Author: Andrea Ramirez

When was the last time you won an argument over deciding where to eat out or what film to watch? This boils down to the power of negotiation. What does negotiation mean? Negotiation is simply any instance where an agreement is reached, and in such cases, compromises must be made. It’s an activity in which we frequently engage, sometimes without realizing. Whether on a large or small scale, we all engage in some form of negotiation. When the stakes are higher and the situation is more serious, however, negotiating power comes into play. What is negotiating power? Negotiating power is…

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Management in workplaces and institutions are trusted to make sound decisions and take on leadership roles with the best interest of their employees, and overall the company, in mind. This is especially important for decisions revolving around performance management and recruitment. However, it’s possible for some managers’ judgment to be clouded by personal perspectives or opinions. How do these personal opinions manifest themselves? If managers let their opinions get the best of them, these biased perspectives can manifest themselves as praise or favoritism. Often, we let bias get the best of us without fully realizing it, and unfortunately, it drives…

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Have you ever caught a whiff of an ex’s perfume and been reminded of them? Perhaps such a memory can elicit a tear or a smile. Psychology Why is it that an action as simple as this elicits a response from us? The answer points to classical conditioning. What is classical conditioning? Classical conditioning refers to learning a new response when two stimuli are combined. It entails assessing a natural response to a neutral stimuli and linking it with a learned stimuli to elicit this once naturally occurring response. This concept was first explored by Russian psychologist Ivan Pavlov in…

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It’s easy to simply go through life acting on our decisions without taking a second glance at the reasoning behind them. In this way, we take it as truth that we are fully in control of our own decisions. However, research suggests that this isn’t exactly true, and one reason for that is the sociability of humans. We humans are predominantly social creatures, and we have survived and thrived due to our ability to be social. What has been the importance of human’s need for sociability? Over the course of our evolutionary history, our predecessors faced persistent danger. They survived…

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Catching a flight now is easy and pretty much available wherever, something that wasn’t possible over a century ago, until two brothers changed the game. Who can we thank for the possibility of flight today? The first pioneers of flight were the Wright brothers: Wilbur and Orville Wright. These two brothers from Dayton, Ohio, flew in the air for the first time in 1903. They flew aboard the Wright Flyer, a power-controlled aircraft. This phenomenon wasn’t a single and isolated event, however. The young men, who were interested in mechanics, had been dabbling with the notion of flight now and…

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Out of all the times you have ever witnessed a stranger fainting in the street full of people, how many of those have you actually reached out to help? What have you noticed about these occurrences? Perhaps you’ve noticed that some people do rush to the scene to help, while others simply glance and keep walking. Why is it that reaching out to help isn’t as common as we’d think, given the multitude of people around? Knowing that someone else can reach out to help, given that you’re surrounded by people in a crowd or in public, can actually decrease…

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It’s not an unheard of phenomenon that people follow social tendencies, trends, and crowds. So why is it that people follow the crowd? A social experiment was carried out to explore this concept. What is the Asch Conformity Line Experiment? Solomon Asch wanted to explore the idea of conformity; that is, explore the extent to which people are willing to conform to pressure and social standards. In the 1930s, he carried out the Asch Conformity Line Experiment. In this study, Asch placed a participant in a group of accomplices, without disclosing that the other participants were actually not part of…

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Similar to the way a person who is normally very outspoken and outgoing might try to dull themselves on a first date so as to not intimidate the person, it’s possible for someone to hide or force their language differently. What is linguistic code switching? Linguistic code switching refers to purposely changing the way you communicate to be perceived differently. This can include adjusting your accent, vocabulary, syntax, grammatical structure, or mannerisms. Linguistic code switching can sometimes be subtle or even done subconsciously. It heavily depends on your surroundings: the place, the people, or the situation. How is code switching…

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Dating apps promise users to deliver a supply of compatible singles in your area. The truth is that dating apps allow limbo to happen and be extended. Because it is so accessible and so easily downloaded, people in your area can be thought of as being easily accessible. Dating apps provide a modern and convenient twist on meeting someone. It’s now possible to seek out people who supposedly are ready for something. How does the structure of dating apps influence users’ experiences? The structure of dating apps rely on a simple swipe left or right motion. If two profiles share…

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What are the reasons for learning a new language? Perhaps you were offered an opportunity to study or work abroad, or maybe you have entered a relationship with someone that speaks a language different from yours. Whatever the reason, learning a new language can seem daunting. What are the benefits to learning a new language? Learning a new language can introduce opportunities for academic and professional growth. In addition, it results in improved neurological connections. Because learning a new language takes persistence and continuous effort, it engages concentration and memorization skills. Ultimately, it helps people become more focused and motivated…

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