Reviewing the Literature and Applying Theory Essay - 1

Reviewing the Literature and Applying Theory - Essay Example Ideally, high-quality research evidence helps clinicians to offer the most effective and efficient patient treatment. Indeed, critical appraisal aims at informing health policy and nursing practice by allowing researchers, health administrators, and medical practitioners to compare and assess the quality of the research evidence (Carter, 2010). Through critical appraisal, clinicians establish the most reliable high-quality research evidence for nursing practice. In performing critical appraisal of articles selected for my topic, I will rely on the recommended structured process of analyzing fundamental aspects of the published articles (Jones, Crookes, & Johnson, 2011). I will assess the articles with regard to the quality of evidence, appropriateness of research design, suitability of the research methodology, and usefulness of research evidence to the nursing practice. Assessing whether the articles address the research topic and whether they contain valid, relevant, and reliable evidence will also be paramount (Fineout-Overholt, Melnyk, Stillwell, & Williamson, 2010). I will also derive whether I can generalize the findings of the research article to my practice based on the homogeneity and stability of the contained research evidence. Moreover, I will assess the presence of potential conflicts of interest in my research articles. Fineout-Overholt E., Melnyk B.M., Stillwell S.B., & Williamson K. M. (2010). Evidence-based practice step by step: Critical appraisal of the evidence: part I. American Journal of Nursing, 110(7),

Response to Posts of Students Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Response to Posts of Students - Essay Example (O’Mara, et al., 2011). Because the definition specified by the D&I benchmarks is too broad, it ceases to be a definition for lack of focus. For instance, most common among staffing requirements necessarily distinguish along the lines of â€Å"education, geography, work style, work experience, job role and function, thinking style and personality type† – geography to know that the applicant is accessible to work in certain geographic areas, and the rest to ascertain that the candidate can do the job expected of him. Their inclusion in the â€Å"broad† definition, as specified in the benchmarks, appears overly intrusive into management prerogative. If alignment of organizational goals and commitment to diversity are in accordance with the broad definition, such may effectively compromise business success or even survival. I believe that business prerogative has a right to discriminate according to education, work style and experience, job role and function, thinking style and personality type, and to specify geographic accessibility, when deciding among applicants for a position, because each of these bears directly upon the very reason for the applicant’s employment. Reference: Department of Commerce, (1999). Best practices in achieving workforce diversity: Vice President Al Gore’s National Partnership for Reinventing Government Benchmarking Study. Retrieved from http://vizedhtmlcontent.next.ecollege.com/CurrentCourse/ Best%20practices%20in%20achieving%20workforce%20diversity.pdf O’Mara, J. & Richter, A. (2011) Global Diversity and Inclusion Benchmarks: Standards for Organizations Around the World. Retrieved from http://www.omaraassoc.com/pdf/GDIB_2011.pdf Response to the post of Student 2: Leslie Gaines The post identifies one practice as being easiest to accomplish, and that is the establishment of an internal diversity committee. The reason given is that the committee can be delegated the task of complying wit h or managing the nine other practices listed. The justification provided does not appear to substantiate the claim that this practice is easiest; in fact, it is the direct contradiction thereof. Because all the other practices, which are conceded by Student 2 to be more difficult, are to be discharged by the committee, then the selection of committee members shall be a most difficult task, with qualifying criteria of the most stringent standards, and pursuant to a most thorough selection procedure. Even then, the designation of a committee is but a delegation, meaning that top management may entrust the task, but not the responsibility and accountability thereof, to the committee. Holding the committee responsible is a dereliction of duty by management, which in the end must oversee the committee’s actions. The post further states that the item which does not deserve to be listed among the ten best practices is the distinction between diversity and Affirmative Action or EEO. The reason given is that the world is changing and that there is nothing the ‘good old boys’ can do to stop it. The implication here is that managers belonging to the old school would prefer to distinguish between the two for some selfish, improper reason. Whatever the reason may be, there

Home Design Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Home Design - Assignment Example Surface-mounted fans provide good ventilation for smaller areas. Large houses may need more than one. Remote-mounted fans can pick up stale air from a single point. Or, they can be attached to a branched duct system with picks ups in two or three locations. This makes them a good choice for large houses. If properly rated, the fan could be attached to a range hood. Large houses and several multifamily units can be ventilated by a single multiport fan. Some units can accept a duct from the range hood. Most operate at two or more speeds. Several manufacturers sell complete kits with all the ducts and accessories. These may cost a bit more, but the kits simplify installation. This type of heat-recovery ventilator provides balanced air flow and recovers up to 85 percent of the heat from outgoing air. By warming the incoming air, AAHXs provide greater comfort in cold climates than other types of ventilation systems. Units can be sized for any home and small commercial buildings. By employing a heat pump unit about the size of a window air conditioner, an exhaust air heat pump (EAHP) offers exceptional heat recovery efficiency. It can also provide most of the hot water needed by an average family. While the exhaust fan is controlled by timers, heat recovery engages only when hot water is needed. Solar attic fans are a new group of products that use solar energy to move hot attic air. Attic exhaust fans remove hot air from attic spaces, while whole house fans remove hot air from both living spaces and the attic at the same time. * Whole House Fan in Cathedral Ceiling Whole house fans provide enormous air movement through out your home. Install one in a home with a cathedral ceiling. It can be done. * Crawl Space Vents Crawl spaces collect and condense water vapor. Crawl space ventilation is necessary to prevent mildew or rot. Vapor barriers may provide better protection than crawlspace vents. * Roof Ventilation with Turbine Vents Turbine vents can replace the hot air

Using of rTMS and antidepressant drugs Simultaneously To increase the Essay

Using of rTMS and antidepressant drugs Simultaneously To increase the therapeutic efficacy for patients with psychotic depression - Essay Example Psychotic depression is a fairly common psychiatric condition that has been found to occur in nearly 20% of patients with major depression (Flores et al., 2006). The preferred treatment for psychotic depression so far has consisted of tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) as also neuroleptic and electroconvulsive therapies (O’Neal et al., 2000). Patients with psychotic depression have a more severely disordered hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis (Kathol et al., 1989). The psychotic features of psychotic depression have been attributed also to excessive glucocorticoid activity (Schatzberg et al., 1985). Interestingly, HPA axis activity is, to a large extent, regulated by the combination of mineralocorticoid receptors (MR) and glucocorticoid receptors (GR) (Spencer et al., 1998; Young et al., 2003). Any mismatch between them could lead to inappropriate responses to stress, and incidence of major depression (Young et al., 2003). Decreases in MR sensitivity postulated to occur in major depression could result in elevated cortisol levels (Gesing et al., 2001; Young et al., 2003). In contrast, GR gives rise to feedback modifications in response to rising levels of cortisol as, for example, in response to stress or following the circadian rhythm. Hence, a GR antagonist e.g., the anti-progesterone steroid mifepristone (dimethylaminophenyl (17(-hydroxy-11(1(4-dimethylaminophenyl) 17(1- propynyl)estra-4,9-dien-3-one) exerts a powerful effect in the rising section of the HPA axis (Flores et al., 2006). A major effect of mifepristone occurs through obstruction of GR in crucial regions of the brain and in monaminergic nuclei, thereby, directly leading to recovery of symptomatic and cognitive faculties. First observed by Bickford et al.(1987) to trigger transient mood elevation in normal subjects receiving single-pulse stimulations to the motor cortex, the technique of non-invasive repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation

The three models of memory Essay Example for Free

The three models of memory Essay The cognitive approach in psychology deals with human thought and mental processes such as memory, remembering and problem solving. The cognitive approach is interested in how people take in information, how they mentally represent it and how they store it. It also looks at how the information is perceived and processed and how integrated patterns of behaviour occur. Memory is fundamental to our lives, we have to recall who we are, recognise the faces of everyone we meet and remember how to move and communicate. Several models of the way in which memory is structured and how it functions have been advanced and although there are many differences between the models, they all view memory as a means of processing information. We do not simply record information, we carry out some sort of processing as we eliminate, store, organise and reconstruct the information we receive. This information processing occurs in three stages: encoding, storage and retrieval. Encoding involves converting the information we receive from our senses into something that we represent mentally Storage involves holding information over a period of time in preparation for when it is needed, and retrieval involves recovering stored information. There are three models of memory; one of these is the multi store model. Atkinson and Shiffrin (1968) proposed an influential multi- store model, which suggested that there are three types of information store. The three types of memory stores are the sensory store, the short term store and the long term store. When a stimulus invades on our senses then the information passed from the sensory store, onto the short term store and then into long term store. Short Term Memory (STM) has an extremely limited capacity between five and nine. Miller (1956) suggested that the capacity of STM is The Magic Number Seven, Plus or Minus Two. Information can be lost very easily if the information is not rehearsed it remains in short term memory for about 20-30 seconds. Long Term Memory (LTM) has an unlimited amount of information which can be store which can last a long time; some psychologists believe that memories  are never truly forgotten from LTM they simply cannot be easily retrieved at will. Also the mode of storage in the LTM is meaning fullness if you understand information you are more likely to remember it. This is in contrast to STM where, if you recall, sound is important, and remembering is much more dependent on precise recall. Atkinson and Shiffrin regarded the stores as the structural components of the model, but also proposed a number of control processes, such as attention, coding and rehearsal, which operate in conjunction with the stores. Not all psychologists consider it useful to distinguish between short term and long term memory. Levels of Processing is one of such model: it sees memory as a single dimension rather than a series of separate stores. The main principle of this model is that we process information in different ways and the more deeply we process it, the more likely it is to be stored in memory and able to be recalled. According to the levels of processing framework, stimulus information is processed at multiple levels simultaneously depending upon its characteristics. Furthermore, the deeper the processing, the more that will be remembered. For example, information that involves strong visual images or many associations with existing knowledge will be processed at a deeper level. Similarly, information that is being attended to receives more processing than other stimuli/events. The theory also supports the finding that we remember things that are meaningful to us because this requires more processing than meaningless stimuli. Information is more easily readily transferred to LTM if it is considered, understood and related to past memories to gain meaning than if it is merely repeated. This degree of consideration was termed the depth of processing the deeper information was processed, the longer the memory trace would last. Craik and Lockhart gave three examples of levels at which verbal information could be processed: Structural level- e.g. merely paying attention to what the words look like  (shallow processing) Phonetic level- processing the sound of the words Semantic level- considering the meaning of words (deep processing). Finally the last model of memory is reconstructive memory, in contrast to much cognitive research on memory, which focuses on quantitative tests of how many randomly selected digits, words or nonsense syllables can be remembered under strictly controlled conditions, the reconstructive memory approach has tended to concentrate more on qualitative changes in what is remembered, often of more everyday material such as stories, pictures or witnessed events under more natural conditions. In comparison with the level of processing theory, which emphasizes what happens when memories are encoded and stored, the reconstructive memory approach is more concerned with what happens when information is stored and retrieved from memory. Bartlett (1932) the pioneer of reconstructive memory argued that people do not passively record memories as exact copies of new information they receive, but actively try and make sense of it in terms of what they already know- a process called effort after meaning. Bartlett proposed that new information may be remembered in a distorted way since memories are imaginative reconstructions of the original information in the light of each individual past experiences and expectations rather than remembering what actually happened we may remember what we think should or could have occurred. The three models have both similarities and differences between them; both the multi store model, levels of processing theory have many similarities among them. Firstly they both offer explanations for different types of memory/levels; Short term memory in the multi store model is the equivalent to shallow processing in the levels of processing theory and long term memory is equivalent to deeper processing. There is a huge amount of  research evidence for both, Craik and Tulving (1975) did an experiment to show Levels of Processing they proposed that as well as depth of processing determining the extent of long- term memory retention, they amount the processing was also important. Murdoch (1962) and Glanzer and Cunitz did an experiment to show the serial position effect in the multi store model, this serial position effect has been used as evidence that two separate stores are in operation and the words are being retrieved from these two stores. However a difference is that more evidence has been found for the multi store model than levels of processing theory, Miller (1956) suggested that the capacity of Short term memory TM is The Magic Number Seven, Plus or Minus Two. Reconstructive memory also explains different types/levels of memory similar levels of processing theory and the multi store model. However reconstructive memory only explains long term memory and not short term memory, deeper processing is linked to schemata which are mental representations of existing knowledge to make sense of what goes on in the world.

Survey of Satisfaction with College Facilities

Survey of Satisfaction with College Facilities Assignment 1 1. Plan for collection of Primary data and secondary data Primary data is the data which is collected directly from the field, i.e., it is first hand data and the secondary data is collected from some other source, i.e. second hand data. In this given problem primary data can be collected through interview to the Students and Staffs of the college. A Questionnaire will be prepared which will be filled up on the response of these individuals. Based on the information provided by them the database will be prepared and thus the primary data will be collected. In case of secondary data, the data could be collected from any organization / department which collects the school/college data or from any journal or from any Researcher. 2. Present the survey methodology and sampling frame used There are different areas in the college which are simultaneously used both by the Students of the college as well as the Staffs of the college. Considering those area alongwith few other he questionnaire is prepared. The survey will be then conducted on the basis of that and a selected sample will be chosen randomly from the students and from the staffs. Here since one has to plan a survey methodology, first thing which has to be done is to identify the sample members. For this purpose a total number of 50 individuals may be selected form70 students and 30 staffs taking 50% from each group (that is 35+15=50). Now, the Interview method will be used here for collection of data. Data on satisfaction level of each individual will be collected on different variables. Once the sampling units is finalized, sampling frame needed to be done. Sampling frame is basically the area/ space from where the sampling is to be done. Here one has to see whether all the units in the population are avail able in the sample. List of students and staffs must be representative of all classes and segments of the college. The level of satisfaction will be coded as 5= very good, 4= good, 3= average, 2= bad, 1= very bad, in five categories, following Likert scaling. 3. Design a questionnaire to know the opinion of students and staff on the matter Gender†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Origin †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. Age†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. Very good Good Average Bad Very Bad How much satisfied are you on the overall infrastructure of the college? How much satisfied will you be if Laundry facilities are available? How much satisfied are you with the Hostel facilities of the college? How much satisfied are you with the gym? How much satisfied are you with the parking facility of the college? How much satisfied are you on the toilet facilities? How much satisfied are you on the structure of labs in the college? 4. Information for decision making by summarizing data using representative values The data collected from the after the survey is recoded as per Likert scaling and is as below: How much satisfied are you on the overall infrastructure of the college? How much satisfied will you be if Laundry facilities are available? How much satisfied are you with the Hostel facilities of the college? How much satisfied are you with the gym? How much satisfied are you with the parking facility of the college? How much satisfied are you on the toilet facilities? How much satisfied are you on the structure of labs in the college? 1 4 2 2 5 2 2 4 2 5 4 4 2 3 4 2 3 3 2 2 4 2 2 4 4 5 1 1 2 4 3 4 5 4 2 2 1 2 5 4 6 1 4 2 2 1 2 4 7 2 2 4 4 2 4 2 8 5 3 2 2 4 5 5 9 3 5 1 3 2 2 4 10 4 2 2 5 3 2 2 11 4 4 4 4 5 4 4 12 5 5 2 5 2 4 2 13 2 2 3 4 4 1 4 14 4 2 2 2 2 2 4 15 5 4 4 4 4 3 4 16 3 4 2 4 2 2 4 17 2 1 1 4 1 1 2 18 4 2 2 5 2 2 5 19 5 3 4 4 4 3 4 20 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 21 4 1 3 4 3 1 2 22 5 2 5 4 5 2 2 23 2 3 2 4 2 3 4 24 5 2 4 4 4 4 2 25 4 1 2 2 5 4 3 26 5 2 4 5 2 4 5 27 4 3 2 4 4 2 2 28 3 4 1 2 2 3 4 29 5 4 2 1 1 5 5 30 4 4 4 2 2 2 2 31 3 4 2 4 5 4 2 32 4 2 3 2 2 2 4 33 5 3 5 3 4 4 4 34 3 2 2 2 2 2 1 35 5 4 4 4 1 1 2 36 4 3 5 2 2 2 3 37 3 2 2 1 4 4 2 38 4 4 2 2 2 2 1 39 5 4 4 4 3 3 2 40 3 2 4 2 5 5 3 41 5 5 1 3 4 2 2 42 4 4 2 5 5 2 1 43 5 2 3 4 4 1 2 44 3 4 2 2 2 2 3 45 5 4 1 4 4 2 4 46 4 4 2 4 4 1 2 47 5 4 3 4 4 2 4 48 3 2 2 4 4 4 2 49 5 5 4 2 3 2 3 50 4 4 3 5 3 3 5 5. For Analytical; purpose the variables are denoting as below: How much satisfied are you on the overall infrastructure of the college? How much satisfied will you be if Laundry facilities are available? How much satisfied are you with the Hostel facilities of the college? How much satisfied are you with the gym? How much satisfied are you with the parking facility of the college? How much satisfied are you on the toilet facilities? How much satisfied are you on the structure of labs in the college? overall infrastructure Laundry facilities Hostel facilities gym parking facility toilet facilities structure of labs Mean overall infrastructure 3.88 Laundry facilities 3 Hostel facilities 2.66 gym 3.26 parking facility 3 toilet facilities 2.7 structure of labs 3.06 The average of the Overall infrastructure is 3.88 which indicated that on average people are recognizing the overall infrastructure as almost â€Å"GOOD†. When it was asked â€Å"How much satisfied will you be if Laundry facilities are available?†, the mean response is 3 which is Average. This is quite sensible because this facility is yet to be there in the college. Regarding â€Å"Hostel facilities†, the average response is below averages which indicate that there is some urgent need to repair this sector. Gym facility is slightly more than the â€Å"Average†. The condition is better than â€Å"Average† but less than â€Å"Good† In case of â€Å"parking facility† the satisfaction level is exactly â€Å"Average† which indicates that there is scope to improve the sector. Satisfaction level on â€Å"Toilet facilities† is below average which also requires urgent attention of the college authority. Structure of Labs also requires some kind of attention. 6. Drawing valid conclusions based on information derived from the survey Laundry The above diagram shows that 36% are saying good to Laundry facility and also 36% is recognizing it as Bad. Only 8% is saying it â€Å"very Good† and 8% is saying very Bad. Some kind of symmetrical situation is observed here. It seems that the service provider is paying good attention to selected individuals. Hostel facilities In case of Hostel 46% saying it â€Å"Bad† and this is a matter of concern. While discussing with Average values, the data indicates the same urgency. But at the same time it can be observed that 24% , which is in 2nd position as far as percentages in concern, is saying is good. It may indicate that some portion of the Hostel is having better situation than the rest. Also 6% feeling their accommodation as â€Å"Very Good†. Gym While discussing about Gym, which is yet to be established, 48% is in favour of this, out of which 42% saying it as a Good facility and 6% as â€Å"Very Good† facility. Parking The above diagram shows that 38% are saying â€Å"Bad† to Parking facility and also 30% is recognizing it as â€Å"Good†. Only 8% is saying it â€Å"very Bad† and 12% is saying â€Å"Very Good†. Toilet In case of Toilet 44% saying it â€Å"Bad† and this is also a matter of concern. While discussing with Average values, the data indicates the same urgency. But at the same time it can be observed that 22% is saying is good. It may indicate that there is also some better situation. Also 8% feeling as â€Å"Very Good†. Lab In case of Lab, which is more related to education, 46% is in favour of this, out of which 36% saying it as a Good facility and 10% as â€Å"Very Good† facility. 7. Trend lines Now as per the given question, the trend lines have to be created in the spreadsheet graph. For this purpose , here the intercept is considered as zero(0) and then the equation is shown alongwith the scatter plot and the trend line. Here the first variable â€Å"Overall infrastructure† is considered as the Dependent Variable and there are other six independent variable. Taking each Independent variables separately, the trend line along with the graph will be created. Case 1. Overall infrastructure and Satisfaction on Laundry: As shown in the graph, the required equation is Y=.732x Case 2. Overall infrastructure and Satisfaction on Hostel: The required equation is Y= .659X Case 3. Overall infrastructure and Satisfaction on Gym : The required equation is Y= .787X Case 4. Overall infrastructure and Satisfaction on Parking facility : The equation here is Y= .740X. Case 5. Overall infrastructure and Satisfaction on Toilet facility : Here the equation is Y=.656x Case 5.Overall infrastructure and Satisfaction on Toilet facility : Here the equation is Y= .735x 9.Business Report All the equations are formed considering the variables separately. In each equation, if value of x is given, the estimated value of Y will be obtained by solving the equation with simple calculation. The dependent variable is considered as â€Å"Overall infrastructure:† which actually says whether there is really any need of ‘refurbishing the whole college† or not. This dependent variable depends on several other issues/ factors as considered as Independent variable. So, taking care or giving attention on those areas actually help the project to take decision whether or not this could be done. The above analysis tells which area needs utmost attention and which area is somehow okay up to this. Based on the analysis, one could say that the two issues .i.e. Toilet and Hostel need to be addressed seriously. Assignment 2 Question No.1 X = scores of a market survey regarding the acceptability of a new product launch by a company Frequency Table with a class interval of 5 Class interval 5-10 10-15 15-20 20-25 25-30 30-35 35-40 40-45 45-50 frequency 2 0 1 1 6 2 10 8 2 Mean, variance and standard deviation. Mean () = ,where N = and Variance = ÏÆ'2= 2 Standard Deviation = Square root of variance. And Xi here will be the mid value of the class interval. The following table is being constructed for the required calculations. Class interval mid value(xi) frequency 5-10 7.5 2 10-15 12.5 0 15-20 17.5 1 20-25 22.5 1 25-30 27.5 6 30-35 32.5 2 35-40 37.5 10 40-45 42.5 8 45-50 47.5 2 247.5 = 32 Here mid value(xi) frequency 7.5 2 56.25 15 112.5 12.5 0 156.25 0 0 17.5 1 306.25 17.5 306.25 22.5 1 506.25 22.5 506.25 27.5 6 756.25 165 4537.5 32.5 2 1056.25 65 2112.5 37.5 10 1406.25 375 14062.5 42.5 8 1806.25 340 14450 47.5 2 2256.25 95 4512.5 247.5 = 32 = 8306.25 = 1095 = 40600 Mean = = 1095/32 = 34.22 Variance = ÏÆ'2= (40600/32) – (34.22)2 = 97.83 Standard Deviation = Square root of variance =9.90 Score corresponding to 50% percentile. 50% percentile is also the median. Here the data set has to be written in increasing order 8 8 18 25 26 26 27 27 29 30 32 35 36 37 38 39 39 39 40 40 40 40 41 41 42 43 44 44 45 45 48 49 There are 32 observations in all => There will be two middle values. The average of those two middle values will be the value corresponding to 50% percentile or the Median. Now since both are 39 implies the average is also 39. So, it could be said that the score 39 corresponds to 50% percentile. Calculate the location of third quartile. Rewriting the data set in increasing order: 8 8 18 25 26 26 27

Speech and Language Therapist (SLT) Role and Ethics

Speech and Language Therapist (SLT) Role and Ethics Role Investigation This essay will investigate a vocational role as a Speech and Language Therapist (SLT). It will cover the role, where the role may be needed and will operate, what qualifications are needed to become a SLT, and what psychological theories are used and applied when working as a SLT. The essay will then cover the ethics required of a SLT and the skills needed because of them. A SLT role requires working with people of all ages with various levels of speech language and communication problems. Such problems can occur when they have difficulties swallowing, drinking or eating. Typical clients they deal with have physical and learning disabilities, hearing loss/deafness, psychiatric disorders or dementia. They help by assessing and identifying the difficulties/disorders the client has and then create and implement a suitable treatment program. They will then continue to see the client on a one-to-one basis to assess the developments made. They will also teach the client’s family, social workers, and teachers on how to communicate effectively to help clients outside their therapy sessions (editors, 2012). The average salary for a SLT could range from  £21,176- £27,625 if they are part of the NHS, but you could go into a specialist role outside of the NHS and the salary range is  £25,528- £34,184. Another option is the work as a freelance SLT. SLTs work within schools, hospitals, health centres, day care centres, rehabilitation unit, client’s homes, prisons and young offender’s institutions. SLTs work typically 9-5, and they could work in several locations (editors, 2012). The training and qualification needed to be a SLT is a degree accredited by the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT). A degree in Psychology will better the chances of getting onto the post-graduate 2 year course, which needs to be taken to get the accreditation. SLTs also need to be a registered member of Health care Professionals Council (HCPC) (AGCAS, 2012). Although a specialist speech and language therapist may require additional skills and training. For example a speech and language therapist in a special needs school may learn Makaton sign language because some children may not be able to communicate effectively. Using signs may help adults understand children which will relieve frustration and reduce anxiety which in turn should help facilitate communication (Enderby, et al., 2009). Speech and language is something quite unique to humans so a lot research has been done into the acquisition and the development of language (Pinker, 1995). Theories are constantly evolving and adapting and speech and language therapists must recognise these and adapt their strategies accordingly (Latham Miles, 2001). The behaviourist approach to language development is that it is learnt in response to a stimulus that gives a pleasant reward (Latham Miles, 2001). This is how a child will associate words with meanings and therefore reinforce the importance of communication and using words. For example Skinner proposed that a child will point and say â€Å"drink†, the child is then rewarded with the drink. The child then associates the word drink with getting a drink and will carry on using it whenever they want one (Skinner, 2014). This is supported by Sundberg, Micheal, Partingtin, Sundberg, (1995) who did a study on five children between two and four-years-old, four had moderate language delays and one typically developing child. They performed the targeted response, i.e. sound, word or phrase, after the conditioned reinforcement was established and then established new vocal responses. For example a subject wanted to be tickled (which was the reinforcement), so said the paired word â€Å"apple†, eventually she started saying â€Å"tickle†. However this study was only done on 5 subjects so its sample size is not relaible enough to generalise universally. Although speech and language therapists could use positive reinforcement as a technique in their sessions, it could be particuarly helpful when working with children. SLTs use games where when they win or complete the task they are intrinsically motivated. Extrinsic rewards do help however the child may get too excited by the reward and their attention turns to the reward rather than the task. Also they may find that the child doesn’t have reward outside the session therefore doesn’t use the communication skills learnt in session outside, in classrooms or at home (Boyle, McCartney, Forbes, OHare, 2007). Also it is important if a SLT is working with someone with mutism or selective mutism to reward every type of communication, no matter how small, whether it be verbal or head shaking. A SLT will talk to teachers and parents/carers to see these small signs of commmunication and how to positively respond to them (Aberdeenshire Council, 2013). This behaviourism technique is what allows children to associate words with meanings however if a child is impaired in this area a SLT may find other ways to allow a child to communicate. For example teaching Makaton signs or using symbols and pictures that they can point to (Roulstone, Wren, Bakopoulou, Goodlad, Lindsay, 2010). However Skinners approach was criticised because it does not explain how people come to put sentences together (Albery, et al., 2008). This point was made by Chomsky, he believed that language was a human instinct (Pinker, 1995) and that the sentence structure was very important in being understood and that a child through behaviourism alone could not learn all of the grammatical rules in his/her language (Chomsky, 1967). For example the sentence â€Å"the cat was on the basket† differs in meaning from â€Å"the basket was on the cat†, Chomsky believed that the order was essential to get a message across (Chomsky, 1967) (Latham Miles, 2001). Chomsky believed that children could understand grammatical rules through their Language Acquisition Device (LAD) and universal grammar. They hear the language, through the LAD, they then pick up on the grammatical rules of language in their universal grammar and then it is put forward to the LAD (cited by Albery, et al., 2008). Th is can explain how children overgeneralise grammar for example when they say â€Å"wented† or â€Å"goed† (Albery, et al., 2008). This can be supported by Berko, children were asked questions to find out whether they knew grammatical rules and could apply them to made-up words. For example they were showed a picture of a â€Å"wug† and asked what two were called. Instead of saying they didnt know because they have never been told, they called them â€Å"wugs†. However this study was done on only English native speakers so it does not prove if children have access to universal grammar rules, it may just suggest children listen and remember grammar rules of the languages they have been exposed to (Berko, 1958). Most people who have suffered from a stroke may know what single words mean but may struggle when it comes to putting sentences together. So its the SLT role to focus on tasks that will facilitate the patient’s ability to construct sentences. They could do this through arranging words on flash cards into sentences (Stroke Association, 2012) Another theory that SLTs use are the stages of language acquisition. At around 7 week’s babies a thought to start the â€Å"cooing† stage, this involves sounds that include vowels like â€Å"ooh† and â€Å"aaaa†. At 7 months children are believed to start the babbling stage such as ‘bodadda† (Albery, et al., 2008). SLTs will use this as guidelines to decide whether a child is developing their language normally. Latham Miles (2001) created a framework which is used to assess where a child is in their language development and interventions to help the child move onto the next band. For example band one the child can express themselves through vocalising, facial expressions, pointing and gestures. The interventions suggested at this stage are for an adult to respond to the child’s attempts of communication and actively play turn taking games with them. This should then help the child move onto band two. The SLTs job will be to continuously assess and evaluate the child’s progress and put in place interventions that parents and carers can do at home to help the child progress. This is a part of the SLTs ethics guide, they must ensure they are making fair and appropriate assessments, judgements, diagnosis and treatment interventions. They must ensure they put the client first and make decisions that would most benefit them based on knowledge and up-to-date research. They must also ensure they are keeping records of all the sessions they have with their clients so that there is a record of progression. It is important they maintain client confidentiality at all times. Above all they must protect their clients and themselves by maintaining a safe, appropriate, and professional environment and relationship (HCPC, 2014). The skills needed to be a SLT because of the type of role are efficiency, to ensure you are on top of all paper work and recent research. They must be able to work with and enjoy working with lots of different types of people, from children to the elderly, and have the patience to listen and help clients. And they must be good at problem solving and creating effective and inventive interventions that will work for specific individuals. In conclusion SLTs have a very diverse job which is changing all the time, from the types of people who require their service, the research behind the service given and what they can do to help their clients. They must constantly be on top of whether their treatments are working and change them accordingly, this means they must be on top of research and take into account both nurture and nature sides of language acquisition. However the role seems creative, rewarding and it seems that they could do something and work with somebody different every day. 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