Abstract This paper discusses flavor aversion and its relevance to patients undergoing chemotherapy treatment. It looks at the role of classical Pavlovian conditioning in establishing food and flavor aversions, and ways to counteract them. The paper also points out the importance of this phenomenon in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.
From the Paper "This paper concerns the topic of flavor aversion which develops in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. It is an interesting subject to me because I have known people undergoing such treatment and many of my friends have had family members or friends who have had to undergo chemotherapy treatment for cancer. The one thing that all these people notice is that they can no longer enjoy their favorite foods. One reason is because chemotherapy is very non-specific and is aimed at killing dividing cells.
Abstract In this paper aversion therapy is studied as a therapy employed in the treatment of alcoholism, smoking, compulsive gambling, and sexual deviations. Aversion therapies are described and critically assessed. Many deficiencies are pointed out and suggestions for improvements are made. It is suggested that the future of aversion therapy lies in the complete comprehension of the procedure.
From the Paper "A therapy, which employs classical conditioning, is known as aversion therapy. In aversion therapy a negative emotional reaction is conditioned to a maladaptive behavior that a subject perceives as pleasurable (Liebert & Spiegler, 1998, p. 516). In this approach the problem behavior, known as the conditioned stimulus (CS), is paired with the unconditioned stimulus (UCS). The unconditioned stimulus (UCS) can be administered in such forms as chemical or electrical aversion. The unconditioned stimulus (UCS) results in the unconditioned response (UCR), which may be anxiety, fear or nausea. After numerous pairings of the problem behavior (CS) with the aversion therapy (UCS) the problem behavior (CS) will elicit fear, anxiety or nausea (CR). "
This paper discusses psychological theories for methods of changing behavior and then chronicles the author's attempt to change her own behavior by using a process of positive reinforcement and adhering to a Pavlovian model of conditioning.
Abstract The paper states that behavior modification is simply learning. The author discusses and compares Pavlovian and Operant conditioning and Positive and Negative Reinforcement. The paper refers to various reinforcement strategies: Systematic desensitization, aversion therapy (reciprocal inhibition) and biofeedback. The author details her experiment using positive reinforcement (buying a CD) to learn new behaviors in regards to caffeine consumption. She noticed problems of physical addiction.
From the Paper "Pavlovian conditioning is in fact a type of learning. Indeed, it is perhaps the most famously documented type of learning that there is. It is difficult indeed to imagine that there exists a college student anywhere in the Western Hemisphere who has not heard the story of how Ivan Pavlov came up with the idea of teaching his dog to associate the sound of a ringing bell with the introduction of food. (We all know the ending of this story: Pavlov was able to make his dog salivate in anticipation of being fed whenever he heard the meal-time bell ? and even after Pavlov no longer followed up the bell with food the dog continued to salivate for a number of repetitions of the experiment.)
This is the way in which Pavlovian learning always works: An individual (a dog, a human, a chimp ? and even some non-mammalian species) is given a certain stimulus to which it responds consistently."
From the Paper "Futures markets are commodity markets in which participants anticipate the price of commodities in the future and take positions which, ideally, will yield a profit. This speculation can exist on almost any commodity, but it is typically associated with agricultural commodities such as farm products and livestock. There is also a strong futures market for metals and mined materials (including oil) and even for various currencies. Futures markets are an international phenomenon, with activity on specific items from specific countries being bid on. Throughout the development of the futures markets, the element of risk has received considerable attention by analysts. If the speculator anticipates the price movement of a commodity incorrectly, substantial losses can be realized; conversely, if the speculator anticipates the movement ..."
Abstract This paper discusses the links between personality and the behavior and attitudes of individuals. It examines how personality impacts risk aversion and risk-seeking attitudes and behaviors within individuals. The paper focuses on this particular characteristic and examines the implicit motivations individuals have to be risk seeking and risk averting in their attitude and behavior.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
Background
Dependent Variable: At Risk Behavior that lead to Delinquency
Independent: Personality Types and Peer Influence
Information Need
Process
From the Paper "In order to delineate a specific link between personality characteristics and its resultant affects on attitudes and behaviors towards delinquency, a careful review of personality diagnosis of young children pre-maturity must be examined. This process will involve dissecting data of children who have received full personality tests that delineates their five factor model and correlates this data to the development of aggressive and anti-social behavior and attitudes. Instead of examining concrete violence or delinquencies later in life, this procedure will focus on predicative behavior such as aggressiveness and anti-social attitudes. Thus it will examine the root link between personality and behavior and attitude rather than behavior and delinquency."
Abstract This paper explains that Burrhus F. Skinner's view of teaching and learning is sought after because his main interest lies in the development of a technology rather than a theory of teaching. The author examines the use of operant conditioning and positive reinforcement in the classroom. Contrary to Skinner's experiments, the paper contends that education today is too dominated by the use of aversive stimuli.
From the Paper "Skinner maintained that operant responses account for most of human behavior. Operant responses are emitted by, but not elicited from, the organism, and since they are not induced by stimuli, they are voluntary in nature. The term operant is used to emphasize the fact that the behavior operates upon the environment to generate consequences Therefore, reinforcement is said to be contingent upon responses. The learning of an operant response is called operant conditioning."
Abstract This paper discusses and reviews Wendy Brown's book, "Regulating Aversion: Tolerance in the Age of Identity and Empire." The paper discusses the content of the book and specifically discusses Brown's perspective on tolerance. It suggests that Brown's work is biased by the writer's own decidedly biased liberal viewpoints, rather than representing a comprehensive historical analysis of the development of tolerance as we know it today.
Table of Contents:
Tolerance According to Wendy Brown
Subjugation and Society
From the Paper "The first part of the book read like a dry political prose, steeped in political theory. However, midway through the book, Brown's style shifts to an impassioned style of writing. Brown's definition of Liberalism is an example of her passion. She paints a picture of society where our differences, held only in private drive us apart, rather than unify us. Differences would then no longer be used to allocate culture and society. Brown failed to recognize and address viewpoints that were different from her own. This weakened her argument considerably. It appears that Brown assumes that her audience will agree with her. She does not even address viewpoints, historical or contemporary that would invalidate her arguments. Brown makes her point by avoiding that which does not fit her mold."
Abstract It is generally believed that males are less risk averse than are females in most situations. Additionally, it is commonly held that young adults and adolescents are generally more prone to engage in risk taking behavior than are older individuals. Most contemporary studies that assess risk taking behavior in young adults focus on sexual activity and confirm these beliefs. However, attitudes towards riskiness in more general, non-sexual situations are less often examined. This paper assesses the gender differences in risk taking attitudes in 15 separate situations of varying risk. Twenty participants (10 male, 10 female) took part in a survey on risk taking behavior by young adults. The results confirmed the belief that males are less risk averse generally, but also found a significant interaction between sex and situation, indicating that in certain specific situations females would be less risk averse. The paper includes tables.
From the Paper "The results of this study also indicate that alcohol use probably has little causal impact on risk taking. All of the respondents were alcohol free when taking the survey, and most of the situations to which they responded posited alcohol free decisions. Still, the general finding that males were less risk averse held. Some care should be taken in broadly applying the findings of this study. The few situations in which females were the less risk averse may indicate that, in the universe of all possible situations, the general findings could vary. Future iterations of this study should attempt to more fully catalogue risky situations to explore this finding more thoroughly. Other directions that future studies should take would include variables such as race or ethnicity, religion, and socio-economic status to how complex the interplay between personality and willingness to take risks is."
Examines two common investment vehicles and guidelines: Stocks and commodities. The Stock Market, Future Markets, Types of investors, Principles of trading, Risk factors. Table of Contents.
2,475 words (approx. 9.9 pages), 7 sources, 2001, $ 87.95
Abstract Table of Contents
IntroductioN
Stocks
The Stock Market
Types of Investors
Futures Markets
Futures Markets and Risk Aversion The Reliability of the Risk Aversion Model
Principles of Trading
Trade with the Trend
Cut Losses Short
Let Profits Run
Manage Risk
Conclusion
Bibliography
Abstract The following paper discusses the meaning and causes of homophobia which is defined as any belief system which supports negative myths and stereotypes about homosexual people and examines how social workers may advocate for others by addressing homophobia and identifying and impacting the negative consequences of homophobia. The writer also outlines how homophobia impacts individual development, increases suicide rates, invalidates individual feelings, and damages families. Lastly, this paper concludes with recommendations for how social workers may address issues associated with homophobia.
From the Paper ?Few issues have the potential to affect each and every single individual, whether directly or indirectly. Even fewer issues actually do impact each and every single member of society, whether directly or indirectly. Homophobia is one of the few issues which has both the potential to and which actually does impact each and every single individual, whether directly or indirectly. What makes homophobia so perturbing is that it has spawned numerous forms of oppression for gays and lesbians, both within the United States and in foreign countries. Within the United States, same-sex eroticism is still illegal in nearly half the states with penalties ranging from fines to life imprisonment. In addition, there are no national laws protecting the rights of gays and lesbians, and homosexuals are legally excluded in many states from employment protections, housing discrimination, immigration, inheritance, police protection, public accommodations, and rights of adoption and/or child custody. Likewise, gays and lesbians cannot be legally married to each other (outside of Amsterdam, Hawaii, and Vermont) and are thus not accorded insurance, medical, pension, and tax advantages that are accorded heterosexual marriage partners.?
Abstract This paper discusses the theories of Thomas Hobbes, the English philosopher and political theorist, and their influence on political events during the English Revolution (1640-1660). His famous work "Leviathan", the ethical philosophy of Utilitarianism, his views on a secular justification for a secular state and his theories of human behavior are among those examined and their impacts outlined in this paper.
From the Paper "Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679) was a famous English philosopher and political theorist who profoundly influenced the political events during the so-called English Revolution (1640-1660), a time of great upheaval and disorder. Hobbes wrote his famous work Leviathan (1651) in this period in which he advocated a form of government in which the subjects hand over all the authority to the ruler. Hobbes is also thought to be the major influence behind the ethical philosophy of Utilitarianism and has contributed greatly to the development of psychology and modern sociology. Hobbes was one of the first philosophers to give a secular justification for a secular state and was responsible for the departure from a religiously centered thinking (the Scholasticism) in Europe that was opposed to any new ideas beyond the Christian theology and the Greek philosophies. This departure from Scholasticism is one of the turning points in Western civilization as secularism became increasingly important and the all-pervasive influence of religion and theology (on the ways in which the governments were run and on the way people led their lives) declined gradually."
Abstract This paper will attempt to critically examine Plato's theory of justice, with a particular emphasis upon how it figures in Plato's construction of his ideal society in the Republic. It will be argued that, while Plato does acknowledge the importance of "commonsense" views of justice as revolving about the acts of crime and punishment, in general his theory of justice represents a radical departure from what the average Canadian, or indeed Athenian, citizen would conceive of as being "justice". Plato, it will be argued, depicts justice not merely as an ideal abstraction, nor as a list of restricted actions imposed upon human freedom. Instead, his discussion of justice represents an attempt to reform - through the rhetorical means of a dialogue - contemporary theories of justice from an "act-centred" approach to an "agent-centred" one. This attempt, which has sometimes been read as Plato's aversion to the brutal realities of justice in favour of refined abstraction, may be seen to mark a fundamental shift in Athenian political philosophy from the collective to the individual.
Abstract This paper focuses on aspects of Stephen King's writing and life. The paper examines how others see Stephen King as a master of the macabre, but King himself has an aversion to being labeled by any single genre. It shows how, in all his novels, King seems to echo the 20th century obsession with horror, where, rather like in "Frankenstein", the initial progress brought on by the Industrial Revolution has waned, and its darker side, like the horrors of nuclear war, hang over the earth like a threatening sword with a kind of doomsday scenario. It discusses that, if we trace the evolution of King as a writer from his early macabre days to his later fantasy novels, he seems to echo deep fears within us all, as we ultimately struggle through the darkness to reach love and light.
From the Paper "Stephen Edwin King was born in September 21 st., 1947, Portland, Maine and soon after his birth his mother Nellie Ruth and his father Donald, separated. A product of a broken home, Stephen was brought up by his mother. His early life was spent shuttling between his father's family in Indiana and his mother's family in Massachusetts and Maine. The young Stephen graduated from high school in 1966 and showed early signs of his talent as a writer in the University of Maine from where he wrote a weekly column for the school newspaper. As a student, he became a supporter of the anti-war movement and supported a peaceful solution to the war in Vietnam. His mother encouraged him to be a writer, but she was also insistent that he get a teaching certificate, so that he could have a job to rely on, in case his writing career did not progress well. (The Observer, 17 September 2000). He married Tahita Bruce in 1971 and they both had to struggle hard for a livelihood. During this time he taught, worked as a janitor and wrote short stories-Later to be published in the book, ?Night Watch.?"
Abstract This paper discusses how the movie, "Clockwork Orange", is famous for its dystopian take on behavioral conditioning and criminal reform. It looks at how the majority of the plot revolves around the violent tendencies of a savage young English fellow who undergoes drastic aversion conditioning to make him unable to participate in violence, sexuality, and, incidentally, Ludwig Van Beethoven's 9th Symphony. It examines how, in this work based on a book by Anthony Burgess, famed film director Stanley Kubrick explores the ramifications of behavioral therapy itself in terms of free choice and unintended consequences and how he seems to suggest that the idea of solving violence through scientific psychological brain-tinkering is doomed to fail at the hands of real-life stimuli.
From the Paper "The film begins by showing Alex, the protagonist, partaking fully in his violent and sexual past-times. This choice, in addition to being artistically necessary, also serves to demonstrate the sort of instrumental learning that Alex had before entering into his reprogramming therapies. According to the basic theories of operant conditioning and thinkers such as Skinner, all of an individuals future actions will be based on whether past actions along those lines have met with positive or negative reinforcement. It is blatantly obvious by observing the early parts of the film that all of Alex's "ultra-violence" has met with very positive reinforcement. Violence is shown to be meeting the majority of his biological and emotional needs in a way that his work-obsessive and nearly non-existent family cannot. Violence has provided him with a way to make money and fulfill his need for drugs and food (such as the milk he drinks at the beginning of the film)."
Tags: behavioral, therapy, violence, anthony, burgess, alex
Abstract This paper explains that A.M. Cassandre was a graphic designer and a typographer. It also explains that he was genuinely a creative artist. He was an inventor with a subversive streak and an aversion to academia and systems, but at the same time, he loved classical art history and wanted to be a painter.
From the Paper "Cassandre began his career with poster making, as he is most known for, in the hopes that he could become financially independent from his family. Immediately he began to apply a structuralism to his work that to this day allows us to think of him more as a designer than a minor illustrator or painter, and in general significantly defined the role of the designer."
