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Social Sciences Questions

Most Recent 15 Questions Answered


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Question 1:

Question: Why do people in central Illinois and SE Iowa say "warsh" instead of "wash"?

Answer :

Dear Armchair Linguist:

As you astutely note in your question, the difference in the way people pronounce the word "wash" likely has something to do with where they are from. In other words, it’s probably related to regional dialects. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, a dialect is defined as "a particular form of a language that is peculiar to a specific region or social group." And, dialectal differences in the United States developed (and continue to evolve) in relation to several factors: the speaking patterns of the first settlers to a particular region, the influence of subsequent immigrants on the area, and historical trends and changes. As the Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language explains, two 17th century settlements in the United States (one to the south in Virginia, and one up north in present-day New England) had different linguistic consequences on the regions. The northern colonists came from counties to the east of England and brought accents that most notably eliminated the "r" after vowels (think Matt Damon in Good Will Hunting), whereas southern colonists brought the accent characteristic of England’s "West Country," with its tendency for pronouncing "s’es" as "z’s" (as in "greazy") and strong "r’s" after vowels.

As you can see, the letter "r" is a bit of a menace when it comes to regional dialects. In fact, you may be interested to learn that dialects can be described as either "r-ful" or "r-less," depending on whether their speakers pronounce the "r" after vowels. As Wolfram and Schilling-Estes note in American English, "most varieties of American English today are r-ful rather than r-less" (106). Yet, while the r-ful/less discussion is certainly interesting, it centers around words in which the letter "r" is actually present, and doesn’t get to the heart (or, rather, "haht") of your wash/warsh question. So… what the heck is with the insertion of that uncalled for "r"?

Well, dear reader, there’s actually another r-related linguistic concept called "r-intrusion" or "r-insertion," in which speakers insert an "r" sound into words that appear to have no "r" to speak of. In his 1905 Bryn Mawr College commencement address (which QB admits reads more like a diatribe against "improper" pronunciation than an inspirational send-off), American writer Henry James bemoans the trend of r-intrusion, saying, "You will perfectly hear persons supposedly "cultivated," the very instructors of youth sometimes themselves, talk of vanilla-r-ice-cream, of California-r-oranges… and (very resentfully) of "the idear-of" any intimation that their performance and example in these respects may not be immaculate." But, as James’ complaints suggest, r-intrusion tends to refer to instances in which the letter "r" has been tacked on to ENDS of words that finish in vowels.

So, while QB admits that the inclusion of the "r" sound in wash is not technically an instance of r-instrusion, it’s another fine example of how the omission, or in this case, the addition of the letter "r" is a typical reflection of difference in regional dialects. As Allan Metcalf notes in his book _How We Talk_, "The Midlands region generally pronounces the "r" and often adds an extra "r" for good measure in wash and Washington. If you "warsh" your hands and clothes and say that the capital of the United States is "Warshington," you’re likely from the Midlands" (40).

Hopefully this helps to clear up some of your confusion about that pesky letter "r" and its seemingly uncalled for appearance in words like wash. If you’d like to learn more about regional dialects, check out the resources listed below.

Warshing QB's virtual hands of this matter,

QB

Sources :

1) Crystal, David. The Cambridge Encyclopedia Of The English Language. Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 2003. Print.

2) "dialect, n." OED Online. June 2011. Retrieved from http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/51878

3) James, Henry. The Portable Henry James. New York: Viking Press, 1956. Print.

4) Metcalf, Allan A. How We Talk: American Regional English Today. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2000. Print.

5) Wolfram, Walt & Schilling-Estes, Natalie. American English: Dialects And Variation. Malden, MA : Blackwell Pub., 2006. Print.

Call Number :

1) 420.9 C889c2003
3) 813 J23por1956
4) 427.973 M565h
5) PE2841 .W63 2006

Location :

1) Oak Street Facility 3) Main Stacks 4) Main Stacks 5) Literature & Languages

Date Answered :

8/28/2011


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Question 2:

Why is it that when it’s completely quiet and I close my eyes, I see ... very clearly ... old reruns of Family Matters in my mind’s eye? Strangely, I’ve never seen the show on TV.

Answer :

Dear Sgt. Winslow,

While QB suspects that perhaps you are being facetious, the question is an intriguing one. As psychologists, scholars, married people, and Roger Clemens have noted, humans have a definite tendency to "misremember" things, even moments in their own lives.

A more generally accepted term for an instance of misremembering is "false memory." According to Psychologists Eryn J. Newman and D. Stephen Lindsay, recalling the past is never a simple matter of locating, retrieving, and reviewing a memory record. A person's experiences at the time of an event will effect how well the details are remembered, and when they are reminded of the event sometime in the future, they are unlikely to remember all aspects of it.

In other cases, false memories are more than a benign quirk of the mind. During the mid-1990s the somewhat controversial term "false memory syndrome" was introduced by the nascent False Memory Syndrome Foundation to describe situations in which a person recalls traumatic events that never occurred. The concept and its development were closely tied to the marked increase in the number of adults allegedly recovering repressed childhood memories of sexual abuse at the hands of parents and caretakers - memories than turned out to be untrue.

False Memory Syndrome is not universally accepted as a mental disorder; it is not listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders: DSM-IV-TR. The DSM-IV-TR does not list false memories either, though it does note that "confabulation ... may be noted during the early stages of an amnestic disorder." Amnestic disorders are disturbances of memory caused by direct physiological effects of a general medical condition - for instance, brain injury or stroke - or the persisting effects of a substance. Confabulation is the retelling of events that never happened.

QB hopes the Family Matters re-runs flashing through your mind during those quiet hours are harmless false memories or the sort that Newman and Lindsay viewed as by-products of the mind's inner workings. However, if you begin to also recall repeats of Small Wonder, Full House, or Perfect Strangers, QB will understand if you develop a sudden aversion to quiet situations.

Sources :

Newman, E.J. & Lindsay, D. S. (2009). “False memories: What the hell are they for?” Applied Cognitive Psychology. Special Issue: Baddeley revisited: the functional approach to autobiographical memory, 23 (8), 1105-1121.

False Memory Syndrome Foundation. “FMSF-FAQ: Frequently-asked questions about false memory (with answers). Retrieved from http://www.fmsfonline.org/fmsffaq.html#WhatIsFMS

American Psychiatric Association. (2000). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed., text revision). Washington, DC.

Call Number :

Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders : DSM-IV-TR: 616.89075 Am35d2000

Location :

Education reference

Date Answered :

10/4/2010

Question 3:

What was the Simon Commission?

Answer :

Dear Indian Nationalism Inquirer,

In preparation to answer your query, QB first headed down to browse the shelves devoted to India, in the hopes of learning more about the circumstances that led up to the Independence movement. QB picked up "India, A Global Studies Handbook," by Fritz Blackwell since it had been awhile since QB’s last world history class. The overview given by the book put some things in perspective for the rest of QB’s research. Britain sort of sneaked into power in India, starting first as a purely trade presence within the diverse country. There were so many groups within India, that the Indians hardly noticed the addition of one more. But the British companies began expanding their holdings until they owned almost three cities in their entirety. Around then, the government back home started providing them with additional support in order to secure their trade monopolies. By then there was enough contact between the British and the Indian cultures that the British began to pity and look down on the natives, justifying their growing dominion over the region by claiming that it was "for their own good" to be governed by Westerners. Hoping that the population would also come to that conclusion, the British supported sending many sons and daughters of the Indian upper class to England, or bringing teachers from England, in the hopes of Westernizing the upper classes, unwittingly creating educated Indian leaders who would later lead the revolt against the Empire.

For revolt seemed pretty inevitable. A population can only take the disdain of their rulers for so long before thirsting to make the sun set on the British Empire with in their longitudes. The stage was set with a discontented but not yet unified population, an oppressive government that was more concerned with the large profit margin they were seeing out of India, and bright young leaders who had been taught to a certain extent how to play by the rules of the British and how to go beyond them.

The specific story of the Simon Commission starts with the Government of India Act of 1919 which sought to appease the rumblings for self-government. Judith M. Brown discusses some of the run up to the commission in her book, "Modern India; The Origins of an Asian Democracy." The Act stated that while India was currently unfit for self-government, a commission would be sent again after ten years to reevaluate the situation. As the time drew near, the Tory leaders in Parliament began to count the seats likely to switch over to more liberal parties in the 1929 General Election and decided that the promised commission should be decided on their watch. Toward the end of 1927, the Tory leadership arranged for the all-British Commission to be headed by conservative politician Sir John Simon. There would be two tours of India by the commission, the first from February 3rd to March 31st of 1928, and the second to start on the 11th of October of the same year, to carry over until the 13th or April of 1929.

A soon as it was known that no Indian members would be included on the commission, called the Simon Commission after the appointed leader, the rising leadership in India declared a boycott on the commission. From its arrival on the 3rd of February, the Simon Commission was met with protests. Indian writer Nirad C. Chaudhuri recalls the arrival of the commission in his autobiography, "Thy Hand, Great Anarch!" He tells of processions of protestors waving black flags and shouting "Go back Simon!" on the streets of Lahore. As the police tried to break up the demonstration, a sixty three year old protestor was beaten, receiving injuries that would result in his death. Angered by the death, a revolutionary shot the policemen thought to be at fault. The incidents left both sides convinced of the savagery of the other. Further, upon the Comission’s return to England, it was clear that the extremely biased reportings of the Commission were going to be used to bar India from independence.

The discontent reinforced so firmly by the tours of the commission would later be a uniting factor for the diverse population of India. Overall, the nationalist leadership had only gained power with its people through the incidents. Disparate groups within the region had come together with a measure of success against this injustice, and protests similar to or even greater in scale to the ones in 1928 for the Commission would be put on throughout the following decade. Negotiations and compromises between the nationalist leadership and the British government also eventually resulted.

Many factors contributed to the granting of Indian Independence, and perhaps QB has simplified the situation to make it accessible. QB hopes, however that the readers have a sense of magnitude of the nationalists’ struggle by looking at one piece of this complex puzzle. QB encourages the curious to investigate the source below for more information.

Peaceably (but Protestingly) Yours,

QB

Sources :

India : a global studies handbook
954 B568i
Undergrad Library

Modern India : the origins of an Asian democracy
954 B813M
Undergrad

Thy hand, great anarch! : India, 1921-1952
954.035 C393F1988
Undergrad

Call Number :

See Above

Location :

See Above

Date Answered :

8/3/2010

Question 4:

Is the theory/idea of 'six degrees of separation' true in all cases? Can QB name at least 3 sources that will prove it is not true?

Answer :

Dear Budding Social Theorist,

Thanks for your question, as there’s nothing QB loves more than a research challenge! The ‘six degrees of separation’ theory you refer to is also known as the ‘human chain’ or ‘small world problem.’ According to Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, ‘six degrees of separation’ was coined in a 1929 short story by Hungarian writer Frigyes Karinthy, taken up by social psychologist Stanley Milgram in the 1960s, and the subject of a play by John Guare in 1990. Thanks to some American college students, this idea has been popularized as a celebrity trivia game called ‘the six degrees of Kevin Bacon,’ the premise of which is that Kevin Bacon is the center of the entertainment world. This is of course absolutely true. The idea that one person can be connected to anyone else in the world through six connections even has some mathematical validity, and has been used as a predictive model for understanding disease transmission. Most recently, the theory has been re-embraced in academic circles with the rise of social networking and impact of globalization. In short, it’s safe to say that the idea of ‘six degrees of separation’ has a firm foothold in both popular imagination as well as scientific circles. And yet, as you ask, is it true in all cases? QB’s research suggests that the answer is no, not ALL cases.

Source of evidence number # 1: Lucy Leveugle, London filmmaker, and Purev-Ochir Gungaa, a nomadic Mongolian herdsman: their connection took nine steps, documented by Leveugle herself.

Source of evidence number #2: The CIA and Osama Bin Laden. Chances are good that they’re connected and yet, as the title of the article QB read puts it, ‘If There's Really Only Six Degrees (of Separation) Between Us and Osama bin Laden, Why Can't We Find Him?’

Source of evidence #3: Skeletons in the closet. Psychologist Judith Klienfeld has recently examined the Milgram’s original research and claims that he relied on weak statistics; those connections that didn’t make it were ignored in his original publication of the small world theory. At the same time, there are increasing accounts of people at all levels being able to make the connection to someone else in less than six degrees; a 1998 ABC Primetime report revealed that Petey Pierre, small-time Brooklyn boxer, was able to connect to a Broadway dancer in only five steps.

And that, my friend, is how QB rolls. For the full story on the examples above, see the sources below. And now, think you can get this answer to Kevin Bacon for me?

Yours,
QB

Sources :

1. Berman, Thomas (2006). Can a Brooklyn Boxer Make it to Broadway? ABC News Primetime (online). Retrieved from http://abcnews.go.com/Primetime/story?id=2719654&page=1
2. Six. (2009). In Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. Retrieved from http://www.credoreference.com/entry/brewerphrase/six
3. Blass, Thomas. (2004). The man who shocked the world: the life and legacy of Stanley Milgram. New York: Basic Books.
4. Devita-Raeburn, E. (2008). If There's Really Only Six Degrees (of Separation) Between Us and Osama bin Laden, Why Can't We Find Him?. Discover, 29(2), 42-46. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier database.
5. Matthews, R. (1999). Get connected. (Cover story). New Scientist, 164(2215), 24. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier database.
6. Kleinfeld, J. (2002). The Small World Problem. Society, 39(2), 61-66. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier database.

Call Number :

1,2, 4-6: N/A.
3. 302.092 M59b

Location :

1.World Wide Web 2. Library online resource (online encyclopedia) 3. History, Philosophy, and Newspaper Library 4-6. Library online resource (database)

Date Answered :

4/29/2010


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Question 5:

Who came up with the concept of kissing? How did kissing become known? Who came up with the different styles?

Answer :

Dear Kiss and Tell,

Thanks for your questions on kissing. Defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as "to press or touch with the lips (at the same time compressing and then separating them), in token of affection or greeting, or as an act of reverence," you are certainly right that there are different styles. More on that in a minute. But first, a bit of history: according to a book QB unearthed in the main stacks called The Kiss and Its History, published in London in 1901 and itself a historical curiosity, the origins of kissing arise from our basic biological need to recognize each other via the senses; in this case, taste, smell, and touch. In that we are not much different than animals who nuzzle their young, or, as our canine companions remind us, express their affection by greeting us tongue-first.

So who came up with the concept of kissing? From the online Encyclopedia of Sex and Gender, QB learned that kissing "seems to have historically been more important in the West than in many Asiatic, Polynesian, and sub-Saharan societies, and its ceremonial use in the West in the last thousand years has diminished as its erotic significance has grown."

As for the different styles, The Kiss and Its History defines them broadly as the love kiss, affectionate kiss, the kiss of peace or respect, and the friendship kiss. Within these categories, of course, other differences emerge: think of the greeting (friendship and/or respect). There’s the air kiss, the cheek kiss, kissing someone’s hand. Under the erotic category, the most famous is probably French kissing, which, according to the Dictionary of Contemporary Slang, has had several other names over the years--tonguing, tonsil hockey, and swapping spit among the most evocative.

As far as who came up with all these methods and ideas, is it too much of a cop out to say anyone who’s ever been alive? But seriously, from QB’s research, it appears as though the different kinds of kissing and accompanying purpose are the products of thousands of years of history, biology, and culture, all resulting in the fact that a single action with a fair degree of universality now carries a dizzying amount of cultural meanings, taboos, and expectations. For details and tips on stylistic particulars, QB would encourage you to take a look at the sources below, and prepare to wonder why on earth you never thought to ask before.

XXX,
QB

Sources :

1. Oxford English Dictionary
2. The Kiss and Its History, by Christopher Nyrop
3. Encyclopedia of Sex and Gender
4. Dictionary of Contemporary Slang

Call Number :

1,3,4. N/A
2. 392.4 N99kEh

Location :

1,3,4. Library Online Reference Collection 2. Main Stacks (Main Library)

Date Answered :

1/30/2010


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Question 6:

What is the correct word for the past tense of sneak? Sneaked or Snuck? And what makes a word correct?

Answer :

Dear Sneaky Linguist,

QB appreciates the questions, but feels inclined to warn you that the answer might end up alienating a good portion of the English speaking population.

QB began his quest by searching the Oxford English Dictionary for "Sneak." Within the entry was found, "pa. tense and pple. Also (orign and chiefly U.S.) snuck." This, in the argument of correctness, does give one a bit of an edge, however QB learned long ago that Standard English holds slightly more strict rules than Scrabble and knew that more specialized recourses were required to adequately address the issue of correctness

A search in the online catalog for "English Errors" that returned many books eager to identify specific errors and offer suggestions for avoidance, but none adequately addressed the definitions of correctness requested in the query. Undeterred QB decided to check all the members of the Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries in Illinois by repeating the search in the I-Share catalog, and behold! The 26th result! Paul Brians’ Common Errors in English Usage.

Brians is an English Professor at Washington State University. His book is a more detailed version of his website (see resources) that identifies and offers corrections for common English language usage errors. The book also contains a wonderfully concise description what makes a word correct. As it turns out this is some what of a contentious subject in the Study of English Composition. This is primarily attribute to the lack of an officially recognized English linguistic authority. Thus, defining correctness has become the task of the numerous English scholars around the world. Brian identifies two major scholarly camps and their differing methodologies for defining standard English. The first are "The theoretical prescriptionists" who work from rigid rules and long standing linguistic traditions. They seek to impose their views of correctness on the public’s linguistic habits. They remain in eternal struggle against those known as "the descriptionists." This camp is slightly more liberal with their interpretation of correctness. They perceive Standard English to be what is generally spoken by sophisticated speakers.

What does this all mean for sneak/snuck? Well actually a lot. It turns out the questioner has identified one of the more remarkable developments in the English language over the last century. QB commends your insight. A research team from MIT and Harvard found that out of the 177 irregular verbs of Old English only 98 remain today. Oxford Companion to the English language defines an irregular verb as a verb that does not follow the general rules for verb forms [general rule Present : verb, Past tense: verb-ed]. So, sneeze-sneezed is a regular verb; and conversely "go-went" would be irregular. The group explains that seldom used irregular verbs like gnaw, wade, or spurn have been regularized. The team projects that the number of irregular verbs will be down to 83 by 2500. That means one verb will regularize every 33 years. This makes "sneak" especially fascinating in that even during this era or regularization "sneak" has snuck its way into the irregular verb form category. Traditionally, "sneak" is conjugated sneak-sneaked. But then, as Lingustic and Psychology scholar Steven Pinker puts it "a century ago, some creative speaker must have been impressed by the pattern in stick-stuck and strike-struck" and developed the newest irregular verb sneak-snuck.

So is sneak-snuck correct? As the form is relatively new, a little over 100 years old, it would depend on who you ask. Your "theoretical prescriptionists" friends might explain, "Snuck is dialectal, and in my opinion, that means that it is never correct. The past tense has always been sneaked, not snuck, and when a certain portion of the population started saying snuck instead of sneaked at the end of the 19th century, it was a grammar error; however, it was one that was never corrected, so it spread and is now used by many. Since we already had the past tense sneaked, there really is no reason to create another past tense (snuck)." All the while your "prescriptionist" buddy would reason, "Sneaked or Snuck? The question is which set has the larger membership, and I am inclined to think the latter outnumbers the former - hence why I prefer to use snuck." (both comments to the "Sneak’s Snuck Sneaked In" article at www.languageandgrammar.com). The sides appear to be well drawn, all that is left is to choose one.

Keepin’ it Irregular.
QB

Sources :

Oxford English Dictionary

Oxford Companion to the English Language

Common Errors in English Usage by Paul Brians - Available only through I-Share
And his site www.wsu.edu/~brians/errors/

Words and Rules: The Ingredients of Language by Steven Pinkers - Call Number: 415 P655w

Comments to the Article Sneak's Snuck Sneaked In
at: http://languageandgrammar.com/2008/05/02/sneaks-snuck-sneaked-in/

Call Number :

Location :

Date Answered :

11/19/2009

Question 7:

When someone says they feel a change in the weather (in their bones), what is it they actually feel (temperature, humidity, pressure, etc) and how do their bones 'feel' this?

Answer :

Dear Concerned questioner,
According to the Gale Encyclopedia of Psychology (2001), feelings of apprehension or dread, trouble concentrating, feeling tense and jumpy, anticipating the worst, irritability, restlessness, watching for signs of danger, and feeling like your mind's gone blank are all symptoms of anxiety. Anxiety affects our whole being; it affects how we feel and how we behave, and has very real physical symptoms. It feels a bit like fear, but whereas we typically know what we are frightened of, we often don't know what we are anxious about. So, when you say it "feels like temperature, humidity, pressure in me", actually what is happening is your body tries adjusting to (or coping with) the situation. This can take the form of getting a pounding heart, sweating, stomach upset or dizziness, frequent urination or diarrhea, shortness of breath, tremors and twitches, muscle tension, headaches, fatigue, and insomnia. Mild anxiety is vague and unsettling - severe anxiety can be extremely debilitating, as these symptoms suggest. Therefore when you get into such states, please do not hesitate to contact your doctor for guidance and counseling.
Its important to note that, just by being a teenager you have a lot to worry about: grades, friends, college, and relationships, etc. Seeking help from trained experts and parents, and sharing experiences with friends is critical in making sure you live a normal teenage life.
Albert Ellis's (2000) book "How to control your anxiety before it controls you", provides alternatives to deal with anxiety which include:
• Consult your doctor if you are not sure of what is happening to you. Remember prevention is better than cure. As a student McKinley Health Center will be a good place to start from (http://www.mckinley.illinois.edu/ )McKinley Health center provides education and social counseling to help you cope with life on campus and leave a happy life.
• Learn to manage stress in your life. Keep an eye on pressures and assignments deadlines. For example the Undergraduate Library web page has useful tools like the Research Writing Rescue (http://www.library.illinois.edu/ugl/howdoi/rwr/index.html) a guide to the research and writing process.
• Learn a variety of relaxation techniques. For example, check out the guide on the McKinley Health Center website (http://www.mckinley.illinois.edu/Handouts/relax_techniques.html).
• Make a commitment to taking time out from study and work. For example, there is plenty of leisure reading and viewing in the Undergrad, such as the Media Collection (http://www.library.illinois.edu/ugl/media/), and our extensive magazine collection located at the upper level of the Undergraduate Library.
• Look after your physical self, get regular exercise and try to keep a regular sleep pattern. Make use of Campus Recreational facilities http://www.campusrec.illinois.edu/
• Eat healthily; avoid alcohol, cannabis and junk food. McKinley has a handout on diet (http://www.mckinley.illinois.edu/handouts/diet_balancing.html), and take a look at resources on the Undergraduate Library web page like "Food and Fitness: a dictionary of diet and exercise", "Nutrition and Well-Being A to Z" (http://www.library.illinois.edu/ugl/find/ereference.html ).
• Learn to replace "negative self talk" with "coping self talk." When you catch yourself thinking something negative like "I can't do this, it's just too hard," try to change it to something more positive, like "This is hard but I can get through it." It can be helpful to think of "changing the tape" that runs through your mind. It is useful to make a list of the negative thoughts you often have and write a list of positive, believable thoughts to replace them.
However, it’s important to note that body temperature change is linked to other factors like changes in the environment around us. According to The Gale Encyclopedia of Science (2008), living things, including human beings, learn to respond to changes in the environment that surround them, for example, a fish hybernates to survive cold weather, while endothermic animals like mammals maintain constant body temperature by a process called homeostasis. From the food we eat, the body generates energy which is stored later in our bodies. One reason snakes may eat only once a week is that they use much less energy to maintain homeostasis.
Most body heat is generated in the deep organs, especially the liver, brain, and heart, and in contraction of skeletal muscles. On top of the skull, the brain is protected from the outside weather changes by the contraction and expansion of the blood vessels on the head, and this explains the headaches that people get as winter periods approach. Shivering is a result of skeletal muscles contracting to release stored heat in our bodies, which to some people may cause muscle pains. However, during hot conditions, the only means by which the body can rid itself of heat is by sweat evaporation.
On the other hand, according to the International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences, the ways in which our bodies respond to changes in the environment might be related to irrational beliefs that motivate our behaviors, a belief or attitude that does not correspond to what is generally believed to be true or rational. For example, a person who suffers a mild headache during winter, may associate such a problem happening to them as winter periods approach, much as they may not actually feel the headache. According to B.F. Skinner, a famous psychologist, humans can overcome superstitious behavior if they understand what is taking place, and if they refrain from engaging in the superstitious behavior. They must then notice that events unfold in the same fashion as if they had engaged in the behavior. QB suggests you explore more about this interesting topic from the below listed readings.

Yours QB.

Sources :

1. Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Ed. Donald Borchert. Vol. 8. 2nd ed. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2006. p103-109. 10 vols. Online
2. Gale Encyclopedia of Psychology. Ed. Bonnie Strickland. 2nd ed. Detroit: Gale, 2001. p637-638. Online
3. Gale Encyclopedia of Children's Health: Infancy through Adolescence. Eds. Kristine Krapp and Jeffrey Wilson. Vol. 4. Detroit: Gale, 2006. p1624-1626. 4 vols. Online
4. International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences. Ed. William Darity, Jr. Vol. 1. 2nd ed. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2008. p145-147. 9 vols. Online
5. How to Control Your Anxiety Before It Controls You, By Albert Ellis. Call Number 152.46 El591h

Call Number :

Online




152.46 El591h

Location :

Online

Date Answered :

11/13/2009

Question 8:

What makes people motivated enough to lead other people? Even when they themselves know what they say is not entirely correct. What motivates them? Why are they not scared? What keeps them going? -Person P.S. I put in 2 other questions, if you can, can you answer the universe one first, please?

Answer :

Dear Person (of Thought-Provoking-Questions),

As you may have seen, QB has answered your question on Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle and has hopefully satisfied some of your curiosity in that area. Your question about the universe is taking a bit longer than anticipated but rest assured, QB is working on it. In the meantime, hopefully a discussion on leadership and motivation will keep you going as a new semester gets under way.

QB began by simply looking up the words 'lead' and 'leadership' in the dictionary because in order to understand how and why people lead, QB thought it would be helpful to start with a good definition of leadership. A search at Merriam-Webster's online dictionary revealed the following definitions:

lead: "to guide on a way especially by going in advance" or "to direct on a course or in a direction" or "to direct the operations, activity, or performance of"
leadership: "capacity to lead, act of leading"

QB also decided to check the Oxford English Dictionary, available through the library's website. Here, QB found this definition:

leadership: "The dignity, office, or position of a leader, esp. of a political party; ability to lead; the position of a group of people leading or influencing others within a given context; the group itself; the action or influence necessary for the direction or organization of effort in a group undertaking."

From these definitions QB already noticed a few keywords that describe leaders: (ability to) direct, guide and influence. As with any research questions, gathering keywords and being able to describe a topic is important.

Next, QB decided to take a look at the library's online catalog and search for books on leadership in the Undergrad Library. Sure enough, QB's initial search produced a plethora of books relating to leadership. 189 to be exact. The wealth of information available in the Undgergrad Library is always amazing to QB.

But on to your question! What does motivate people to lead others?

QB first found a list of "Personal Characteristics of Leaders" while looking at the Encyclopedia of Leadership, located in the Undergrad's reference collection, . These characteristics include: charisma, humor, authenticity, emotional, social and verbal intelligence, optimism, risk taking, resiliency, creativity, hope and trust. More specifically, the entry entitled "Leadership Effectiveness" also mentions that leaders should communicate truthfully (and therefore, hopefully, not say things that are untrue, as you mention), be able to empathize with others, be resourceful, and suspend judgement. So it seems there are a variety of factors that make leaders effective. And it is combination of many of these characteristics makes leaders effective and possibly keep them going.

As for why aren't leaders scared? While researching, QB couldn't find any evidence that leaders are never actually scared. But rather QB found that effective leaders have a sense of adventure. They are risk-takers. Taking a risk or starting something new may be scary, but a leader recognizes that the benefits of the risk outweigh the negative.

Finally, the entry on Leadership Ethics in the Encyclopedia of Leadership goes on to say that ultimately leaders "…should be motivated by a concern for the common good…" and "…leadership effectivenss is ensured only by altruistic acts that reflect the leader's…desire and concern to benefit others…" (p.464) Basically, what motivates leaders is a sense that the world is bigger than themselves; they are able to look beyond themselves to see the greater good. The focus on others, combined with many of the already mentioned characteristics, motivate leaders, make them effective and, as you put it, keep them going.

One more thing: in searching the online catalog QB was reminded again that as one of the largest academic library in the country, the UIUC Library has books on almost every topic imaginable. For example, QB not only found the books on general aspects of leadership but also books such as American Women Leaders, How Toyota Became #1: Leadership Lessons From the World's Greatest Car Company, Creating Magic : 10 Common Sense Leadership Strategies From a Life at Disney, and even a book called Leadership Secrets of Attila the Hun. So, if you decide you would like more information on a specific type of leadership, chances are the library will have something on your topic!

Yours in leading others to new information,
QB

Sources :

Merriam-Webster Dictionary Online (www.m-w.com)

Oxford English Dictionary (Available through the Library's Website)

Encyclopedia of Leadership

Call Number :

Q. 658.409203 En195

Location :

UGL Reference

Date Answered :

9/10/2009

Question 9:

Question: Are computers taking over our lives, as technology increases and we are more dependent on it…1) what is the chance that we become slaves (to them) rather than masters? 2) How vulnerable are we to a major crash of the system and networks that pretty much are a part of our lives?

Answer :

Dear Technostressed,

Whoa. Those are some kinda big questions. Fortunately, QB’s suspicions that she is actually the love child of Johnny Five (robot from Short Circuit) and Ann Landers gave her the confidence to tackle this subject. Of course, the host of resources available through the library certainly didn’t hurt, either.

So let’s start with the first question: are computers taking over our lives? QB put the question to University of Illinois professor of library and information science Lori Kendall. Her response: “I don't think computers are taking over our lives or that we've become slaves to them. However, it's worth thinking critically about how we use technology and what changes it makes in our lives.”

Professor Kendall suggested that if this subject really keeps you up at night you might be interested in some of the classes offered through the undergraduate Informatics Minor, such as MS 326- New Media, Culture, and Society or SOC 350- Technology and Society. You can find these classes and more on the Informatics Minor homepage linked below, where QB also ran across an upcoming lecture on “Science, Technology, and the Survival of Humankind” by visiting professor Edison Liu on April 16th, 2009.

So clearly you are in some pretty intelligent company in wondering about this stuff. “But QB,” you sigh. “I didn’t ask you this question months ago for some pats on the back. I know I’m a smart cookie. Get to the point!” Ah but you see, dear questioner, this is a many-pointed query. According to James Katz and a fascinating book QB ran across in the Communications Library on campus, questions about the future of technology and humanity are ultimately questions about economics, politics, the nature of time, space, and the destiny of the human race, just to name a few. Katz claims that while yes, the machines of our world do “become us” in the sense that they are as integrated into our lives as our own bodies, that process is not necessarily one of enslavement. He claims that machines—including computers, cell phones, and social networking technologies—only help us be ourselves, for better or worse.

As it’s always a good idea to get more than one take on something so significant as the future of the world, QB spent some time browsing the shelves near Katz’s book. Another work that jumped out was the more ominously titled book by Heather Menzies: Fast Forward and Out of Control: How Technology is Changing your Life. Written in a previous epoch known as the 1980s, Menzies worries that “the issue, then, is not that everyone might be controlled by robots, but that we will all come to think like robots” (xiii). In other words, technology will have indeed mastered us if we don’t make time to step back and examine the ways we use it individually and as a society.

Both perspectives are acknowledged by Christopher Cumo, editor of an entry on the “computer revolution” that you can access through the online encyclopedia Science and Technology in 20th Century American Life. Cumo notes that while we can’t know what computers may someday be capable of, “most futurists believe smart computers will enrich rather than imperil our future.”

“But enough philosophizing,” you say. “What about the second part to my question?” Obviously if we are vulnerable to a major network crash then talking about our dependence on computers and technology requires more than pretty words about human destiny. QB turned to some government websites for this one, as we all know that the Fed likes to moonlight as a nosy nightclub bouncer for the vastness of cyberspace. QB figured they’d probably have an authoritative word or two on the success rate of whatever ne’er-do-wells—human or otherwise-- might be trying to crash our happy geek-fest.

Judging from the website for the United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team, run out of the office of Homeland Security, QB suspects that there must be at least some reason to worry about the vulnerability of networked computer systems. Although QB couldn’t find an exact percentage—i.e, “we are 36.4% vulnerable today”—she did note that you can find daily updates for known threats to a variety software and operating systems, such as the Conficker virus, as well as information on how to protect your own computer and network connection as technology evolves.

Similarly, the National Institute of Standards and Technology also operates the Computer Security Division, which features annual reports detailing cyber threats and security testing measures. And finally, as you have probably observed from participating in the online life of the University of Illinois, the network does go down sometimes. However, for what it’s worth QB suspects that the more our social, intellectual, and personal life is invested in online expression, the more time and effort will also be spent on protecting and securing the connections those expressions require.

Love from your favorite digitally-mediated entity,
QB

Sources :

1. Prof. Lori Kendall, School of Library and Information Science; Informatics Minor at the University of Illinois
2. Fast forward and out of control : how technology is changing your life / by Heather Menzies. Toronto : Macmillan of Canada, c1989.
3. Machines that become us : the social context of personal communication technology / James E. Katz, editor. New Brunswick, N.J. : Transaction Publishers, c2003.
4 .Cumo, Christopher. Science and Technology in 20th-Century American Life. p .
153-156. Westport, 2007. Greenwood eBooks. 2 April 2009.
5. United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team, http://www.us-cert.gov/
6. Institute of Standards and Technology, http://www.nist.gov/index.html

Call Number :

2. 303.483 M529F
3. 303.4833 M184

Location :

1. Graduate School of Library and Information Science; Informatics Minor website, https://www.informatics.uiuc.edu/display/infominor/Home 2 and 3: Communications Library 4. Online Encyclopedia (http://www.library.uiuc.edu/ugl/find/ereference.html) 5. World Wide Web 6. World Wide Web

Date Answered :

4/2/2009

Question 10:

What happens with/to your life when you go to prison? For instance, do you lose your job? Even if you still have your job, you aren't at work and you aren't making money, so do you lose your apartment when you can't pay rent? If you lose your apartment, what happens to all your stuff? I'm not going to prison (at least I'm not planning to), but I'm very curious.

Answer :

Dear Prison Wary but Law Abiding Citizen: don't worry. As an avid fan of the TV crime drama "The Wire," QB imagines that your life in prison will be filled with Machiavellian schemes, critically acclaimed performances, and maybe even a Tom Waits-inspired them song. All things considered, a mixed bag. However, QB understands from your question that you're more concerned with what will happen to the life you'll be leaving behind: your job, your apartment, your complete DVD collection of "The Wire" and "The Wire" t-shirt. Indeed, after reading your question, QB began mentally cataloging his own belongings and wondering if his library position would still be waiting for him if, by some strange mischance, he had to "stand tall" for 10-15 years upstate. Increasingly worrried by the unlikely prospect of his continued employment in such a scenario, QB buried everything he owns of value in an undisclosed location and began searching for the answer to your question in earnest. The first stop on QB's search was the US Bureau of Justice Statistics website. There QB learned that as of December 31, 2007, "2,293,157 prisoners were held in federal or state prisons or in local jails" in the United States. To put this in perspective, this is slightly more than the number of people who were estimated to live in Houston, Texas during the same year (U.S. Census Bureau). This is not to suggest that we should actually convert Houston into a giant prison. Prison populations grew at the rate of 1.5% in 2007 and 2.4% in 2006 (Bureau of Justice Statistics). With Houston filled to capacity by the end of 2007, where would we put all the new prisoners come 2008? If anything, Chicago, in 2007, with its estimated population of roughly 2.8 million and its 441 homicides would be a much more practical choice for prison conversion (Chicago Police Department). QB was further dismayed to learn that in 2008 "Parents held in the nation’s prisons [. . .] reported having an estimated 1,706,600 minor children" (National Institute of Corrections). To continue our comparison with U.S. cities, imagine filling all of Phoenix and Pittsburgh, the proud homes of this year’s Super Bowl teams, with children (U.S. Census Bureau). Now imagine that all of these children have at least one parent in the slammer and you’ll get a good idea of the number of children in this predicament. After thinking about this dreary prospect for several minutes, and with his mood at a record low (and yes, librarians keep records of everything, even their own moods), QB continued his search for answers to your questions while browsing through the online library for the National Institute of Corrections and at several tenant’s rights websites. There, at long last, he found some pertinent answers. Let’s take your questions one by one. What happens to your job? This of course depends on what your job is, but chances are you’re going to lose it. Employers aren’t required by law to keep a position open for you until you get out of prison, and most employers throw a fit if you ask for more than a few weeks off per year, so taking anywhere from several months to several decades off will nearly always get you fired. Furthermore, many employers don’t want someone who has been convicted of a crime working for them. As a consequence of this stigma, you are also likely to have trouble finding a new job when you finally do get out of prison (National Institute of Corrections). So, now that you’re jailed and jobless, what happens to your apartment? This depends on several factors as well. Depending on what crime you committed and where you were when you committed it, you might be evicted for breach of your lease simply for being convicted of a crime. In many residential leases, using the premises to conduct illegal activities is considered grounds for eviction. Nevertheless, even if your landlord doesn’t evict you for committing a crime, he or she may also have grounds to evict you for abandoning the property or for failure to pay rent. That is, unless you can afford to pay your rent while you’re away. In all cases, refer to your lease, your state and local landlord/tenant laws, and your attorney. So, now that you’re jailed, jobless, and homeless, what happens to all your stuff? That also depends. The prison does not lock it all up in storage for you, so it’s essentially up to you to arrange for it to be taken care of while you’re in prison. This is particularly important in the event that you are evicted, because your stuff is going to be out on the street. So, now you might be thinking, if I come out of prison with no place to stay, no job, and no possessions, what am I supposed to do? According to the National Institute of Corrections, you’re probably going to commit a crime. Nearly two-thirds of prisoners return to prison within three years of being released. Considering that 95% of people currently serving time will be released at some point, over a million crimes are literally just waiting to be committed. QB realizes that much of this information might leave you feeling depressed or frightened, and so he would like to end his response on three bright points. One bright point is that the government is working on new programs and new legislation that is designed to reduce the number of crimes committed by released prisoners. These programs ease prisoner re-entry to society with transitional housing, jobs, and job training. You can find information about these programs by searching for "prisoner re-entry" at the US Office of Justice Programs and National Institute of Corrections websites listed below. The second bright point is that while many experts have predicted the fall of America’s global preeminence in a number of categories, America is still far ahead of the rest of the world when it comes to throwing people in jail. Even China, whose total population is over four times that of our own, has only managed to incarcerate a little over 1.5 million people (CIA World Factbook and King’s College London). The final bright point that QB would like to leave you with is that with so many people in jail you can rest assured that there’s never going to be any shortage of material for those crime dramas we all know and love. Sincerely, QB.

Sources :

1. U.S. Department of Justice - Bureau of Justice Statistics http://ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/prisons.htm 2. U.S. Census Bureau http://www.census.gov/ 3. Chicago Police Department https://portal.chicagopolice.org/portal/page/portal/ChicagoPolice/2007_CPD_AnnualReport.pdf 4. National Institute of Corrections http://www.nicic.org/ 5. U.S. Department of Justice - Office of Justice Programs http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ 6. CIA World Factbook https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/ 7. King's College London http://www.nicic.org/Library/020631

Call Number :

Location :

Online

Date Answered :

3/18/2009

Question 11:

Tell me about World Heritage Sites! What's a complete list of them? How are they chosen? How many are there?

Answer :

Dear Weary World Wanderer:

QB was so thrilled to get your question! It was like a shiny gem amidst the usual questions she gets. So, you want to know more about World Heritage sites and how they garner such a lofty title. QB has often wondered the same thing, but had yet to act on said curiosity because of more pressing matters such as seeing who got kicked off of "America’s Next Top Model."

QB had a hunch that turning to the web might be the best first step in answering your query. A quick trip to Google, typing in the phrase "world heritage site" and one click later resulted in the Official World Heritage Site Web Site, which as far as QB knows is not an actual World Heritage Site itself. The site is put on by the lovely folks in the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (also called UNESCO) who are responsible for the creation and maintenance of the World Heritage Site List since its inception in 1972. The idea behind the list according to the web site is to "encourage the identification, protection and preservation of cultural and natural heritage around the world considered to be of outstanding value to humanity." More later on what exactly that means.

In case you had ideas about trying to visit every World Heritage Site, the current World Heritage List includes 878 properties in 145 States Parties. These are made up of 679 cultural, 174 natural and 25 mixed properties (meaning having both cultural and natural value, not a place with condos and a PF Chang’s in one building). States Parties are countries which have adhered to the World Heritage Convention and currently 185 countries participate. They agree to identify and nominate properties in their territory for consideration on the World Heritage List. When a State Party nominates a property, it gives details of how a property is protected and provides a management plan for its upkeep. States Parties are also expected to protect the World Heritage values of the properties and are encouraged to report periodically on their condition.

UNESCO has a lovely mission statement which you can read about on the World Heritage Web site should you choose. So let’s get to real meat of your question, how sites are chosen.

QB took a quick look at the 173-page downloadable document called The Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention which outlines the criteria and process and boiled it down for you.

First, only countries that have signed the World Heritage Convention can submit nomination proposals for properties in their territory to be considered for inclusion in UNESCO’s World Heritage List.

The first step a country must take is to make an ‘inventory' of its important natural and cultural heritage sites located within its boundaries called The Tentative List. Next, the State Party submits a giant file of documentation and maps for each property it wants to nominate including plans for how they plan to conserve the area and educate the public on its importance.


The nomination is submitted to the World Heritage Centre for review and to check it is complete. Once a nomination file is complete the World Heritage Centre sends off for evaluation.


A nominated property is independently evaluated by two Advisory Bodies: the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) and the World Conservation Union (IUCN). These two Bodies give a report to the World Heritage Committee which makes the final decision. This committee meets once a year.


So, what are these bodies and committees looking for? According to The Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention sites must be of outstanding universal value and meet at least one out of ten selection criteria.

i. to represent a masterpiece of human creative genius;

ii. to exhibit an important interchange of human values, over a span of time or within a cultural area of the world, on developments in architecture or technology, monumental arts, town-planning or landscape design;

iii. to bear a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or to a civilization which is living or which has disappeared;

iv. to be an outstanding example of a type of building, architectural or technological ensemble or landscape which illustrates (a) significant stage(s) in human history;

v. to be an outstanding example of a traditional human settlement, land-use, or sea-use which is representative of a culture (or cultures), or human interaction with the environment especially when it has become vulnerable under the impact of irreversible change;

vi. to be directly or tangibly associated with events or living traditions, with ideas, or with beliefs, with artistic and literary works of outstanding universal significance. (The Committee considers that this criterion should preferably be used in conjunction with other criteria);

vii. to contain superlative natural phenomena or areas of exceptional natural beauty and aesthetic importance;

viii. to be outstanding examples representing major stages of earth's history, including the record of life, significant on-going geological processes in the development of landforms, or significant geomorphic or physiographic features;

ix. to be outstanding examples representing significant on-going ecological and biological processes in the evolution and development of terrestrial, fresh water, coastal and marine ecosystems and communities of plants and animals;

x. to contain the most important and significant natural habitats for in-situ conservation of biological diversity, including those containing threatened species of outstanding universal value from the point of view of science or conservation.

While all of this sounds nice, QB couldn’t help but wonder how all of this actually played out. So, she visited the World Heritage List conveniently located on the World Heritage Site web page. It’s nicely organized by country and quite fun to browse. In case you’re curious, some of the World Heritage Sites in the United States are the Grand Canyon and Everglades , which made the cut in 1979, the Redwood National Forest listed in 1980, and the Statue of Liberty in 1984.
QB found some favorite sites browsing the list including the Temple of Heaven: an Imperial Sacrificial Altar in Beijing founded in the first half of the 15th century and the Jurassic Coast, 95 miles of English coastline with rocks recording 185 million years of the Earth's history. In fact, QB was so taken with the Jurassic Coast that she visited its web site which was conveniently linked from its World Heritage List entry. There she listened to a podcast with Deep Purple singer Ian Gillian explaining about the Jurassic Coast’s geological layers which span the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods.

Hopefully QB has quenched your thirst for World Heritage knowledge. If not, she’s provided links below to browse.

Sources :

World Heritage Centre http://whc.unesco.org/
accessed September 25, 2008

World Heritage List
http://whc.unesco.org/en/list
Accessed September 25, 2008

The Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention
http://whc.unesco.org/en/guidelines/
Accessed September 25, 2008
The Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site
http://www.jurassiccoast.com/
Accessed Septebmer 25, 2008

Call Number :

Location :

Date Answered :

10/23/2008

Question 12:

Higher Education Act of 1965?

Answer :

Dear Questioner,
The Higher Education Act of 1965 (commonly referred to as HEA) was a part of Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society, a collection of domestic programs that Johnson introduced in 1964. The Act was passed to help students from low-income families attend college by providing them with loans and scholarships. Funding provided under this Act includes, Federal Direct Loans, Federal Perkins Loans, Federal Family Education Loan Program among others. The Act also established a National Teacher Corps and provided “grants for university community service programs; grants for college libraries, library training and research; funds designated to strengthen newer, developing colleges; and establishment of teacher training programs and teacher training fellowships.” ("Higher Education Act" 523). In order to be eligible to receive these federal funds, colleges and universities have to be in compliance with federal law.
Since its passage, the Act has been revised numerous times. You can find the full text of the HEA at this site run by the Cornell Law School Legal Information Institute, http://straylight.law.cornell.edu/uscode/20/ch28.html. Work is currently underway to revise the Higher Education Act again.

Sources :

Field, Kelly. “Compromise Higher Education Bill Takes Shape in Congress.” Chronicle of Higher Education. 23 May 2008. P.18

http://straylight.law.cornell.edu/uscode/20/usc_sup_01_20_10_28_20_IV.html

Great Society" The Oxford Guide to the United States Government. John J. Patrick, Richard M. Pious, and Donald A. Ritchie. Oxford University Press, 2001. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press. University of Illinois - Urbana Champaign. 14 June 2008 http://www.oxfordreference.com/views/ENTRY.html?subview=Main&entry=t89.e386

Long, Richard. "NCLB, higher education, and funding are key issues.(WASHINGTON UPDATE)(No Child Left Behind Act)." Reading Today 25.5 (April-May 2008): 23(1). Academic OneFile. Gale. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. 14 June 2008

“Higher Education Act of 1965.” American Education. Ed. Harlow G. Unger. 2nd Ed. 2001.

Call Number :

370.973 Un32e 2001

Location :

Undergraduate Library

Date Answered :

6/15/2008

Question 13:

What is the main job of the legislative branch?

Answer :

Dear Politicker,

The main job of the legislative branch, at the risk of being cheeky, is to legislate. That means that the legislative branch makes the laws that will govern a given nation. In the United States, our national legislative branch is collectively referred to as the Congress. The Congress is bicameral, which is not nearly as exciting as it sounds. The two branches are the House of Representatives and the Senate. All Congresspeople are elected by the voters in their state, with the exception of the Speaker of the House, who is also the Vice President of the United States.

If you are interested in keeping up with acts of legislation, www.thomas.gov can help keep you informed. Whether a bill is in consideration or has become law, you can search for it by phrase or bill number. You can find full texts of bills that have been signed into law, as well. As to the process of a bill becoming a law, QB strongly recommends the School House Rock cartoon/song, "I'm Just A Bill On Capital Hill."

QB hopes that you feel more sure of the role of the legislative branch. If you find yourself asking more questions, please feel free to bring them here.

Lobbying for more questions,
QB

Sources :

How Government Works

Call Number :

Q.320.473H83

Location :

Undergrad Reference

Date Answered :

5/28/2008

Question 14:

How do you teach a toddler the difference between yes and no?

Answer :

Dear Toddler Teacher,

According to "The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Child Development" a child is considered a toddler anywhere between the ages of one year and three years of age. Usually, this stage in development is recognized when the child begins to learn to walk (to toddle means to walk unsteadily). The toddler stage is momentous due to the sheer number of new things a child is encountering and learning during this time.

It is during this stage in development that children begin to recognize more objects, their vocabulary increases at an incredibly fast rate, begins to establish problem-solving skills and begins to relate to others; however, a toddler is completely egocentric at this stage in development. A toddler wants to be independent and has his or her own idea on how a thing should happen.

This stage is typically characterized by the mood swings and frustration toddlers express; there is the common reference to the "terrible twos." Toddlers are very concerned with their own needs, wants and ideas and often get frustrated because they do not have the language skills to express themselves. Often they have difficulty separating themselves from their parents and other people who are important to them.

Since they are learning so much during this stage in development, it is important that the child be able to explore and experiment on her own and also with a caregiver. As mentioned earlier, a toddler’s vocabulary is increasing each day, and it is important that the children’s caregivers talk with them and repeat words and activities, so the child begins to understand and make connections. For example, the caregiver might talk about size differences by comparing two objects and asking the child which is bigger. Or the caregiver might point to pictures of animals and ask, "What is this?"

As for teaching a toddler yes and no, you are essentially teaching them the difference between a positive and negative reply. "Do you want more food?" -Yes, a positive response. "Do you want to go to sleep?" -No, a negative answer. "Is this ball bigger?" -Yes. Unfortunately, this stage is characterized by seems to many caregivers as a surplus of negative answers. "No!" seems to be many toddlers favorite word. Just remember that the child is learning a great deal of new things each day and frustration is likely to occur.

Thank you for your question and good luck with your toddling friends!

Sincerely,
QB

Sources :

The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Child Development 305.23103 C144

Sigler, Ellen and Aamidor, Shirley "From Positive Reinforcement to Positive Behaviors: An Everyday Guide for the Practitioner." Early Childhood Education Journal Feb2005 Vol. 32 Issue 4, p249-253

Vaughn, Brian, Kopp, Claire and Joanne Krakow "The Emergence and Consolidation of Self-Control from Eighteen to Thirty Months of Age: Normative Trends and Individual Differences." Child Development Jun84 Vol. 55 Issue 3 p990-1004

Miller, Susan A. "Why Kids are ‘Egocentric’" Scholastic Parent & Child; Sep2002, Vol. 10 Issue 1, p54-54

Call Number :

Location :

Undergraduate Library Reference Collection

Date Answered :

4/10/2008

Question 15:

What sort of people were responsible for the growth of interest in classical study?

Answer :

In QB’s view, the people most responsible "for the growth of interest in classical study," were travelers and poets. Lynne Withey, the author of Grand Tours and Cook’s Tours: A History of Leisure Travel, 1750 to 1915, credits the growth of leisure travel as the engine behind the renewed interest in the classics. Bernard Herbert Stern, the author of The Rise of Romantic Hellenism in English Literature 1732-1786, credits the movement of Romantic Hellenism for the growth in classical study. The works of Byron, Shelley, Goethe, Poe, Pushkin and William Cullen Bryant evoke the spirits of the classical world. QB highly recommends the works of these poets. Maybe you will be inspired to bring back the ideals of Romanticism to our pessimistic world. Also, please see Marshall Hodgson's work, The Venture of Islam, which will give a different perspective on the classical civilizations.

Sources :

Lynne Withey, Grand Tours and Cook's Tours, 1997
Bernard Herbert Stern, The Rise of Romantic Hellenism in English Literature, 1969
Marshall G.S. Hodgson, The Venture of Islam, 1974

Call Number :

910.9W776g
820.9ST45R1969
915.6H66V

Location :

Undergraduate Library Undergraduate Library Undergraduate Library

Date Answered :

2/27/2008