Culture and Cognition Essay Example for Free

Culture and Cognition Essay Culture may be defined as a combination of different traits of a social group. These traits or ways of life can be language, arts, sciences, thoughts, spirituality, social activities, interactions, and many more (â€Å"Definition†, n. d. ). The world has many peoples and thus many cultures, thus each has their own beliefs, traditions, and customs. Another characteristic of a certain culture may be cognition. Because of human diversity in traditions and customs, there is also diversity in intelligence. According to Cole, Gay, Glick, and Sharp (as cited in Sternberg, 2004), certain behaviors may be smart in one culture but plainly stupid in another (1971). Culture and Intelligence According to Robert Sternberg in his article entitled â€Å"Culture and Intelligence†, intelligence cannot be fully measured, developed, and conceptualized when it is outside the cultural context. This creates an impression that intelligence is a norm and being a deviant from that norm would mean less intelligence (2004, p. 1). An example given by Sternberg about intelligence tests shows an evidence of his argument. Any intelligence test created in one culture may not be valid in another culture. Sternberg also constructed models in order to determine if the culture has a significant effect on intelligence. On the third model, the dimensions of intelligence are the same as with the other models. However, the instruments used are different from the other models. The measurement process was therefore derived from the culture being studied and not from outside it. As this is done, the psychological meanings of the scores of the assessments change from one culture to another. Culture and Cognition Intelligence is just one of the cognitive characteristics of man. Culture, as well as social systems has a role in developing the people’s system of thought. This is according to Richard Nisbett, Incheol Choi, Laiping Peng, and Ara Norenzayan, when they studied the difference between easterners and westerners in terms of cognitive processes (2001). They stated that east Asians are holistic in their cognitive processes, focusing on an entire field and its causality. On the other hand, westerners such as Americans are analytic because they pay more attention on the object and the categories, making use of rules such as formal logic. The authors of this article suggest that the origin of these differences is traceable to different social systems (p. 291). They were able to conclude that there is still a very great difference between cultures. It is because of the circumstances brought about by these cultures that one process will always be different from another. Furthermore, the norms or the normative standards for though will differ across cultures (p. 306). The influence of culture has many implications in cognition. This insight may change the very definition of intelligence as related to different social systems. This also has a great effect in cognitive assessment since one measuring tool may not be appropriate for all cultures. Although international communication is already established, this information would give more understanding to people as to how others with different cultures are different to them in terms of learning styles, perception, and other aspects of cognition. It would also change the perception on people who are considered as intellectually inferior since intelligence no longer focuses on a dominant or normative standard set by those perceived as superior. References â€Å"Definition of Culture†, (n. d. ). Roshan Culture Heritage Institute. Retrieved 24 May 2010 from http://www. roshan-institute. org/templates/System/details. asp? id=39783PID =474552. Nisbett, R. E. , Peng, K. , Choi, I. , Norenzayan, A. (2001). Culture and Systems of Thought: Holistic versus Analytic Cognition. Psychological Review. 108(2), pp. 291-310. Sternberg, R. (2004). â€Å"Culture and Intelligence†. American Psychologist. 59(5), pp. 325- 338.

The Vietnam War: The Tet Offensive :: Vietnam War Essays

In the mid to late 1960's the Vietnam Conflict was greatly controversial. This is mainly due to the fact that it was an undeclared war and was being fought with unclear objectives. It was fought mainly by Viet Cong guerillas and the NVA from the North and by the USA and ARVN from the south. Throughout the conflict it appeared as if the South was prevailing; up until one climatic battle that turned out to be a failure militarily; it is known as the Tet Offensive. The Tet Offensive started with diversionary attacks on Khe Sanh on January 21. It began with a concentrated artillery barrage and entrenching troops around the perimeter so that they could prepare further assaults on Khe Sanh's defenses. This caused the US to move their troops up in order to defend against the enemy intrusion. By causing the US to move their troops from their positions in the other major cities, the North had created an opportunity for an attack on all of those cites. Then next step of the plan was to infiltrate the major cities of the South like Saigon and Hue with VC and NVA soldiers. It is amazing how effectively the VC and NVA snuck their soldiers into the cities, because only a small number of them actually got caught. They pulled this off by sending their men in slowly, mostly by twos or threes, disguised as refugees, peasants, workers, and ARVN soldiers on holiday. Their weapons were smuggled in separately in flower carts, coffins, and trucks that looked as if they were filled with food for the civilians. All-in-all the amount of troops in these cities equaled about 5 battalions. Once the North had accomplished its goals of distracting the United States soldiers and infiltrating its guarded cities they decided to attack; they chose a day designated for truce, the Vietnamese New Year of Tet. On January 31st, in the early hours of the morning, the NVA and VC troops and commandoes began the Tet Offensive by attacking virtually every major city and town; including most of the major bases and airfields. Most of the attacks made came by total surprise and caused a maelstrom of chaos among the US soldiers who attempted to defend their posts. An example of one of these attacks is the one launched against the US embassy in Saigon. In Saigon, nineteen VC commandoes attempted to blast their way through the main doors of the US embassy and killed two of the 5 MP's on duty.

Generally Accepted Auditing Standards

Generally Accepted Auditing Standards Paper Madeline Cates ACC/491 Contemporary Auditing 1 November 7, 2012 Thomas A. House Auditing is extremely important to our businesses, our state and federal government, investors, banks, and our overall economy. Without auditing there would be plenty of room for mistakes. Boynton & Johnson (2006) define auditing as the following, â€Å"A systematic process of objectively obtaining and evaluating evidence regarding assertions about economic actions and events to ascertain the degree of correspondence between those assertions and established criteria and communicating the results to interested users† (p. ). To break it down auditing follows a certain process of steps using financial statements and tax returns to evaluate an organization in an unbiased way. Once this is done a written report is made by the auditors to give the organization the credibility they deserve. This credibility is passed on to interested users such as; banks, stockh olders, and management. The purpose of this paper is to explain the nature and functions of auditing, and relate them to an organization in which we are familiar. The organization is which I am familiar with is Chili’s Bar and Grill where I have been an employee for over 4 years.Chili’s is owned by Brinker Nation, which is publically traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol EAT. Brinker Nation is audited by independent auditing committee with no relation to the company, they follow the standard of the NYSE as well as the Securities and Exchange (SEC). The Generally Accepted Auditing Standards (GAAS) are a set of standards that public accountants are required to use. All together there are 10 different GAAS that are used to establish the quality of performance and the overall objectives to be achieved in a financial statement audit. Boynton & Johnson, 2006) The Generally Accepted Accounting Standards apply to financial, operational, and compliance audits. Typically a CPA preforms a financial audit by evaluating a firm’s financial position to see if they are using GAAP. The results are then distributed to the general public. A compliance audit focuses on whether or not a firm is following rules and government regulations, such as the Sarbanes-Oxley Act that requires duel-purpose auditing and compliance audits.Operational audits focus on activities in relation to objectives. This is also known as a management audit. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) affect publically traded companies. The PCAOB is a private sector that was created by the SOX Act of 2002. Basically the PCAOB oversees auditors of publically traded companies to protect investors, creditors, and the general public. According to Boynton & Johnson (2006), the PCAOB was given authority in 5 major areas including, 1.Registering public accounting firms that audit the financial statements of public companies. 2. Setti ng quality control standards for peer review of auditors of public companies and conducting inspections of registered public accounting firms. 3. Setting auditing standards for audits of public companies. 4. Setting independence and ethics rules for auditors of public companies. 5. Performing other duties or functions to promote high professional standards ? for public company audits, and enforce compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.With the help of the SEC, PCAOB, SOX Act, and GAAS we can ensure investors and creditors that publically traded organizations are presenting honest, fair, and straightforward financial information. Auditing is vital to the growth of our businesses, our local and federal government, and our economy as a whole. Resources Boynton, W. C. , & Johnson, R. N. (2006). Modern auditing: Assurance services and the integrity of financial reporting. (8th ed. ). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. Louwers, T. , Ramsay, R. , Sinason, D. , & Stawser, J. R.. (2007). Auditing a nd assurance services. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

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A Brief Note On The United State 1 Of 3 Kids - 1164 Words

In the united state 1 of 3 kids is overweight, establishing a common topic in our community. Fatness is a global topic that exist in every part of the world. Some people are very strict when it comes to fatness. People think that a person who is overweight should be ashamed and take action over it. People from around the world judge others based on their appearance, by thinking there should be a control on their weight. Throughout the century things has been changing and in this case appearance is something people are being judge by. Many youngs as adult people are facing this circumstance, some of them even putting in risks their life, but a new update has been made that even children should be taken early decision and be ashamed of how they look, kids are having many difficulties in school by facing all types of bullying. overweight is a dangerous situation that they are letting them carries at their young age. Most of the kids stop in the path just because they do not feel comfo rtable going to school for example, just 65% of the students who graduated enrolled in college this October, as a result, students are not feeling comfortable in school since they are basically judged based on their appearance and not on their knowledge. Letters should not be sent to parents from school. â€Å".Especially when that information could prompt serious problems with body image and eating habits. Though a quick BMI test might not directly increase bullying, it certainly causes distress inShow MoreRelatedAnimal Abuse Cases Essay examples1127 Words   |  5 Pagesprotection laws of the United States of America and Canada seventh edition is the top resource for lawyers, law professors, law students, legislators and other legal professionals† (Animal 3). 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Mexican American’s are one of the largest ethnic group in America today average of more than half of the populace; nearly reaching more than 30 million in the United States alone. Compassed by these immigrants more than half are here illegally that migrated over to the United States in search of a better livingRead MoreKantian Ethical Analysis1614 Words   |  6 Pagesb) - Kantian Ethical Analysis: 1 - Introduction and brief explanation of Kantian ethics: German philosopher Kant was first to introduce the Kantian ethics; hence, the named after him. According to Professor Elizabeth Anscombe, Immanuel Kant was Unitarianism’s rival; he believed actions that are taboo should be completely prohibited at all times. For instance, murder should be prohibited. Even though nowadays a person cannot be punished if death is involved as a self defense, from Kant’s perspective

Essay on America, Land of Immigrants - 746 Words

America†¦ Land of Immigrants Being a citizen in the US is a declaration that you have ancestry from somewhere else on the planet, unless you are a Native American. If we are not native, then where do we come from? Our country was founded by people from across the globe aspiring to become established in America. In the process of doing so, these early immigrants produced the social and cultural framework of life in America. For nearly four hundred years, our nation has continuously had every race, language, and culture contribute to the characterization of being an American. There can be many difficulties for immigrants coming to this country. One of the biggest struggles for newly arrived peoples is to simultaneously be an American and†¦show more content†¦He does not agree there are significant reasons to have English legally become the official language. However, quite a few people think differently. Large portions of conservative groups say in defense of â€Å"Ameri can† cultural identity, that we need to implement this law. Jamieson cites many sources in his essay and one quote particularly, from Bob Dole, emphasizes the conservative attitude about non-English speaking people: Dole says; â€Å"Promoting English as our national language is not an act of hostility but a welcoming act of inclusion.† Dole then says that while immigrants are encouraged to continue speaking their native languages, â€Å"thousands of children [are] failing to learn the language, English, that is the ticket to the ‘American Dream’† (qtd. in Donegan51). Jamieson’s personal tone conveys a strong divergence with this mind-set. He says that language discrimination has become a tolerable form of racism. Jamieson writes that the language issue is often accompanied by the need for immigration reform. These two matters have become almost inseparable. Jamieson adds a persuasive quote from University of Texas Professor Robert D. King; he strongly believes that â€Å"language does not threaten our American unity,† he recommends, â€Å"we relax and luxuriate in our linguistic richness and our traditional tolerance of language differences.† Thes e two essays are on the same subject, yet areShow MoreRelatedAmerica Is The Land Of Immigrants Essay1918 Words   |  8 Pages‘America is the land of immigrants.’- This was the first thing I ever heard about the supreme global power of the 21st century, and my definition of immigration has been expanding since then. Being an immigrant myself, I had the opportunity to gain several first hand experiences in the processes of migration and assimilation in a host society. 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As an child with immigrant parents i understand what Rodolfo might have been going thru the years he has been in america. Is America really a good america or just America. America is a world where it has discrimination,equality, patriotic and lastly immigrants. I heardRead MoreEssay on Non Welcoming Stance for Latin American Immigrants1123 Words   |  5 Pagesliberty was finished in August of 1885, immigrants from many nations came to the United States even before the green lady was standing in the New York Harbor. The poem, The New Colossus by Emma Lazarus, was later added in 1903, to signify the â€Å"golden door† that to many immigrants who were escaping strife or looking for a better life thought would await them in America. 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Riis and Turner were both concerned with the influx of immigrants and how the increase of people affected the American land. In Frederick Jackson’s Turner frontier thesis, he describes how important

Land Subsidence free essay sample

For example, withdrawal of oil from the field at Long Beach, California beginning in 1936 resulted in subsidence at rates ranging from 0. 5 to 2. 0 ft per year in the center of the field. By 1962, the center of the oil field had subsided slightly over 27 ft, caused by the removal of fluid from the pore spaces in the underground rock, which allowed the grains to compact. Similarly, withdrawal of groundwater through well pumping has resulted in subsidence in such cities as Mexico City, Houston, Texas, and Venice, Italy. †¢Underground salt, ore, and coal mining. However, where mining activity is planned, mining-induced subsidence can be successfully managed if there is co-operation from all of the stakeholders. This is accomplished through a combination of careful mine planning, the taking of preventative measures, and the carrying out of repairs post-mining. †¢Collapse of underground mines †¢Loss of water in organic soils †¢First-time wetting of dry low-density soils (hydrocompaction). We will write a custom essay sample on Land Subsidence or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Common causes of naturally occurring land subsidence are: †¢Dissolution of limestone aquifers (sinkholes). Natural subsidence may occur when limestone, which is easily carved by underground water, collapses, leaving sink holes on the surface, such as in Florida. †¢Earthquakes can also cause subsidence of the land because of the movement of faults. †¢Natural compaction of soils Increased demands on our ground water resources have overstressed aquifers in many areas of the nation. Increased withdrawals of ground water can result in ground water depletion, which causes land subsidence. Ground-water depletion occurs at scales ranging from a single well to aquifer systems underlying several states. This tool, interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR), uses repeat-pass radar images from Earth-orbiting satellites to measure subsidence and uplift at unprecedented levels of spatial detail and measurement resolution. Once subsidence is identified and mapped, subsidence-monitoring programs can be implemented and scientific studies can be launched to improve our understanding of the subsidence processes. A combination of scientific understanding and careful management can minimize the subsidence that results from developing our land and water resources. Ultimately, to effectively tackle the growing problem of land subsidence, it’s critical to address the underlying root cause of the problem versus merely treating the symptoms. It’s important to address human activities such as wasteful water usage that are causing land subsidence including rethinking farming and irrigation practices. Land subsidence is a classic case of tragedy of the commons, where an open-access resource is subject to indiscriminate use. Once we start using groundwater in a responsible way, we will start seeing land subsidence disappearing.