Research Question

For my data-driven research paper I will be writing about the topic of, talking to a therapist. This topic interests me because, I have recently been thinking about pursuing a therapist as my career. The actual question I will be researching is: What does Literature reveal about talking to a therapist?
  

Cognitive Biases Essay

          In the article, "Why the Death Penalty Needs to Die", by, Nick Gillespie, there are many bias arguments made. Throughout the writing, Nick forms his opinion on whether the death penalty is a good way to punish people. There are many biases in Gillespie's defense such as: bandwagon effect, pessimism bias, and the framing effect. 

          Nick uses the bandwagon effect first when he is making one of his arguments. He is trying to express his opinion towards the inefficiency of the death penalty,but he doesn't form his own opinion. Gillespie just sides with his particular political group. "As a libertarian, I'm not surprised that the state is so incompetent that it can't even kill people efficiently." Gillespie only forms this opinion because it's what his"group" believes. 

          Gillespie uses the pessimism bias next, when he is discussing the uncanny costs of the death penalty. "I'm sure death costs more in California (everything else does) than in other states, but there's just never going to be a way to make it less than a huge waste of taxpayer money." Nick's opinion is an example of the pessimism effect because he is just assuming that since California is more expensive with other things, that the costs to pursue the death penalty will be more there too. 

          "So the death penalty wastes money," said Nick,"has no effect on murder rates, and is sometimes tossed at innocent people. Those three reasons are more than enough to end it once and for all." In this argument, Gillespie uses the framing effect. He is able to form three conclusions from the same information. 

          In Nick Gillespie's attempt to persuade his readers that the death penalty is a bad thing, many cognitive biases are used by him. It's debatable whether or not he's write, but it's not debatable that he uses bias opinions throughout his article. Does this make Nick's argument stronger or weaker? That's up to you. 

Who is Cody Aranjo?

                You might think that you know Cody Aranjo, but I can almost guarantee you that I know him better, because, recently, I got the opportunity to sit down with him and learn everything about him and his life.  So, if you want to learn more about Cody and his interesting attributes, keep reading.

            Cody is a 16 year old junior at Norton high school. He was born on March 27, 1998, weighing in at 7.6 pounds. Cody has 4 siblings, consisting of three brothers and 1 sister. The order of the children from oldest to youngest is, David, Brian, Cody, Kyle, and Rylee. The Aranjo family also has some pets. Cody has a dog and two fish, his dog is a cavachon named Biscuit. I asked Cody what he would have as his weirdest pet, and he replied quickly with, “a goat, and my parents almost bought me one, but if they don’t have another one with them, the get too lonely.”

            Chicken nuggets or chicken tenders? Cody would prefer, “nuggets, but they have to be the dinosaur ones form stop and shop.” Although Cody likes chicken nuggets, his favorite food it steak, and his favorite place to order it from is Longhorn. Mr. Aranjo loves his coffee. When I asked him if he drank coffee he answered: “Yes,” quickly and continued with, “I usually drink it twice a day too!” He also likes to get his coffee and donuts from Dunkin Donuts. His favorite dount is a blueberry donut.

            Cody is a very passionate person and he enjoys listening to music very much. His favorite type of music is, “Country, but I can also listen to rap or hip hop. So, basically, anything popular.” Cody’s favorite store is: “Apple, because I love technology, and I am always buying the newest iPhone.” Since Cody’s very interested in technology, I was wondering what his most used app is, and it is Instagram. Cody is, “Portuguese, and like 3% Irish.” This is a very unique combination of nationalities, which makes Cody even more interesting.

Now, if you thought you knew Cody before, you probably didn’t, but now you most definitely do. I hope you can realize how amazing and fun Cody is, because I did.  Wish Cody Aranjo good luck in the future in whatever he does. 

Incentives Response

A)           When you really think about it, incentives are essential to life. Incentives govern human behavior because without them, people would lack the motivation to do anything. There are many examples of incentives throughout many different activities. Some of which are: money, friendship, and even your own success. I believe the best incentive to motivate people is the simple satisfaction of impressing someone who you may think very highly of, and example of this incentive is when there is a little boy playing baseball. The boy wants to score as many runs as possible to impress his dad, this is his incentive. This could be an incentive for an adult figure as well, for example, in work when there is a task that someone needs to complete, they would hope to complete it as best as possible, in order to impress their boss.

        B)       An aesthetic experience is when all of your senses become as keen as ever. It is a moment like you have never felt before, when you are completely engaged in your particular activity. An example of this for me is when I am in a big game. While warming up, I would listen to music and become entirely enthralled by the atmosphere. During the game it is silent, the crowd isn’t even there, yet I can still hear them at the same time. I can see everything clearly to pick out the perfect pass. I can feel the pressure of players behind me and when we score, all I can feel is happiness and all I can hear s everyone shouting. It is a surreal moment that only comes once in a blue moon, but when it does, it is brilliant. 

Bucket Lists: Short Term and Long Term

Long Term Bucket List:

 

1.       The first thing I would have on my long term bucket list is, to go to Spain and watch Barcelona vs. Real Madrid. I would have this first on my bucket list because I have always loved Real Madrid and they are rivals with Barcelona, so it would be very special game.

 

2.       I want to play for our local professional soccer team, The New England Revolution. Even though they are not very good, I would love to represent New England in the MLS.

 

3.       Next, I want to go sky diving in Mexico. The reason I want to do this is because my cousin Alyssa went sky diving and loved it. I want to do it in Mexico because it is so scenic.

 

4.       Hopefully, eventually I can go to a Lil Wayne concert. I want to go to one because, it would be so fun and he’s my favorite rapper.

 

5.       Brazil, I would love to go to Brazil, because they have amazing soccer. I would hope to play with local people.

 

6.       It would be so cool if I could make my own flavor of Gatorade. This is on my bucket list because I love Gatorade and it would be awesome if I could create my own kind, that way I would always have my favorite flavor to drink.

 

 

Short Term Bucket List:

 

1.       Score 10 goals in a soccer game. My record of most goals in a game is 5 from three years ago. It would be pretty nasty to double that record.

 

2.       I have never eaten sushi, and I think it would be pretty interesting if I tried it. I want to broaden my horizons with food because I am overall kind of a picky eater.

 

3.         Get a 100 average in a class at the end of the term. Last year I accomplished this, but it was middle school, and I want to do It in high school.

 

4.       I want to buy a pair of customized cleats. I see people with customized cleats all of the time, and I have never gotten them. I want to get a pair, because I want cleats that no one else will have.

 

5.       I hope that I can get a job soon. This is o my bucket list because I want to be able to buy a car when I get my license.

 

6.       My final goal is to get 1000 juggles with a soccer ball. This is my goal because my record right now is 682.

High School Sports Response

          High school sports are immensely important in a teenager's life. Sports throughout high school can help students in many ways. You can benefit hugely by the experience of high school sports, in a social aspect, by the motivation to stay on the field, and learning life lessons. If you play any sport in high school I can guarantee that your high school years will be way crazier and interesting.

          

          I personally believe that one of the things I have benefited most from in high school is the sports, and one thing that I got out of sports in high school is the social part of it. Playing on the soccer team has helped me make so many upperclassman friends, who then introduced me to their other friends, and now I am friends with so many people I never even new before this year. If high school sports were demolished by your district, how would you feel about it? I am sure your kids are looking forward to playing sports in high school or even you, but then your district deprives you of them, how does that make you feel? All the upperclassman you were hoping to meet will never even acknowledge you. I'm guessing you agree with the fact that socially students in high school need sports in their school. 

          I am sure you are all reading this thinking, "What about my grades? I will have no time for homework," but really your academics can benefit from the playing of sports. In Amanda Ripley's article, "The Case Against High-School Sports", she tries to explain why high school sports are bad, and she gives an example of a school who did take away sports and she says that, once the sports were gone the grades were increased. "That first semester, 80 percent of the students passed their classes, compared with 50 percent the previous fall." I don't really believe that this helps her argument too much, because in many schools this most likely wouldn't have ended up the same way. If your school took away sports wouldn't you revolt against it? I know my school would. High school sports can also motivate you to do better, because it is a rule that if you are failing you can't play. You may be thinking that the standards are too low, but if you're that kid with all F's and can't play, then you're motivated to bring your grades up, while someone who is failing and doesn't play a sport in most likely a lot less motivated to bring up your grades.

          Life lessons are something you obtain from sports. As my old soccer coach would always say, "play like men!" What he meant by this was that you need to play with the maturity of a grown man and have sportsmanship and always make the best decisions possible, or at least try to. In sports, you can learn how to deal with and learn from other people, besides your coach. I'm sure you know, that there are always people who you are involved with that you may not exactly "like", and high school sports can teach you how to cope with that. Coaches can coach you in a specific sport, but they can also coach you in life. I have learned many things from my coaches over the years, but one major thing I have remembered most, and always will, is loyalty. All of my coaches have conveyed the message that, "we win together, and we lose together." All of my teams and I, live by this saying and has worked so far and will continue to in the future. If your high school took away sports, would you be able to deal with real life situations as well as if sports were available?

          High school sports have become more and more popular over the years, and I truly believe that students benefit greatly by them. Without sports how would everyone learn how to work as a team? Would they? These are very important points to think about and I do believe that Amanda Ripley's article "The Case Against High-School Sports" is wrong, although I do respect her and her argument in every way possible. I hope that no one has to ever go without the choice to play sports.

Ripley, Amanda. "The Case Against High-School Sports." The Atlantic Oct. 2013. Print.

Ethos, Pathos, & Logos Article

Ethos: 

"This is not a world we should accept.  This is what’s at stake.  And that is why, after careful deliberation, I determined that it is in the national security interests of the United States to respond to the Assad regime’s use of chemical weapons through a targeted military strike.  The purpose of this strike would be to deter Assad from using chemical weapons, to degrade his regime’s ability to use them, and to make clear to the world that we will not tolerate their use."

"That's my judgment as Commander-in-Chief.  But I’m also the President of the world’s oldest constitutional democracy.  So even though I possess the authority to order military strikes, I believed it was right, in the absence of a direct or imminent threat to our security, to take this debate to Congress.  I believe our democracy is stronger when the President acts with the support of Congress.  And I believe that America acts more effectively abroad when we stand together. "

Pathos:

"The images from this massacre are sickening:  Men, women, children lying in rows, killed by poison gas.  Others foaming at the mouth, gasping for breath.  A father clutching his dead children, imploring them to get up and walk.  On that terrible night, the world saw in gruesome detail the terrible nature of chemical weapons, and why the overwhelming majority of humanity has declared them off-limits -- a crime against humanity, and a violation of the laws of war."

"The world saw thousands of videos, cell phone pictures, and social media accounts from the attack, and humanitarian organizations told stories of hospitals packed with people who had symptoms of poison gas."

Logos: 

 "Over 100,000 people have been killed.  Millions have fled the country."

"In World War II, the Nazis used gas to inflict the horror of the Holocaust.  Because these weapons can kill on a mass scale, with no distinction between soldier and infant, the civilized world has spent a century working to ban them.  And in 1997, the United States Senate overwhelmingly approved an international agreement prohibiting the use of chemical weapons, now joined by 189 governments that represent 98 percent of humanity."


Link to Article: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2013/09/10/remarks-president-address-nation-syria

My Pet Peeves

     1.)  Chewing with Your Mouth Open: My first pet peeve is when people chew their food with their mouth open. Nothing is worse than eating your lunch while listening to your friend eat their sandwich like a horse. It looks and sounds disgusting which is why “Chewing with Your Mouth Open” is my first pet peeve.
   
    2.) Changing the Channel: Another one of my pet peeves is, when people constantly change the TV channel. Sometimes people will put a show on and then just when you get engaged in it, they change the channel and you can never find out what happens in the end. This happens to me all of the time, and I just can’t stand it.

    3.) Repetitive Noise: When people repeatedly tap their pencil on their desk or when some on stomps their foot to concentrate it makes me crazy! I hate it so much, it is one of the worst possible things someone can do. This is why it is my third pet peeve.

     4.)  When People don’t answer the Door: One thing that bothers me very much is when I go to someone’s door, whether it’s to pick up my sister from her friend’s house or to go to my friend’s house , and I know they’re home, but they don’t answer the door. I clearly know that they are home because all of their cars are there and all of the lights in the house are on. This is one of the most annoying of my pet peeves.

     5.)  Fishing for Compliments: I HATE when people know they are good at something, but they act like they think they’re bad just so that someone will compliment them. It’s not cocky to know you’re good at something, so you don’t need to act like you think you’re bad.

     6.)  Eating Ketchup near Me: One thing I absolutely cannot stand is, ketchup. Everything about it disgusts me, the smell, look, and especially the taste. If you sit near me don’t eat ketchup, unless you want barf in your lunch box, because he smell of it will make me gag and it is awful.

     7.)  Can you really sing: One other thing I get really flustered by is when people think they can sing but they are really awful at it. You see those crazy people on “American Idol” who think they are the best singers in the world, but in reality, they are really the worst singers you will ever hear.

     8.)  People who Brag ALL the time: It’s one thing to be confident and another to be cocky. It really makes me mad when people are constantly bragging about their new phone or their goal in a sport.  

9.) When people are too Peppy: I love when people are positive and optimistic, don’t get me wrong, but it is so unnerving when people become overly peppy. Don’t talk t me if you’re going to always say everything is perfect and nothing is ever wrong.

10.) Really Picky eaters: I don’t mind if you’re a picky eater, because I myself am pretty picky, but don’t be that kid that will only eat mac n’ cheese, chicken nuggets, and hot dogs. If you don’t eat more than three different foods, you need help.