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Assignment Description
Journal Article Reaction Paper
PSYC/NRSC 350 Cognitive Neuroscience Dr. Orr
Assignment Description
You will pick a journal article from the list of available papers to summarize and critique. These articles are those that have had a big impact on the field and/or represents new and cutting-edge research. Some papers may appear to be short (e.g., those from the journal Science) , but they will often have supplementary information on the journal website. You are responsible for reading any necessary supplementary materials. Half of the paper should be a summary of the article and the other half should critique/ evaluate the paper. Your paper should be 1000-1500 words (about 2 pages, single-spaced). Reviews of the papers are meant to be anonymous, therefore DO NOT PUT YOUR NAME/ID IN THE TEXT OR IN THE FILENAME. You will lose points for failing to follow directions.
Other critical points:
– Use APA citation format for the paper and textbook (in-text citations and references at the end of
the paper, but don’t need a separate references page). Other than citations, you don’t need to follow APA format, i.e., don’t include a cover page and don’t put anything in the header or footer.
– DO NOT USE QUOTES! Journal articles communicate research to other scientists and experts in the field. Use your own words! Write the paper for your grandmother, as my grad school professor would say.E.g., In the article: “As SSD was varied to yield ~50% P(inhibit), SSRT was estimable by subtracting average SS from median correct Go RT (according to the race model).” In your words, “The authors used an establish method to set the delay for the stop signal wherein participants would be unable to stop in time on about half of the trials.”
Key Components of a Summary
Summarize the research question being answered in the paper and what has been done to date (i.e., review what you learned from the literature review). Condense the content of the work by highlighting its main points and key supporting points.
Describe the participants, procedures and methods very briefly (to understand the methods, you may need to consult additional resources)
Describe the results including the primary analyses that were used and what they found
Describe the main conclusions that the authors arrived at
Article Critique/ Evaluation
You should heavily rely on information discussed in class for your critique
What were the strengths of the paper?
What are the implications of this research for our understanding of the mind/brain?
Did you notice any problems with the methodology, hypotheses, interpretation, other limitations?
Why do you think this paper is impactful or cutting edge?
Is the work related to problems in our present-day world? If so, how?
How is the material related to your life, experiences, feelings and ideas?
Did the work increase your understanding of a particular issue? Did it change your perspective in
any way?
US economy slumps to slowest pace since Trump took office as trade war hurts exports
US economy slumps to slowest pace since Trump took office as trade war hurts exports
Growth fell to 2.3 per cent in 2019 as household spending slowed down
Phil Thornton6 hours ago
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A recent survey of chief financial officers by Deloitte showed that 97 per cent of respondents thought that the US was either already in a downturn or would be at some point this year ( EPA )
The American economy slowed further below Donald Trump’s 3 per cent target last year as export volumes were hit by the trade war with China and a slowdown in household spending, official figures showed on Thursday.
GDP rose by 2.3 per cent in 2019, its weakest expansion in three years and a slowdown from the 2.9 per cent achieved in the previous year, the Commerce Department said.
The figures, which came 24 hours after the US Federal Reserve downgraded its outlook for household spending growth to “moderate” from “strong”, will keep the idea of a cut in interest rates on the table.
Fed chairman Jerome Powell gave a hint of looser policy on Wednesday night when he that the current stance of monetary policy was appropriate in supporting inflation “returning to the committee’s symmetric 2 per cent objective”. This was a change from its previous meeting, when the statement said, “near the Committee’s … objective”.
Paul Ashworth, chief US Economist at Capital Economics, said: “We don’t expect the Fed to cut interest rates again this year, but Jerome Powell’s press conference yesterday was a good reminder that officials are still committed to getting back to the 2% target.
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According to the Commerce Department, the slowdown in real GDP in 2019, compared to 2018, primarily reflected decelerations in business investment and personal consumption expenditure and a downturn in exports, which were partly offset by accelerations in both state and local and federal government spending.
The economy grew at an annualised pace of 2.1 per cent in the final quarter of 2019, the same as in the previous three months with consumption growth slowing and business investment contracting for a third consecutive quarter.
The figures do not cover any of the period when the coronavirus epidemic took hold in China. The survey of purchasing managers will be the first indicator of an impact on growth from falling confidence of reduced exports.
A recent survey of chief financial officers by Deloitte showed that 97 per cent of respondents thought that the US was either already in a downturn or would be at some point this year.
James Knightley, chief international economist at ING bank, said: “It is far too early to say whether the coronavirus outbreak will have a dampening effect on US economic activity, but in an environment of already subdued global growth it certainly increases the downside risks.”
Earlier this week an inversion in the bond yields curve – where it costs less to borrow over the long- than the short-term, was seen as a sign of growing worries in the markets about the is human and economic threat of the virus.
“The more that it does the more likely it starts to alter consumer and corporate behaviour, thereby prompting policy action [by the Fed] to mitigate the dangers,” said Knightley who already expects a slowdown in annual growth to just 1.5 per cent in the first quarter of 2020.
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US Economy Slumps to Slowest Pace Since Trump Took Office as Trade War Hurts Exports
Donald Trump put a 3 percent growth target on the American economy last year but the growth slowed far below this anticipation. The reason for this was the effect the trade war with China had on exports and a slowdown in household spending. Growth in GDP was recorded at 2.3 percent which was the weakest in three since 2015 and a slowdown from the 2.9 percent recorded in 2018 according to the Department of commerce. In economics, an increase in exports translates to higher economic growth and a decrease in exports has the reverse effect.
The US Federal Reserve downgraded the position of household spending growth from “strong” to “moderate, 24 hours before the Commerce Department issued their statement on the nation’s economic growth. The slowdown in GDP is attributed to low personal consumption expenditure and a decline in exports. The trade war with China that is to a certain extent responsible for the decline in exports has created a chain that has impacted the ability of Americans to purchase basic items or spend at a consumption level. In microeconomics, exports generate employment, especially in the manufacturing and agricultural industries. A decline in exports may push firms to downsize and leave people without jobs thereby jeopardizing their ability to purchase basic for personal consumption. Usually, consumers stop spending on items that are not of absolute necessity or those that can be considered luxuries. Most
In connection to economic growth, the decline in exports reduces aggregate demand, which determines the direction of economic growth. China is the second-largest market for the United States’ agricultural produce (Bandyopadhyay, Bharadwaj & Roy). So when the agricultural exports are not doing so well as a result of China’s retaliation in the trade war, the local economy which includes shops, bars, hotels and so forth will not benefit from the increased spending of the people benefiting from these exports leading to an economic downturn.
Works Cited
Bandyopadhyay, Y., et al. “Taking a Closer Look at U.S. Exports to China.” Federal Reserve Bank of St Louis, 12 Sept. 2018, www.stlouisfed.org/publications/regional-economist/third-quarter-2018/closer-look-exports-china. Accessed 30 Jan. 2020.
Natural Disasters
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Natural Disasters
Introduction
It cannot be disputed that the frequency and magnitude of natural disasters have increased tremendously. These have had diverse implications on vulnerable populations that have limited knowledge with respect to disaster management. It is widely contended that natural disasters can not be prevented as they are triggered by external forces that are beyond human power. However, the degree of their damage can be prevented to avoid their escalation and the resultant negative impacts on human life. It is in this regard that this paper explores the prevention and disaster management issues surrounding the disasters that stem from technological concerns of buildings, preventing manmade disasters associated with chemical and oil spills and prevention of wild fires. The target audience for this is the local individuals living in earthquake prone areas, various government agencies, the general public and professionals in respective fields of specification. .
Disasters emanating from collapse of buildings have increased significantly in the recent past. This has particularly been common in urban areas of developing countries and can be attributed to the contravention of the required building codes in the respective areas. This implies that the agencies concerned with the enforcement of such codes have failed dismally with respect to performance. In other regions, these disasters occur regardless of the fact that the relative standards are adhered to accordingly. In such instances, Roxana (2003) argues that some areas are prone to natural disasters and therefore stricter measures need to be undertaken to prevent the occurrence of disasters. Preventing relative risks requires the collaboration of different agencies and parties that are concerned with formulation, implementation and enforcement of the respective building codes. A significant percentage of innocent lives have increasingly been lost through such incidences. It is for this reason that this study deems it necessary to underscore the frequency of occurrence as well as the severity of the impacts.
Industrialization has culminated in the production of a wide range of chemicals for different uses. They are not only employed in the manufacture of other products but they are also used as ends in themselves. Usually, these chemicals tend to be toxic and any contact with the humans lead to devastating effects. Likewise, contact with animals and other forms of biological diversity culminate in death and in some instances extinction of certain biological species that are vital for human use. Statistical evidence ascertains that the natural disasters related to the spills of chemicals entail fires, corrosion, suffocation and poisoning (Abbot, 2008). These are entirely caused by humans and have claimed numerous lives since historical times. A classic illustration to this pertains to incidences of fire that occur during oil spills. These not only harm the populations that attempt to loot the oil but also have far reaching implications on the welfare of the biodiversity found therein. To counter this, respective agencies need to ensure that chemicals are kept safely and the populations running any operations related to these are well informed about the importance of safety. Furthermore, viable measures of transporting oil and chemicals need to be assumed in order to enhance safety. Of great importance is to inform the entire population about the implications of relative accidents.
Climate change and the relative global warming have led to incidences of extreme weather conditions. The characteristics heat waves can be implicated for an increase in incidences of wild fires. However, Flynn (2007) notes that these incidences are perpetuated by human errors. In some cases, these have been related to arson cases and or carelessness when handling cigarettes and other forms of machinery. Also, natural disasters such as volcanic eruptions and lightening have also been cited to be key contributors to incidences of wild fires. The contribution of humans to these can be prevented by exercising extreme caution when handling fire. Certain machinery that is employed by humans for different purposes has also been cited to have contributed towards fires. An example in the regard includes electricity and tankers that transport oil and chemicals (Flynn, 2007). Law enforcement agencies in this regard should adopt viable interventions in a timely manner in order to prevent wild fires caused by arsonists. This information is of paramount importance not only on vulnerable populations but also on the public at large.
Conclusion
From the p[receding analysis, it is certain that disasters are commonly triggered by human activities. Their magnitude and frequency has also increased significantly and this has adverse effects on the holistic welfare of humanity. In addition, the disasters destroy important biodiversity and compromise the ability of future populations to benefit form these. This is due to the fact that the biodiversity that is endemic to specific regions tend to get extinct. The respective populations , agencies and the entire public need to be informed about this is order to enhance timely and effective response in case of a disaster. They would also be equipped with vital information pertaining to the prevention of these disasters. Certainly, this knowledge is important for prevention of the respective disasters.
References
Abbot, L. (2008). Natural Disasters. USA: McGraw Hill.
Flynn, S. (2007). The Edge of Disaster. USA: Random House.
Roxana, M. (2003). Introduction to Natural and Manmade Disasters and their Effects on Buildings. USA: Architectural Press.