How Critical is the Critical Period Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

How Critical is the Critical Period - Essay Example It means that if the input of language does not take place after this particular time the individual will experience difficulty in obtaining a complete language. The proof for such a time is restricted, and assistance stems extensively from hypothetical disputes and similarities to other significant stages in biology like visual development, but nevertheless is accepted widely. Such a critical periods nature has however been the fiercest issues debated in cognitive science and psycholinguistics for decade. A Few writers have proposed an "optimal" or "sensitive" time other than a critical one. Some other writers dispute on the reasons that include cognitive mind of language factors and physical maturation. The critical periods duration varies as well greatly in various accounts. In animals, a critical period refers to the biologically determined period during which learning must take place in order for development to happen. During a small window of time, the juvenile bird listens to and copies the song of a tutor; after the critical period closes, such copying is not possible. Blindfolded kitten do not develop normal vision but if the blindfold is removed before eight weeks normal vision can be restored. In humans, if strabismus (crossed eyes) is not corrected in early childhood that is before the age of three a child will not develop normal binocular vision. The critical period for susceptibility to strabismus begins soon after birth and shows continued susceptibility to at least 4.6 years. According to Eric Lenneberg, language acquisition is not possible at the age of two because the human brain is not sufficiently mature. After puberty normal language acquisition is not possible because the brain is physically mature. Lenneberg says that there exists maturational limitations on the period that a primary language can be obtained. The acquisition of the first language depends on neuroplasticity. If the acquisition

Media and the Military :: Media Argumentative Persuasive Argument

Media and the Military      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   During the Vietnam War the media was left unchecked and brought the wartime images of death and carnage into America's living room.   These images served as morale killers and eventually turned much of the public against its own government.   During the Gulf War on the other hand, the military filtered what reached the public's eye and morale was kept to all time highs.   In wartime the government should be able to manipulate public opinion by controlling the media.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   War is not pretty, and it is not for the weak at heart.   Images of war should not be broadcast into living rooms live.   During the Vietnam conflict this is what happened.   Pictures and real time video of our troops being slaughtered during battles of the Tet offensive and the siege of Khe Sahn were sent home for all of America to see (Klein 50-51).   Again, war is not pretty and the way you keep morale up is you don't let the public know how bad war really is.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Television is one of the most powerful tools of media and â€Å"by the mid 1960's television had become the most important source for news for most of the American public, and beyond that, perhaps, the most powerful single influence on the public.† (Hallin 106)   So people trusted what reporters like Walter Cronkite were telling them.   They believed it when NBC journalists told them things like, â€Å" the Marines are so bogged down in Hue that nobody will predict when the battle would end†¦more than 500 marines have been wounded and over 100 dead since the in Hue began.† (Klein 51)   Don't get the wrong idea though, these things really happened but the public didn't need to know it.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The constitution and 1st amendment still mean something but national security should come first.   People rioting all over the country in anti war protests should be an issue of national security.   Without the support of your homefront no country can win a war, especially a foreign war (Franklin 250).   It is impossible to get support at home when NBC is showing them pictures of their boys getting massacred every night on the nightly news.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   On the other hand, during the Gulf War in Iraq the horrors of war still existed, maybe not to the same extent, but they were there nonetheless.   These horrors however where kept out of our living rooms by systematic filtering by the US army.   Now the army didn't just seize tapes and erase bad parts.   Very few reporters and cameras were allowed to the front lines.

The Unethical Approach to Immortality

Clint Stoeck Professor Kelly History 1302 19 October 2012 HeLa: The Unethical Approach to Immortality Henrietta Lacks is, one of the greatest contributors medical science and research in the past century. Albeit, she never knew of her contribution. In fact, it took twenty years for her family to be informed about the extensive number of cells that had been produced, and that would continue to be produced, to further studies in the best medical interest of mankind. The ethics of this situation are hardly questionable and this is what â€Å"The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks† by Rebecca Skloot discusses.The blatant use of Henrietta Lacks’ tissue without her consent, while it was a huge benefit to the medical field and mankind, was highly unethical and the lack of consent from her and her family have led to the questioning of the moral standards of the medical field. We see Henrietta Lacks and her family as an example of the apathy that the medical field exhibits during this time towards underprivileged people and the lasting effects that it can have on society. The twentieth century was a rather confusing time for the medical field.We were always advancing and consistently on the verge of new technological capabilities. The â€Å"medical revolution† that transpired during the twentieth century began to develop some unintended side effects though. Ethics began to take a back seat to the advancement of medical research and Henrietta Lacks fell victim to these unethical practices. When she discovered â€Å"her biopsy results from the pathology lab: Epidermoid carcinoma of the cervix, Stage I† , she had the cancer removed. Henrietta was able to continue her life without a problem after the removal and thus continued her life as it was, previously to the cancer.She did not know that the cancer had essentially been harvested, not fully removed, and used to produce the largest supply of cells in existence. After Henrietta Lacks’ deat h, the use of her cells continued for years. They have been used as a medium for in vitro fertilization to polio vaccinations. One of the problems that make this situation questionable is the fact that Henrietta Lacks still died from this cancer. She was not helped but used as a genetic farm without knowing, until she expired. The other half of this situation is how Henrietta Lacks passed away which in this case, was excruciatingly painful.The doctors viewed her as a â€Å"miserable specimen† and saw no need to examine her further. After Henrietta’s death, word traveled quickly the George Gey laboratory, where her cells where originally cultured. They froze her body and used it as a template to continue their research. They began mass producing her cells in a warehouse in Tuskegee at about twenty thousand vials per day. They began to profit off the production and tell not a word of it to Henrietta’s family because they would be legally entitled to a portion of t he profits.Not only have they disgraced the body of Henrietta Lacks, they blatantly avoid telling the family about their activities after her death. In 1973, the Lacks family learned of their mothers past situation. They could not grasp the concept that the cells were not immortal but replicated millions of times over. However, it seemed to be that all the brothers, in the family, cared about was receiving a portion of the profits made off Henrietta’s cells while the sisters were more concerned about how their mothers’ medical records got into the hands of strangers.During this time, it was an upheld tenet that doctors practiced confidentiality with their patients but they were not legally obligated to do so. This moral dilemma plagued the twentieth century. Patients were only treated properly if they were high paying or highly regarded people of white ethnicity while everyone underneath them were seen as borderline guinea pigs for genetic testing. Henrietta Lacks†™ situation and death, along with her family’s treatment regarding their mother, is a microcosm to the ethics and practices of the twentieth century.People cannot be seen as guinea pigs, but as people that need treatment and help. It is the duty and responsibility of the medical field to uphold high moral and ethical standards and to maintain these standards. It appeared that, during the twentieth century, that the very people that medical field worked to help, were treated with little respect. Henrietta Lacks’ ordeal will serve as a lesson to the medical field in terms of ethics and responsibility towards their patients. ——————————————– [ 1 ]. Skloot, p. 8 [ 2 ]. Skloot, p. 75

Womens Role in Literature Essay - 1267 Words

Womens Role in Literature In many works of Literature women play a controversial role, one in which their actions are the cause of conflict in many situations. There are more often then not two reasons for this. One reason why the female character is always caught in the center of the conflict is ignorance, such is the case Shakespeares Hamlet; Prince of Denmark with the character Queen Gertrude as an example. The second reason why women are the cause of the central conflict are that in many instances they are trying to make a stand against society by defying what society holds to be the norm. An example of this would be Sophocles Antigone. In either case, the woman character is cause of the central conflict within the†¦show more content†¦Through their actions, both of these women brought upon much stress upon not only themselves but members of their family as well, allowing for the central conflicts to take place. In Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, it is Queen Gertrudes marriage to Claudius that c auses Hamlet to act as though he has gone crazy. His fathers death was hard enough on him, especially due to the fact that his Uncle Claudius was his fathers murderer. His mothers hasty marriage to him only causes Hamlet to speculate about his mothers involvement in his fathers death. Shakespeare does not make it entirely clear as to whether or not Gertrude took part in the elder Hamlets death, nor does he make certain as to whether or not she took part in any extramarital affairs with Claudius prior to the kings death. It is this uncertainty that drives Hamlet to the brink of insanity. Hamlet is unsure as to whether or not he should hold his mother responsible for his fathers death, and this causes him to act mad towards the others in the court, especially his lover Ophelia. It is the ghost of the elder Hamlet that tells his son not to harm his mother, that she is innocent of his murder. 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