Critical Summaries Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Critical Summaries - Essay Example Ariely describes how they conducted a study in Berkeley College in order to understand the reaction of college students in regard to sexual emotions. It seems that the major part of the article contains original information Ariely himself; it presents information on the experiments conducted in Berkeley College among bright students in order to facilitate the understanding of sexual arousal on decision making. However, the Ariely refers to some secondary materials that discuss issues related to the topic in the article. For instance, he quotes a book by Robert Louise Stevenson, The Fine Bogy Tale. Other secondary sources quoted in the article are Macbeth by Shakespeare and Oedipus by Sophocles (Ariely 2008). Consequently, the article goes further and provides a summary of the study results from Berkeley College, which indicated that most participants of the study have twice higher chances of engaging in odd sexual encounters when aroused. In addition, the study revealed that 25% more students would make decisions to engage in unprotected sex when aroused than when in the cold state (Ariely 2008). These results seem to have been included in the article to provide further insights into the effects of arousal on decision making. The introductory section of this article begins with a general discussion regarding the operation of the human cognitive system and how various individual systems influence its operations. It seems that it is based on a perspective of previous neurological studies that have been conducted to provide an insight into how the human cognitive system functions. In addition, it appears that Bechara, Damasio & Damasio used some secondary information from previously published materials to write the article: he refers to the works of Goldman et al. (1992), Milner and Petrides (1985), and Fuster (1990). It seems that they were interested in providing proof that the article was based on reporting a scientific study. This is indicated by

(Second Language acquisition) Data Collection Assignment requires Research Paper

(Second Language acquisition) Data Collection Assignment requires getting two language samples from second language learners - Research Paper Example However, in a bid to overcome barriers that could hinder one from acquiring new markets and opportunities, people have strived hard to beat all odds and perform feats previously considered impossible by their peers (Zaraysky 2009, 32). To understand the concept of second language acquisition, it is necessary to comprehend some factors that make a language harder to learn than another. The first of these factors is difference in grammatical structure of a language from another. Different languages have varied use of grammar. Whereas one language could demand that the verb comes before the subject, another could require that the subject comes before the verb. This causes initial confusion to the learner, slowing his pace and probability of grasping a new language. Second, a difference in pronunciation requirements of a language hinders one’s ability to articulate in speech a language he may have mastered its vocabulary. In addition, language learners are usually used to their lo cal accents and tone, and managing to cope with a foreign accent is sometimes nightmarish. Cultural differences between different language speakers influence their native language and the ease with which they can adapt to another cultural language (Blake 2008, 43). It is, therefore, important for a second language learner to understand the culture of the people he is learning their tongue. Aims and Objectives of the Research This inter-language data analysis aims at creating an understanding of differences between two sample languages. Upon gathering, analyzing and understanding these facts, there will be a clearer understanding of the difficulties one should expect while learning any of the two languages. In this case, German and English languages are compared and contrasted. Analysis of the languages is based on two samples of short essays (essay 1 and essay 2 available at the appendix). The objective of this comparison and contrast is to make learning the languages easy. Other th an the vocabulary aspect of the two languages, this research goes further to dissect each language in details and reveal their fine linguistic differences. Data pertaining to several aspects of the languages is a crucial facet of the research. Issues to do with pronunciation of English words against German language are considered at length. In addition, the research labors to find out grammatical differences between the two languages. The chief characteristic of this grammatical analysis is the order of verbs, subjects, nouns, pronouns and adjectives. Collected data is also used to create an awareness of the cultural differences, if any. It thereafter tries to offer solutions to the difficulties one observes in learning either English or German as a second language. Clearly, data collection and analysis of learning a second language will make the process of grasping German as a second language to a native English speaker easier. The research aims at lessening the time and effort one puts in learning a new lingo. By preparing one for the challenges to expect in learning a language and providing possible solutions to the hurdles, a learner is placed in a good position to learn fast. Data Collection Methods Methods used to collect data for this research was informed by several factors. It was necessary to put into consideration the data collection strategy, accuracy requirements of the research, skills of