Theory of Mind Term Paper Essay Example for Free

Theory of Mind Term Paper Essay This is called Theory of Mind, or TOM. This theory was first developed to investigate autism and to further understand primates. It was suggested that those who do not posses TOM were the victims of autism. (Tirapu-Ustarroz et. al. 2007) Other scientists suggest that what separates mankind from primates is that mankind possesses a â€Å"species-specific set of social cognitive skills† (Herman et. al. 2007). Arguably that covers a broader range than TOM but it encompasses it, uniting these scientists under one front. However, some scientists say that chimpanzees do indeed possess TOM. By showing a chimpanzee a series of video tapes of humans in situations that lacked a solution, and then presenting several different photos, one with a solution to the problem, it was shown that chimpanzees do indeed possess a version of TOM. For example, the chimpanzee was shown a video of a phonograph, unable to play because it was unplugged. The chimpanzee then chose the photo of a plugged in phonograph as a solution (Premack and Woodruff 1978). Similarly, others continue to suggest that we are not so very different from other primates. In an article titled Humans Have Evolved Specialized Skills of Social Cognition: The Cultural Intelligence Hypothesis results it is suggested that it is not â€Å"general intelligence† that separates us from other animals, it is the level of sophistication and maturity of our cognitive skills. In fact, 2. 5 year old children did not differ from chimpanzees significantly in cognitive skills , specifically those used to assess the physical world (Herman et. al. 2007). In the science world, it has long been debated at what age TOM is developed. Is TOM developed relatively late in childhood (age four) or as early as 7 months? The scientific community is split. There are those that suggest that TOM is developed at age four. And still those that say TOM is innate and can be seen relatively early in child development, it is just undetectable unless a nonverbal false-belief task is assumed (Onishi and Baillargeon 2005). In The Social Sense: Susceptibility to Others’ Beliefs in Human Infants and Adults scientists explore exactly this topic. False belief tasks : Adults vs. infants This article focuses on the differences and similarities of 7 month olds, 3 year olds, and adults in their reaction to several different false-belief tasks. A false belief task is a test, usually using a video or pictures, involving an agent and a participant. The agent is the person watching the video and reacting to it. The participant is the person in the video that is actually doing a task. (Kovacs 2010) There were seven experiments performed in order to reach a conclusion to a compounded hypothesis how do other’s beliefs affect the actions of an individual when the agent is present and absent. Furthermore, how early is this ability developed and to what extent does it differ between individuals, specifically 7 month olds, versus adults. If TOM is innate, it hould be as automatic as our response to our physical environment. This is also explored. (Kovacs 2010) In the first experiment, adults watched a series of videos of a ball and an occluder. In each video, the ball either stayed behind the occluder, rolled off the screen in front of the agent only, or rolled away in front of the agent and participant. The adults watching ar e the agents. The people in the video are the participants. After each video, either the participant and the agent both believed the ball to be behind the occluder, both believed it to have rolled away, or have conflicting beliefs. This is an example of a false-belief task. Then they measured the reaction times of the participants detecting the ball in each situation. The presence of an agent had nothing to do with the task, however, it affected the reaction time of participants. (Kovacs 2010) In Experiment 2, in the last scene of the movie, a pile of boxes was in place of an agent. Surprisingly, the results were the same as experiment one. This shows that the agents beliefs were stored and still affected the behavior of the participant. The participants found the ball quickly when both they and the agent believed it to be behind the occluder. Kovacs 2010) Experiment 3 was performed to show further strengthen the results found in Experiment 1 and 2. Experiment 4-7 were the same as Experiments 1-3 but used infants and looking times versus reaction times. Each subsequent experiment was performed to further solidify the results of the previous experiment. (Kovacs 2010) Conclusion So, to answer the initial question as to how we differ from our primate relatives and when we develop this ability, all pertinent information seems to suggest that TOM is indeed a major distinguisher, and that this innate ability is detectable as early as 7 months of age. Why this matters The results of this experiment are ground-breaking. For decades, scientist have said that TOM is developed at age four. But if TOM is innate and not learned, this reveals a peek into the social structure of mankind. It leads to answers to questions like why we act the way we do in society, and how we evolved into who we are today. It also provides a nonverbal false-belief task that can be performed on infants. This means it can also be performed on other primates, and maybe even those with brain damage that provides them incapable of speaking. With this, we can investigate whether TOM is affected by certain types of brain damage, and if it is specified to one location in the brain. We can identify the absence of TOM in certain patients with certain diseases which would allow us to draw certain conclusions about the disease itself. This experiment opens numerous doors to and exciting field of science. Cited References 1. Herrmann E. , Call J. , Hernandez-LloredaM. V. , Hare B. , Tomasello M (2007), Humans have evolved specialized skills of social cognition: The cultural intelligence hypothesis.

Anime on TV :: Essays Papers

Anime on TV Since the birth of Anime, the American television market has been a player in the industry. When Tetsuan Atom made its debut in 1963 as the dream of a humble comic book artist, few would have guessed the impact it would have on the world of entertainment and the economy of Japan. Discovered by a NBC executives in Japan selling shows for syndication, Astro Boy as it came to be known in the states, started a revolution in Japanese entertainment and giving America, and the world, its first taste of Anime. The success of Astro Boy led to the overnight development of an Anime industry filled with copycats, originals, and half way attempts that lead to what we see today. Famous names like Miyazaki, Otomo, and Rintaro all made their start in the industry that came from the humble beginnings as the gleam in the eye of a man named Tezuka. Over the next three decades anime made repeated leaps into the American market, Kimba the white lion, Speed Racer and Robotech gave way to Transformers, Voltron, and Sailor Moon. Eventually, Dragonball made its debut. All the while Anime was slowly gaining its place in America, meanwhile in Japan it was developing into a full-fledged industry. Today, the American industry of showing Anime has developed to a five plus hour per day airing across multiple networks and cable channels. While the early exposures where largely unchanged, as other, more mature titles where purchased for the US market the editing process began. Due to the US stigma of animation as a strictly children’s medium, shows where edited for language, content, and story. While it is debatable as to whether these changes ruined or improved the anime, it is undeniable that it gave Anime the one thing it needed most to make it in the American market: exposure. Exposure makes market High exposure leads to a larger fan base and while many have no clue or interest in what exactly anime is, carefull look at the TV industry allows one to follow a clear trend, if we have 100 pokemon fans in 1998, then in 2000 we have about 75 DBZ fans who now hate pokemon, in 2002 we have around 45 lovers of Cowboy Bebop, Outlaw Star, Inuyasha, and around 20 hard core otaku who have found the world of fan and digi subs. By 2010, we have an anime industry with accolades of fans swarming in unprecedented numbers, all because a few shows debuted on TV back in the day.

Case- Harley-Davidson-Strength & Weaknesses Essay

CASE ASSIGNMENT To complete Module 3 Case Assignment, please read the information in the background material, look for more information (from previous modules and library resources), and then write a 4- to 5-page report answering the following questions: What are H-D’s top two or three strengths for moving forward in the competitive motorcycle manufacturing and sales environment? Describe what you consider to be two or three of the weaknesses that are likely to have the greatest impact, and what H-D is doing (or should be doing) to overcome these weaknesses. Wrap up by overviewing the more salient points of your entire SWOT analysis (from your Module 3 and 4 Case Assignments) and give your impressions in relation to whether you think the corporation will continue to be competitive and be able to continue to meet its mission. An introduction stating the thesis, position, or central theme of your paper, a main body focusing on the key assignment specifications, and a conclusion concisely stating the main points of your analysis and the conclusions you reached. INTRODUCTION Harley-Davidson, Inc. is a U.S. based motorcycle manufacturer which was founded in 1903 and still remain one of the best American companies. Over the years, Harley-Davidson has adopted different strategies to promote their products in order to maintain its profitability and presence in the U.S. and International market. This paper will include the internal analysis identifying the company strengths and weaknesses and my personal impression is the company will be able to continue to be competitive and able to fulfil  its mission. THREE MAJOR STRENGTHS THAT CONTRIBUTE THE COMPANY TO BE COMPETITIVE IN THE MOTORCYCLE MANUFACTURING AND SALES ENVIRONMENT Harley-Davidson, Inc. is a recognized brand legend, not just in the United States but all over the world, representing value, great designs, strong performance, durability, exclusivity and great customer service. Harley-Davidson has been in business since 1903 and has endured the constant market changes and customers’ demands for new products. The President and CEO of Harley-Davidson, Mr. Jim Zeiner, in 2005 have expressed the main reason of the company success: â€Å"A strong emotional tug draws people to Harley-Davidson. Emotions play a huge role in every customer relationship†. Mr. Zeiner believed that â€Å"Our sense of purpose-in other words, our focus on growing demand by offering great products and unique experiences† have been one of the constants of company success (Harley-Davidson, Inc., 2005). In order to maintain their business competitive in the motorcycle manufacturing and sales environment the company had to evolution along with these changes. One of the ways to accomplish the constant demand for new and innovative products, Harley-Davidson has created and maintained a strong research and development unit to create new innovative designs. Another feature available for Harley-Davidson customers is a webpage where customers can customize motorcycles appearance and performance, giving additional ideas to create new designs (models), attracting existing and new customers to buy Harley-Davidson bikes. Harley-Davidson’s operational excellence allow the company to reduce waste, improving quality and increase customer satisfaction by reconfiguring layouts and processes to gain capacity, reduce work-in progress and handling 50 percent, and reduce three operating shifts to two (Harley-Davidson, Inc., 2005). Through all Harley-Davidson facilities the operational excellence strategy has facilitated the workflow which allowed the company to increase their capacity of production processes. Harley-Davidson management is constantly finding ways to improve processes including standard financial  software platforms that service all business units creating ways to improve forecasting for new performance accessories (Harley-Davidson, Inc., 2005). The company operational efficiency improvement has resulted in a revenue increase from $5.58 billion in 2012 to $5.9 billion in 2013 as well the operating margin of 17.92 percent in 2012 as compared to19.61 percent in 2013. The operating income has also increased 169 basis point (bps) indicating an improvement in profitability (Marketwatch.com). Harley-Davidson has two segments in which offer a variety of products and services. One of the segments is responsible for the development of designs, manufacturing motorcycles, sales of parts, accessories, general merchandise and related services through Motorcycles & Related Products. The other segment provides financial services to Harley-Davidson motorcycle dealers, in other words to finance Harley-Davidson franchises through Harley-Davidson Financial Services (GlobalData, 2012). TWO MAJOR WEAKNESSES AND HOW TO OVERCOME THESE WEAKNESSES One of Harley-Davidson weaknesses, in the past and existing, is product recalls which has and still affecting company’s revenues. In September of this year, Harley-Davidson recalled more than 105,000 motorcycles from 2014 model year because their clutches may fail, causing stopped bikes to creep forward and potentially crash, not been the only recall for this year. Earlier this year the Milwaukee Company also is recalling 1,384 motorcycles made earlier this year to test for possible fuel tank leaks (Associate Press, 2014). Product recalls not only affect the financial stability of Harley-Davidson but also affect their brand and reputation as well. Another Harley-Davidson weakness is their high dependency on Unites States market which increases its business risk. Based on Harley-Davidson financial statement for the fiscal year of 2012, the company sales depended on the 68.1 percent of the market which is an high percentage, if is any adverse event could adversely affect the company’s financial stability (GlobalData, 2012). _Product Recalls_ Harley-Davidson’s Product Development Center (PDC) should improve the quality of their products to reduce recalls issues preventing any further damage to company’s reputation. _U.S. Market Dependency_ There are some issues for Harley-Davidson to enter or grow in countries in the international market which includes an unstable economy, currency exchange, fuel prices. Harley-Davidson should take into consideration these issues and develop lighter and less costly motorcycles that will allow the company to increase their probability to create a new market niche. In order to reduce manufacturing costs Harley-Davidson have the option to open a manufacturing factory closer to these markets reducing cost and increasing revenue. SWOT ANALYSIS MAIN POINTS & IMPRESSION OF FUTURE OF HARLEY-DAVIDSON Harley-Davidson is a successful company composed by dedicated employees, most of them who have been working for many years and they are able to understand market changes and customer demands. Harley-Davidson has a strong brand image, diversity of products, customization, high operational efficiency, strong research center, and great customer service. In my opinion, I think Harley-Davidson has many years to come. The new strategies they have developed includes, the manufacture of customer led motorcycle, seamless launch of surge production, flexibility to adjust to other markets dynamics, develop and manufacture designs to new demographics of clients which includes young adults from 18-34 years old, women, African Americans and Hispanics, and new financial and insurance programs (A. R. Harley-Davidson, 2013). Harley-Davidson have demonstrated with a successful track record that they have the capacity to maintain their position and reputation in the motorcycle market. CONCLUSION Harley-Davidson has encountered many problems since its creation and over the years and has adopted different strategies to promote their products and brand name not only in the United State but internationally, opening the doors to create business opportunities in other countries. No matter their high and low’s, their products have proved to be the best in the motorcycle industry and they are still designing better models to provide the best experience of motorcycling, including past learning experience to improve flaws. They have also been able to improve their operational excellence which has increased company’s revenue creating a financial stability. References Associate Press. (2014, Sep 27). Harley issues recalls to fix clutches, fuel tanks. _The Big Story_. Retrieved October 21, 2014, from http://bigstory.ap.org/article/9e99e8c27efe4b62b4f8eb749275249e/harley-issues-recalls-fix-clutches-fuel-tanks Cook, B., (2012). _Strategize this: Facilitating Corporate Strategy Development – External_ _Analysis_. Retrieved October 21, 2014, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syDRegjvFEw&list=PL-ao-8pxqJKLwBr-921a5V9o3P_Uva_mv GlobalData, (2012). _Harley-Davidson, Inc. – Financial and Strategic Analysis Review_. Retrieved on August 18, 2014, from http://callisto.ggsrv.com/imgsrv/Fetch?banner =4d609cd7&digest=27b6b6d33026b58ef227e0025dda7d42&contentSet=SWOT&recordID=47405_GDAUT29887FSA Harley-Davidson, (2012). _Harley-Davidson shows continued improvement_. Retrieved August 18, 2014, from http://www.harley-davidson.com/en_US/Content/Pages/HD_ News/Company/news.html?article=en_US/News/1483_press_release.hdnews Harley-Davidson, Inc. (2005). _2005 Annual Report._ Retrieved October 19, 2014, from http://www.artikus.com.tr/kurumsal/faaliyetraporu/5.pdf Harley-Davidson, Inc. (2013). 2013 was a big year for Harley-Davidson. _2013 Annual Review._ Retrieved October 19, 2014, from http://ar.harley-davidson.com/letter.php Looney, D. C., & Ryerson, A. (2011). Lehman trikes: A story within a story. _Arden: Jordan Whitney Enterprises, Inc_. Retrieved August 4, 2014, from http://search.proquest.com/docview/912511497?accountid=28844 MarketWatch. (n.d.). Harley-Davidson. _Annual financials for Harley-Davidson, Inc_. Retrieved October 24, 2014, from http://www.marketwatch.com/investing/stock/HOG/financials Marketingteacher.com (2011). _SWOT Analysis_. Retrieved August 18, 2014, from http://marketingteacher.com/lesson-store/lesson-swot.html Taylor, A., (2012). The Hurdles at Harley-Davidson. _CNN Money_ – Fortune. Retrieved August 4, 2014, from: http://money.cnn.com/2012/10/03/autos/harley-davidson-polaris.fortune/index.html The Associate Press. (2014). _Harley-Davidson issues recalls to fix clutches, fuel tanks_. Retrieved October 21, 2014, from http://www.dailyfinance.com/2014/09/29/harley-davidson-mortorcycle-clutch-fuel-tank-recall/ UMC Staff, (2013) Harley-Davidson | 2012 Worldwide Sales Up 6.2%. _Ultimate Motorcycling_. Retrieved August 18, 2014, from http://ultimatemotorcycling.com/harley-davidson-2012-worldwide-sales-up-6-2/ http://nccur.lib.nccu.edu.tw/bitstream/140.119/33965/8/33019108.pdf

The Clash Of Two Great Minds Essay - 1447 Words

The clash of two great minds has long been the struggle, Alexander Hamilton vs Aaron Burr, Stalin vs. Trotsky Michelangelo vs. Da Vinci and of course Booker T. Washington vs. W.E.B Du bois. Although both different ideologies, they were both trying to reach the same goal, equality. Although Washington was more economics based and Dubois was more ideology based they both wanted the same outcome, however Dubois approach seems more practical but both have successes and failures, and can be learned from today. The main argument of Booker T. Washington is that he wanted more of an economic approach to equality. In the article published by the Atlantic called â€Å"Black History, American History,† it says that, â€Å"if students learned useful trades while in school, he suggested, they would feel confident that they had something to offer and could therefore lay claim to a position in the social structure.† This means that he wanted African Americans to take more of a ground up approach. That if they as a collective could learn skills and, be a desirable work force they would be respected. This work force would then make enough money that they could buy their own land and create their own businesses. This would give the African American community a foot to stand on when it came to debating issues because they could be able to say look at what as a group African Americans have accomplished. Booker to is quoted saying â€Å"Friction between the races will pass away in proportion as the black man .Show MoreRelatedCompare and Contrast of the Arguments in Huntingtons The Clash of Civilizations and Saids The Clash of Ignorance1158 Words   |  5 PagesSamuel Huntington has made famous his thesis the clash of civilizations, which was developed in his article in Foreign Affairs in 1993 and in the book that followed, in which the author expanded his thesis and reaffirmed the validity of his theory after the success and controversy that followed the publication of his article. 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