msalvucci's blog

In order to test the expectancy effect, multiple experiments were performed at schools across the state. Each experiment included having children in grades one through six take a nonverbal test that judged a particular skill. The teachers in the classroom were not familiar with the test and they were told that the students were taking a “Harvard Test of Inflected Acquisition”. The teachers believed that this test was to indicate which kids were excelling in their grade. Following the initial testing, the kids were retested after a couple months and the results were analyzed to determine which kids were “excelling”. The results indicated an increase in overall grades on the test from the initial to second test period. This led the researchers to suspect that the teacher’s high expectations of the kids were rubbing off on the results; it was as if the teacher’s expectations were shaping the kid’s behaviors to subconsciously do better on the second test. The younger grades showed a higher correlation between teacher expectations in results, indicating that younger kids are more likely to be shaped by their surroundings or more easily influenced by their superiors. The older grades did not show the same increase in grades, showing that their environment did not have as much of an impact on their testing. Overall, the study confirmed that the expectancy effect can take place in real world situations; biases can subconsciously affect outcomes. 

In 1911, Wilhelm Von Osten claimed his horse could read, spell and solve math problems. The horse, named Clever Hans, would allegedly stomp with is right hoof to indicate the answer to math problems or spell words. It was astonishing to see a horse have the same problem solving skills as a human, and as he performed this task in front of scientists, he tricked them into believing a horse could have such a high level of intelligence without a prompting of his owner. However, it came out that the horse was actually conditioned to answer the problems through the reactions of the audiences, not from knowing the correct answer. For example, if asked what ten plus 5 was, he would keep stomping until he noticed a nod or surprised expression on the scientist’s face. This would indicate to the horse that the right answer had been stomped by the horse, and he would stop. Wilhem Von Osten used this horse trick to prove that biases may cause researchers to unconsciously signal to participants in an experiment when a specific outcome has been achieved. This idea falls under the experimenter expectancy effect. This idea threatens scientist’s validity, as it proves that some outcomes from an experiment may have been anticipated and therefore pushed for by the scientist themselves; the findings may not be 100 percent valid if a bias was placed on the participants. 

A new retrovirus has the potential to kill off thousands of dogs breeds across the nation, and it is our duty to determine which dog breed should be saved. I argue that a vaccine should be given to Golden Retrievers because these dogs are a family favorite and should be saved for their wonderful qualities.

A high percentage of dog owning families have Golden Retrievers, making them an extremely popular breed. It would be a shame to kill off a breed that is such common household pet. It makes sense to save a breed that is so common in order to save a high amount of families from feeling despair and mourning. Additionally, these dogs are considered fully grown at the age of one; it would be smart to save a breed that is full grown at an early age so that the virus isn’t killing off a high percentage of puppies. Saving this breed would save the virus from harming a large amount of innocent puppies.

            Additionally, golden retrievers are loveable, friendly, and cuddly, making them a household favorite. Young kids typically think of their family’s pet golden retriever as another sibling, and it would be catastrophic to their emotional well-being to take away a piece of their family. Golden Retrievers are loyal pets; it would be upsetting to put them in danger after seeing how loyal they are to their owners.

            It would make sense to vaccinate Golden Retrievers because they are one of the most common household breeds. They are easy to train and always compatible with strangers. Golden Retrievers have a great sense of safety, and always protect their owners. For example, some Golden Retrievers notice when humans need help when swimming and jump in after them to save them from drowning. Their protective and intelligent qualities make them a smart breed to vaccinate to benefit this planet. Additionally, Golden Retrievers usually have litter sizes ranging from four to twelve puppies. As they are great breeders, the population size of these dogs would flourish due to reproduction.

            While it is unfortunate that dog breeds are being wiped out due to a retrovirus, it is important to distinguish reasons to save one breed over another. The great qualities and characteristics of Golden Retrievers makes them a great choice to vaccinate.

It would make sense to vaccinate golden retrievers because they are one of the most common household breeds. They are easy to train and always compatible with strangers. Golden retrievers have a great sense of safety, and always protect their owners. For example, some golden retrievers notice when humans need help when swimming and jump in after them to save them from drowning. Their protective and intelligent qualities make them a smart breed to vaccinate to benefit this planet. Additionally, golden retrievers usually have litter sizes ranging from four to twelve puppies. As they are great breeders, the population size of these dogs would flourish due to reproduction.

            While it is unfortunate that dog breeds are being wiped out due to a retrovirus, it is important to distinguish reasons to save one breed over another. The great qualities and characteristics of golden retrievers makes them a great choice to vaccinate. 

A new retrovirus has the potential to kill off thousands of dogs breeds across the nation. It is our duty to determine which dog breed should be saved. I argue that a vaccine should be given to Golden Retrievers because these dogs are family favorites and should be saved for ethical, emotional and logical reasons. A high percentage of dog owning families have golden retrievers, making them an extremely popular breed. It would be a shame to kill off a breed that are such common household pet. Saving this breed would cause the least amount of people despair and mourning. Additionally, these dogs are considered fully grown at the age of one; it would make sense to save a breed that is full grown at an early age so that the virus isn’t killing off a high percentage of puppies.

            Additionally, golden retrievers are loveable, friendly, and cuddly making them a household favorite. Young kids think of their family’s pet golden retriever as another sibling, and it would be catastrophic to their emotional well-being to take away a piece of their family. Golden retrievers are loyal pets; it would be upsetting to put them in danger after seeing how loyal they are the their owners.

Ketosis is defined as a state where an individual’s body is producing ketones as a result of a deficiency in carbohydrates. In ketosis, the body starts to break down fat as its energy source, instead of carbohydrates. This is usually accompanied by a drop in blood sugar. Although this seems like a harmful idea, a new dieting trend in the past couple of years has been the ketogenic diet. This diet includes a meal plan revolving around high fat, low carb and high protein. The idea of this diet is to starve the body from carbohydrates so that it is forced to burn fats as a source of energy. Although extreme, this diet has surprisingly shown many benefits. The ketogenic diet can aid in extreme weight loss and is recommended for patients with many chronic conditions such as diabetes and poly cystic ovary syndrome. This diet was first discovered as a meal plan that helped patients with epilepsy. Extensive research has proved that the ketogenic diet reduced seizure in patients with this condition. However, there are many unpleasant side effects to the ketogenic diet, including stomach pain, fatigue, fogginess, nausea, and trouble sleeping. There is little known about the long term benefits of this diet. Many doctors have mixed feelings about this diet, and there is much more research to be done about this diet. 

The idea of intelligence is something that has directed our lives ever since a young age. Children are constantly being tested or judged for their intelligence throughout schooling. The idea of intelligence can be seen through personality, verbal skills, and problem solving skills. Some people who are very intelligent struggle socially, and some people use their intelligence in aspects of social competence. What is intelligence? Intelligence is seen as an individual’s ability to understand complex ideas, learn from experience and adapt to circumstances. The G factors, or general factor, is a theory that dictates that a there is a primary intelligence factor that underlies all specific mental abilities. However, this theory was refuted by Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences. This theory states that intelligences can be independent of one another; some individuals can be very competent in one area of education and incompetent in another. Robert Sternberg also argued that intelligence cannot be based on one factor. He believed that intelligence falls into 3 categories; analytical intelligence, creative intelligence, and practical intelligence. Practical intelligence, also thought of as ‘street smarts’ is one of the most important aspects of intelligence. Emotional intelligence, which goes hand-in-hand with practical intelligence, is the type of intelligence that makes an individual good at understanding the emotional side of life. 

I took ResEcon statistics in the Fall semester of my Sophomore year. Unfortunately, I do not remember a lot about statistics. I remember some units that the class went through, but I do not recall specific details. I remember talking about the difference between independent and dependent variables. The independent variable in an experiment does not depend on another variable, whereas the dependent variable varies according to the independent variable. We also learned about different methods of sampling. These include stratified random, simple random, cluster, and systemic sampling. Sampling techniques vary depending on the type of experiment that is performed; some sampling techniques are efficient for certain experiments depending on the size or range of the variables being tested. We also focused on graphs and statistical analysis. The ability to interpret statistical graphs is very important in biology as most of the results are displayed in graphs, scatter plots, and tables. This includes understanding how to find and interpret residuals, correlation, and linear regression. I do not remember specific detail about these concepts. We learned about how to use p value and degrees of freedom. I remember that a P value lower than .05 means that the difference between two averages is significant. The class also spent a good amount of the semester on probability. Overall, my memory of the material we learned in statistics class is hazy so reviewing the basics will be beneficial to this class.  

I took ResEcon statistics in my Fall semester of Sophomore year. Unfortunately, I do not remember a lot about statistics. We learned about different methods of sampling. These include stratified random, simple random, cluster, and systemic sampling. We focused a lot on graphs and statistical analysis. This included understanding residuals and correlation, and linear regression. I do not remember much detail about each specific concept. We spent a good amount of the semester on probability which was pretty basic. I know a lot about probability from learning it all throughout middle school and high school. We learned about how to use p value and degrees of freedom. I do not remember the equations we used, but I know there were a few. 

Long term memory and short term memory are topics studied heavily in Psychology and Biology. Scientists have created many experiences to test the differences between long and short term memory. There are a lot of theories as to how pieces of your information or events go into short term of long term. For example, when given a list of names and asked to recall them from memory, it is typical that humans remember the beginning of the list and the end of the list. The idea that it would be easy to remember the first few names on a list is called the primacy effect, meaning the first couple words are stored in the long term memory. Remembering the last few words on the list is the recency effect, meaning that the words are in your recent and short term memory. In short term memory, ideas or concepts are typically remembered in chunks of 7 items, whereas long term memory has an infinite amount. This is because long term memory must be attended to and rehearsed or elaborated for some time. Short term memory is not rehearsed or elaborated therefore it is less likely to be recalled for a long time after the initial memory. This idea relates to studying; it is better to study in small chunks over a long period of time in repetition rather than cramming a night before an exam. This is because the studied material is now if the long term memory from repetition.