Constructivist Epistemologies Bronfenbrenners Ecological Systems Literature review

Constructivist Epistemologies Bronfenbrenners Ecological Systems Theory of Human Development in Contemporary Psychology - Literature review Example Piaget’s development of a framework for a constructivist epistemology as well as the need for the expression of this in a theory of social psychology can be seen as a fundamental influence on the development of Bronfenbrenner’s ‘Ecological Systems Theory’.1 Table of Contents Table of Contents 2 I. Introduction 3 II. Constructivist Epistemology 5 III. Cognitive Synthesis & Knowledge Processing 7 IV. The Social Construction of Knowledge 8 V. The Role of Education in Knowledge Construction & Personal Development 10 VI. Ecology, Psychology, and Systems Theory 12 VII. Conclusion 14 15 VIII. References 15 â€Å"Ecological systems theory is an approach to study of human development that consists of the 'scientific study of the progressive, mutual accommodation, throughout the life course, between an active, growing human being, and the changing properties of the immediate settings in which the developing person lives, as this process is affected by the relations between these settings, and by the larger contexts in which the settings are embedded.† â€Å"Making Human Beings Human: Bioecological Perspectives on Human Development† + Urie Bronfenbrenner (2005, p.107) I. ... In the â€Å"Handbook of Child Psychology: Social, Emotional, and Personality Development† (2006), William Damon and Richard M. Lerner make the statement that "the self is a personal epistemology," which in its simplicity has profound implications for the approach to psychological methodology, a theory of knowledge, and also personal identity. (Damon & Lerner, 2006) Bronfenbrenner’s ‘Ecological Systems Theory’ of human development is based in a constructivist epistemology that explains personal development through interweaving environments that relate to knowledge systems in the family, school, workplace, culture, and history. Learning, memory, thinking, and behavior all include aspects of the way the mind apprehends, processes, and applies knowledge systems to the environment. In basing psychological methodology on a constructivist epistemology, a phenomenological approach to understanding human development through language, knowledge, and behavioral patte rn conditioning related to systems theory is proposed by Bronfenbrenner. Damon & Lerner (2006) cite the following studies as psychological references for the understanding of the self as a â€Å"personal epistemology†, the diversity accentuating the range of ‘Ecological Systems Theory’ in practical application: The â€Å"McMaster Model of Family Functioning† (NB Epstein, DS Bishop - Family Studies Review, 1984 – also: 1973, 1981, 1991) â€Å"Implicit Social Cognition: Attitudes, Self-esteem, and Stereotypes† (AG Greenwald, Psychological Review, 1995) â€Å"The Psychology of Personal Constructs - Vols. 1 & 2† (GA Kelly, New York: Norton: 1955) â€Å"The Self in Thought and Memory† (H Markus – ‘The Self in

American Airlines Innovation Report Research Paper

American Airlines Innovation Report - Research Paper Example It does flights both internationally and domestically, including the Caribbean, North America, South America, Asia, Europe, and Africa (Forty 44 ). The developments of this airline range are adverse i.e. passenger services improvement, electronic ticketing, discounts, introduction of self service machines, AAdvanced bag machine check programs, in-flight connectivity programs, power ports introduction to the plane, â€Å"remember me† feature, on board purchase features, and some others as will be seen in details later . American airlines have revolutionized the airline industry when they initiated the passenger services over 50 years ago. Up to date, American Airlines has not relented on its commitment to investment in technology and innovation so as to achieve customer satisfaction. From an advanced AA web site to a Self Service Check In, it has evolved its technology to serve the changing demands of the airline industry and of its customers. The AA website offers more tools a nd more options to the passengers; it has become more convenient in general. Therefore, most customers will continue using American Airlines services. The airline boasts of being the leader in innovation, as it was ranked 11th in the Information Week 500, which is a rating of the most creative organizations in the US. In 1998, American Airlines became the foremost airline to present electronic ticketing across the 44 countries it operates in (Mallarino 170). The AA website receives about 1.7 million visits in a day and is considered the biggest distribution channel in America as well as the best platform of online business within the airline. The airline has the reward packages for passengers who book their flights online get a discount guarantee, and there is no booking free of charge. The American Airlines also has a Mobile platform. The platform is a useful tool to the modern connected passengers and is the main force behind the airlines technology being developed to ease travel for the passenger (Stacks 45). The Airline also has a travel package commonly known as the American Airlines Travel Application. This application has been created with focus on the distinct characteristics of a particular mobile device, which enables timelier and simpler updates as new tools are created and released. This makes the American Airline remain ahead of other companies in terms of application innovation. These applications are available on various platforms including iPad, iPod Touch, iPhone, Blackberry, Android, Windows Phone 7, Amazon Kindle Fire, Barnes, and Noble NOOK Color Readers Tablet (Geza 45). The Airline has a Mobile Boarding pass chance that applies to passengers using American Eagle and American Airlines flights in about 80 cities and 10 international airports. The passengers have the option of receiving their boarding passes on their mobile phones when they book flights in the AA website using either the mobile or desktop version. The passenger is sent an em ail with a link to a boarding pass with a 2-D barcode. This barcode can be used at select American Airlines gates and TSA security checkpoints by scanning the 2-D barcode. The Wi-Fi widget enables customers to find out if the flights they have booked will be Wi-Fi enabled. The in-flight connectivity is a very important tool for leisure and business passengers (Cearly 60). The AA website enables passengers to receive computerized information about their