Effective Note Taking

The piece I have taken notes on is a talk given by Sherry Turkle at a TED conference. Sherry Turkle is a sociologist and psychologist who studies how technology has had a huge impact all of our lives (TED 2012).

The note taking technique I used for this particular piece is in outline format. The following bullet pointed notes are what I took from this talk:

·        Technology is psychologically powerful

·        Technology has changed what we do and who we are

·        People text during meetings, classes, presentations etc

·        A new skill learned-Eye contact whilst texting

·        Technology takes away from everyday life

·        Adolescents are not developing face to face relationships

·        Children need to develop conversational skills

·        We spend more time on social networking instead of going out with friends

·        We expect more from technology and less from each-other

·        With technology we can control what we want to say

·        People don’t want to feel alone so we turn to technology to help feel connected

·        We actually end up isolating ourselves without realising it

·        Technology takes us away from the real world

·        This can all be changed if we develop more self awareness of our devices, if we teach our children not to depend on technology and encourage conversation within the home.

·        We need to think about the kind of connection we want to have

People are letting technology rule their lives. They are not socialising as much or if any. Adolescents are not getting the face to face conversation that is needed for the development of their social/people skills. Basically the message being portrayed here is that we are allowing technology to take over our lives and not necessarily in a positive way but this can all be changed if we are willing to make changes.

Reference List

TED, (2012), Sherry Turkle: Cultural Analyst, [online], Available at: http://www.ted.com/speakers/sherry_turkle.html [Accessed 7th December 2012].

Clune, D. (2012), Technology Visa would accelerate growth in web sector, [online], Available at: http://deirdreclune.ie/latest-news/enterprise/technology-visa-would-accelerate-growth-in-web-sector/ [Accessed 7th December 2012]. 

Literature Review

The topic I am going to talk about here is an area that interests me within my psychology coursework. It is about “Operant Conditioning” which looks at behaviours and how they are learned and unlearned.

“Operant conditioning is a type of learning in which behaviours are influenced by the consequences that follow” (Skinner 1938 cited in O’ Brien 2011, p. 63).

My understanding of this is that an organism’s behaviour depends on the outcome that follows. If it is a positive outcome, the organism is more likely to repeat the action. “A behaviour followed by a rewarding or favourable response is more likely to be repeated” (O’Brien 2011, p.63). Skinner based his theory on tests he carried out using a hungry rat in a box. Food was put into a tray by an automatic dispenser which is operated by a lever. The rat learned when he hears the dispenser he has to press the lever to receive the food.

According to Eysenck (2002, p.101), the food in this case is a primary positive reinforcer. This basically means that the food is the stimuli or the reward that will be obtained once the action has been completed. Eysenck stated that we will repeatedly do things that result in rewards and that in our everyday lives our actions being continuously rewarded would almost never be the case.

Today in the area of social care, operant conditioning is used for example: to reward or praise a child for good behaviour or to punish a child for bad behaviour. In a working environment, operant conditioning can be used for example: to reward an employee by giving praise, promotions or a pay rise or it can also be used in the negative sense, to punish an employee for a number of different reasons such as not adhering to their employment contract in some way.

Reference List

Cherry. K, (2012), What is Operant Conditioning, [online], Available at: http://psychology.about.com/od/behavioralpsychology/a/introopcond.htm [Accessed 4th December 2012].  

O’Brien. E, (2011), Psychology for Social Care, An Irish Perspective, Dublin: Gill and Macmillan.

Eysenck. M.W, (2002), Simply Psychology, 2^nd Edition, UK: Psychology Press.


Burgemeester. A, (2011), What is Psychology?, [online], Available at: http://whatispsychology.net/operant-conditioning-examples-in-everyday-life/  [Accessed 7th December 2012].

Best Presentation I Have Seen and Why?

The presentation I will be basing this piece on was given by Steve Jobs on the launch of the first ever I Phone.

This presentation consisted of what I would deem to be the key characteristics to giving an effective presentation. Each slide was clear, concise and comprehendible to the audience. It was carried out with confidence and spoken at a pace that was understandable to the listener.The font size, layout and colour scheme was easy on the eye and the pictures included were in relation to the topics being covered.

Steve Jobs kept the attention of his audience throughout the presentation and only took an occasional glance at the screen when changing slides or when showing the audience onscreen how a particular part of the device worked. This presentation was given with slight humour which got the attention of the audience.

Steve Jobs explained in detail about the product and how it combines each of apples products since 1984 into one device. He showed step by step how to use the different parts of the I Phone and was completely interested in what he was talking about and his demonstrations were engaging.

Being prepared is fundamental in giving an effective presentation. According to Provan (2009, p.3), “great presenters not only inform us but most of all, they inspire us”.

Having a simple but inviting power-point and not putting your whole presentation into your slides like an essay will make it more appealing to your audience. Showing your personality and humouring the audience will most definitely help in giving a successful presentation. It is equally important not to over rehearse as it may come across as such when you are presenting (Quick Sprout, n.d).

Overall I think that Steve Jobs carried out a very effective presentation and could not have informed the audience about the product any more than he did. It was clear and understandable and even though it was a very long presentation, it was interesting and this is only because of how he presented it.  

Reference List

Provan. D, (2009), Giving Great Presentations in Easy Steps, [online], Available at: http://books.google.ie/books?id=IARX_4hDYA4C&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false [Accessed 4^th December 2012]

Quick Sprout, (n.d), 10 Tips for a Killer Presentation, [online], Available at: http://www.quicksprout.com/2007/09/01/10-tips-for-a-killer-presentation/ [Accessed 4^th December 2012]     


Laughlin. A, Hay,. K, (2012), Apple I Phone Reaches it's Fifth Birthday-pictures, [online], Available at: http://www.digitalspy.ie/tech/news/a390208/apples-iphone-reaches-its-fifth-birthday-pictures.html [Accessed 7th December 2012].

Cognitive Intelligence v Emotional Intelligence

“Emotional Intelligence refers to a person’s ability to successfully manage emotions in self and in others” (Daft 2008, p.143).


“Cognitive Intelligence refers to the ability to act purposefully, think rationally and deal effectively within your environment” (Stein 2009, p.44).


When working within the social care profession, it is my understanding that emotional and cognitive intelligence are much needed tools when dealing with the different types of service users.


With regards to cognitive intelligence, I believe this to be true because for example: When working with any of the above groups of people, it is part of the job to be able to think outside of the box and come up with different ways of helping the service user that will benefit them in a positive way. According to Cree and Myers (2008), thinking outside of the box is fundamental in order to really make an impact on lives. I also believe that having the ability to think of positive ways of dealing with certain situations you may find yourself in will allow for a more enjoyable and successful career.


In relation to emotional intelligence and a social care setting, my thoughts are that any person in this area of work or thinking of a career in this area should be emotionally intelligent. A social care worker/social worker should have the ability to empathise with service users, be understanding and non-judgemental towards them in addition to having strong communication skills, motivation, self-awareness and an ability to reflect critically on a situation. It is important to make the service user feel that someone cares about what they may be going through.

I believe both emotional intelligence and cognitive intelligence to be equally important traits to have in any social care setting. One goes hand in hand with the other for this particular line of work. It is fundamental in this type of work to have the ability to use your head to deal with a situation whilst at the same time always thinking about the feelings of the service user.






Reference list

Daft. R.L, (2008), The Leadership Experience and Infotrac, Fourth Edition, USA: Thomson Higher Education.

Stein. S.J, (2009), Emotional Intelligence for Dummies, Canada: John Wiley and Sons Canada Ltd.

Cree. V, Myers. S, (2008), Social Work, Making a Difference, UK: The Policy Press.

Shutterstock, (2012), Human Brain Research, [online], Available at: http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-87221350/stock-photo-human-brain-research-and-intelligence-in-autism-as-a-puzzle-with-a-blue-glowing-maze-and-labyrinth.html [Accessed 7th December 2012].