The perception of color Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The perception of color - Research Paper Example The Development of Color Vision in human beings, and the eye itself, is a remarkable evolutionary process. The human eye itself did not develop in a linear straightforward manner. It most likely began as a light sensitive pigment on smaller creatures and then became more differentiated creating light sensitive structures that began to be dispersed inside of a the forming eyeball to become the retina. At first the retina was most likely a movement sensor but over time the ability to delineate details and the ability to see color was developed. (Gordon) The evolution of the eye is a standard development in all vertebrates as well as many non-vertebrate species as well.But what exactly is color? Color and light go together and are inseparable companions. One object can emit light and another object can reflect that light. The former is usually undergoing some chemical reactions that create color and is dependent on the material it is combusting for the color spectrum it emits, objects s uch as the sun, or a light bulb for example. The latter objects which reflect light are a combination of the color range of light hitting their surfaces and the reflective properties of their surfaces. For instance, the leaves of most trees reflect green light because of the chemical chlorophyll, which fuels photosynthesis, however they are also designed to absorb the spectrum of red light which activates the chemical reaction turning carbon dioxide into breathable oxygen. There is also a considerable variance of color by the perceiving entity. There is a wide variety in the range of vision across many different organisms, largely dependent of possible evolutionary and ecological needs. This ranges from seeing only in black and white to an even broader distinction of colors than humans possess. for instance, the ability to see into infra-red or ultraviolet wavelengths â€Å"†¦ color is a heterogeneous collection of perceptual concepts generated from wavelength-sensitive data f or a variety of specialized purpossess by cognitive systems with different neuro-computational structures and evolutionary histories.† (Matthen 186) Humans possess what is known as trichromatic vision. Tri (three) and Chroma (color). Our human eyes have three color receptors that are individually sensitive to red, green, and blue light . While dcecptively simple these three receptors allow humans to distinguish about 2.3 million different varieties of colors. (Kleiner 12) The following figure is a photoreceptor nerve grouping: Figure 2: Photoreceptor Grouping (Farndon 57) There are two types of light-sensing cells: (1) rods, which are used in most low light situations and distinguish between differing shades of grey and the three kinds of (2) cones, that are sensitive to the color spectrum to the particular wavelength of light as described previously. (Savage) Humans actually perceive quite a very narrow range of the electromagnetic spectrum, from 400 to 700 nanometers. Figure 3: Electromagnetic Range of Human Vision, Rods & Cones (Color Vision A) Trichromatic vision is actually a bit of a rarity when you consider a species wide analysis of all organisms that have optic nerves and eye, even just among the mammals only a few possess trichromatic vision. When comparing dichromatic species, those who perceive only the blue and red zone of the spectrum, with trichromatic species there is no apparent Darwinian direct line of descent. (Matthen) The following figure is a simplistic rendition of this concept: Figure 4: Divergence of color perception over time (History of biological Evolution 2007) Why develop this extra range of color vision, or for that matter why develop color vision at all? Some researchers believe that a declining sense of smell in came hand in hand with the rise in color vision. This newly developed perception allowed those species with color vision to detect edible fruit from greater distances thus improving their change for

Analysis of Jane Austins Pride And Prejudice Essay Example for Free

Analysis of Jane Austins Pride And Prejudice Essay Elizabeths and Darcys epithet (not literal but rather implied) of Proud and Prejudiced as the title of the book indicates, is clearly evident in the discourse and the use of pronouns found in extract A chapter 10. Extract B chapter 58, has an entirely different use of discourse and the polarity of persons is fundamentally different to that of extract A, the I and you of Elizabeth and Darcy become increasingly more like a metaphorical we or us as the book progresses, bring about a new implied epithet of humble and accepting. Benveniste refers to the use of pronouns as bringing ones ego into reality through the othering of people. The culture of politeness at the time that Jane Austin wrote Pride and Prejudice dictated that a person had to be far more subtle in their approach to, amongst others, insults. This was predominantly done through the change in indexicals, in the same manner we as the reader are able to pick up on the transition from; repulsion between Elizabeth and Darcy through to attraction and ultimately love, all as an event of language. In extract A Mr. Darcy moves closer, drawing near line 2, to Elizabeth , this is indicative of his affection towards her although it may be on a sub-conscious level. The reader can assume this as he moves his entire body towards her in a private manner. He then proceeds to other and mock her in line 4 by not including his own subjectivity in the discourse. Do not you feel a great inclination, Miss Bennet, to seize such an opportunity of dancing a reel? In this utterance Mr. Darcy does not include himself in the discourse and refers to Elizabeth as you, this creates a distance between the two as the you is not linked to Mr. Darcys I. Mr. Darcy extenuates Elizabeth by referring to her as Miss Bennet, in this he creates more distance by the formal address. The word seize is a blatant attempt to incite a reaction from Elizabeth by emphasizing her familys economic situation by insinuating that being poor, she would jump at the opportunity to let loose and revel in the opportunity to participate in, it is implied, this rare treat. In actuality Darcy is using an ironical tone to provoke a response and although othering Elizabeth is desperately seeking her attention. The same practice is performed by most young children, often mocking and behaving in a callous manner to the opposite sex in order simply to engage them. Elizabeth does not answer his question and he is forced to  repeat it. This indicates to the reader that although the two seem to be partaking in an argument, it is more than that and they are rather just trying to get attention from one another. It is important to note that at the time the novel was written it would be considered extremely rude to not answer a direct question and the fact that Elizabeth does this to Darcy s hows us; that she is a head strong proud individual and that she feels comfortable enough with Mr. Darcy to be impolite. After having repeated the question Elizabeth answers him. The polarity of the subjectivity and deixis is well demonstrated in her response to him. I heard you before, she involves him as a you (the object) and rebukes him by making him aware that he knew she had heard and there was no need to repeat the question. She continues by re-iterating her intention of othering him by using in reply line 9 opposed to to you. To illustrate his opinion and highlight his rudeness, she proceeds and turns him into the subject by placing the you at the beginning of the sentence in line 9, You wanted me. Elizabeth does this in order to embarrass Darcy and in doing so becomes a hypocrite, by using a tit for tat approach. She rebukes his poor cordiality but in doing so becomes just as malicious as Darcy. Elizabeth s rebuttal reaches the crux with her proverbial but line 10; after involving him she utterly removes him as a subject in her discourse and moves into a statement, I delight in overthrowing those kind of schemes, and cheating a person of their premeditated contempt. The reader can observe the those and their as a way of putting Darcy and his verbal banter in the same category as any other person she has encountered in her past. To enhance her point with dramatic effect she slows the tempo of her utterances; I have, therefore, made up my mind to tell you, that I do not want to dance a reel at all and now despise me if you dare. Once again she makes herself the subject with the I have then a the series of pauses so that the reaffirmation of her subjectivity can occur distinctively three times; I have, made up my mind, that I do not want. In closing Elizabeth forces the polarity onto Darcy by using direct and powerful words despise and dare. It is thus impossible for Darcy to avoid discourse and resorts to a defence of his ego offered by the I. Extract B chapter 58 begins with Darcy explaining to Elizabeth the circumstances of his youth that brought about the selfish line 8 adult that he became. In this monologue Darcys use of pronouns from lines 1 through to 11 are all self involved and one can notice the repetition of I at the beginning of sentences and after conjunctions or the start of a new point. This is unlike the use of I found in earlier extracts as well as future extracts; this is due to Darcys explanation being of little importance to any polarity of persons but rather a brief description. Darcy has by this stage of the book evolved into almost an entirely different I or person. When he uses the I in this section of the extract he is in essence borrowing it from his old self in order to justify his Prejudiced actions towards not only Elizabeth but all people he perceived to be of an inferior class. The introduction of Darcys new self occurs in line 12 with his inclusion of you and the use of Elizabeth s name, but for you, dearest, loveliest Elizabeth!. The surrender of all ego is done by attributing dearest and loveliest to the you of Elizabeth , importantly he uses the pinnacle of these attributes to raise her above all others. By you I was properly humbled. line 14; this positioning of the you before the I show that Darcy has completely surrendered himself over to Elizabeth by giving the you tenure of the I. Elizabeth, not surprisingly, also gives herself over to Darcy by reversing the order of pronouns in line 17 Had you then persuaded yourself that I should?. The use of pronouns as Benviniste demonstrates is a direct representation and the only true representation of ones ego. Both Elizabeth and Darcy then proceed in a rather shameful manner to reverse the polarity of persons in order to apologise to one another. How you must have hated me after that evening! line 22, the reader should take note of the utterance being formed as a question but made as a statement. Certainly Elizabeth is seeking a response but in a very passive manner! Darcy replies in an equally passive tone but hints of defensive tones can be observed in his response of Hate you! I was angry, perhaps, at first, but my anger soon began to take a proper direction line 23. Darcy involuntarily reverts back to his old I as a means of defence and finding a comfort zone, correcting himself he introduces and Elizabeth and her you by implying  that she is the proper direction. The lines that follow are of the same passive nature as slowly the I and you of Darcy and Elizabeth become one. Benviniste tries to convey that our use of pronouns is in essentially the only way in which or utterances or communication can be of any importance. Pronouns are the gateway in which or egos can be transmitted into reality. These two extracts from Pride and Prejudice show wonderfully how this is done. Through the book we notice a clear change in the polarity of persons from that of egotistical to unselfish and relinquished pronouns. Bibliography:Jane Austin Pride and Prejudice

Good Advice :: Psychology Advising Essays

Good Advice Good advice has a different meaning for everyone. For me, good advice must be given by someone I trust. They need to be honest and sincere in what they tell me. They must lay the facts down in front of me and tell me what they would do in my situation. In the end the adviser must let me decide to use their advice. If it is good advice what they told me will change my view or action for the better. As I looked back to the notes I had, I made the observation that good advice involves people we trust. Sometimes the people we trust and turn to advice for is our friends. Take for example that, Luke, John, Mike, Cale, Joe, Kristi, and myself choose to use our friends to illustrate good advice. They seem to tell you the truth no matter how it will make you feel because they love you. Others choose their parents. Nate, Jeanne, Rebecca, had their mothers being the advisor. Chris, Nate Hilson, Douglas, and Andrea had their fathers. It seemed to me that they choose for the most part to have the advice come from the parent of the same gender. Sons had their dads and daughters had their mothers as advisor. Maybe this was so because they could relate more with them and had more of a closeness. Still others in the class illustrated good advice from teachers or counselors. Amanda, Lee, and Jackie Brooks took advice from those. Advice works when it is taken or not taken, but is clearly the right way to go. Advice that works doesn’t have to be deep or inspirational. Take for example when a mother gives her children the advice to but a jacket on because it is cold outside. It is nothing new, it is just because she is concerned about her children and knows from experience that when it is cold you need a jacket. Also, in my example, the friend that gave me good advice wasn’t being pushy or saying you have to do this or else. She left it up to me. This means for good advice to work that it must be left up to the person to follow. Nobody likes to be told what to do. They resent it when they are and probably won’t go back for advice again. I know I wouldn’t. Advice that doesn’t work is simple, it doesn’t have a good outcome when followed.

Man vs. Society

Society excludes, torments, and sometimes kills people simply because of their religion. We might not always see it or hear it, but it’s there. Religious persecution is everywhere. It is in our schools, it is in our government, it is engrained in our society. Naturally people persecute and torment those who are not like them, be them Muslim, Mormon, Hindu, or even Christian. Yes, even Christians are being persecuted. We in America hear â€Å"so often about Muslims [being] victims of abuse in the West†(Ali).But what we don’t realize that there is another war. An â€Å"unrecognized war†(Ali) taking place everywhere from West Africa to the Middle East to South Asia and Oceania. A war on Christians. Christians are the most persecuted group in the contemporary world. â€Å"According to the World Evangelical Alliance, over 200 million Christians in 60 countries are denied fundamental human rights solely because of their faith†(Persecution of Christians). In Egypt, Christians are forced under strict rules that do not apply to mosques and other religious institutions.For example, under Hamayouni Decree, Christians have to go through the federal government in order to build, or even repair their buildings (Persecution of Christians). Not only does Egypt restrict Christians’ ability to build and maintain churches, but also their ability to hold positions. Christians cannot hold senior government positions, diplomatic positions, be in the military, or hold teaching positions (Persecution of Christians).Also, the Egyptian government does not recognize conversions from Islam to Christianity, and since inter-faith marriages in the country are illegal, converts cannot marry people born in Christian communities, and their children receive an Islamic education (Persecution of Copts). After the â€Å"Arab Spring† movement, there have been even more accounts of Christian persecution. Arab Spring is â€Å"a revolutionary wave of de monstrations that has been taking place in the Arab world †¦ [that is] successfully overthrowing their repressive governments†(Cha-cha).The overthrow of the government of Libya, the civil uprisings in Bahrain, Syria, and Yemen, and the major protests in Algeria, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco, and Oman (Arab Spring) are allowing Islamic extremists to gain power, and this is very worrisome for many Christians. The Arab Spring movement is also causing a Muslim â€Å"revival† of sorts, causing them to question their tolerance of Christians thus far. This revival has caused numerous incidents such as â€Å"church-burnings, rapes, mutilations, and murders†(Ali). Christians are being killed in Islamic cultures simply because of their religion.Yet this raises no alarm. Here in the West we have no idea how badly our fellow Christians suffer at the hands of Muslim countries. They constantly live in fear that their houses will be burned, their children killed, and them imprisoned with no hope of a fair trial. â€Å"From blasphemy laws to brutal murders to bombings to mutilations and the burning of holy sites, Christians in so many nations live in fear†(Ali). Christians and Muslims in Nigeria have been on the edge of civil war for years. A new Islamic radical group called Boko Harem provokes most of this action.This organization has stated that â€Å"it will kill all Christians living in the country†(Ali). â€Å"In the month of January 2012 alone, Boko Haram was responsible for 54 deaths†(Ali). This is insane! In the first month of this year, a month with a mere 31 days, Boko Haram has already killed 54 people. That’s almost two people a day. And this is only one group. In 2011, they killed at least 510 and burned down or destroyed more than 350 churches. This â€Å"Christophobia† that Africa is also found in Sudan, but in a very different form.The Sudanese authoritarian government has â€Å"for decades tormente d the Christian minorities in the south†(Ali). In Sudan, it is not extremist groups that are targeting Christians, but the government itself. It began in 2003, at the infamous genocide at Darfur. Since then, the Muslim president, Omar al-Bashir, has been indicted in the International Criminal Court in The Hauge of three counts of genocide (Omar al-Bashir). Even though he granted partial independence to south Sudan, the violence has not ended. Christians in south Sudan are still subject to aerial bombings, targeted killings, and the kidnapping of children (Ali).The UN reports that between 53,000 and 75,000 innocent civilians have been displaced from their homes (Ali). Not only are African Christians suffering, but also ones in the Middle East. Since 2003, more than 900 Iraqi Christians have been killed by terrorists’ actions and 70 churches have been burned in Baghdad alone. â€Å"Christians might disappear altogether from Iraq† says the chairman of the U. S. Comm ission on International Religious Freedom (Muslim Persecution of Christians). In Iran, the government is making laws that make it illegal to spread the Christian faith to the rest of the Iranians.Their goal is to â€Å"cleanse Iranian Christians†(Wahdat-Hagh), completely eradicating them from their country. There is so much hatred from the Islamic society that is directed towards Christians, and for no good reason. They torment and rape and mutilate and murder all Christians who are willing to stand up for what they believe in. And what do we do? What does western civilization do? We stand aside and allow it to happen. We turn a blind eye to our brothers and sisters who are being tortured and murdered for their beliefs, and allow it all to go on. We know it’s happening, but why do we stand aside?Why is America, the country that was founded on the principals of Christianity, the country that was founded for the purpose of escape from religious persecution, standing asid e and allowing people to be massacred? Are we so wrapped up in things of this world, are we so wrapped up in economy and money and oil that we stand aside and allow people to be brutally killed so that we can keep our gas prices low and our people safe? Even if we don’t all agree that Christians are right are wrong, don’t we all believe that human life is valuable, and that it must be preserved?We went to war with the Middle Eastern countries to fight this â€Å"War on Terror,† but what did that accomplish? Safety for our own borders, and not even that to its fullest extent. It did nothing to help the hundreds of thousands of Christians living in fear all around the world. So what should we do? We the people, of the United States of America, must go back to our roots, go back to the reason why we came here in the first place, and abandon all of our petty arguments, so that we can aid those who are the oppressed and the persecuted because of their faith.

Police Department Roles and Functions Essay

There are many various functions of police agencies. Patron, traffic, juvenile services, intelligence and undercover, and special operations are just some of the various functions of police agencies. There are many differences between the functions of the police agencies and the federal, state, and the local levels. There are reasons of why you need to have various functions and roles of policing in any community. There are a few various functions of police agencies such as patrol, traffic, juvenile services, intelligence and undercover, and special functions. There are many functions of the patrol and consists of protecting the lives of people and their property, repression of criminal and delinquent behavior, identification, apprehension and conviction of offenders, traffic flow, collision reduction, maintenance of order and public safety. Patrol functions are a major part of policing agencies. Traffic functions consist of identifying potential traffic problems and hazards, arresti ng offenders, investigation property damage and personal injury automobile accidents, regulating parking on the streets and municipal buildings (Grant & Terry, 2008). Traffic functions keep the roads safer and make things flow better for traffic. Juvenile services are there to help juvenile offenders go to counseling and counseling for the juvenile’s families. There are also programs that can help juveniles learn about drugs, alcohol, abuse and gangs. There is a program called (D.A.R.E) Drug Abuse Resistance Education. (GREAT) Gang Resistance Education and Training is another program that is used to inform the youth group about the negative impact of gangs. Intelligence and undercover is where officers go and use a different identification so that they can get closer to suspects or fugitive or get evidence (Grant & Terry, 2008). They may have to live in different places and dress as complete different people then who they are so that they can  fit in to the environment they are trying to get close to. The last function is the special operations that consist of S.W.A.T and the canine unit. The S.W.A.T stands for special weapons and tactics and they functions are dealing with high risk law enforcement such as hostage situations and arresting people that are armed and dangerous suspects. The canine unit is having a police dog that helps on searches. Searches could be consisting of drug investigations, tracking and searching for victims or suspects, vehicle searches, and searching of buildings (Grant & Terry, 2008). The police agency functions differ from the federal, state, and local level. The federal has two main functions that split into a few different functions. The Homeland Security and Department of Justice have many functions. The Homeland Security has the Bureau of Customs and Border protection (CBP) and this helps make sure that people and cargo are crossed borders legally and safely. Bureau of Immigration and Custom Enforcement known as (ICE) works with the smuggling of drugs and weapons. It also helps remove illegal immigrants that should not be across the borders. ICE also helps protect and secure federal buildings. FEMA is the Federal Emergency Management Agency and their goal is to help prevent man-made disasters from destroying cities. FEMA also helps after man-made disasters happen with providing food, water, and shelter to the people that have homes that are destroyed or have no stores that have food remaining for them to eat or drink. Department of Justice has a few functions as well that are to help protect on a higher level than the police agencies. Drug Enforcement Administrators (DEA) deal with enforcing laws that pertain to controlled substances. The Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) has many functions. They protect against any kind of terrorist attack against the country, foreign intelligence operations, cyber based attacks, public corruption, and white collar crimes. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) deal with the investigations of the trafficking of illegal firearms. The ATF also enforces federal laws that pertain to federal taxes on alcohol and tobacco (Walker & Katz, 2011). The federal and the police agencies have many differences. The federal have more of a variety of different functions than the police agencies. The state does not have as many functions as the federal but still have functions that make a difference. The State has some functions that the police agencies also have. The State has different kind of  officers. There are State police and Highway patrol officers that patrol the highways statewide. They also have power to give traffic violations, criminal investigations, and arrest non traffic violators (Walker & Katz, 2011). The police agencies also do a lot of patrol just like the state police. The local levels are a lot like the police agencies. They have municipal officers, county police and they h ave sheriffs that patrol city roads. They attend to more serious crimes that are committed in the city. The local level deals with order maintenance problems and emergency services (Walker & Katz, 2011). The county police have the same functions as the municipal officers but can operate countywide. The sheriffs have more functions than the municipal officers and the county police. The sheriffs have to go to courts and deal with corrections. When it comes to the community all of the policing agencies are very important. There are many functions and roles that help keep a safe community. If there are limited policing agencies in the community it could raise the rate of crime, accidents, and deaths. With having the functions in the communities it helps make the people of the community feel safer knowing that the policing agencies are out patrolling the streets whether it is by foot, bike, car, or horse. Without having the functions of trafficking there would be more accidents on the roads or highways. If the juvenile services the younger generations may not have the resources to learn about awareness programs for drugs, alcohol, and abuse. They may not have the opportunity to change their lives by attending counseling to help better themselves. Without having undercover officers it would be a little harder to catch suspects before they actually commit a crime. Even though not all cities have the canine unit, the canine unit helps search for things that the human nose cannot detect as well as a dog can. The canine unit is a very big help for searches when victims are missing or are searching for drugs. There are many functions and roles for all police agencies no matter how big or how small the agency is. There are many differences between the police agencies and the federal, state, and local level. But there are also some functions that are the same. Without having functions of all the police agencies there would be more crime and accidents within the cities and states. Having as many functions in all the policing agencies makes this place a safer place for everyone. References Walker, S., & Katz, C.M. (2011). The police in America: An introduction (7th ed). Grant, H.B., & Terry, K.J. (2008) Law Enforcement in the 21st Century(2nd ed).