Effects of Alzheimers On Response Times

Effects of Alzheimers On Response Times John C. Hemby Physiological Psychology Dr. Colleen Miron There are many advances in science that has allowed us to understand, cope and in some cases treat certain diseases of the brain. However, there is much we still do not know about many of them. Alzheimer’s would be one of these disorders. The text states that Alzheimer’s is defined as a persistent, degenerating disorder that inhibits the brain’s cells or neurons and thus resulting in memory loss, language skills and rapid changes in behavior (Kalat, 2012). This usually occurs in the older aged population, around the age of sixty-five and isn’t considered to be a normal part of the aging process. According to an Alzheimer’s organization website, a person is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s every sixty-seven seconds and that there are currently more than 5 million Americans that have this disease (Help End Alzheimer’s, n.d.). One of the issues of having this disease deals with enumeration or recollection of numbers by counting. The text states that individuals with Alzheimer’s cannot recall learning certain skills i.e. golfing and are often surprised when they do well (Kalat, 2012). This research in this article is important because it shows how well a person with Alzheimer’s can quickly recall how many numbers are in a certain area just by looking at it. This is a simple experiment in that it will be easy to measure the reaction times and the task of counting isn’t that complex in comparison to golfing. According to the article, individuals that have Alzheimer’s sometimes have difficulty with visual enumeration. This means that a person with Alzheimer’s has difficulty counting visual numbers or tracking down a number in a specific area, i.e. looking for number 42 in a numerical list of 1-100. This study is unique in that finding the reaction time difference between olde r adults that have Alzheimer’s and those that don’t would be a quantifiable aspect and gives more proof to the damage that the brain receives from this disease. The researchers in this article are doctors Maylor, Watson and Muller and they studied the subject of visual enumeration in patients with Alzheimer’s in the year 2005. The hypothesis of the study was that the participants’ with Alzheimer’s would have a significant increase in response time in counting numbers, subitizing numbers(readily knowing a number just by looking at the amount of figures in a picture) and finding numbers in comparison to older adults that did not have Alzheimer’s (Maylor, Watson, and Muller, 2005). The study was conducted using participants from a resident home that specialized in the care of people with dementia. These participants were already diagnosed with dementia by professional health providers (Maylor, Watson, and Muller, 2005). There were a total of 12 participants whom had Alzheimer’s and their average age was 81 years old with 4 men and 8 women in the study. The other participants had an average age of 79 and only 8 participants; with only 3 being men and 5 were women. The researchers also gave the participants a Mini-Mental State Examination or MMSE, and the control group scored higher than the Alzheimer’s participants; 17.3 was the average for the Alzheimer’s participants and 29.4 was the average for the control group (Maylor, Watson, and Muller, 2005). Last, all of the participants were voluntary and did not receive any payments for their participation. The researchers used a laptop to be used as a visual for the participants. The laptop also measured response times (RT) and synched the displays. The participants utilized the spacebar key on the laptop as the response button. They put the screen at eye level with a distance of 60 cm. Then a researcher put in the responses with their own keypad. The stimuli on the screen were red circles displayed on a black background. They randomly generated the stimuli in order to avoid any counting ahead (Maylor, Watson, and Muller, 2005). The experimenter conducted the tests individually in a room that was either at the resident facility or at the home of the control group participant and the room had nothing but the laptop and the two people conducting the experiment. The initial test was the MMSE and then an enumeration task, a block of demonstration on the task, 3 turns of practice trials and last, there were 3 turns of experimental trials (Maylor, Watson, and Muller, 2005). The participants were required to press the spacebar for how many circles they saw. The results of the study indicated that the Alzheimer’s participants were slower than the control group, 1.4 seconds to be exact. The data was analyzed by using ANOVA’s to demonstrate the difference in response time and the accuracy of the numbers between the two groups. However, they had the same accuracy in seeing how many items were currently present on the monitor (Maylor, Watson, and Muller, 2005). There were some differences in the results with the numbering portion of the experiment. The participants with Alzheimer’s had a significant reduction in response time in comparison to the control group in the subitization part. The second part, counting, the Alzheimer’s participants were significantly slower than their counterparts as well. The hypothesis was supported by the results of the experiment (Maylor, Watson, and Muller, 2005). The conclusion of this study shows a definitive, qualitative answer between Alzheimer’s and normal older adults’ response time. This in turn shows where to start on how to improve those with Alzheimer’s response time especially since there isn’t any issue with their accuracy (Maylor, Watson, and Muller, 2005). There were several issues with this study. First, instead of using a cross sectional study, the researchers should have utilized a longitudinal study; that way they could see how slower the participants got overtime as their Alzheimer’s progressed. The second issue is that they should have acquired individuals that had just become diagnosed with early stages of Alzheimer’s; in the study they give no indication on what stage these participants were at. Last, there was an issue with the amount of participants in the study. The average was too generalized and needed a larger group to narrow down the averages (mean) in order to acquire a hi gher quality of data. There are some different avenues of approach for future studies on this particular subject. The first approach could be that men and women may suffer from Alzheimer’s differently, therefore in the future the men and women should be separated into different groups. This would show if there were any differences between the sexes. The next idea is that according to the text, those that drink coffee are less likely to have Alzheimer’s (Kalat, 2012). So for a future research idea, one should have the participants drink coffee for a while before starting the experiment. This could show if the effects of Alzheimer’s are mitigated when given a stimulant, i.e. caffeine. The last idea would have to be instead of utilizing numbers, use matching words. For example, gauge a participant’s reaction time by having a word on the screen and then the participant has to choose a synonym for that word i.e. happy equals jovial. This would show if a participant with Alzheimerâ⠂¬â„¢s can recall a larger vocabulary and in a timely manner. References Help End Alzheimers. (n.d.). Retrieved December 19, 2014, from http://www.alz.org/ Kalat, James W. Biological Psychology, 11th Edition. Cengage Learning, 01/2012. VitalBook file. Maylor, E. A., Watson, D. G., Muller, Z. (2005). Effects of Alzheimers disease on visual enumeration. The Journals Of Gerontology. Series B, Psychological Sciences And Social Sciences, 60(3), P129- P135.

William Faulkner’s “Barn Burning” & It’s Socio-Economic Levels

Johany Hernandez Professor Gray ENC 1102 October 12, 2011 Life’s Own Food Chain William Faulkner’s â€Å"Barn Burning† depicts socio-economic levels of the post Civil War rural South. Social class and economic worth is a major theme throughout the story. It displays a hierarchy of different financial level that is used to portray different socio-economic standpoints among groups. At the very bottom of the social structure are Sarty and his family. On the following level, there is the de Spain’s Negro servant. Afterwards, is Mr. Harris. At the top of the ladder are Major de Spain and his wife, Lula de Spain. All of these characters represent the differences among the socio-economic groups, and how they intertwine with each other in the community. At the bottom of the rank are Sarty and his family. They are farmers who work on others’ plantations because they cannot afford to have their own. They are definitely an uneducated group of individuals. This can be seen when Sarty is speaking: ‘He won’t git no ten bushels neither. He won’t git one. ’ Another good example would be their clothing. Sarty’s sisters are â€Å"†¦in a flutter of cheap ribbons. The family’s clothes consist of â€Å"an incredible expanse of pale clothes and a flutter of tawdry ribbons. † Moreover, Abner Snopes is depicted as someone who does not desire change, even for the betterment of his family. The father walks â€Å"stiffly from where a Confederate provost’s man’s musket ball had taken him in the heel on a stolen horse thirty years ago. â₠¬  He also seems to wear the same black coat constantly. Above Sarty in the hierarchy structure is the de Spain’s servant. The Negro is being described as â€Å"†¦an old man with neat grizzled hair, in a linen jacket. His living in the de Spain’s mansion shows that he is of higher status than the Snopes family. He lives very comfortably in the manor. The fact that he is wearing a linen jacket illustrates that he is exceptionally well taken care of. Though still a servant, he is presumably higher in the hierarchy of the social ladder. The servant is still very well underneath the hierarchy because he is uneducated. He speaks similarly to the Snopes. An instance is: ‘Wipe yo foots, white man, fo you come in here. Major ain’t home nohow. ’ The next character, who is placed above the servant, is Mr. Harris. Though not much is said about who he is, the story portrays him as a landowner. The Snopes’ worked on his farm for a short-term period, which eventually ended in his barn burning. With the bit of information on Mr. Harris, it can be said that he is almost certainly above middle-class. Mr. Harris says ‘The next time I put the hog in my pen. When he came to get it I gave him enough wire to patch up his pen. ’ Examples are that he owns a farm, and a cornfield. Also, that he is able to employ Mr. Snopes and his family as tenant farmers to work on his land. At the top of the hierarchy is a very rich man, Major de Spain and his wife, Lula de Spain. It is very apparent that they are more than wealthy by the description of the home’s surroundings. â€Å"†¦the grove of oak trees and cedars and the other flowering trees and shrubs where the house would be, though not the house yet. They walked beside a fence massed with honeysuckle and Cherokee roses and came to a gate swinging open to between two brick pillars†¦ he saw the house†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Also, the home itself was grand and white. Sarty thinks ‘Hit’s big as a courthouse. ’ Inside the house, even Sarty is flabbergasted by how beautiful it is. The narrator describes it as â€Å"†¦deluged as though by a warm wave by a suave turn of carpeted stair and a pendant glitter of chandeliers and a mute gleam of gold frames†¦Ã¢â‚¬  A very important example of social reign is that Mr. and Mrs. De Spain speak grammatically correct. This alone shows more class as opposed to Sarty and the servant. Throughout the story, the socio-economic classes clash against one another because of social troubles, or economic harms. Sarty and his family, who portrays the lowest of the low show how their family live day by day without reassurance of the future. The servant–clean cut and more well-mannered than the Snopes’, serves the de Spains’, and ultimately somewhat bathes a bit in their riches. Mr. Harris, a minor character, yet the obvious next personality in the hierarchy, is a stable, above middle-class man who though does not own a mansion, is very well off. This now leaves Mr. and Mrs. De Spain, the ones who are not only rich, but exceed the social class norms among the other characters. They are at the top of the food chain—rich, intelligent and very powerful. The lives of these characters help understand the inner-workings of society and its inhabitants.

Angry Men Essay Topics Tips & Guide

Angry Men Essay Topics Tips & Guide A hung jury appears far more likely. He thinks that the defendant is completely guilty. 1 juror managed to sympathize with the boy on trial due to his past. Are two jurors have a tendency toward reach a tiger. The trial by jury process is supposed to make a unanimous decision in an objective, reasonable and unbiased method. For example, you don't just dismiss blood evidence as probably planted unless you're presented with evidence that it's been planted. Maybe some want to pay for a jury with the help of a lawyer ex-officio to help the jury work out the significance of the law. These are everyday people who may well be on your jury. The Argument About 12 Angry Men Essay Topics Prejudice obscures the reality. This product entirely suggests Juror 3 is challenging to work with. Needless to say, this is something which Juror Ten does not exhibit. 9th Juror stipulates the chance that the old man was only testifying to truly feel important. Still, every one of them would show up in the overall list. As an example, let's say you decide on the very first topic from our list. Students will be requested to investigate the method by which the reader's understanding of a single text is bro adened and deepened when considered in regard to another text. This film taught me that you must approach decisions in a sure manner. He's possibly the most complex personality in the movie. But most significantly, he uses film strategies to maintain the eye of viewers, giving them the chance to wholly have the passion of this kind of emotion filled story. In the movie nevertheless. In this break, it starts to rain outside. He says this type of boy is capable of anything. This man's character is employed as a vehicle to expose a significant flaw in the computer system. In the end, the young man is found innocent and the instance is resolved in a manner that's surprising to readers. On a particular level, this argument is reasonable. Besides our honors college is not any reason in. If this is the scenario, a great idea would be to start by stating that it isn't right for sports to be coeducational. Needless to say, there also needs to be somebody who likes standing out, who likes being the middle of attention. The degree of concern on the topic available, displayed by a number of the jury members indicates that the jury system conveyed by Rose is unfair and unreliable. Judging by the movie, the dignity of the American democratic system isn't in the chance to speak for everybody, and then collectively come to a typical choice, but that it makes possible correctly picking out the jury. Since no person is completely accountable for the decision, members are going to have inclination to accept more extreme solutions. Typically, it takes as much as two hours of time to comb through dozens of sites until you discover something exciting to write about. Who Els e Wants to Learn About 12 Angry Men Essay Topics? The ability of the method lies within the way it can expose their private prejudice in a locked room, where the men can't escape scrutiny. Justice is among the huge concerns of humankind. However, it's made evident that justice is simply won after a battle that suggests the fragile character of justice. Such a justice depends upon retribution and vengeance. The Secret to 12 Angry Men Essay Topics In general, 12 Angry Men is a significant portrayal of aspects of social psychology and might be studied much more with a number of other social processes. Individuals can change depending on the personalities within a group. When members start to know and identify with each other, the degree of trust in their personal relations contributes to the growth of group cohesion. He plays the function of an appointed leader or the person who's assigned the leader position from the beginning. One of the absolute most important qualities of leadership is the capability to remain calm, focused and ready to interact. However, in the event the personalities in a group are aggressive or assertive, then each individual might be less prepared to speak her or his mind and go in addition to the group.

The Importance of Computer Science - 557 Words

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A computer’s subfields can be divided into a variety of theoretical foundations of information and technological studies. Computers and computer science have impacted us in many different ways. Computers have given us new technology and even if it just means for the little things. For example, doctors use them to record data, make analysis, and create simulations to test hypothesis. Scientists, believe it or not, also rely on technology like computers because they can be used forShow MoreRelatedThe Importance Of A Computer Science Major1501 Words   |  7 Pagespreparation of being a computer science major. Expanding from there this essay investigate s a more broad aspect of what it takes to be a successful computer science major both in and out of college. The argument I make is that success comes from the professional development of computer science related skills. Simply put, this essay explains the best practices of learning experts and then applies them to compute science. 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