Essay on Social and Evolutionary Psychology - 1041 Words

Social and Evolutionary Psychology In an attempt to define civilized man’s relationship to the jungle and primitive societies, one must first consider the theories of social psychologists who have offered interpretations of modern man’s reactions upon insertion into a primitive setting. The main contrast in human states that arises from this argument is the concept of civilization versus savagery. Much is uncovered about the path man tends to take when confronted with these two options when studying the research as to what arises from man’s savage tendencies when the restraints of society no longer tame human primal instincts. One such field that explores the instinctual nature of the human psyche is†¦show more content†¦This deduction might suggest that upon reinsertion into a primal environment, humans would be even more prone to resorting back to their â€Å"instincts† as uncivilized beings. Thus, we learn from theories in Evolutionary Psychology that human â€Å"instincts† are the underlying driving forces to human action that are more potent than the restraints imposed upon man by society, and even more prevalent in â€Å"human nature† than in the daily conduct of animals apart from humans. Another field in which the distinction between civilized and primitive man is discussed is that of Social Psychology. Much emphasis is placed upon the effects of societal laws on the governance of human action. A major psychologist in this domain was William McDougall(1871-1938). In his work, An Introduction to Social Psychology, McDougall exposes various theories on the distinct aspects of civilized and primitive human tendencies: â€Å"We may accept Bagehot’s dictum that it is difficult to exaggerate the difference between civilised and primitive men (i.e., really primitive men, not the savages of the present time) in respect to their innate law-abidingness, and while we may accept also his view that the strict enforcement of law played a great part in producing thisShow MoreRelatedSocial Psychology And Evolutionary Psychology793 Words   |  4 PagesRecently a start-up social marketing Silicon Valley executive was quoted as saying If you are comfortable when you launch your site you waited too late. In other words, if one felt comfortable then this secure, comfortable feeling was an indication that one had fallen behind the innovation curve, a detriment to success. The implication was that innovation is inherently a tenuous and uncertain thing and that making it into a comfort thing is very bad strategy. Theodore Roosevelt called theRead MoreTheories Of Evolution Of Psychology1192 Words   |  5 Pages Ideas in psychology have been influenced by many fields of study ranging from philosophy to physics. Evolutionary ideas, themselves, have had a substantial role in shaping psychological thought. This paper will provide an overview of the influence of evolutionary thought on the field of psychology along with a discussion of the range of societal implications associated with evolutionary psychology. The influence of evolutionary ideas on psychology dates back to Charles Darwin, the man who proposedRead MoreEvolution Of Evolutionary Psychology And Culture1151 Words   |  5 PagesIn his article, Sadd (2012) explains the relationship of evolutionary psychology and culture, particularly regarding popular culture. He argues the theory of evolution is widely applicable in multiple disciplines. While evolution theory is essentially biological in nature, it can also give us insight to our culture, society and human behaviours. According to Sadd, recurrent themes in cultural forms could be explained by evolutionary psychology. He uses example of song lyrics and collective wisdom toRead MoreTheory of Mind Essay1086 Words   |  5 Pages Describe what evolutionary psychologists mean when they employ the term ‘theory of mind’. Use examples and research studies from Book 1, Chapter 2 to show why this theory is important in evolutionary psychology. Evolutionary psychology is a specialist field within the spectrum of psychological enquiry, which seeks to examine and understand some of the predominant reasoning behind the concept of why the human species, whilst biologically similar to other species on the planet, is so very distinctRead MoreSocial Psychology : An Uphill Battle Against Behaviorism1536 Words   |  7 Pagessince Goethals’ (2003) â€Å"A Century of Social Psychology† and seven years after Ross, Lepper, and Ward’s (2010) â€Å"History of Social Psychology†. From that time, much has changed in the historical, intellectual, and social zeitgeist that has always influenced social psychology as a field—through the latter’s desire to meet the needs and trappings of its place and time. In the same way that people interact with the situation to understand behavior and construe their social reality, the discipline (not unlikeRead MorePerspectives of Psychology1141 Words   |  5 P agesPerspectives of Psychology Psychology can be defined as the systematic study of mental processes, couple with behaviors, and experiences (Kalat, 2011). There are many ways in examining, mental processes and behaviors among people, and therefore psychologist uses different perspectives to understand how human beings, think, act, and behave. Some psychologist uses one perspective to analyze behaviors, and other uses a multidimensional approach. Carter Seifert (2013) identified 7 major perspectivesRead MoreTheoretical Perspectives That Define Social Psychology1727 Words   |  7 PagesIntroduction Social psychology is the study of the nature and causes of human social behavior. There are five main theoretical perspectives that define social psychology. Role, cognitive, symbolic interaction, evolutionary, and reinforcement theory are the five theoretical perspectives that help understand human social behavior. However, each theoretical perspective examines different approaches and play different roles in social psychology. Some of the theories that make up social psychology take a micro-levelRead MoreAn Overview of Evolutionary Psychology718 Words   |  3 PagesEvolutionary psychology is the study of universal human nature, or the sex specific male human nature and female human nature. Human nature consists of domain-specific evolved psychological mechanisms. A psychological mechanism is an information-processing procedure which evolution by natural and sexual selection has equipped humans to possess in order to solve an adaptive problem, such as: survival and reproduction. Psychological mechanisms mostly operate behind our conscious thinking. Evolved psychologicalRead MoreGender Biased in Medicine648 Words   |  3 Pagesexperiments without bias or sexual preference but history had taught us that even in science, women are perpetuated and â€Å"used† for their own patriarchal gain. In the paper â€Å"The Evolutionary Origins of Patriarchy† by Barbara Smuts, Smuts talks about evolutionary basis of male motivation to control female sexuality. Evolutionary psychology has its roots in Charles Darwin theory of Natural Selection-â€Å"Through natural selection, [Darwin] explained, men had become superior to woman in courage, energy, intellectRead MoreThe Personality Of Personality Psychology Essay1051 Words   |  5 Pagesby that person’s individual personality. No two personalities are alike. This is because a person’s individual personality is made up of a unique variety of characteristics called traits. Raymond Cattell, a researcher in the field of personality psychology, found that there were at least 171 traits identified and labeled by researchers. Many of these traits were closely related to each other, and carried the same meaning. Cattell realized this and â€Å"took a set of traits, collected ratings on them,

Adoption to the Homosexuals Couples Essay - 1410 Words

What is wrong with America? This is a nation built on the success of the children, and future generations. How can we say that when thousands of children are in foster care to this day? To face this problem states must realize that adoption to homosexuals is a great opportunity. Not by just giving children homes, but allowing them to experience, the lifestyle that same-sex parents contribute. In addition, the government must consider that religion should not play a role in whether or not gays should be able to adopt as a couple. People always say they feel for children and wish they could help. Well here is that opportunity! These children need a loving home, and if a gay or lesbian couple can offer that, why not let them. Religion plays†¦show more content†¦Giving homosexuals a chance can probably change people prospective. Continuing with love and nurturing, advocates can see that children of gay or lesbian couples actually grow up with the ability to be more psychologically empowered. They express their emotions more in comparison to other children. These increases in emotions are cause from the family time that same-sex couples present. In addition, they have a tendency to show their children the same if not more affection than heterosexual. The reason for more affection is in relation to the procedure the parents went through to adopt the child. The adoption processes for homosexuals are so hard that some move to different states just to get their case taking for consideration. Some adoption agency do not accept homosexual application, one in particular is Florida. Where as others will take the application and discard them as soon as the applicant leaves. Even after the applicant is accepted, they still face discrimination from people around them. The hardship these people face is incredible. The o ne role they ask for is to raise a child, and feel the joy that some unworthy mothers would consider a pain, the pleasure to have known a person is depended on them for devotion and attachment. Next concept, legalizing same-sex adoption around the country can have positive feedback. Statics have shown that support for homosexual adoption has increase over the years.Show MoreRelatedEssay about Supporting Homosexual Couples Adoption Rights1904 Words   |  8 PagesHomosexual Couples and the Issue of Adaptation Having two mummies or daddies is stupid, but its better than having none at all When asked for his opinion on the matter of gay couples adopting and raising children as their own, my eight year old brother replied with the above statement. Children are said to be the harshest critics; their opinions considered whole truths. But is this neutral and innocent view shared by the thousands of children currently in foster Read MoreAdoption by homosexual couples has been a frequent debate issue among foreign countries since the1000 Words   |  4 PagesAdoption by homosexual couples has been a frequent debate issue among foreign countries since the past decade. At the end of 2013, same-sex marriage is officially legalized in sixteen countries including thirty-one cities in the world and is now pending in other 13 places (Marriage Equality around the World). One of the main concerns is whether children raised in homosexual family are socially disadvantaged or psychologically impaired due to the unnatural environment. This essay will firstly addressRead MoreGay Adoption Should Be Legal1355 Words   |  6 Pagesare no unwanted children just unfound families† (National Adoption Center.). Families together are one not anything different from every other family. No matter race, color, or the type of family. Adoption is just a wa y for anybody who wants to create a family would be able to have the access to have a family of their own. Even to the families who are not able to have a child or does not have a partner to have a child. The National Adoption Center allows the families in need to adopt a child in needRead MoreEssay about Adoption of Children by Same-Sex Couples1324 Words   |  6 Pagesto consist of a heterosexual couple and their children, but many forms of family life exist in contemporary society. Homosexual people also form family units, either as single parents or as couples, with children, who are included in the family through a variety of circumstances. Many have children who were born in previous families (Johnson Piore, 2004) and many have children who were born in a previous heterosexual marriages. A gay man or lesbian women or couple can enlist the help of a surrogateRead MoreGay Couples Adopting1042 Words   |  5 PagesHomosexuals must be allowed to adopt children just like any oth er couple who want to do the same thing. A child needs love, respect and a home in which they can assure themselves that there will be someone there to care for them. As in the example, there is no need for a dad and a mom who will always be arguing about the shared custody. Just because their parents are homosexuals does not mean that the child will grow up to be the same. Everyone is different and will grow up to be what they want toRead MoreShould Homosexuals Be Allowed? Adopt?1512 Words   |  7 PagesTeirra Thomas Professor Parks ENG 101, Documented Research Paper 18 November 2014 Should Homosexuals be allowed to Adopt Did you know that Florida absolutely bans homosexuals to adopt children? Over a million people in the United States disagree on same sex marriage. If they disagree with same sex marriage what about when homosexuals want to adopt children. In my opinion it is great that homosexuals want to adopt children, because it is not about who they are being raised by. It is all about ifRead MoreShould Same Sex Couples Be Legal?906 Words   |  4 PagesHomosexual Parents Through the years homosexual people have made great improvements in society. Laws are changing and homosexuals are getting recognition for their choices. With the new laws and improvements come criticism. No matter what the topic is there is always going to be two sides, positive and negative. The creation of the LGBTQ community has brought awareness for those who are a part of the community and helped society be more comfortable with the changes brought on by the community. WithRead MoreShould Same Sex Marriage Be Allowed?1620 Words   |  7 Pagesheterosexual couples? Why restrict these citizens from their rights just because of their love for another? Should we deny foreign customs to foreigners just because they aren’t customs we perform? The United States is a land of the free, not the restricted. We are not robots set to one program, and one program alone. Every human being is an individual, and they all do things their own way. If you were in their position, you would want the same thing. You would want to be happy. Homosexual couples have rightsRead MoreThe Same Sex Marriage Should Be Equal Rights1393 Words   |  6 Pages5-to-4 vote on Friday that constitution guarantees a right to homosexual marriage which based on the constitution to protect each person s own decision and equal rights, to determine the same sex and heterosexual couples should have equal marriage rights. Moreover, they advocated recognize same-sex marriage to protect the relationship of families and children(Adam , 2015). In order to give the rights and religious respect for the homosexual people, it should insisted that the discrimination shouldRead MoreIts Time for Legalization of Same Sex Adoption Around the Country1352 Words   |  6 Pagesmust realize that adoption to homosexuals is a great opportunity, not by just giving children homes, but also allowing them to experience the lifestyle that same-sex patents present. In addition, the government has to realize that re ligion should not play a role in whether or not gays should be able to adopt as a couple. People always say they feel for children and wish they could help. Well here is that opportunity! These children need a loving home, and if a gay or lesbian couple can provide that

Organisational Change and Culture-Free-Samples-Myassignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Organisational Culture and responses to Overcoming Resistance to Change. Answer: The concept of organisational culture involves a system of values, beliefs as well as shared assumptions. These values which are shared have a strong impact or influence on the individuals in the organisation as well as help to determine the way in which people perform their jobs as also the ways in which they dress and behave. The organizational culture helps an individual gain an insight into the insides of the particular organisation. The key to maintain a successful position in the global market is to meet the changing needs and modify the culture accordingly. According to the area of operation of a particular organisation it needs to work and allow the changes to its culture. It is quite obvious that the culture in an organisation will be based on the area in which it operates. Every organisation is bound to have its own unique characteristic as well as personality traits. In other words it can be said that the unique personality of any particular organisation is the culture of that particular organisation (Mazzucato Perez, 2014). There are several characteristics of organisational culture. The range of these characteristics is varied and can be said to vary from high to low. Their impact on the organisation is also varied. Innovation: Those particular companies whose cultures place high value on innovation encourage their employees in taking risks and as well ask them to innovate in their jobs as well as their performance. In case of companies where innovation is not encouraged, employees and workers are required to perform their jobs in the same way in which they have been trained to do them. Ways of improving their performance are not mentioned (Nordin et al., 2012). Attention to detail: Characteristics of organisational culture determines the degree to which the organisations employees are required to be accurate in their job (Waddell et al. 2013). In case of organisational culture that focuses on detail the workers are expected to do their work with precision as well as accuracy. Organisations that do not focus on precision do not ask their employees for precision (Vaara et al., 2012). Emphasis on outcome: Several organisational cultures involve the focus solely on the outcome or the output of the organisation. Very less importance is given to the nature in which the outputs are achieved. The value and value creation of the organisation is given sole importance. In case of organisations which pressurize there sales executives to get sales orders irrespective of any scenario, it an be said that the sole emphasis is on the outcome characteristic (Newman, 2012). Emphasis on the people: There are certain companies which give a high importance to the people and the impact of decisions on the people. For this reason huge importance is given to the decisions taken by the stalwarts in the organisation and the way in which it impacts the people. Teamwork: There are certain organisations that focus on the team work and the way the employees work together effectively. Teamwork is given a high priority in terms of organisational culture. In case of the companies, there is a positive and fruitful relationship between the employees and the managers. Aggressiveness: This nature of organisational culture helps to ascertain whether the members of the group in a particular organisation are required to be easygoing or assertive in the way they deal with their sole competitors in the marketplace. Companies having an aggressive culture place importance in the outperforming and competitive attitude of the company. Stability: This is an existent as well as important type of organisational culture in which the value is given on stability. These types of companies are more or less predictable, rule-oriented as well as bureaucratic in nature. Consistent and mostly predictable outcomes are provided by these companies (Mitchell, 2013). There may be both positive as well as negative extremes to organisational culture. In a positive aspect it acts as an emotional energizer. However in worst situations, it harms the productivity and performance of the organisation. Organisational culture can also be referred to as a form of adhesive that binds the entire operations of the organisation. It also helps to understand an organisation inside-out. It can also be said that organisational culture is its immune system (Huhtala et al., 2013). There may be certain external as well as internal organisational forces which impact a particular organisational culture. The resistance to change in an organisational culture is that instance when the employees of the organisation resist change when they sense the arrival of change and try to stop or resist it as they fear their position and do not want to jeopardize it. There are several reasons which might influence the employees of a particular organisation to resist the changes. The most important reason is the lack of communication. This is due to the fact that in many case the authorities responsible for taking decisions in a particular organisation may take important decisions involving change without informing the employees and this may lead to resistance of change by the employees. Sometimes the employees or the workers of the organisation are not consulted at all while taking decisions involving change in a particular company which might dissatisfy them and it is possible that they might resist change (Hayes, 2014). In some cases, several misunderstandings exist about the need for employing change in a particular organisation. Employees feel that there is not much need for change in an organisation. Some employees feel that the concept of change and its implementation is extremely fickle and there is a possibility of it being a temporary fad which might change or vanish as time passes. Errors or poor nature of communication may also lead to resistance faced from employees of an organisation. Untold changes in the routines may lead to anger within the employee circle and this may cause them to resist change. In several cases as well exhaustion or saturation may lead to resistance by the employees. In several cases employees fall prey to errors of their own thought processes (Carlstrm Ekman, 2012). They also feel that the risks faced in comparison to the benefits are more in number. It is also common notion that the company does not have the ability to implement the change. Mostly they feel that the changes which are implemented are bound to fail and the decisions will prove to be wrong. The proper management of change is not handled by the authorities. In some cases it is also believed that the changes are inconsistent with the values of the organisation. In severe cases even the trust on the authorities is shaken (Cadden, Marshall Cao, 2013). It is the nature of every individual to desire safety. More so in case of individuals of huge organisations where the ball game changes every single day, implementation of change is not well accepted. Fear of the unknown is also a huge factor which influences the resistance to change. Absence of good incentives as well as rewards might also lead to anger amongst the employees and this might lead to resistance on their part. It can be said that if an organisation wants to prosper it has to take its employees along. In order to ensure this the organisation has to stop the resistance to change which is common amongst the employees. There are several ways in which the employee resistance can be stopped. Employees need to be updated about the changes that the company aims to implement. Regular updates should be provided to the employees at team meetings and other seminars. New business strategies should be made known to each team of employees in the organisation. Everyone present in the organisation needs to understand the strategies of the company and only then will they contribute positively towards the benefit of the organisation. One member form each team should always be present at meetings and occasions of strategic discussions. These members should be the most expressive as well as vocal. Important and efficient persons should be present to help in the management of planning as well as implementation. Small and team wise goals should be created for the teams in the organisation (Grant, 2014). Finally successful implementation should be tied to compensatory benefits. Performance reports should be regulated and rewards and recognition should be given to individuals who perform these goals. There are several external and internal factors that implement the requirement for change in any organisation. The successful removal of negative impacts on a particular organisation leads to a better brand image. These might include both internal as well as external competition, failure to achieve goals, changes in the needs of the organisations target customers and many more. Finally it can be concluded that a company needs to understand the goals as well as the impact of the organisational change and lead to its successful management. References: Cadden, T., Marshall, D., Cao, G. (2013). Opposites attract: organisational culture and supply chain performance.Supply Chain Management: An International Journal,18(1), 86-103. Carlstrm, E. D., Ekman, I. (2012). Organisational culture and change: implementing person-centred care.Journal of health organization and management,26(2), 175-191. Grant, A. M. (2014). The efficacy of executive coaching in times of organisational change.Journal of Change Management,14(2), 258-280. Hayes, J. (2014).The theory and practice of change management. Palgrave Macmillan. Huhtala, M., Feldt, T., Hyvnen, K., Mauno, S. (2013). Ethical organisational culture as a context for managers personal work goals.Journal of Business Ethics,114(2), 265-282. Mazzucato, M., Perez, C. (2014). Innovation as growth policy: the challenge for Europe. Mitchell, G. (2013). Selecting the best theory to implement planned change: Improving the workplace requires staff to be involved and innovations to be maintained. Gary Mitchell discusses the theories that can help achieve this.Nursing Management,20(1), 32-37. Newman, J. (2012). An organisational change management framework for sustainability.Greener Management International,57(05), 65-75. Nordin, N., Deros, B. M., Wahab, D. A., Rahman, M. N. A. (2012). A framework for organisational change management in lean manufacturing implementation.International Journal of Services and Operations Management,12(1), 101-117. Vaara, E., Sarala, R., Stahl, G. K., Bjrkman, I. (2012). The impact of organizational and national cultural differences on social conflict and knowledge transfer in international acquisitions.Journal of Management Studies,49(1), 1-27. Waddell, D., Creed, A., Cummings, T. G., Worley, C. (2013).Organisational change: Development and transformation. Cengage Learning.

What factors made a person better at estimating the size of an angle or the length of a line Essay Example

What factors made a person better at estimating the size of an angle or the length of a line Essay From this data we made a hypothesis on what factors made a person better at estimating the size of an angle or the length of a line. My hypothesis was that year 10 pupils would be better at estimating both the size of angles and the length of lines than the adults and the year 7 children but adults answers will be closer to the mean on average. To prove this I would have to use the information in the spreadsheet .I first found the mean of angle 1 ,angle2 ,line 1 and line 2 in all of the sample of year ten all of the sample of year seven and all of the sample of the adults because using this I could find the average percentage error of each group because I felt this was essential in trying to prove the hypothesis I made earlier .The means for each were as displayed in the table below:Year 10Year 7AdultsAngle157.7665.4251.25Angle 2142.72141.04147.05Line 13.874.553.6275Line 214.5214.6112.7325At the moment when I produced the data it didnt interpret the data into what I wanted to know bu t I could find using the spreadsheet so first decided to find the percentage error of each group again using the calculation shown in the preliminary testing this was(difference between original and average estimates / actual size/length)* 100But first we thought that in the data there may be rogue results these are called outliers and are values that do not follow the data in a reasonable trend and so can be eliminated using a certain formula that creates upper and lower fences and if values fall outside of these two fences they can be classed as outliers and will be dismissed from the data . To implement this formula we need to find the upper and lower quartiles of the data, so by using Microsoft excel this data was found. The formula to find upper and lower fences to eliminate outliers is as follows:Lower Fence = Lower quartile 1.5 * inter quartile rangeUpper Fence = Upper quartile + 1.5 * inter quartile rangeFrom this we gained our upper and lower fences which wereYear 10Upper FenceLower fenceAngle 173.537.5Angle 2190110Line 15.51.625Line 222.37.7Then we did the same for year 7Year 7Upper FenceLower fenceAngle 192.532.5Angle 220585Line 17.251.25Line 219.57.5And for the adultsAdultsUpper FenceLower fenceAngle 16533Angle 2188.75110.75Line 15.51.625Line 26.87517.675With this data we deleted rogue values which amounted only to three.So now we can find the percentage error without worrying about rogue values influencing what could be a vital difference.Year 10 (%)Year 7 (%)Adults (%)Angle 17.218.96.8Angle 27.99.035.12Line 14.6232Line 216.1716.881.9This gives us an idea of to which group is better at estimating the sizes of angles and the lengths of lines but to see this in another way we can use box plots which are very useful for comparing sets of data from different groups within a certain population. The length of the whiskers can give an indication of how the data is skewed, either positively or negatively. Also the true value can be marked on to compare e ach of the medians to each other. By looking at the box plots , more specifically where the quartiles are marked we can see whether people tended to over estimate or under estimate. If the median is inclined slightly towards the upper quartile then people in that group under estimated more often than not and vice versa.So here are some box plots that compare all the age groups at both angles and lines.From this we see that the adults mean value is closer to the actual value of both angle 1 and angle 2 plus both the values of lines 1 and 2 ,this provides even more evidence to suggest against my hypothesis that years 10 pupils have a better ability at estimating both angles and lines because we have seen this through a percentage error and several box plot diagrams that we gained from using the averages from different groups but to prove my second statement in the prediction that adults estimates would be closer to their mean answer, which effectively means that adults made similar es timates to each other than the year 10 and 7 pupils , I need to use a statistical device called standard deviation this measures the spread of values from the mean, the bigger the value the more the answers are spread from the mean.Angle 1Angle 2Line 1Line 2Year 1011200.952.5Year 715301.53Adults1019.512.4We see the adults standard deviation figure being the smallest for three out of the four categories which proves one of my hypothesis statements correct but the other wrong this is because It was more of a guess than a prediction.Over all the taking all statistical methods used I came to the conclusion that adults were actually better at estimating both angles but it was interesting to see that the adults guesses had a small deviation from the mean (standard deviation) . The year 10 pupils by my calculations were second best ,their percentage errors were either very close to the adults in two out of four cases or dramatically a field from the other angle and line like the other two cases but their was a link between the angle and the line that were quite a bit out from the adult counterparts they were both the larger angles and lines using this information this could of provided another route of investigation to follow but then their was a factor preventing this being time and also looking at the year 7 data they were exactly the opposite to year ten pupils , where as they tended to be further out on the larger values of angle 2 and line 2 ,year 7 tended to be further out on the smaller sets of angle 1 and line 1 so their could have been a connection between this data and their ages or maybe gender but time did not permit us to investigate these fields.If I could reiterate the experiment I would make a more detailed hypothesis inducing me to analyse all possible fields that could of affected a persons ability to estimate the size of angles and lengths of lines an example of this is gender or intelligence but the field that I investigated which was age came out to me with a very clear result , this was that on average the older you are the better you are at estimating the size of an angle and the length of a line ,but we must take into account that we used a random sample of 25% from each group this meant that we could of missed some peoples estimates that could of affected or swayed the results to a different conclusion this could be important. This means the concluding statement may not actually be correct if further investigated with more detail and with more age groups such as year 8 , 9 and 11 but is still correct for the investigation we carried out. What factors made a person better at estimating the size of an angle or the length of a line Essay Example What factors made a person better at estimating the size of an angle or the length of a line Essay From this data we made a hypothesis on what factors made a person better at estimating the size of an angle or the length of a line. My hypothesis was that year 10 pupils would be better at estimating both the size of angles and the length of lines than the adults and the year 7 children but adults answers will be closer to the mean on average. To prove this I would have to use the information in the spreadsheet .I first found the mean of angle 1 ,angle2 ,line 1 and line 2 in all of the sample of year ten all of the sample of year seven and all of the sample of the adults because using this I could find the average percentage error of each group because I felt this was essential in trying to prove the hypothesis I made earlier .The means for each were as displayed in the table below:Year 10Year 7AdultsAngle157.7665.4251.25Angle 2142.72141.04147.05Line 13.874.553.6275Line 214.5214.6112.7325At the moment when I produced the data it didnt interpret the data into what I wanted to know bu t I could find using the spreadsheet so first decided to find the percentage error of each group again using the calculation shown in the preliminary testing this was(difference between original and average estimates / actual size/length)* 100But first we thought that in the data there may be rogue results these are called outliers and are values that do not follow the data in a reasonable trend and so can be eliminated using a certain formula that creates upper and lower fences and if values fall outside of these two fences they can be classed as outliers and will be dismissed from the data . To implement this formula we need to find the upper and lower quartiles of the data, so by using Microsoft excel this data was found. The formula to find upper and lower fences to eliminate outliers is as follows:Lower Fence = Lower quartile 1.5 * inter quartile rangeUpper Fence = Upper quartile + 1.5 * inter quartile rangeFrom this we gained our upper and lower fences which wereYear 10Upper FenceLower fenceAngle 173.537.5Angle 2190110Line 15.51.625Line 222.37.7Then we did the same for year 7Year 7Upper FenceLower fenceAngle 192.532.5Angle 220585Line 17.251.25Line 219.57.5And for the adultsAdultsUpper FenceLower fenceAngle 16533Angle 2188.75110.75Line 15.51.625Line 26.87517.675With this data we deleted rogue values which amounted only to three.So now we can find the percentage error without worrying about rogue values influencing what could be a vital difference.Year 10 (%)Year 7 (%)Adults (%)Angle 17.218.96.8Angle 27.99.035.12Line 14.6232Line 216.1716.881.9This gives us an idea of to which group is better at estimating the sizes of angles and the lengths of lines but to see this in another way we can use box plots which are very useful for comparing sets of data from different groups within a certain population. The length of the whiskers can give an indication of how the data is skewed, either positively or negatively. Also the true value can be marked on to compare e ach of the medians to each other. By looking at the box plots , more specifically where the quartiles are marked we can see whether people tended to over estimate or under estimate. If the median is inclined slightly towards the upper quartile then people in that group under estimated more often than not and vice versa.So here are some box plots that compare all the age groups at both angles and lines.From this we see that the adults mean value is closer to the actual value of both angle 1 and angle 2 plus both the values of lines 1 and 2 ,this provides even more evidence to suggest against my hypothesis that years 10 pupils have a better ability at estimating both angles and lines because we have seen this through a percentage error and several box plot diagrams that we gained from using the averages from different groups but to prove my second statement in the prediction that adults estimates would be closer to their mean answer, which effectively means that adults made similar es timates to each other than the year 10 and 7 pupils , I need to use a statistical device called standard deviation this measures the spread of values from the mean, the bigger the value the more the answers are spread from the mean.Angle 1Angle 2Line 1Line 2Year 1011200.952.5Year 715301.53Adults1019.512.4We see the adults standard deviation figure being the smallest for three out of the four categories which proves one of my hypothesis statements correct but the other wrong this is because It was more of a guess than a prediction.Over all the taking all statistical methods used I came to the conclusion that adults were actually better at estimating both angles but it was interesting to see that the adults guesses had a small deviation from the mean (standard deviation) . The year 10 pupils by my calculations were second best ,their percentage errors were either very close to the adults in two out of four cases or dramatically a field from the other angle and line like the other two cases but their was a link between the angle and the line that were quite a bit out from the adult counterparts they were both the larger angles and lines using this information this could of provided another route of investigation to follow but then their was a factor preventing this being time and also looking at the year 7 data they were exactly the opposite to year ten pupils , where as they tended to be further out on the larger values of angle 2 and line 2 ,year 7 tended to be further out on the smaller sets of angle 1 and line 1 so their could have been a connection between this data and their ages or maybe gender but time did not permit us to investigate these fields.If I could reiterate the experiment I would make a more detailed hypothesis inducing me to analyse all possible fields that could of affected a persons ability to estimate the size of angles and lengths of lines an example of this is gender or intelligence but the field that I investigated which was age came out to me with a very clear result , this was that on average the older you are the better you are at estimating the size of an angle and the length of a line ,but we must take into account that we used a random sample of 25% from each group this meant that we could of missed some peoples estimates that could of affected or swayed the results to a different conclusion this could be important. This means the concluding statement may not actually be correct if further investigated with more detail and with more age groups such as year 8 , 9 and 11 but is still correct for the investigation we carried out.