one type of education, the more extreme that life is. For example, a person who can pass any test they take with flying colors but can not use a map to find thier way around. That person is book smart but has no common sense. Let’s look at what is referred to often as "street smarts" or common sense. Street smarts are those things that are learned outside the classroom such as how to communicate with people and how to survive in the every day world. This practical knowledge is extremely important to learn. Everyday we go out we usually learn something that is useful to us as humans. For example, let us take a looks at a man known as Edward. Edward was tiling a roof as child with his father. A piece of paper flew off the roof and Edward, being a little boy, tried to jump off after it. His father stopped him and Edward learned an important lesson that day on impulsiveness. He now knows to think before acting. Other examples of learning through experience are: we learn to read through magazines and comics as seen in Mike Rose's article "Lives on the Boundry.

Psychology 300 Final Exam

Final Exam 1 PSY/300 Final Exam: PSY/300 (Weeks 1-5) Multiple Choice1. Erik Erikson argues that an understanding of an individual's behavior requires consideration of: A) Biological events B) Psychological experience C) Cultural and historical context D) all of the above 2.The aim of biopsychology (also referred to as behavioral neuroscience) is to: A) Link soma and somette in order to understand how emotions manifest themselves behaviorally B) Investigate the physical basis of psychological phenomena such as motivation, emotion, and stress C) Understand the complex interactions of the nervous system D) Study how thoughts and feelings influence an individual’s biological reactions 3.The first laboratory in Psychology was founded in Leipzig, Germany, in 1879 by: A) Sigmund Freud B) Wilhelm Wundt C) William James D) Rene Descartes 4. The approach to psychology which involved devising a method for uncovering the basic elements of consciousness and the way they combine with each o ther into ideas was known as A) Structuralism B) Behaviorialism Final Exam 2 PSY/300 C) Functionalism D) Elementarism 5. Which field of psychology argues that one's perception of the pieces will be influenced when seeing them as parts of the whole?A) Evolutionary B) Perceptual C) Empirical D) Gestalt 6. A hypothesis is best characterized as: A) A procedure that precedes a theoretical framework B) Any phenomenon that can change from one situation to another C) A systematic way of organizing and explaining observations D) A tentative belief about the relationship between two or more variables 7. To ensure that I am a good researcher, I gave the same questionnaire to the same participants at three different points in time. I hope to get ssentially the same answers. If I do, then I can conclude that my experiment has: A) Internal validity B) External validity C) Inter-rater reliability D) test-retest reliability 8. When it comes to the ethics of animal research, which one of the followi ng is NOT an issue? A) Some animals are cuter than others B) Whether animals have rights Final Exam 3 PSY/300 C) To what extent humans can use other creatures to solve human problems D) That animals cannot give informed consent 9.Information is sent to the brain via the sensory or _____ neurons. A) Afferent B) Motor C) Transient D) Inter 10. Axons are responsible for A) Receiving information from other cells B) Transmitting information to other neurons C) Increasing the transmission speed of messages D) Determining how that particular neuron will manipulate input 11. There are two types of neurotransmitters. They are: A) Inhibitory and synaptic B) Modulating and excitatory C) Inhibitory and excitatory D) Modulating and synaptic 12.The part of the cerebral cortex that is involved in the sense of touch and feeling one’s own body in space is the: A) Parietal lobe B) Occipital lobe C) Temporal lobe D) Frontal lobe Final Exam 4 PSY/300 13. Which of the following is NOT a basic pri nciple of sensation and perception? A) Sensation and perception require strong enough impulses to surpass minimal thresholds B) Sensation and perception are active processes C) There is no one-to-one correspondence between physical and psychological reality D) Sensation and perception are adaptive 4. What kind of learning can be achieved through classical conditioning? A) Learning that an event occurred B) Learning that people have certain patterns of behavior C) Learning that two events are related D) Learning that a behavior produces a particular result 15. As you drive down the street, a leaf hits your windshield. You know that it is not going to break the windshield and yet you blink anyway. In classical conditioning, blinking to an object that is about to hit you in the face is a/an: A) CS B) CR C) UCS D) UCR 16.You recently noticed that eating sour candy causes extra salivation as your body reacts to the sour taste. You love sour candy and eat it often. The other day you purch ased a new bag of sour candy and as you were looking at the bag, you noticed that you were salivating. The sour candy is a: A) CS B) CR C) UCS Final Exam 5 PSY/300 D) UCR 17. The purpose of Watson's experiment involving little Albert was to determine if: A) Infants are innately capable of learning fear B) Phobias do exist C) Babies are just as susceptible as adults to fears D) Emotional responses can be learned 8. An important distinction between operant and classical conditioning is that: A) Classical conditioning can be used to extinguish an undesirable response while operant conditioning tends to be incapable of doing so B) In classical conditioning responses are elicited while in operant conditioning they are emitted C) Classical conditioning works best with mammals and operant conditioning works best with birds and rodents D) Classical conditioning requires an experimenter and operant conditioning does not 9. The theory of motivation that states that people are motivated by wis hes and fears is A) The cognitive approach B) The psychodynamic approach C) The biological approach D) None of the above 20. ERG theory condenses Maslow's hierarchy of needs into three distinct levels: A) Elementary, reproductive and goal realization B) Elementary, relatedness, and growth C) Existence, relatedness, and growth D) Existence, reproductive, and goal realization Final Exam 6 PSY/300 21.The part of the brain that is responsible for registering the emotional significance of objects is the A) Hypothalamus B) Limbic system C) Cortex D) Amygdala 22. Which one of the following describes a person who is fixated in the latent stage? A) person with problems committing to a relationship B) Person who is uninterested in sex C) A smoker D) Person over 40 who has never moved out of their parents' home 23. Which of the following refers to setting goals, evaluating performance, and adjusting behavior to achieve these goals in the context of ongoing feedback?A) goal-establishment B) out come-management C) potential-realization D) Self-regulation 24. Which of the following factors in the Five Factor Model is believed to be the least heritable? A) Agreeableness B) Neuroticism C) Extraversion D) Openness Final Exam 7 PSY/300 25. The very last developmental crisis adult’s face, according to Erikson at least, is: A) Intimacy versus isolation B) Integrity versus despair C) Generativity versus stagnation D) Acceptance versus despondence 26.Piaget argued all of the following EXCEPT: A) Children’s thought processes are creative but constrained by physical realities and brain development B) Children experience the same stages in the same order C) Children are motivated to make sense of what they experience, integrating what they know D) Cognitive efficiency is influenced by children’s knowledge base 27. According to the psychodynamic viewpoint on moral development, children initially are relatively: A) Evil B) Narcissistic C) good D) Saintly 8. When dete rmining a diagnosis for treating mental disorders, the different axes refer to: A) The symptoms, personality disturbances, medical conditions, and environmental stressors B) The severity of the disorder and the extent to which it will interfere with daily life C) The domain of life which will be most disrupted by the disorder, such as work, school, or relationships D) The types of emotional, physical, or social disruption that can be expected from a particular disorder Final Exam 8 PSY/300 29.Which of the following is an umbrella term for a number of psychotic disorders that involve disturbances in nearly every dimension of human physiology, including thought, perception, behavior, language, communication, and emotion? A) Schizophrenia B) Personality disorder C) Mood disorder D) Dissociative disorder 30. Which personality disorder is marked by extremely unstable interpersonal relationships, dramatic mood swings, an unstable sense of identity, intense fears of separation and abandonm ent, manipulativeness, and impulsive behavior?A) Narcissistic B) Antisocial C) Borderline D) Histrionic 31. Systematic desensitization is based on the idea that A) Relaxation training can aid people with schizophrenia B) Physical contact with other people is essential for contact comfort C) Through early experiences people learn to fear social interactions D) Through classical conditioning people have associated fear with previously neutral stimuli 32. Antipsychotic medications reduce symptoms such as delusions and hallucinations by _____ activity within the brain. A) Increasing epinephrine B) Inhibiting serotonin C) Inhibiting dopamineFinal Exam 9 PSY/300 D) Increasing glutamate 33. The goal of antidepressant medications such as SSRIs is to: A) Keep serotonin acting longer in the synapses of the brain? B) Keep people from making irrational associations between ideas C) Reduce body weight and make people feel better about them D) Reduce anxiety that leads to depression 34. Character istics that are attributed to people based on their membership in a specific group, and that are often over-generalized, inaccurate, and resistant to new information are called: A) Prejudices B) Biases C) Stereotypes D) Discrimination 5. Cognitive bias in social cognition is thought to be the result of: A) Heuristics that can lead people awry B) Schemas and attributions being influenced by wishes, needs, and desires C) People frequently lacking the time to make accurate attributions D) all of the above 36. The relationship between personality and self-schemas can be seen in a number of ways. Which one of the following is NOT true of that relationship?A) People who feel disappointment, dissatisfaction, shame, and embarrassment have a discrepancy between actual and ideal selves B) People who feel anxiety, fear, resentment, guilt, self-contempt, or uneasiness have a discrepancy between actual and ought selves C) People who experience feelings of failure, social rejection, isolation, an d a lack of Final Exam 10 PSY/300 accomplishment have a discrepancy between ideal and ought selves D) All of the above are true of the relationship between personality and self-schemas 37.Companionate love involves: A) Wild emotions, intense physiological arousal, and absorption in another person B) Deep affection, friendship, and emotional intimacy C) Acquaintance cordiality, friendship, and societal responsibility D) Selflessness, altruism, and reciprocal giving 38. Behaving in a way that helps another person with no apparent gain, or with potential cost, to oneself is known as: A) Selfless gratification B) Ego protection C) Ethical hedonism D) Altruism 39. Which of the following is a drawback of antianxiety medications?A) They can cause physiological dependence. B) There is a high relapse rate when the drugs are discontinued. C) They can cause psychological dependence. D) All of the above. 40. The three broad classes of psychopathology distinguished by psychodynamic theorists are : A) anxiety disorders, personality disorders, somatoform disorders B) organic disorders, developmental disorders, experiential disorders C) cognitive dysfunctions, behavioral abnormalities, interpersonal maladies D) personality disorders, neuroses, psychoses Final Exam 11 PSY/300