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It is feasible to follow the pragmatic epistemological framework and do qualitative research

CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY

3.1 Research Design

It is feasible to follow the pragmatic epistemological framework and do qualitative research. This paradigm was chosen for this study in part because it is associated with action, making a difference, and learning useful knowledge. The pragmatic approach, together with the philosophy that underpins it, suggests that the qualitative technique is the one that should be used for this research if it is to achieve its aims and objectives. Due to the qualitative nature of the study, qualitative research can demonstrate how attitudes evolve through time. It is possible to demonstrate how people’s perspectives evolve over time via the use of qualitative research methods (Basias & Pollalis, 2018). Techniques of qualitative research are superior than methods of quantitative research due to the fact that qualitative research methods do not have the same constraints. When collecting non-numerical data, there is a possibility that explanations will be supplied that explain more about the data, as discovered by Hawkins (2018). These explanations further describe more about the data. The paper will have a great deal of leeway after obtaining qualitative data and determined what it indicates. It is also true that methods and processes that do not perform well may be altered to operate better in certain circumstances. This is something that can be done. Academics have the ability to use qualitative research methodologies in order to conduct speculative study on subjects that they believe will be fascinating. When each of these factors is considered, it’s possible that qualitative data collecting is more concentrated on the people who are participating in the research than was previously believed.

The author makes a suggestion for a thorough inductive method for the analysis of data, making use of qualitative evaluation data in this investigation. The inductive method will be used in order to condense a great deal of information and make it more concise (Tomaszewski, Zarestky, & Gonzalez, 2020). In addition, the inductive qualitative approach creates clear links between the objectives of the evaluation or investigation and the first data summary. The approach will give a framework for interpreting the underlying process of any interactions or activities that are exposed by the raw data, which is an additional advantage of using the method. This instrument comes in quite helpful. An approach for doing an analysis of qualitative data is known as the wide inductive methodology. It is made up of a range of fundamental methodologies that, when combined, provide findings that are precise and dependable (Tomaszewski, Zarestky, & Gonzalez, 2020). Although it is not as widely popular as other methods for building theories or models, the general inductive technique may be used to address certain assessment problems.

3.2 Data Collection

Along with conducting an online interview with open-ended questions, the paper will also conduct a case study on the Yianjin Garment Factory as part of the inquiry. In open-ended surveys, the respondents are not coerced into selecting answers from a predetermined selection of possibilities. In its place, individuals are given the option to respond with as much or as little detail as they see fit. A web survey is a kind of online survey that is often prepared by software before being uploaded to research websites, emailed to responders, or both. It eliminates the time-consuming process of creating comments and allows users to simply share their thoughts through mobile devices, which is a significant time saver. This does double duty by both simplifying the procedure and improving the accuracy of the operation (Benitez-Correa, Gonzalez-Torres, & Vargas-Saritama, 2019). When qualitative data is obtained using an online survey employing a questionnaire, the procedure may be completed more quickly and effectively, making it more desirable. In online surveys, respondents are not obligated to provide responses to questions posed in the presence of the interviewer. This indicates that surveys carried out online have the potential to reach a big number of individuals. Participants are able to complete an online survey or questionnaire at their own leisure and on a variety of devices, which is one of the advantages of doing the activity in an online setting.

In order to evaluate qualitative data from a variety of sources and come to certain conclusions, the approach of case study will be used. Benitez-Correa, Gonzalez-Torres, & Vargas-Saritama (2019) define a qualitative case study as a kind of research that allows the examination of a phenomena in a specific setting by integrating a number of data sources and presenting the phenomenon from a variety of viewpoints. This type of research can be found in the field of social science (Tomaszewski, Zarestky, & Gonzalez, 2020). Using this process, researchers can investigate anything they want to. A case study examines a real-world occurrence and evaluates it within the parameters of its own unique setting. This method was developed on the premise that context plays a crucial role.

It is necessary to provide an open-ended response whenever a question is posed that cannot be answered with a straightforward “yes” or “no,” “true” or “false,” “multiple-choice,” or “rated on a number or star-rating scale.” Users of products are obligated to offer feedback that is both objective and in their native language and vernacular (Abutabenjeh & Jaradat, 2018). It is different from providing them with a list of alternative responses and is what is generally referred to as feedback from the voice of the customer. One of the advantages of using open-ended questions is that they make it possible for individuals to communicate their ideas. As a direct result of this, the information that is provided is far more specific, comprehensive, and often subjective. The researcher has the opportunity to collect more data and views that are more germane to the topic at hand when they use open-ended survey questions.

By asking the participants in the survey open-ended questions, researchers may be able to understand more about what they genuinely believe and how they feel about the subject of the survey. Therefore, there is no doubt that the approach of open-ended inquiry is beneficial for achieving the purpose of the research, which is to collect the respondents’ honest perspectives (Brydges, Retamal, & Hanlon, 2020). Businesses may learn a lot about how consumers feel about their goods and services by conducting surveys with those customers. Using properly calibrated questionnaires, researchers have the ability to determine the levels of customer satisfaction experienced by consumers as well as the reasons why particular prospective customers discontinue using a company’s goods or services. In research studies, the use of open-ended questions encourages participants to discuss freely about their thoughts, beliefs, suggestions, and critiques, which often leads to the discovery of new insights for researchers (Chakraborty & Biswas, 2020). The advantages far outweigh the negatives, which include the fact that open-ended responses are difficult to analyze and do not easily fit into statistical analysis models. Other drawbacks include the fact that open-ended responses may not be used at all.

Participant responses in their own words encourage a better knowledge of them, as there is no predetermined number of viable responses to open-ended inquiries. As a result, there are no constraints on the quantity of data that may be acquired. Since there is no predetermined number of responses to open-ended inquiries, customers’ responses in their own words encourage a better knowledge of them. Because of the variety of perspectives from which people will respond to the questions, you will have the opportunity to learn more about a variety of individuals. Research participants are more likely to supply entirely original data and recommendations when open-ended questions are used, which is one of the benefits of employing these types of queries (Haven & Van Grootel, 2019). Because there is no limit on the number of responses that may be given, it is quite feasible for one to acquire new knowledge and get insights into problems from perspectives that you had never previously considered thanks to the contributions of actual people. When responding to open-ended inquiries, individuals are at liberty to provide as much or as little information as they see fit in their replies. Because they are expressed precisely how the responder expresses themselves and allow for more natural expression, open-ended responses are more challenging (Hawkins, 2018). Replies to open-ended questions often provide more accurate results than responses to multiple-choice questions or questions based on ratings. When researchers ask respondents open-ended questions about their own points of view, they are better able to comprehend the connections between the ideas, emotions, and experiences being discussed.

3.3 Data Sampling

When doing qualitative research, a limited representation (also known as a sample) of the whole population is used for each individual study. A subset is another name for this particular category. Who will take part in the study and how many people will take part in the study will be somewhat determined by the aims of the research, which may need the involvement of extra persons, and partially determined by the characteristics of the study group (like size and diversity). The participants in this investigation will be chosen by a process known as purposeful sampling. Purposive sampling is often used and is one of the most common sample procedures. A total of 8 individuals were chosen to participate in the study. Of the 8 participants, 5 are current employees at Shuishubao Textile Factory. The remaining 3 are representatives of the textile industry from various Chinese garment and clothing factories. Specifically, the research targets employees within the managerial capacity, individuals with some level of decision-making power, and company executives. It does this by classifying respondents into different subgroups according to criteria that have been shown to be relevant to the research subject (Mfinanga, Mrosso, & Bishibura, 2019). It is possible to make this choice before any data has been collected. It is important to take into consideration not only the goals of the report but also the amount of time and resources at your disposal, as well as the size of the sample. The point of saturation is a common strategy that is used in the process of calculating the size of an anticipated sample size. We have reached the point of saturation in the process of acquiring data when new information is no longer assisting us in gaining further knowledge about the matter that is being studied. If the data that is being acquired is evaluated and analyzed as it is being obtained, then deliberate sampling may be able to assist in achieving the most accurate results.

The paper chose to adopt a purposeful sampling since it has a number of benefits. In the first place, it is a way of picking samples that has a low overall cost. In this scenario, the researcher has to take into account the previous experiences of the volunteers in order to choose the most suitable participants for the systematic study (Haven & Van Grootel, 2019). Additionally, it shortens the total amount of time required. One further benefit is that researchers are able to extract the most out of the people they are investigating, which ultimately leads to more insightful conclusions from the research. In addition, purposeful sampling makes it easier to acquire qualitative data, which ultimately leads to improved, more high-quality findings as well as a deeper understanding of the topic being researched. When doing research on a certain subject, it is helpful to zero down on particular groups in order to obtain knowledge about that subject (Mik-Meyer, 2020). The researcher gathers information from people who are the best possible matches for the inquiry, which explains why the results make sense in the context of the study. Last but not least, the use of purposeful sampling helps to restrict the margin of error in the data that was gathered. This is because the information sources are an appropriate fit for the context of the study.

Purposive sampling is a non-probability sampling method in which the variables for the sample group are chosen based on the researcher’s best judgment. This is sometimes called subjective sampling (Ishtiaq, 2019). For this problem, the sampling method depends a lot on the researcher’s judgment and what they already know. Researchers can get a lot of information from the collected data by using a method called “deliberate sampling.” This helps researchers explain to the wider public how important their results are. Research shows that purposive sampling is better than other types of sampling in terms of saving money and time. Consequently, it is one of the most common ways that researchers go about their work. Purposive sampling is a flexible research method that can be changed to make a survey more effective, since there are different ways to carry out the above steps (Melnikovas, 2018). When there are not many first-hand sources of data that can be used in a survey, purposeful sampling is often the only way to get good results because it gives researchers more control over the results. When purposive sampling is the main focus of a study, researchers can choose from a number of different ways to do qualitative research. It is sometimes necessary to use a different sampling strategy and method to get the data needed to draw a conclusion and meet the goals of these designs. By using the many practical approaches available through the purposive approach, research designs can be made more flexible (Mfinanga, Mrosso, & Bishibura, 2019). This makes it possible to use different methods to get the results you want. Researchers using purposive sampling may have to go through a number of steps, each of which may build on the one before it. This method works well because it gives researchers a wider range of options for non-probability sampling. Even though this often means making a new plan at the start of each phase, this method is important because of its benefits. The most common example of this benefit is the fact that, while a critical sample can be useful for figuring out how important an investigation is, the expert sampling technique makes it possible to look at all the data that has already been collected.

3.4 Data Analysis

The objective of using an inductive technique is to condense the raw textual information into a format that is concise and easy to understand. The method also seeks to create obvious linkages between the goals of the evaluation or study and the summaries that are derived from the raw data. Data from the case study as well as the responses from the 8 respondents will be used to identify key themes and issues within the Chinese textile industry. The overall intention is to understand how major stakeholders perceive the current efforts at Shuishubao and elsewhere within the industry, as far as the direction of the sector is concerned. This is one of the goals of the method. As an integral component of the strategy, the formation of these relationships is intended to take place (Mik-Meyer, 2020). This discussion will come to a close with an application of inductive data analysis, which will be used to develop a framework of the fundamental structure underlying observable experiences or processes in raw data. The general inductive approach is a set of straightforward and organized methods for evaluating qualitative data. These methods have the ability to provide outcomes that are reliable and accurate. When used to a specific set of assessment challenges, the general inductive methodology offers a method that is uncomplicated and uncomplicated in the way it goes about creating results (Al-Ababneh, 2020). When compared to the various methods of qualitative data analysis, it is probable that a greater percentage of evaluators would view a wide inductive methodology to be the simpler of the two.

For the purpose of generating ideas and identifying underlying themes, inductive content analysis makes use of a variety of textual materials and resources, such as research papers, old recordings, and other sorts of textual information. The inductive analysis might be considered a descriptive approach given that it is based on the facts and that it explains them. The concept of inductive content analysis is predicated on the notion that recurring topics may be discovered in massive volumes of data via the process of constantly contrasting and comparing various aspects of that material (Benitez-Correa, Gonzalez-Torres, & Vargas-Saritama, 2019). The inductive qualitative technique is the most effective strategy for doing research when there are either a limited number of prior studies on the topic at hand or no studies at all. In order for researchers to find out what the most significant problems are in their area of expertise, they could use the inductive technique, which entails narrowing the data down to a predetermined grouping of concepts or themes.

3.5 Reliability and Validity

If study findings are to be applied in practice and incorporated into continuing research, it is essential to evaluate the research’s quality. Validity and dependability are used to evaluate the quality of research, illustrating the precision with which a technique, procedure, or test measures a certain event (Lakshmi & Mohideen, 2013). Validity is concerned with the accuracy of a measurement, while reliability is concerned with its consistency. Particularly in qualitative research, validity and reliability must be considered while selecting a study design, developing methods, and summarizing results. Reliability defines the extent to which the results may be duplicated if the investigation is repeated under the same conditions. In order to evaluate the dependability of this study’s results, consistency will be evaluated across time, across different observers, and within test components. Even though the results of a reliable measurement are repeatable, they are not necessarily reliable (Al-Ababneh, 2020). The validity research demonstrates the extent to which the results measure what they are designed to assess. It is assessed by comparing the data to other measures of the same issue and established theories. In general, a reliable measurement is one that gives accurate data that can be replicated. In qualitative research, dependability refers to the uniformity of responses to diverse coders of data sets (Rose & Johnson, 2020). It may be enhanced by taking detailed field notes, capturing them, and then converting the analog data into digital format. In qualitative research, trustworthiness is influenced by credibility, authenticity, transferability, dependability, and confirmability. To operationalize these notions, long-term participation in the field and the triangulation of data sources, methodology, and researchers are essential to create credibility. Validating the transferability of the results from the researcher to the study participants requires a comprehensive description. Instead of pursuing reliability in qualitative research, the research will seek dependability that the results will be stable and impervious to change.

3.6 Ethical Consideration

While conducting research, it is important to keep in mind a set of ethical concerns, which consist of a set of principles that govern the study’s designs and procedures. While conducting interviews with participants for this study, the researcher must adhere to a predetermined set of regulations. Human subjects research often seeks to grasp real-world occurrences, study and develop more effective treatments, get insight into people’s behaviors, and enhance their quality of life as a whole (Arifin, 2018). Both the concept and methodology of this study raise substantial ethical concerns. These factors contribute to the maintenance of scientific integrity, the protection of the rights of study participants, and the enhancement of the research’s dependability. It is expected that people’s participation in research is entirely voluntary and that they are not compelled or coerced to provide their consent. Everyone who is participating in the study has the right to withdraw at any time. Participants are not required to indicate a reason for quitting the research. Informed consent is also observed referring to a scenario in which all possible participants are supplied with and fully comprehend the information necessary for them to decide whether or not to engage in an activity. To preserve anonymity, the researcher will be aware of the identities of the study participants, but will exclude any information that may be used to identify them from the report.

References

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Al-Ababneh, M. M. (2020). Linking ontology, epistemology and research methodology. Science & Philosophy, 8(1), 75-91.

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Brydges, T., Retamal, M., & Hanlon, M. (2020). Will COVID-19 support the transition to a more sustainable fashion industry?. Sustainability: Science, Practice and Policy, 16(1), 298-308.

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Appendix 1: Qualitative Survey

Terms from Roger’s Adventure with Attention

Chapter 4 – Attention

Student’s Name

Institutional Affiliation

Course Tittle

Professor’s Name

Date

Terms from Roger’s Adventure with Attention

Attention- It signifies the concentration of awareness on some occurrence to the elimination of other stimuli.

Selective attention- Selective attention denotes the capability to give more attention to a limited collection of all available sensual information. It involves focusing on a certain object in the surroundings for a certain period of time.

Distraction- signifies something that takes away attention from what an individual is supposed to be doing. 

Divided attention- it’s the brain’s ability to attend to two different stimuli at the same time and offer feedback to the many demands of the environment. 

Attentional capture- it’s the occurrence whereby attention is involuntarily directed towards a target stimuli depending on the characteristics of the stimuli.   

Visual scanning- signifies the ability to effectively, actively, and quickly search for information relevant to the surrounding. 

Attention as Information Processing

Broadbent’s Filter Model of Attention- Broadbent suggested that physical physiognomies of messages are used to pick one message for more processing and that all others are lost. It was the partakers’ responsibility to pay attention on the message in one ear, known as the attended ear, and to repeat what they were hearing out loud.

Dichotic listening- Signifies the auditory procedure that implicates listening with all ears; the process of giving a message to one ear and a different message to the other ear

Shadowing- its whereby a person repeats aloud message word for word at the same time that message is being presented normally while other stimuli are presented in the background.

Dichotic listening experiments showed that there is probably a lesser population sex dissimilarity in auditory and perceptual asymmetries and linguistic laterality.

Broadbent (1958) asserted that physical features of messages are used to pick a distinct message for more handling whereby all the other messages get lost. The next step is that info from all the stimuli provided at some particular instance gets in a limitless capacity sensual buffer. According to him, stimuli are filtered, or chosen to be sorted at an initial phase all through processing. A filter might be considered as the selector of appropriate info depending on rudimentary characteristics, for instance direction of stimuli, pitch, or color.

Modifying Broadbent’s Model: More Early Selection Models

Mornay and other researchers did a dichotic listening experiment whereby the participants were told to shadow the message offered to a single ear and to disregard the one given to another ear. When he presented the hearer’s designation to the unattended ear, nearly a third of the contestants sensed it. They detected their names although according to Broadbent’s model, the filter is supposed to let just one message to pass, depending on its physical features. Evidently, the individual’s name was not filtered out, and most significant it had been evaluated well to conclude its implication.

Treisman suggested a change of Broadbent’s model and recommended that selection happens in two phases, and she substituted Broadbent’s filter with an attenuator. The attenuator evaluates the entering message in form of (1) its linguistic – the way message collects into words or syllables; (2) its physical features – whether it is fast or slow, high-pitched or low-pitches; and (3) its meaning – how sequences of words generate important phrases. The attenuator signifies a procedure and is not recognized with an exact brain structure. Treisman’s perception that the info in the channel selected is the same as what Broadbent suggested, but in her attenuation model of attention, linguistic and implication can also be used to distinguish the messaged.

Results and Discussion

Chapter 4: Results and Discussion

4.1 Introduction

The importance of women in the family cannot be overemphasized. They are a key to better quality of life for the entire family. The variant roles that women play in the family include those of leadership, administration, management, income generation, and one of steering the entire family towards societal and personal gains (Yunjuan & Xiaoming, 2007). In all of these roles, communication remains to be a critical aspect that must be understood both from a research point of view and from other angles that intend to explain how people interact at the family level. As such, the focus of this section will be exploring the results on the relationship between social media and family interactions in China. As a major consumer of social media in the world in recent years (Sullivan, 2012), the impact of social media on the Chinese people will steadily increase as the adoption rate grows. It is also expected that the increasing use of social media in China will significantly impact the social and economic life of social media users. Despite a wealth of information from extant literature on impact of social media on families, only a handful of studies have managed to carefully dissect the relationship between social media usage in families with teenagers and ways to bridge the social divide in China. The methodology section introduced the purpose of this study as a study of whether there is a correlation between the use of social media and the interpersonal relationship of family members in China. It also established a need to investigate how social media use by women of different ages affects family relationship. Following the qualitative methodology introduced, this section presents the results and a discussion of the same applying a deductive strategy to a thematic analysis approach to analyze and discuss the data from the interviews.

4.2 Results

The overarching theme in answering the interviews was that the current levels of digital technology development and its absorption in the Chinese society is very high and has turned out to be both a positive as well as a negative factor in relation to family relationships. Table 1 below displays the main themes and sub themes, their definition, and what they represent in the study.

Main Topics and Mentions Definition in the Research Context Emergent Themes Sub themes

Social media Applications and websites that allow users to identify, create, or share various types of content and to participate in social networking activities. Family relationship building

Information sharing Idea sharing

Information hub

Community building

Relationship building

Relationships The way people connect and associate Family relationships

Disconnect in communication Good relations

Poor relationship

Disconnect

Availability

Technology The effect of scientific knowledge evidenced through machines and equipment, as well as applications, that makes work easier. Ease of use

Faster and easier communication Social media applications

WeChat

Online

Familial relationships A connection between people in the same family Disconnect

Authentic communication Children

Teenagers

Mothers

Fathers

Motherhood

Parenthood

Communication Exchange of information through writing, speaking, and the use of medium such as social media Traditional communication Empathy

Interpersonal communication

Mass communication

Inclusion

Benefits of social media The advantages or positive effects of using applications on social media Comparison to traditional communication between families

Relationship building

Emotional connections

Family practices and culture Relationship building

Connecting anytime

Keeping family ties close

Sense of belonging

Information sharing

Drawbacks of using social media Problems or disadvantages associated with the use of social media Comparison to traditional communication between families

Relationship building

Emotional connections

Protection issues

Family practices Poor emotional connection

Easy to be hurtful/offensive

Reduces connections

Conveys inauthentic feelings

Creates disconnect

Cyber bullying

Criminality on social media

Table 1: Data Analysis Themes and Sub Themes

The thematic analysis from table 1 above suggested three overarching themes with a number of sub themes for each:

Theme 1: An important factor of relationship building when using social media

Theme 2: A sense of loss of traditional familial connections

Theme 3: Perceived inability by older women to authentically connect to the younger generations

4.2.1 Theme 1: Social Media Use and Relationship Building

In the present study, the results addressed the question of social media use by women and how this affects relationships with their families, how women of different ages use it to communicate with families, and how women with children apply it as a communication tool. Different reasons and explanations were presented by the participants. The sample size made of 12 women of different ages revealed some gaps in the way they perceive, use, interpret, and present the use of social media.

The theme of relationship building on social media as a tool for families to relate was a consistent and predominant theme. The main reasons provided were the penetration and ease of use of technologies relating to the internet. The role of social media as a relationship building tool was attributed to the ease of idea sharing, the availability of information online, and community creation. These factors also formed the main subthemes.

4.2.1.1 Idea Sharing and Community Creation

Platforms such as WeChat and QQ are used by a majority of respondents to share ideas, communicate, and to maintain a sense of belonging. The easy access to people and content has led to parents and children speaking more often compared to past days when children got older and only spoke with their parents when they visit physically. As described by one daughter:

“Compared with my family, I communicate more with my friends. There is basically no difference in the way I communicate with them. At home, I mostly communicate face-to-face with my family members. Unless I’m not in a space, I will use WeChat or make a phone call. After I have WeChat, I don’t think the time of our face-to-face communication has changed.”

Social media allows various participants to be present in the livesof others, at a time where they would other wise be absent. For example, a respondent noted that the presence of a family group on WeChat helps her family to retain a community feeling and to share different ideas relating to family life:

“There are three groups about the family, my father, mother, and me, and some uncles and aunts. There is also a WeChat group with only me, my dad and my mom, this group does not have my brother, but only me and my parents. These groups are about the same level of activity, and sometimes what parents post is not interesting. I don’t know how to get involved. Or sometimes post some videos or moments, of course I don’t want to watch it.”

4.2.1.2 The Availability of Information Online

The availability of information on social media and related platforms is also a major reason why people build relationships. It also explains the how part of creating and retaining relationships for young people and their parents and vice versa. WeChat is mentioned by one of the respondents as being a very important tool for relationship building and retention because of the availability of avenues and information online. The respondent asserts that:

“WeChat is very important to my life. It’s basically how I keep in touch with my family and friends back home. I use WeChat to contact almost everyone around me every day, including my Chinese friends in the UK. I may open WeChat dozens of times a day, and it is normal to get hundreds of messages. I must use WeChat every day, it has become my daily habit. I mainly use WeChat communicate with others, I used to read the official account articles, but now it may be less.”

WeChat has ease of information reaching and sharing. It is very easy to maintain relationships and to build new ones that would otherwise be non-existent without social media. In response to a question regarding whether she uses WeChat to communicate with family members, older people, and the frequency of this communication, one respondent answered:

“I use WeChat to communicate with my family…My parents and I basically talk in WeChat group every day, and then sometimes I will have WeChat video and voice message. Other family members, such as uncles and aunts, who are not very close relatives, will have WeChat group, and then I may communicate with them regularly in the group. If there is nothing wrong, I will rarely talk with my family members who are not close to me…I can only get in touch with the older members of my family through other people, but without the platform, I probably wouldn’t have had the opportunity to video chat with my grandma.”

Therefore, the availability of information, including WeChat groups and other special features on social media have helped to retain relationships in families, even where communication with older relatives is fairly difficult. Technology has enabled more relationships to exist as even the older people are able to communicate with the younger relatives using other people.

4.2.2 Theme 2: A Sense of Loss of Traditional Familial Connections

The use of social media, specifically the proliferation of WeChat use in Chinese families has led to a sense of loss of the traditional familial connections. The theme of a sense of loss os traditional familial ties and connections is a consistent and predominant theme mentioned throughout the interviews. The main reasons for the scenario is also attributed to the rise of internet use and the increase in the number of people who prefer to use online means to communicate. Social media, in this case WeChat, highlighted the loss of traditional expectations regarding how people are expected to relate and to communicate, especially with the elderly. Subordinate themes emerging from the sense of loss of traditional familial ties and connections include poor relationships between family members, a disconnect from the traditional family, and a sense of emotional detachment and physical unavailability.

4.2.2.1 Poor Relationships Between Family Members

A major sub theme that was mentioned by a number of respondents was a notable lack of enthusiasm when communicating with family members, especially those from the extended family tree. Participants noted that they sometimes ignored messages or outright blocked relatives to avoid having to display their lifestyles when at work or in college.

“Sometimes I don’t need to reply to message from my family, but my friends will basically reply. Because most family members don’t ask you any questions, they all state what they want to express, such as when the rice is cooked and come back for dinner, or what is going on at home today, it is similar to the message board, not like you ask questions. The friends themselves are a bit like asking, for example, are you free or not? I just think that this kind of notification-like message sent by my family, I don’t need to answer.”

As a result, it is clear that WeChat, while facilitating communication on the go, has created a sense of estranged relations that can be interpreted as poor relationships between family members. In another perspective, some respondents prefer to block family members to maintain the “face” they have created online without necessarily offending family members. One respondent noted that:

“I will post. If I am studying, I will post a moment to them. If I hang out with my friends, my family will be blocked. Because I just want them to know that I am studying hard, not playing. I will not block friends, only my family.”

In relation to a question on whether after use of WeChat, the face-to-face communication between family members has become less or more, respondents noted that to certain degree it has reduced. There is no need for people to meet physically to have conversations and therefore face-to-face communication has been drastically reduced. A respondent asserted that:

“With WeChat, we have less time for face-to-face communication. For example, we may use WeChat to communicate between upstairs and downstairs, so there is no need to run downstairs and talk in person.”

Further, respondents noted having different attitudes relating to friend groups and family groups

“We usually share food in the group, or share some new gossip at this group. But in the big family group, I just watched it silently, occasionally making a sound, and I didn’t get involved much. In our big family group, the older generation will be more active, they will post some videos, and some official account articles. The younger ones don’t participate much. I don’t send messages in this group at all, but I sometimes send messages in small family groups. But if I chat with a single window of my family, I might be more active.”

Here, WeChat and social media in general becomes an enemy of relationships because it causes strains and a fake lifestyle for a majority of participants.

4.2.2.2 Disconnect from the Traditional Family

Another major sub theme that is consistent amongst all participants is the acknowledgement of how much WeChat has led to a disconnect from the traditional family expectations and structure. WeChat allows people to block others, ignore messages, and remain hidden in group chats. This is contrary to how a traditional family would behave in a physical setting. When asked if respondents turn on voice reminders when they receive WeChat messages from family and friends, and the difference between online and offline communication, a respondent issued that:

“Online communication can’t control the other’s emotions and tone of speech in a timely manner, and you can’t feel the true mood of the other person. Through text, you may misunderstand the other person’s current mood or tone. Face-to-face communication can more intuitively feel the mood and tone of the other party’s words. When I communicate with my family, I think offline is more effective. Because I am more indifferent to my family online, and sometimes I find my family members very annoying, so I sometimes don’t even reply to their message. But online and offline I treat my friends the same.”

Additionally, other respondents noted how WeChat has led to a loss of communication because having no access to social media leaves communication to when people meet face to face.

“Other relatives, uncles and aunts, don’t know how to chat…usually greet each other during New Years and holidays, but not at other times. And during the New Year, everyone is together again, and you can communicate offline, and meet every year during the New Year, but usually don’t see each other. On WeChat, follow a friend who is still closer. The family is like this.”

4.2.2.3 Emotional Detachment and Physical Unavailability

Due to the poor relations between family members and the disconnect experienced because of the proliferation of the internet and the increased use of WeChat as a basic communication tool, respondents also note that there is evidence of emotional detachment and physical unavailability from their own experiences. Family ties have changed significantly, including a notable deviation from how people communicated in the past. For example, a respondent expressed that when communicating with family members there is a reduction on traditional communication even where parents are involved:

“It depends on the situation. It is average. Sometimes I don’t go to my parents specially. My dad contacts me more often. My mom has a personality that doesn’t like contacts very much. My dad would send me a WeChat video when he was free, and I would also send a WeChat video to my dad when I remembered it.”

4.2.3 Theme 3: Perceived Inability by Older Women to Authentically Connect to the Younger Generations

Another overarching theme that emerged from the interviews is the perception by older women of an inability to authentically connect to the younger generations. For the older generation of women, social media has limited advantages and myriad of drawbacks, including its ability to kill connections between different generations. To this end, respondents record feelings of disconnect and inability to authentically connect with the younger generations because of social media usage. The following subthemes also emerged: a reduction in social connections and conveyance of inauthentic feelings.

4.2.3.1 Reduces Physical and Social Connections

Older generation of women, including those aged above 45 and those with families and daughters have been forced to change from the traditional communication models to include WeChat as a part of daily communication tools. However, many respondents expressed dissatisfaction on the use of social media for communication because it has killed the element of physical and social connection, especially with the younger generations who only chat or communicate on WeChat whenever they need something and not for any other reasons. A respondent expressed the following on the question of whether she likes using WeChat:

“I have to use it, because now most of the communication is done on WeChat, including most of the work. But I don’t think that WeChat is my important social media platform, I only use it when I need it. Because we have reached a certain age, unlike young people, we hold our mobile phones to chat with others every day. In fact, I prefer a group of people to sit together and chat face-to-face.”

Respondents asked whether they use WeChat for communication and how they use it said that

“…whoever has problems will contact the other party, without saying who is more.”

This reveals the lack of a physical and social bond that leads to authentic conversations between mothers and daughters or other close family relations.

4.2.3.2 Conveys Inauthentic Feelings

For some users, WeChat is a very reliable platform that facilitates communication, especially where family and friends are not in the same location for face-to-face interactions:

“Face-to-face communication can be more direct and intuitive, but online communication is more convenient. You can contact people at any time, especially family and friends who are far away.”

However, others feel that social media, and especially WeChat increased use has led to conveyance of fake or inauthentic feelings. Because of the convenience of using WeChat, people have resulted to messaging online, even where emotions and feelings cannot be seen or felt. Traditional calling or meeting physically has been abandoned, leading to an increase of inauthentic feelings. Fake laughter emoticons and other modern ways of communications are used to react to messages. A respondent noted that:

“…when I want to contact my family, I will choose WeChat first, because WeChat is very convenient. You can send a WeChat message. If the other party is not free to reply now, he can reply when he is free, but if you call, if the other party is busy, He has no way to answer the phone, so sometimes it is very inconvenient to make a call. It is more convenient to leave a WeChat and be careful. But if I am particularly anxious to find someone, of course I still choose to call.”

4.3 Discussion Section

In this section, a discussion will follow regarding whether the results met the expectations of the study. The findings will be contextualized within previous theory and research. Unexpected results will be thoroughly explained and their significance evaluated. Lastly, possible alternatives explanations will be considered and an argument made for the position of the study.

4.3.1 How does Chinese women’s use of social media affect relationships with their families?

The use of social media by Chinese women affects their relationships with their families different. In line with the family practices theory, the use of social media deviates families from the normal communication path. Family practices focus on a sense of the regular, fluidity, and emphasis on doing (Morgan, 2020). Social media interrupts these expectations by creating its own practices. No matter the condition, the results suggest that social media use has both positively and negatively affected relationship of Chinese women with their families. This is in line with Wang and Sandner (2019) study who found a link between increased social media use and poor family relations. Additionally, some researchers including Caplan (2006) found social media to positively affect relationships by allowing more communication in a family that would otherwise not be in talking terms. From the results of the study, WeChat facilitates better and on the go communication. However, it has also led to inauthentic communication, disconnect, and a deviation from the traditional patterns of face-to-face communication. Other studies recorded the same results, finding a link between increased social media with more effective communication and a hint of disadvantages such as physical unavailability, disconnect, and inauthentic connections (Grace et al., 2014). The results and findings remain congruent with extant literature observing both positive and negative effects with the use of social media and family relationships for Chinese women.

4.3.2 Why and how do women of different ages use social media to communicate with their families?

The findings indicate that women of different ages use social media to communicate with their families because it is both convenient, easy, and what the modern society demands. Specifically, WeChat emerges as a favorite among all participant categories for communication with families. A study by Shi, Wang, & Zou (2017) found that the increased use of the internet and the available technologies in the Chinese societies have led to more use of social media even where family communication is involved. From the socio-technological family conceptual model, new technology influences the lives of individuals, families, and communities in ways that cannot be regarded as traditional (Lanigan, 2009). Technological characteristics, individual qualities, and family features have all been merged into one as individuals choose to use social media as the main communication tool with families. In the networked individualism model, the use of social media by women of different ages to communicate with family members is explained as a social model promoted by the Internet and mobile technology. According to Christensen and Foss (2021), the use of social media creates a sense of co-presence, meaning that one is present despite being physically absent. The findings of this study are aligned to previous research as it shows that women of different ages use social media for convenience purposes as well as the issue of trying to remain present in the lives of their families.

4.3.3 How and why do younger women and older women with children use social media to communicate with their families?

Younger women have typically different interests on social media compared to older women. Andreassen, Pallesen, & Griffiths (2017) found that younger women use social media for more than communication purposes, including keeping up with trends, for business transactions, and other roles, while older women almost entirely use social media for communication. In a different perspective, younger women with children use social media to keep up with their families, by using groups, videos, video conferencing, voice notes, and texting. They prefer to use social media because they are already accustomed to using it from other areas of their lives. For older women with children, social media is a tool to maintain connection with their children. They only use it for purposes of communication. For most older women with children, social media is only purposefully used for family-related communication. Other aspects of communication are handled using traditional means of communication. From this analysis, there are differences created by age and stage of life. The findings of the current study align to these past findings, noting that social media is used by women of different ages as a medium of covering the communication gaps between generations. Ultimately, the use of social media and related technologies has brought a balance to communication as younger women are more confident online while creating a sense of presence for the older generation who value face-to-face communication and a connection.

Women of different ages are likely to use social media for different reasons. For younger women with children, social media is a convenient way of communicating with their family. For older women with children, social media only works as a complementary tool to traditional communication. In relation to how and why women (both old and young) with children use social media to communicate with families, the reasoning is similar to the above section. Women choose to use social media because of the need to remain present. According to the theory of TechnoFeminism, technology, in this case social media, is a source and consequence of relations between genders (Clinnin & Manthey, 2019). In this light, the study found that women tend to initiate communication more on social media compared to children and other family members. For younger women, the need to be present in the lives of their children is more pronounced than it is for older women with children. In the same way, older women with children want to be a part of their children’s lives and therefore use social media to cover the gap that is seen for those that do not use social media. They also use social media as a way of augmenting traditional communication. Younger women with children do not prefer face-to-face communications, a trend that TechnoFeminism acknowledges exists between generations. In the same way, older women with children want to feel a connection when communicating online as a continuity to the traditional format of communication (Neves, Waycott, & Malta, 2018). Ultimately, the reasons and methods of using social media to communicate with families for younger women with children and older women with children converge and can be narrowed down to the need to remain present, to keep up with trends, and to utilize the opportunity to use a simplified option of communication.

4.4 Chapter Summary

The relationship between social media usage in families with teenagers, the role of women in communication, and how these variables come together have not been well studied by research. This chapter presents the results and a discussion of the same applying a deductive strategy to a thematic analysis approach to analyze and discuss the data from the interviews. The main themes include an important factor of relationship building when using social media, a sense of loss of traditional familial connections, and perceived inability by older women to authentically connect to the younger generations. In analysing these themes, the chapter has established a link between social media and how women use it to communicate with their families.

References

Andreassen, C. S., Pallesen, S., & Griffiths, M. D. (2017). The relationship between addictive use of social media, narcissism, and self-esteem: Findings from a large national survey. Addictive behaviors, 64, 287-293.

Caplan, S. E. (2006). Relations among loneliness, social anxiety, and problematic Internet use. CyberPsychology & behavior, 10(2), 234-242.

Christensen, P. H., & Foss, N. J. (2021). Present-but-online: How mobile devices may harm purposeful co-presence in organizations (and what can be done about it). European Management Journal, 39(1), 84-94.

Clinnin, K., & Manthey, K. (2019). How not to be a troll: Practicing rhetorical technofeminism in online comments. Computers and Composition, 51, 31-42.

Grace, E., Raghavendra, P., Newman, L., Wood, D., & Connell, T. (2014). Learning to use the Internet and online social media: What is the effectiveness of home-based intervention for youth with complex communication needs?. Child Language Teaching and Therapy, 30(2), 141-157.

Lanigan, J. (2009). A Sociotechnological Model for Family Research and Intervention: How Information and Communication Technologies Affect Family Life. Marriage & Family Review, [online] 45(6-8), pp.587–609.

Morgan, D. H. (2020). Family practices in time and space. Gender, Place & Culture, 27(5), 733-743.

Neves, B. B., Waycott, J., & Malta, S. (2018). Old and afraid of new communication technologies? Reconceptualising and contesting the ‘age-based digital divide’. Journal of Sociology, 54(2), 236-248.

Sullivan, J. (2012). A tale of two microblogs in China. Media, culture & society, 34(6), 773-783.

Wang, Y., & Sandner, J. (2019). Like a “Frog in a well”? An ethnographic study of Chinese rural women’s social media practices through the WeChat platform. Chinese Journal of Communication, 12(3), 324-339.

Yunjuan, L., & Xiaoming, H. (2007). Media portrayal of women and social change: A case study of women of China. Feminist Media Studies, 7(3), 281-298.

Top Brine Temperature (TBT)

Chemistry

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Top Brine Temperature (TBT)

The top brine temperature is a crucial component in the plant manufacturing process, and it is the ratio of the flowrate of the distillate produced per steam flowrate supplied to the brine heater. The top brine temperature is kept at an optimum temperature due to scaling problems such as sulfate scaling, which is difficult to clean. Above this temperature, the scaling is accelerated. There is a possibility of pressure difference occurring to the vent condenser, which can cause incomplete extraction of non-condensable gases resulting to corrosion by lowering the top brine temperature below a certain point.

Recirculating Brine Flowrate (RBF)

The recirculatory brine flowrate (RBF) affects the performance ratio if it is increased in the production. The RBF determines the velocity of the brine flow in the condenser tubes, and it affects the unit production and thermal efficiency in the plant. Reduction of the flowrate causes an increase in fouling. Regulation of brine flow rate may cause sealing in the plant, which may result in instability in the plant’s operation. High brine flowrate will cause the product to be contaminated because of flooding and the salinity may take a long time to drop.

Steam Flowrate (STF) and Temperature (STT) to the Brine Heater.

The brine heater requires low pressure while the ejector requires high-pressure steam. Low-pressure steam affects TBT and distillate production. The seawater flow is reduced as the temperature decreases. This is done to maintain the required seawater outlet temperature. A point reaches when the minimum velocity through the tubes cannot be maintained, and scaling might occur.

Seawater Flowrates (SWR and SWRJ)

The SWRJ is pumped by the operator from the heat rejection section SWR into the seawater line, which ensures the correct temperature and velocity at heat rejection section. For efficient MSF desalination, the flash range has to be efficient.

Cooling-Seawater Inlet and Outlet Temperatures (SWIT and SWOT)

It is the difference between TBT and cooling water inlet temperature to the heat rejection section (SWIT and SWOT). The range is smallest when the seawater temperature is high, and the recirculating brine relies on these conditions. The concentration of the brine stream decreases as the make-up flow increases (MF). The result is a decrease in salt concentration. Performance ratio is usually increased.

Make-up Flowrate (MF)

MSF plant operates at high make-up flowrate. The main reasons for interstage brine transfer are to produce a smooth brine flow, and promote mixing of brine by turbulence. It also avoids brine splashing into the demister, which minimizes liquid entrainment into the vapour.

Interstage Brine-Transfer Arrangements (Orifice Height)

Interstage brine transfer is designed to set orifice that will provide optimum brine levels and set orifices to provide stable operation.

Last-Stage Brine Level (LSBL)

Last stage brine level (LSBL) is used to maintain stability of the plant’s process. Brine levels must always be sufficient to make sure the interstage orifice is sealed thus prevents blow-through of vapour.

Reference

Al-Shayji Khawla AbdulMohsen, (1998). MODELING, SIMULATION, AND OPTIMIZATION OF LARGE-SCALE COMMERCIAL DESALINATION PLANTS. Virginia: Blacksburg.

Western Journal of Emergency Medicine,

Citation of Books, Articles, Journals, and Blog Written In Different Styles

A book written by one author in MLA and APA styles

Jetten Jolanda. Together apart: The psychology of Covid-19. Sage, 2020.Jetten, J. (2020). Together apart: The psychology of Covid-19. Sage.A book written by two authors in MLA and APA styles

Perveen Aisha, and Sadia Malik. “Influence of Family Violence on the Marital Quality in Pakistani Muslims: Role of Personal Factors.” Religions 11.9 (2020): 470.

Perveen, A., & Malik, S. (2020). Influence of Family Violence on the Marital Quality in Pakistani Muslims: Role of Personal Factors. Religions, 11(9), 470.An article in a Newspaper in MLA and APA styles

Silva Derek MD. “The othering of Muslims: Discourses of radicalization in the New York times, 1969–2014.” Sociological Forum. Vol. 32. No. 1. 2017.

Silva, D. M. (2017, March). The othering of Muslims: Discourses of radicalization in the New York times, 1969–2014. In Sociological Forum (Vol. 32, No. 1, pp. 138-161).An article in a Magazine in MLA and APA styles

Held, Theodore. “Culpable Negligence at Science Magazine.” Academic Questions 32.3 (2019): 392-401.

Held, T. (2019). Culpable Negligence at Science Magazine. Academic Questions, 32(3), 392-401.

A Blog in MLA and APA styles

Zaver, Fareen, et al. “Blog and podcast watch: pediatric emergency medicine.” Western Journal of Emergency Medicine 17.5 (2016): 513.

Zaver, F., Hansen, M., Leibner, E., Little, A., & Lin, M. (2016). Blog and podcast watch: pediatric emergency medicine. Western Journal of Emergency Medicine, 17(5), 513.

Target AudienceDemographic Research

Client Overview

The client, The Big Train, is a new sushi restaurant in Adelaide. The client is looking to create a website that will not only attract leads and prospects but also help in the management of new customers. The website will also serve as a distribution and promotion center to sell and market products and services. It will communicate the business provisions of The Big Train to leads and prospects. The website will let people find the client by creating an online presence. The client intends to use the website to engage the customer base, cultivate relationships, generate revenue, and possibly direct all prospects to the business.

The client majors as a sushi and wine restaurant, targeting people of all ages. The food and wine pairings will be the basis of the website, showcasing what the restaurant intends to offer to the people and market in Adelaide. The website will be a fundamental branding avenue. It will feature an attractive front page, menu page, a news page for news and events to be announced, a contact page and a photo gallery. Testimonials will also be provided with a tab specifically designed to show customer ratings, suggestions, and reviews.

Target Audience/Demographic Research

There are 40,879 people in Adelaide as per the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Census report of 2021. Of these, ABS (2021) reports that 49.6% are male and 50.4% are female. Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people make up 0.7% of the population. The median age is calculated to be 44 years. Regarding families in Adelaide, the average number of children per family for families with children is 1.9. On average, ABS (2021) found that the number of people per household is 2.7, with a median weekly income of $2,067 per household. Additionally, the ABS (2021) provides that more than 21.4% of the population in Adelaide have some form of tertiary level education and training. More than 79.1% of the people in Adelaide are Australian by birth (ABS, 2021).

One of the demographic factors that might have an effect on a business is income. In Adelaide, the median weekly personal income for people aged 15 years and above is $892, while weekly income for family and household are $2.416 and 22,067 respectively (ABS,2021). Products offered by The Big Train will often appeal to consumers in certain income brackets. For instance, working class individuals aged between 25 and 44 years earn more money and are more likely to be interested in luxury wines and fancy diners. On the other hand, those with lower wages are more price sensitive and, as a result, are more likely to prefer lower end restaurants. Less money is available for discretionary spending for those with lower wages. When deciding what to buy, they place a high priority on finding a good deal. As a result, The Big Train targets to reach individuals aged between 25-44. The idea behind this target market is tied to the company’s product offering that will require individuals with significant levels of disposable income. Traditional marketing tactics for increasing consumer spending concentrate on enticing consumers to purchase more of a product, generally by discovering new ways to utilize it.

Competitor Research

1. Sushi PlanetSushi Planet is a restaurant that provides premium Japanese-quality wining and dining. It is a worthy competitor to the Big Train. The website design of Sushi Planet features an elaborate home page that provides the fundamental offerings of the establishment. It has high quality images of the main dishes that give prospect customers an idea of what to expect, as shown in the images below. The design of the website is simple, yet communicates the who, where, why, and other important information about the Sushi Restaurant. The Sushi Restaurant has a mission statement in bold that serves as the key marketing idea with an aim to ensure that potential customers are fully aware of what the establishment is all about.

2. Gyoza GyozaAnother major competitor for The Big Train is Gyoza Gyoza, a restaurant that majors on Japanese culture and cuisine. Gyoza Gyoza is an established brand operating in several locations all over the world. Its presence in Adelaide SA is a confirmation of just how popular sushi and Japanese cuisines are demanded within Australia. Gyoza Gyoza has a very simple yet elegant website design. The front/home page features a simplistic food and drink menu complete with images of products and prices. Each clickable item then takes a prospective client to a dedicated page describing how the dish/wine is made and how it would appeal to the tastes of the customer. The drinks include traditional Japanese wines and non-alcoholic beverages. The website also focuses on the special Sake tasting event as a way to promote the business. Other notable features of the website include Gyoza Gyoza’s location, upcoming events and promotions, function venues, and sitemap.

References

Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Adelaide Hills: 2021 Census All persons QuickStats. Available at https://www.abs.gov.au/census/find-census-data/quickstats/2021/LGA40120

Gyoza Gyoza. (2022). About US | Our Menu. Available at https://gyozagyoza.com.au/gyoza-menu/

The Sushi Restaurant. (2022). About Us. Available at https://www.sushiplanet.com.au/

Subsistence Strategies in Malaysia

CHAPTER 18: STIMULANT DRUGS

STUDENT NAME

INSTITUTIONAL AFFILIATION

Stimulants are often classified as substances usually drugs that affect the normal functioning of the body. Stimulant drugs catalyze the neuron messaging that speed up the reaction between the body and the brain. These drugs enhance the alertness and energy level of an individual (Gawin & Ellinwood Jr,1988). While these drugs were developed for medical purposes they are usually abused in various instances. At times these stimulant drugs are referred to as uppers as they increase levels of alertness and energy. The essay seeks to look into the prescription of stimulants such as Cocaine, amphetamines, caffeine and nicotine. How they affect the body and how the addictions can be treated.

Stimulant drugs are usually prescribed in the form of capsules and tablets that when abused are swallowed or even in liquid form are usually injected as others are crushed and snorted. Cocaine, amphetamines, caffeine and nicotine are among the most commonly abused drugs in the streets. These drugs make boosts the confidence of individuals making them more energetic and alert as they feel more awake (Gawin & Ellinwood Jr,1988). These drugs are legally prescribed such as amphetamines while some are illegal such as cocaine and nicotine. Whilst the illegal drugs are being injected, crashed to be snorted, swallowed and smoked, as the legally prescribed stimulant drugs are orally absorbed although their effects depend on the type of drugs used (Gawin & Ellinwood Jr,1988).

Amphetamines are mostly legal stimulant drugs prescribed by doctors in order to treat conditions such as the attention deficit hyperactivity disorder ADHD and the sleep disorder narcolepsy. The Parkinson disease has also used amphetamines stimulant as a form of treatment (Baroni & Castellanos,2015). Other forms of amphetamine are often sold and produced illegally such as crystal methamphetamine commonly referred to as ice. Caffeine also a form of a stimulant drug that was obtained from coffee arabica, cola, cocoa and tea. The amount of caffeine used is regulated by food regulation standing committee. Consumptions of a large amount of caffeine are taken it could amount to an overdose that one may be characterized by experiencing as tremor, nausea, high heart rate, confusion or even seizures (Baroni & Castellanos,2015).

Cocaine is a type of stimulant drug that is usually extracted from coca bush and processed through three different forms. That is the cocaine hydrochloride, free base and crack it is used as crack. This stimulant is usually snorted although it can be injected, rubbed and even added to drinks or food. Nicotine is commonly used in other substances such as cigarettes, tobaccos, cigars and even dry snuff that are obtained from leaves of the tobacco plant that usually contain nicotine. This stimulant is usually smoked (Munro, Marraccini & Oster,2017).

The common use of drugs is often advised to be carefully administered as no levels of drug use or abuse are safe as there is always a risk in the use of drugs. The effects of these stimulants affect individuals irregardless of their size, weight and health. The addition of an individual, how much is consumed and the strength of the stimulant. The affected individuals have affected show signs of mild stimulation, coughing on use of stimulated that can be smoked, confusion, seizures among other feelings of pleasures confidence and happiness (Munro, Marraccini & Oster,2017). The giving up on substances such nicotine causes the development of withdrawal symptoms such as cravings, irritability or even depression.

When taken in combination of alcohol stimulant used can be dangerous. They can not be allowed to be used by persons with depression, mental problem or even preexisting heart conditions. Continuous use of stimulants creates a dependence on them and tolerance with its effects. This dependence could be psychological or even physical. The individuals crave for the drugs as they become more addicted to them valuing them than the other life activities (Munro, Marraccini & Oster,2017). This urge with time often becomes more difficult to control and use them. Abstinence and initiation are recommended form of treating the overdependence on stimulants with modafinil medication being a promising treatment for abstinence of the treatment such as narcolepsy with propranolol shows promise for severe cocaine symptoms with considerations of possible relapse (Munro, Marraccini & Oster,2017).

References

Baroni, A., & Castellanos, F. X. (2015). Stimulants, cognition and ADHD. Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences, 4, 109-114.

Gawin, F. H., & Ellinwood Jr, E. H. (1988). Cocaine and other stimulants. New England Journal of Medicine, 318(18), 1173-1182.

Munro, B. A., Weyandt, L. L., Marraccini, M. E., & Oster, D. R. (2017). The relationship between nonmedical use of prescription stimulants, executive functioning and academic outcomes. Addictive behaviors, 65, 250-257.

Terms from Roger’s Adventure with Attention

Chapter 4 – Attention

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Date

Terms from Roger’s Adventure with Attention

Attention- It signifies the concentration of awareness on some occurrence to the elimination of other stimuli.

Selective attention- Selective attention denotes the capability to give more attention to a limited collection of all available sensual information. It involves focusing on a certain object in the surroundings for a certain period of time.

Distraction- signifies something that takes away attention from what an individual is supposed to be doing. 

Divided attention- it’s the brain’s ability to attend to two different stimuli at the same time and offer feedback to the many demands of the environment. 

Attentional capture- it’s the occurrence whereby attention is involuntarily directed towards a target stimuli depending on the characteristics of the stimuli.   

Visual scanning- signifies the ability to effectively, actively, and quickly search for information relevant to the surrounding. 

Attention as Information Processing

Broadbent’s Filter Model of Attention- Broadbent suggested that physical physiognomies of messages are used to pick one message for more processing and that all others are lost. It was the partakers’ responsibility to pay attention on the message in one ear, known as the attended ear, and to repeat what they were hearing out loud.

Dichotic listening- Signifies the auditory procedure that implicates listening with all ears; the process of giving a message to one ear and a different message to the other ear

Shadowing- its whereby a person repeats aloud message word for word at the same time that message is being presented normally while other stimuli are presented in the background.

Dichotic listening experiments showed that there is probably a lesser population sex dissimilarity in auditory and perceptual asymmetries and linguistic laterality.

Broadbent (1958) asserted that physical features of messages are used to pick a distinct message for more handling whereby all the other messages get lost. The next step is that info from all the stimuli provided at some particular instance gets in a limitless capacity sensual buffer. According to him, stimuli are filtered, or chosen to be sorted at an initial phase all through processing. A filter might be considered as the selector of appropriate info depending on rudimentary characteristics, for instance direction of stimuli, pitch, or color.

Modifying Broadbent’s Model: More Early Selection Models

Mornay and other researchers did a dichotic listening experiment whereby the participants were told to shadow the message offered to a single ear and to disregard the one given to another ear. When he presented the hearer’s designation to the unattended ear, nearly a third of the contestants sensed it. They detected their names although according to Broadbent’s model, the filter is supposed to let just one message to pass, depending on its physical features. Evidently, the individual’s name was not filtered out, and most significant it had been evaluated well to conclude its implication.

Treisman suggested a change of Broadbent’s model and recommended that selection happens in two phases, and she substituted Broadbent’s filter with an attenuator. The attenuator evaluates the entering message in form of (1) its linguistic – the way message collects into words or syllables; (2) its physical features – whether it is fast or slow, high-pitched or low-pitches; and (3) its meaning – how sequences of words generate important phrases. The attenuator signifies a procedure and is not recognized with an exact brain structure. Treisman’s perception that the info in the channel selected is the same as what Broadbent suggested, but in her attenuation model of attention, linguistic and implication can also be used to distinguish the messaged.