Psychology Questions on Cognitive Development - 1557 Words

__A__ 1. The briefest period of prenatal development is the: a. germinal stage b. embryonic stage c. fetal stage d. baby-making stage _C___ 2. Motor development involves the acquisition of: a. sensory abilities including hearing and taste b. reflexive movements and abilities c. the muscular control necessary for coordinated movement d. language and speech patterns necessary for communication _A___ 3. Piaget called the incorporation of new objects into existing knowledge: a. assimilation b. object permanence c. conservation d. formal operations _D___ 4. For Jean Piaget, children deal with and adjust to the world through twin processes he called: a. conservation and revisionism b. motor learning and cognitive learning†¦show more content†¦19. Describe the effects of smoking and alcohol on prenatal development. Smoking increases low birth weight, pre-term deliveries, physical problems, SIDS, and respiratory infections and alcohol results in poor feeding habits, deficiencies in cognitive tasks, academic skills, fine motor speed, and coordination, and physical abnormalities, neurological changes, hyperactivity, impulsive behavior, deficits in information processing, 20. Present a summary of the sensory abilities of vision, hearing, and smell of a newborn. Newborns recognize eyes and prefer their mothers faces over strangers, can discriminate small sound vibrations with their keen sense of hearing, and can discriminate a few odors like citrus and floral. 21. Briefly summarize the important aspects of the four stages of cognitive development according to Piaget. Sensorimotor stage- interact and learn about environments by relating sensory experiences to motor experiences, develops over 9 months and things still exists if they cant be seen or touched anymore. Preoperational stage- children use symbols to solve problems and think or talk about things that are not present, uses conservation and egocentric thinking and lasts from age 2 to 7 years. Concrete Stage- Children perform logical mental operations on concrete objects, useShow MoreRelatedJean Piaget s Theories Of Cognitive Development1360 Words   |  6 PagesPiaget was a Swiss psychologist. He worked in the fields of Developmental Psychology and Epistemology. He’s known for his works and theories in the field of child development. His theories of cognitive development and epistemological views are called, â€Å"genetic epistemology†. Piaget placed the education o f children as most important. His works and theories still play a huge role and influence the study of child psychology today. Jean Piaget was born on August 9, 1896 in Neuchatel, SwitzerlandRead MorePsychology : Psychology And Psychology1519 Words   |  7 PagesPsychology has been defined by many as the study of mental disorder or behavioral problems but discoveries and developments, points to psychology as the study of human mind and its functionality which includes the way we think, act, perceive things and be able to make decisions; all these makes man a complex being. Psychology isn’t just a phenomenon; it is a scientific study. Psychology as a science answers the question â€Å"why†, proposes a theory and sets experiment to test the hypothesis. The researchRead MoreEvolution of Cognitive Psychology1105 Words   |  5 PagesRunning head: EVOLUTION OF COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY PAPER Evolution of Cognitive Psychology PSYCH 560 Latrice T. 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These are essential for developing predictions about behaviors and predictions result in research that helps to support or clarify the theory. The theorist I am choosing to talk about is Jean Piaget who discovered the cognitive development theory and who broke it down into different stages. The different stages are the sensorimotor stage, the preoperational stage, the concrete operational thoughtRead MoreDiscovering Psychology1356 Words   |  6 Pagesï » ¿ Course Design Guide College of Social Sciences PSY/211 Version 3 Essentials of Psychology Copyright  © 2013, 2012, 2009 by University of Phoenix. All rights reserved. Course Description This course overviews the foundations of psychology as the field applies to everyday life. The physical and mental aspects of psychology are traced through lifespan development with emphasis on psychological health and wellness. 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Accounting & Finance Assignment

Questions: 1. What is the research question of interest to the authors of the paper? 2. Is this an interesting question? Why? 3. Why is this question related to or of interest to Accounting? 4. What is the source of tension in the paper that requires research? 5. In what setting is this question examined? 6. What does the paper find? 7. What does the paper conclude based on its findings? 8. How convincing is the evidence presented in the paper? How valid are the results? 9. How does this paper contribute to the literature, and to our knowledge? 10. What are the implications of this paper? Answers: 1. The research question that is into consideration is the model that pertains to the firms price per share that is related to expected earnings per share of the next year, growth that is related to the short-term growth, long-term growth in eps and the cost of equity. Equity valuation is the need of the hour and helps to focus on the growth. Hence, the eps model is the point of study, and the research question is how the eps, as well as growth in the eps, is linked to the current price per share of the firm (Brealey Myers, 1991). 2. It is an important consideration because eps growth rate is linked to the firms policy. The eps growth assumes a place of vital importance because it contains short-term measure, as well as long-term measure. Eps valuation is important because it helps in determining the price and hence a decision can be taken related to the future (Botosan, 1997). Its applicability can be greatly seen in the case of share purchase. 3. The question is related to accounting because eps is an important tool when it comes to predicting the future prices of the shares. It helps to determine the position where it would be. There are various growth models that help in knowing the eps and its growth in the long-run. Moreover, the development of the model is also important when it comes to accounting because that helps in the refinement of the process and brings desirable result (Botosan, 1997). 4. The source of tension that appears in the paper is that of the presence of various assumptions and each having it own applicability. This influences the choice of method and hence may lead to a problem at various point of time. A need for a formal model is greatly needed that will help to reduce the problem. 5. The question is examined with the fact that how the ratio, as well as expected growth is eps is determined. To deal with such an issue, a different, as well as, conceptual problem, has been defined. 6. Through the paper, it is found that a formal model must find a way for expected dividend per share. The paper also stresses the fact that DPS cannot be sidelined for two reasons. The DPS serves, as a huge source of value and the expected eps, as well as DPS must be aligned to each other. 7. The evidence present in the paper highlights the fact that eps, as well as DPS have a strong relation and progress at the same rate. This is a good finding, but the approach cannot put a demarcation between the eps and DPS (Ohlson Juettner-Nauroth, 2005). Therefore, the validity of the results cannot be justified on a bigger scale because there are loopholes in the findings as the distinction is unavailable. 8. The paper concludes that next-period eps, as well as eps growth, is related the current price per share. The current price per share helps to shed light on the eps that will be seen in the subsequent period. The model shows that Po/eps1 ration enhances when one increases among the two growth measures (Damodaran, 1997). Moreover, it is concluded from the research that the current price is not related to the dividend policy in a normal MM framework. 9. This paper is of utmost importance as it gives a vivid description of the eps and its determinants. This model is helpful for the prediction of share prices and helps in taking a strong decision regarding the future prices. Eps have provides a strong practical implication and is a great tool in evaluation (Ohlson, 2000). 10. The main implication of this paper lies in the eps, general principles and sheds light on the irrelevancy of the dividend policy. The valuation formula has also been showcased that projects how one expresses the cost of capital as a main tool for the forward eps to price ratio. These two have a strong role to play in the case of expected eps (Ohlson Juettner-Nauroth, 2005). The expression sheds light on the textbook equation where the cost of capital becomes equal to the DPS-yield and the growth that is seen in expected eps. References Brealey, R. A., and Myers, S. C 1991, Principles of Corporate Finance, New York: McGraw-Hill. Botosan, C. A. 1997, Disclosure Level and the Cost of Equity Capital, The Accounting Review, no. 72, pp. 323-349. Damodaran, A. 1997, Corporate Finance: Theory and Practice, New York: Wiley. Ohlson, J. A. 2000, Residual Income Valuation: The Problems, Working Paper. Stern School of Business. New York University. Ohlson, James A Juettner-Nauroth, Beate E 2005, Expected EPS and EPS Growth as Determinants of Value, Review of Accounting Studies, no. 10, pp. 349365.

The Death Of A Drunk Car Accident Essay Example For Students

The Death Of A Drunk Car Accident Essay Xitclalli Vasquez, Sean Carter, Jacqueline Saburido, and Aaron Pennywell, are just four of the thousands who have been involved in a drunk driving accident here in Texas. Out of the four, Aaron Pennywell was the only one to die at the scene of the crash. Now just because Saburido, Carter and Vasquez didn’t die in their accidents does not mean that they did not suffer. Vasquez landed in a wheelchair, paralyzed from the breast down just three days before her birthday. Carter, who had been drinking and decided not to drive instead had a friend drive who had also been drinking, suffered brain injuries that left him unharmed mentally but physically no longer able to talk or walk, as a matter of fact a computer speaks for him and he even refers to himself as a prisoner of his own body. We will write a custom essay on The Death Of A Drunk Car Accident specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now Saburido was hit just up the highway in Austin, Texas by a high school senior who was drunk. She suffered third degree burns on 60% of her body. Texas leads the nation in drunk driving deaths with 1,213 people fatalities in 2011. Sean Carter’s story is of great importance to this essay. As I said he decided not to drive because he was intoxicated but his friend who was also intoxicated did. Drinking and driving is a huge problem in America but could be prevented by having a designated driver. The major problem is that there are not many people who think of using of a designated driver, but with two simple solutions such as providing more advertisement promotions and making it mandatory to have a designated driver, this problem could be solved making the world a safer place. The major problem with drunk driving is that it is one of the leading causes of death and injury on our roadways. Stated in an article by the National Highway Traffic Safety Adminis. . little too but this is not just to protect everyone one else but the person who is intoxicated as well. If this is what helps eliminate a huge number of drunk drivers from entering the road than this solution will be acted out. Drinking and driving accidents could be prevented by the use of designated drivers. But a problem today is many people are forgetting to use this resource due to lack of remembrance. By using two simple solutions such as providing more advertisement promotions and making it mandatory to have a designated driver, many people will not forget about this resource and its importance. We must continue to make this world a safer place for ours and our children’s future. We must do this one step at a time. So why not start with solving one issue that has resulted in so many fatalities. After all you could save a life if you don’t drink and drive.

The Secret of Quiche Maya Essays

The Secret of Quiche Maya Essays The Secret of Quiche Maya Essay The Secret of Quiche Maya Essay When creation begins, according to Popol Vuh, there is nothing but the sky and the darkness. The face of the earth is not yet formed and the seas cover the surface. The Gods are the only ones who exist at this point in time. â€Å"Whatever might be is simply not there: only murmurs, ripples, in the dark, in the night.† (Tedlock 72) This shows the emptiness of the universe and the need for creation by the Gods.In the first decision about creation there are many aspects of the Gods present. Three of these, Thunderbolt Hurricane, Newborn Thunderbolt and Raw Thunderbolt are aspects of one God, Heart of Sky. Plumed Snake consisted of many entities: the Bearers, Begetters, Sovereign Plumed Snake, the Maker and the Modeler, all of which were the water. â€Å"So there were three of them, as Heart of Sky who came to Sovereign Plumed Serpent, when the dawn of life was conceived†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Tedlock 73) So Heart of Sky along with Sovereign Plumed Serpent discus ses the creation about to unfold and how they should go about it. They discuss the options and rules for creation before they begin. The Gods here represent the sky and the ultimate creator.When the Mayans go to create the world they begin by speaking the word â€Å"Earth†. When they do this, the seas begin to recede and the mountains rise above the sea. Trees begin to grow on the mountainsides. â€Å"Now they planned the animals of the mountains, all the guardians of the forests, and creatures of the mountains: the deer, birds, pumas, jaguars, serpents, rattlesnakes, yellowbites, and guardians of the bushes†¦when this deed had been done, all of them had received a place to sleep and a place to stay.† (Tedlock 76, 77)The motive for creating humans was to have someone to speak the names of the Gods and praise their works. They wanted to be â€Å"†¦invoked and remembered on the face of the Earth.† (Tedlock 79) The animals they had created could not speak and so could not sing their praises. Another motive was that someone was needed for the â€Å"time of planting and the dawn†¦So now let us try to make a giver of praise, giver of respect, provider, and nurturer.† (Tedlock 79)The early humans were created out of earth and mud. They crumbled easily, could not turn their heads and spoke nonsense at first then not at all. They dissolved in water and had no mind of their own. The Gods dissolved them and started over. The next humans were made of wood and were humans in looks and speech. They multiplied with daughters and sons but, â€Å"There was nothing in their hearts and nothing in their minds, no memory of their mason and builder. They just went and walked wherever they wanted. The Gods were angry about this and destroyed them with a mighty flood.† (Tedlock 84)The Popol Vuh is a representation of the Mayan culture and beliefs. This manifests that they are polytheistic in nature, where they believe in many gods, an d that these gods were the ones that created them. According to the Popol Vuh, Mayans see destruction as a way of life, since it leads to the creation of new things. In the Popol Vuh, it can be seen that in order to come up with the â€Å"perfect human creation,† the gods underwent several destruction procedures at the times where their creations have gone wrong. The Mayan concept of creation was like other concept of creation of other cultures, where there was nothingness at first, only the gods exist. And out of their boredom, they decided to create living creatures, something that would keep them company, creatures that would acknowledge their power.The Popol Vuh was able to serve two major purposes. The first one was before the year 1550 when it was written for the first time in a European language and therefore made available to the world. Thus, before 1550 it was a communication device that gave information and of course was used to entertain the native Indians when the re was a gathering. More than that, it gave the natives of Central America a sense of identity. This then translates to unity, a backbone for nation building. It can be said that the magnificent Mayan civilization would not have been possible without having the social glue that holds people together and organize them into their social ranks. The myth contained in Popol Vuh allowed them to accept why things are the way they are. This also gave them a thing to look forward to since the Popol Vuh includes in its multiple books the exploits of their past leaders. This can serve as a motivational force for the present leadership of that time to do good for they are assured of immortality when historical accounts are handed down from generation to generation.The second major purpose of the Popol Vuh is the rich information it provides for the people in the modern age. Specifically, it will surely help in peeling away the layers of the enigma that shrouds the sudden and total collapse of t he Mayan civilization. By unlocking it by way of translation, the world is now privileged to look deeper and far into the ancient world of the Mayans. Ditchburn was able to trace back the connection between the Popol Vuh and that great Mayan civilization and he wrote, â€Å"In the sixteenth century, the territory immediately to the south of Mexico, which is now the Republic of Guatemala, was inhabited by various independent nations which were descended from the ancient Maya†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (2003). So whoever was the original author of the Popol Vuh manuscript was able to record what happened during the last days of the Mayan civilization. It is now up to the anthropologist to look at the evidence and offer some clue to finally solve the mystery. To give a clear perspective of why this is so important, Arthur Demarest put it succinctly, â€Å"The rise of civilization in a rainforest was baffling [†¦] The rain forest setting of the Maya continues to challenge our interpretations a nd understanding of this environment (2004).The Popol Vuh may have been created as a form of resistance to the Spanish, since at that time, Spanish invaders came and seized their lands. If you look closely at the text where the Mayan gods destroy the men they created because they weren’t doing what they wanted, it could be associated with how the invaders do things. They force the Mayans to do things, and when the Mayans resisted, they get harmed, and worse, they get killed.The myth and saga found in the multiple books of Popol Vuh helps to see the ancient world in a different light. Together with the majestic temples and public structures built by the Mayans and the pieces of history found in the Popol Vuh it does not cease to amaze any serious student of history the capabilities of ancient peoples. This in turn inspires future anthropologist and archaeologist to not only continue digging but also to continue looking for lost treasures not only in terms of objects but also l iterary works such as the Popol Vuh.

Future of Natural Gas in the Mediterranean Basin Essay

Future of Natural Gas in the Mediterranean Basin - Essay Example Shale gas is obtained from shale, a sedimentary rock, and in the past decade has become an important source of natural gas in the United States and Canada. North Africa possesses massive oil and gas reserves, viewed as strategically vital because of their proximity to European consumers across the Mediterranean Sea. "In terms of natural gas reserves, Algeria, Libya and Egypt contain the majority of the regional resource, except that Algeria is the main site of the reserves. Algeria is the eighth largest country worldwide in terms of proven gas reserves. Algeria possesses the majority of the gas resource at around 159 trillion ft3, followed by Egypt with 58.5 trillion ft3and Libya at 54.38 trillion ft3. Proved gas reserves have grown significantly over the past decade, with the most significant new finds in Egypt. Egypt joined the ranks of LNG exporters in 2005" (Yamaguchi, 2009) These African countries have an edge over their Russian counterparts in terms of supplies of gas to these southern European countries. The Russian companies are far away from southern European countries as compared to these African countries. In future the supply from these African countries will continue to cater to the demand of the Mediterranean region. These African countries are also encouraging foreign investments in this sector. With demand in the southern European countries rising each year, more and more European companies are entering into collaborations with the North African companies in all the segments including upstream, midstream and downstream. With these investments, new gas field are being found, more pipelines are being constructed in the Mediterranean region. On combustion, natural gas produces less harmful gases as compared to the petroleum products. For this reason, the future demand for natural gas is increasing with every passing year. In the Mediterranean region as well, this demand is expected to grow in the coming years. Europe does not have reserves which can cater to its 100% demand. Hence southern European countries are dependent on North African countries for their gas requirement. In the last decade, shale gas has become an increasingly important source of natural gas in the United States and Canada. There are speculations that shale gas may be present in other parts of the world as well. Very recently, the United States has also offered to help other nations in determining whether they have natural gas resources trapped in shale rock. This is a good move from the Government of the United States but the whole process of finding out reserves, taking out gas from shale rocks, bringing this to market; all this will take time. The countries around the world are looking at this shale gas with suspect eyes because of the technology required to extract gas from rocks. Solar energy is increasingly becoming a big source of energy supply to the ever increasing demand for energy in the European countries. North African countries have huge deserted lands where huge solar plants can be installed and energy could be supplied to Mediterranean region. But the question is, is this feasible enough It has been proved that solar power is much costlier than the power

Adult Group Learning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Adult Group Learning - Essay Example style commonly prevail among the learners are the discussion methods in which they try to discuss the topics with their friends and try grasp as much as possible. Thus learning can take place independently and also it can happen in groups. Adult learning also happens independently and in groups. Adults have more intellectual abilities than the children and can learn the topics independently using some resources like internet, library resources etc. But some adults prefer group learning. They feel that working with a group is more beneficial to their learning than listening in class. This paper briefly explains adult group learning. McKeachie found significant relationships between attitude change and changes in perception of the group norms (Gibb, n. d, p.256). Moreover, Brewer et al (2003) have mentioned that the opportunity to work in small informal groups provides an avenue to interact with peers, fulfilling the needs of some adult learners with a high affiliation motive (Brewer et al, 2003) The attitude of the adults towards group learning is extremely positive. Man is a social animal. It is difficult for a person to live in this society without having the assistance from others. Same way, there are limitations for a person to learn things independently. While learning in groups adults will attain more enthusiasm and positive attitude towards their learning compared to learning independently. Moreover, face to face contact with groups tended to retain beliefs even after these beliefs shown to be without foundation (Gibb, n. d, p.256). It is a fact that all the people like the company of peers for everything. While working, playing, studying, people always like the company of others who are similar in their ages. Same way while learning also adults like the company of adults. It is difficult for an adult to learn in the company of younger people as young people might tease him or harass him. On the other hand he will be more comfortable in the company of

The Roles Media Plays In Contemporary Society

The Roles Media Plays In Contemporary Society Media communication is full of contradictions, nevertheless one cannot deny the important part it plays in social life, part which has kept and will maintain its importance along time. In this essay, I will analyze the importance and the impact of mass media in contemporary society, presenting both their positive and negative effects, in terms of the roles they play. I will start by presenting the advantages of the informative and interpretative functions (which are essential in a society dependant on mass media for information), while also mentioning their negative effects, by referring to the manipulation of public opinion and the using of media as a medium of propaganda. I will continue by discussing the presence of infotainment and its benefits, but also the educative role of mass media, nevertheless without ignoring the negative aspects which come with access to information for a population segment which does not have the ability to select and process it. I will not miss the opp ortunity of speaking about the social binder (between people or civilizations) function, and also about the tendency of the population of aligning to opinion streams; I will close by presenting some limiting factors for the mass media power. Most people get informed by means of press and television, these channels satisfying, by the information they provide, a fundamental need of the modern man information. Furthermore, by their dimensions, mass media facilitate spreading the information and increase the speed by which a message is relayed. The continuous worldwide information flow helps individuals find the latest news which may influence their decisions, coordinate their businesses, help them know which areas are or will be affected by natural disasters or conflicts in order to avoid them and so on. Still, many times, the media offer more than information. By means of media, one can influence, orient and direct public opinion, interests and motivations, consciences, even beyond ones own will. Mass media may lead even unto the destruction of the discernment and the creation of an apathy, it may destroy the will to understand and act. American mass media theorists, Lazarsfeld and Merton (1948), have argued that we may b e guilty of paying such close attention to the information with which the media bombard us, thus getting to confuse knowing about social problems with doing something about them. They called this confusion the narcotizing dysfunction, linking it to the social consequences of mass media. Individuals replace reality with a surrogate of reality. Furthermore, people can be misinformed through mass media. Many times, we read untrue articles in newspapers and magazines, whether these articles are about what is happening around the world or about important persons in social life. The media build but also destroy reputations, which happens most of the times in politics. A good example, according to Layborn (2002), are the scandals surrounding the Secretary of State for War, John Profumo (1963) and the Liberal Party leader Jeremy Thorpe (1970s). Politicians are presented, launched to the public with the same techniques used in launching a new brand of toothpaste or soap. Pop stars, as a clas s, are the creation of media. Remaining in the area of negative aspects, I can also include the fact that mass media create cognitive, affective and behavioural addictions. These addictions lead to a certain level of defiance which aggravates the cognitive gulf. Those who are informed become more and more informed and those who are misinformed remain misinformed. As to the interpretative function, this is somewhat related to the informative role, because it supposes the acceptance of the information by the individual without processing it through ones own reason. The contents of communications are generated by the publics needs, so the information will be processed enough to satisfy these needs. Information consumers may also receive direct help in interpreting some events by the means of editorials or comments in newspapers and magazines. Thus, the reader or viewer not only received the information in the state it was conceived, they are also given the manner in which they should regard and understand that information. The press relies on the authority of the written word, while television relies on the fact that images seem authentic and the citizen tends to say, most of the times I have seen it with my own eyes, not realizing that they have actually only seen what others wanted them to see. The media cease to be a news organ and become an instrument of propaganda. In all societies and in whoevers service it may be, propaganda aims to shape certain attitudes and impose social stereotypes, it tends to impose conditions on the individual, by creating automate mechanisms with the purpose of controlling and manipulating behaviour or society (voting for a certain political party, purchasing certain goods, etc). Great leaders of all times have used manipulation techniques, some of them to keep their power, others to control population. Even Napoleon had paid attention to the means of information at that time, which have offered him advantages before his enemies. His statements remained famous: Four hostile newspapers are more to be feared than a thousand bayonets. World War I is considered to have been a propagandist battle between the English and the Germans and that the American audience was the target of messages in pamphlets, posters and other means of communication. Durin g World War II, the Nazi have developed an elaborate propaganda system in order to obtain regime support both in Germany and abroad. It is one of the convictions of Media Lens that the corporate mass media constitute a propaganda system for elite interests (Edwards and Cromwell, 2006). Those who have high social positions, govern or lead large institutions have control on the media (or even own it, as it is the case for the Italian prime-minister Berlusconi), using them to manipulate population with the purpose of meeting their own interests. The renowned professor Chomsky (2003) implements The Propaganda Model in the case of the Iraq war as well. Large corporations, among which Haliburton or British Petroleum, have used the mass media in order to internationally spread false information on Saddam Hussein, such as him producing mass destruction weapons and supporting terrorism, information which later proved to be untrue. The population, being scared by the artificially created real ity, has eventually joined in, by sustaining the war in Iraq and, indirectly, the interests of the great moguls. New York Times revealed (1st December, 2005) that the USA had used black propaganda by paying Iraqi journalists to translate and publish in local newspapers articles written in the US by a public relations company financed by the Pentagon. Furthermore, after investigations were lead, false journalists providing news articled to the BBC were discovered. False information was broadcast by television, while the journalists were secretly working for organizations sustained by the British Ministry of Defence in a propaganda operation (Media Lens, 2005). As to its entertainment function, the mass media, especially television, offer the cheapest and most accessible means of entertainment, compared to attending concerts and shows. A few minutes of ones favourite show can relax, make one forget the hard time they are going through. The internet is a good mean of entertainment through its multitude of online games, music, the possibility of interactive communication with friends. One of the researchers of the contemporary phenomenon of media, Claude-Jean Bertrand (2000), notes that most of consumers search for entertainment in the mass media. Thus, most means of communications provide it, even newspapers. This function plays a particularly important part in todays society, even more that it combines extremely efficiently with the others. Vicky Hay (1990) considers that the challenge of infotainment development in television, with its various kinds and media formats (talk-shows, contests, games, interactive transmissions, etc) represent t he main cause of cultivating this tendency in the written press as well. The second cause is money, respectively in an industry such as the media one, which operates on a competitive market, where it is all about maintaining/gaining/regaining a larger audience segment, which brings in itself publicity, money that is. But there is also a negative aspect in the entertainment function of mass media, which is the risk of relaying obscene or negative messages through music or violent movies, or by (even involuntarily) creating false, bad models for the public which is exposed, but has no ability to select or process information, such as children. The audiovisual channel continuously dimensions the knowledge universe of the receivers, by influencing and inducing them values, conceptions, convictions, stereotypes, etc. That is why the educative role that the media have in society has an importance that should not be underestimated; the large spectrum of TV channels, from the most various domains, constitutes an important source of broadening ones knowledge horizon. Also, television can be a culture broadcaster, thus concerts/theatre plays gathering more viewers than spectators. Documentaries, homage evocations of personalities, flashbacks have more power than books do in refreshing the publics awareness on a personality or even on history, in general. But, as a negative effect of the educative function, we must mention that television, as a time devourer, has brought a real reading crisis, television shows meeting the cultural needs of a mankind too rushed to be able to focus on traditional means. Also, in countries with a redu ced cinematographic production, flooding the market with foreign commercial productions may lead to the cultural denationalization of the audience. Studies lead by American psychologists regarding the impact of American serial movies with youth as their main audience indicate that 45% of teenagers shape and complete their sexual knowledge based on these movies and also learn how to communicate with their parents from them. (Van Evra, J., 1990) The negative side of this aspect is that, by having access to adult subjects, children lose the naivety and innocence specific to their age and are a lot more prone to yielding to various temptations (from smoking and drugs to delinquencies). Live broadcasting of an event makes the latter dilate, and public (national or international) opinion becomes a resonance box where the echoes of the event ensure its amplification. Thus, television has the role of ensuring the social bond in individualist mass society (any person being able to connect when and how they want from home, being able to freely participate, in their privacy, in a fundamentally collective activity). Thereby, mass media may generate a social solidarity mechanism in case of natural disasters or special personal situation which requires help from the other members of society. By analyzing the effects of mass media, one can define the term of consonance as aligning to opinion streams. The Spiral of Silence (Schweigespirale) theory describes this phenomenon starting from the dependence of individual opinion on the dominant opinion expressed by the mass media. Elisabeth Noelle-Neumann (1993) synthesises this theory as follows: society threatens the deviant with isolation, individuals are more afraid of isolation than of error, individuals evaluate the favourable or unfavourable climate of their own opinion, evaluation leads to taking an attitude (expressing ones opinion or keeping ones opinions secret). Individuals who share the dominant point of view easily share it, while individuals who do not share this opinion enclose themselves in silence, for fear of isolation. Thus, public opinion represents, from this perspective, the opinion that can be expressed publicly without the risk of isolation. A secondary function of mass media, that of reinforcing social norms, is achieved through the fact that television exposes any deviation from these norms to the judgment of public opinion. According to DeFleur (1989), the individual behaviour is guided by ones perception on cultural norms. Thus, by the means of presentation, underscoring and selection, television reinforces the viewers opinions on these cultural norms. Television also has a massive impact in imposing fashion and the feminine or masculine beauty type. One of the moments which brought glory to the mass media is the Watergate Process, journalists being the ones who caused the resignation of the American president Nixon on August 8th, 1974, thus gaining the fame of fourth power in the state. The death of princess Diana has again given television the opportunity of showing its advantages in catching public interest and transforming an event into an international tragedy. Still, there are limits to the power the mass media has, opponent forces whether political, institutional, or representing the private business environment which, at their turn, manipulate the information the press offers. Also, the commercial pressure of profit and competition, as well as direct pressure from political institutions or even peoples scepticism limit the power of mass media. What are the conclusions that can be drawn from these aspects we have presented? The mass media are a double-edged tool. On the one hand, they form and on the other they deform. In a post-industrial society where information reaches the same value as capital or resources, using means of information and communication such as mass media becomes a necessity. Nevertheless, I consider that the mass media are both a positive image and a negative image creator, a source of information as well as a tool of propaganda, a sine qua non of modern society.