I have completed 8 questions out of 13 and I have 5 left for my SPA project

SPA 340 speech and language envelopment.

The questions in the project are about a script, you have to read it first and then answer.
SPA 340 Project 1

SPA 340 – Language Development
Project 1: Preschool Language: Development of Early Syntax

Due Date: See Syllabus

Guidelines for answers:

For this assignment you do not need to describe context.

Please use quotes or highlights when you refer to something a child has said within your text. For example, a child may omit a word; you must transcribe sentences exactly as it was said.

Your assignment should be typed. Put your answers in list form, not essay.

· Please underline the portion of a sentence that answers the question.

i.e. Find a contractible auxiliary. ‘I am going to the store later.’

· Please use table format provided for your answers.

· A transcription of Ella and Molly’s conversations will be available for you to use during your analysis.

Children you will be observing on video:

Ella: 21 months

Molly: 2;10

Questions
Child 1: Ella 21 months

1. Find one example where Ella clearly imitates her mother’s 3-word utterance. (3 points)

2. Find an utterance where Ella omits a pronoun. What pronoun did Ella omit? (3 points)

3. Find 1 example where Ella produces an utterance with contractible copula. (3 points)

4. Find an utterance that contains a Brown’s Semantic Relation. Write the utterance and state which semantic relation it is. (3 points)

5. Find an utterance that contains an infinitive (not semi-infinitive). (3 points)

6. Find an utterance that contains an uncontractible copula. (3 points)

7. Use the handouts of Brown’s Stages provided to you. Which stage characterizes Ella’s language? Provide at least three points why her language is appropriately characterized by that stage. (6 points)

Child 2: Molly 2;10

8. Find 1 utterance where Molly produces negation. (3 points)

9. Find 1 other utterance where Molly produces negation with irregular third person. (3 points) (This utterance should be different than the example in #8)

10. Molly produces an utterance in which she omits an obligatory ‘to be’ form. Provide the utterance and the name of the form (Brown’s grammatical morpheme). (3 points)

11. Listen for the following morphological structures in Molly’s language. Provide the number of examples requested for each. Give the entire utterance but specify which aspect represents the target utterance. (12 points). 2 examples each of: regular third person, irregular past tense, present progressive tense,

12. Find 2 utterances in which Molly produces subject-auxiliary inversion. One is with a modal (write the modal in italics). (5 points)

13. Find one example in which Molly produces a conjoining sentence (a coordinate conjunction). (5 points)

14. Give an example of Semantics, Morphology, Phonology, Syntax, and Pragmatics in Molly’s conversation. Keep your answers short, but include an example. EXAMPLE of how to write answers: Semantics: use of pronoun “I” (5 points).

Name:

#

Question

Answer

Child 1: Ella 21 months

1

Find one example where Ella

clearly imitates her mother’s

3-word utterance. (3 points)

Vans are on.

2

Find an utterance where Ella

omits a pronoun.

What pronoun did Ella omit?

(3 points)

(Uh, I/’ll open), I’ll open.

(Uh, I/’ll open it), I’ll open it.

3

Find 1 example where Ella

produces an utterance with

contractible copula. (3 points)

That/’s [concop] a song man.

4

Find an utterance that

contains a Brown’s Semantic Relation. Write the utterance.

State which semantic relation it is. (3 points)

5

Find an utterance that

contains an infinitive (not semi-infinitive). (3 points)

I want to see that monkey.

6

Find an utterance that

contains an uncontractible copula. (3 points)

Those are[unconcop]Ruthie/’z wipe/s.

7

Use the handouts of Brown’s

Stages provided to you. Which stage characterizes Ella’s language?

Provide at least three points why her language is appropriately characterized by that stage. (6 points)

Stage:

1.

2.

3.

Child 2: Molly 2;10

8

Find 1 utterance where Molly

produces negation. (3 points)

No, ribbit.

9

Find 1 other utterance where

Molly produces negation with irregular third person. (3 points) This utterance should be different than the example in #8

(He doesn’t) This part doesn’t work.

10

Molly produces an utterance

in which she omits an obligatory ‘to be’ form. Provide the utterance and the name of the form (Brown’s grammatical morpheme). (3 points)

Utterance:

Brown’s grammatical morpheme code:

11

Listen for the following

morphological structures in Molly’s language. Provide the number of examples requested for each. Give the entire utterance but specify which word represents the target utterance. (12 points)

Regular Third Person

1. He wants another flavor.

2. He says he likes, he likes orange.

Irregular Past Tense

1. I gave this one to Duky, monkey gets his and I gave that one to the horsey.

2. He fell.

Present Progressive –ing

1. The baby’s going to eat.

2.Hey, it keeps moving

12

Find 2 utterances in which

Molly produces subject-auxiliary inversion. One is with a modal (write modal in italics). (5 points)

1.

2.

13

Find one example in which

Molly produces a conjoining sentence (a coordinate conjunction). (5 points)

1.

2.
15

Amy Cocanour

SPA 340

Transcription Project 1

Ella

C/A

Utterance

Morphemes

A

Wanna sit up here so I can put them on.

10

C

Eeee.

%

A

No?

You want to sit down here?

1

6

C

{Heavy breathing}

%

A

Alright.

Vans are[unconcop] on.

1

4

C

Vans are[ unconcop]on.

4

C

(XXX)

C

I/’ll open it (I/’ll open it I/’ll open it).

4

C

(Oh), help.

1

A

Okay, here you go.

4

A

Are[unconaux]you go/ing to call somebody?

Subject auxiliary inversion question form

7

C

Kay, )oh(.

1

A

Who are [conaux]you go/ing to call?

WH question form

7

C

Amber.

1

A

Amber?

Ok.

1

1

C

That/’s[concop] a song man.

Amber/’z song man.

Yes.

5

4

1

C

Hello?

Ooops.

That/’s[concop] (X).

1

1

C

There.

1

A

Who do[d] you see?

4

C

(XXX)

C

What/’s [concop]that?

What/’s[concop] that?

3

3

A

Those are[unconcop]Ruthie/’z wipe/s.

6

C

Ya.

1

A

Are[unconaux] they go/ing to dance?

6

A

(Uh oh)?

uhoh

1

C

(Uh, I/’ll open), I’ll open.

3

A

Do [d] you want to try?

5

C

Ya.

1

C

I/’ll open.

3

A

You try.

2

C

I/’ll open.

3

A

Pull harder.

2

C

(Oh).

A

Good.

1

C

Who/’s that?

That/’s Tobey.

3

3

A

That’s not Tobey, who is that?

C

What’s that?

A

That’s Daddy.

C

Tobey.

A

Are you being silly?

C

That’s (X).

C

What’s that?

What’s that?

A

This?

That’s a phone.

C

Monkey.

A

Oooh, what a cute monkey

A

Want to take him down?

C

(XXX)

C

I want to see that monkey.

A

What a cute monkey.

C

Oopsie.

A

Oopsie.

Here we go.

C

I want to see mommy.

I want to see them, mommy.

A

He’s soft.

C

Soft.

C

I want a toy.

I want a toy.

A

Okay.

A

What’s that?

C

That’s a pony.

A

A pony?

Hmmm.

C

No.

A

What is it?

C

That’s a phone.

A

Okay.

C

What’s that?

A

Looks like a dolly.

C

Dolly?

C

I want to see her.

C

Dolls.

A

You have lots of friends to play with.

C

She is nice.

C

I want the monkey.

I want the monkey.

A

Is there a baby monkey?

C

Ya. (XX)

C

What’s that?

A

This?

A

What do you think it is?

C

That’s a meow.

A

A mah?

C

Ya.

C

C

Alright.

(Oh, I, I wa*) I wanna see.

Try.

A

It’s a talking (X).

C

I sit!

I sit!

A

You want to sit?

Up here?

C

No.

A

Where do you want to sit?

C

I want to sit on these.

This is not on these (XX).

C

That’s the shoes.

C

A monkey (X), a monkey (X).

A

Hi, Ella.

A

You’re going to fall off.

C

No.

I won’t fall off.

C

(What’s up) What’s up?

C

Go here.

C

There.

Ella.

A

Hi.

C

I won’t fall.

C

Fish.

A

Look at the fish book?

C

I want that one.

I want Ella.

A

Where’s the fish?

A

Do you see them?

C

Right there.

A

That’s not the fish, that’s a crab.

C

I want to see the crab.

A

Keep looking.

C

I want to keep looking.

A

Okay.

C

What?

A

Do you see the fish?

C

I see the fish.

A

Who is that?

C

That’s more.

Where’s the fish?

A

Where is it?

Do you see it?

C

Mm-mm. No.

A

Is that its tail?

C

I see the tail.

C

That’s a fish {giggles}.

A

Where’s the fish?

A

Do you see them?

C

No.

C

This is a dolphin.

A

Yea, it kinda looks like a dolphin.

It’s a shark.

A

Do you see the fish now?

C

Right there.

A

All kinds of fish, right?

C

(Where’s the fish Where’s the fish) Where’s the fish?

A

See them?

A

He says, here I am.

C

Where’s the dolphin?

C

(Where’s the fish) Where’s the fish?

C

(Tail) Tail.

C

Where’s the fish?

C

Here they are.

C

(What’s that What’s that What’s that) What’s that?

A

That’s a little fish, isn’t it?

C

(What’s that) What’s that?

A

It looks like the orange fish.

C

Where’s the dolphin?

C

That’s^

C

(Who’s that Who’s that) Who’s that?

A

That’s a shark.

C

Shark.

C

(Where’s the fish Where’s the fish) Where’s the fish?

C

Where?

A

Do you see them?

C

No.

A

Do you see them now?

C

There they are.

C

Oh, right here.

A

Right there.

C

(I wa) here I am.

C

(Where’s the) where’s fish now?

A

I don’t know.

C

No.

A

You should keep looking, I don’t see him.

Do you see him?

C

No.

A

You should keep looking.

I don’t see him

C

Here I am.

A

Who’s that?

C

It’s a blue fish.

C

What’s] that?

A

It looks like the orange fish.

C

(Where’s the Where’s) Where’s the fish now?

A

Do you see him?

C

Right there.

A

Okay.

Turn the page and see if that’s him.

A

Huh, is it the fish?

C

No.

C

What’s that?

A

That looks like him doesn’t it?

C

Where’s the crab?

C

Where?

A

Do you see the crab?

C

Yeah.

A

He’s big isn’t he?

C

What’s that?

C

That’s little one.

C

Where’s the fish now?

A

Hmm, I don’t see him, do you see him?

C

No.

C

Here I am.

C

Where^

C

Where’s the fish now?

A

Do you see him?

C

No.

C

What (*d)^

C

I want to keep looking.

A

Okay.

C

I wanna see the fish.

A

You wanna see the fish?

C

Where’s the fish now?

A

I don’t see him.

A

Do you see him?

C

Right there.

A

Yea, looks like the fish.

A

Where did he go?

C

Where^

C

Where’s the fish now?

A

I don’t know.

C

Here I am.

C

Where’s the fish now?

A

Do you see him?

C

No.

A

Me neither.

C

Here I am.

Molly

C/A

Utterance

Morphemes

C

(XX) ahhh!

He fell down.

C

I think Barbara bunny wants to get on the horse now.

A

Oh, I have an idea Mol.

Maybe we can tie him on.

A

Oh no, maybe he wants to sit.

A

Hey, he’s coming (to), for you.

Giddy-up, horsey.

C

Do the ducky, Mama!

A

See, look I’m going show you how.

A

You wind like this, you turn it and then you let it go.

C

Yee!

A

See, what else is in your box, Mol.

A

What else do you want to play with?

C

Oooh, what’s these things?

A

Uh, oh.

C

They pop out, Mama, they don’t pop out.

C

They keep them.

A

Let’s see what else is in here.

C

Circles, triangles, and some squares.

A

Circles, triangles, squares.

A

Look, here’s one of each.

A

Oh.

A

This is part of a game, looks like a little game.

Oh, Mol, look.

A

Hello, Molly {Kiss noise}!

A

Hello.

Hello, Molly.

C

Look, look, look.

A

What is it?

C

A ducky.

C

Hello, (X).

A

Hello, Duck. How are you?

C

(He doesn’t) This part doesn’t work.

A

Let’s see.

Oh, I know Mommy can help you. Here, put your thumb, put your thumb right here in his mouth.

And put your other fingers up there.

A

Can you try that?

Thumb up here.

(XX)

C

Hello, hello.

A

Hello, duck.

A

Duck, do you want to have a tea party?

C

Yea.

A

Kay, let’s see if we can find something.

C

Dragon.

Ribbit, ribbit.

A

Is that a dragon?

C

No, ribbit.

A

What is it?

C

It’s a ribbit.

A

A ribbit?

C

Yea.

A

Let’s set up a tea party for all our characters.

A

You want to, Mol?

C

Ya.

A

Okay, where should we have our tea party?

C

(Let’s gets) let’s get [err] play (this) this thing too.

A

Huh, what in the world is that?

A

I’ve never seen one of those.

C

(XXX)

A

Hmm, look, Mol!

There/’s food for a tea party.

C

Oh, yea.

A

Wanna get out some food?

A

We’re going to bring it up to the table though.

A

Let’s bring it up here.

A

Here, sweetie, let’s bring it up to the table.

C

Woah.

C

(XXX)

C

Put this here and, and they go over (X).

A

Kay, come on up so we can set up our tea party (X).

C

What are these?

A

Those are oranges.

C

Oranges.

That (that) one’s the oranges.

A

What about Brown Bear Barney?

C

Brown Bear Barney wants apples.

A

Look, it’s CuriousGeorge.

A

He can come to the party?

C

Grapes!

Can go to^

C

CuriousGeorge.

A

Wait, somewhere.

Here, do you want to sit in a chair with me?

A

You can sit with Sissy.

C

Mama!

Look, a monkey, a monkey!

A

Oh, how funny!

A

What is he going to eat at the party?

C

He is going to eat grapesies.

A

Okay, let’s set him over by BrownBear Barney.

Cause their friend/s.

C

Mama, these things^

is this a carrot?

C

(Are) are these green beans Mama?

These green beans?

A

Yea, green beans and, uh, bananas.

C

Nanas.

A

Bananas.

C

Those are three bananas, one, two.

C

One, two, three.

Now these things want to go to this box, Mama.

A

Oh, a little penguin and baby.

C

What’s this?

A

Hey guys, (hey guys) are we ready to have our tea party?

A

Hey Molly!

I want a banana please.

C

Um, you can have all the bananas

C

Okay, peel them.

A

You want me to peel them?

Kay.

C

You can peel this one.

A

(Oooh, oh) who’s going to eat it?

C

Umm, you!

A

Oh! {Eating noises}

A

I like to eat it with the peel on, I’m silly.

C

Do you want to eat this one?

A

I do {Eating noises}.

Mmm, that was delicious.

C

And the last one?

A

Mmm {eating noises}.

A

I really like carrots.

C

(Umm, umm) the carrots can go to someone else.

A

Hmm, who?

C

The duck.

A

The duck’s going to eat a carrot.

C

Yea.

C

What can he eat?

C

Ducky.

A

Maybe we should invite some more friends to our party.

C

(Mama, I’ll go get some) I’ll go get someone more.

A

Do you want to invite Horse to our party?

C

(XX Little girl), (little girl little), little girl.

A

Is that a little girl?

C

Yeah.

A

Oh.

C

Mama, I wanna see.

A

How can you tell it’s a little girl?

C

Cause she, Mama, (she) she has her, see?

A

Is it a little girl?

How can you tell?

C

Umm, yea, I can tell, it is.

A

It is a little girl.

What should we name her?

C

Umm, Sara.

A

Hi Sara, want to join our part?

A

Sara, do you want to join our party?

C

Who are these?

C

There’s no more food for the horse.

A

Hmm, maybe someone could share with Mr. Horse.

A

Does someone wanna share?

C

She shared.

A

She shared.

C

(That’s X), that’s (X).

A

Huh, they’re the same.

C

The baby’s going to eat.

Hey.

A

{Laughs}

C

The baby’s going to eat that.

C

Hey, it keeps moving.

A

What do you (X)?

A

Let’s see, who gets the blue cup?

A

Ducky?

C

I gave this one to Ducky, monkey gets his and I gave that one to the horsey.

A

Which one did you give to dog?

A

Green?

A

(And what did we give) let’s give her a name.

C

Her name is Sara!

A

Sara?

A

Sara says, Molly I want a red cup please.

C

I gave her a red cup already.

A

Oh, okay.

A

Everybody has their cups.

A

Mol, you and Mommy don’t have a cup.

We don’t have a cup.

A

Hmm, do you have an idea?

A

Mol, let’s do shapes for a cup.

A

Do you want a shape for that cup?

C

Can you open this thing?

A

(XXX)

C

Ducks won’t play that.

C

(Those) all animals want to put them in their bowls.

A

Oh, for food?

C

(No), no, those are not food that you see.

C

(They’re) they’re things that you can play with.

A

But they want to put it in their cups?

A

We could, huh, we could pretend it’s ice cream.

C

Yea.

A

Want to pretend?

C

Yea, yea.

A

Kay, Doggie says, “I want lime.”

A

Here you go.

C

No, frog said that!

A

Oh, frog wants lime?

C

Yea, frog said lime.

C

(You I already gave)I already gave] him white.

A

Oh, what should we say white is?

C

White probably tasted like (*st-uhh) ^

(White just tastes like) it tastes like greenies.

A

Greenies?

C

(It tastes like greenies) it tastes like (ohh) pinks Mama, pink ones.

A

(Ooh, pink could be) what could pink be?

C

(Strawberry), strawberry.

A

(Huh, strawberry) Horse says {Neigh} I want strawberry.

C

Ok.

A

That’s what horse said, got to give him strawberry.

C

{Neigh}

{neigh}

A

And (oh) look, Curious George says I want blueberry.

(Oohohh) Blueberry.

C

And who else wants pink?

C

Brown Bear Barney wants pink.

A

What does Sara want?

C

She wants pink.

A

Okay, I would like, (mm), cherry please.

C

(Oh), what’s in (what’s in) (X) Sara?

C

Red is cherry.

A

Red is cherry?

C

(XX) What tastes like purple, Mama?

A

Can I taste my cherry ice cream?

C

No, not yet.

A

Not yet?

C

No.

A

Hm, okay tell me when it’s time.

A

Huh, I have an idea.

A

Instead of a tea party, should we pretend it’s someone’s birthday?

C

No, tea party.

A

No, tea party?

A

It could be someones birthday too.

C

Tea party!

A

Okay.

A

(Who is is this,) is this Duck’s?

C

(Mm, Duck said, uh-huh,) I give that to Duck!

C

She wanted pink.

A

She wanted pink.

C

Uh-huh.

A

(I hear uh) I hear BrownBearBarney is saying something.

A

He says “Molly, I want some lemon.”

C

Um, we do have some lemon.

A

Here you go, Brown Bear Barney.

C

(Oh, we he already) he asked me for strawberry.

A

Oh, he only wanted one?

C

Yea.

A

Oh, okay.

A

What color cup would you like?

C

I don’t have a cup.

A

Would you like Mommy to get you a cup?

C

Mmm.

A

How about a green heart cup?

C

Yea.

C

I want pink.

I want that one.

A

Okay, maybe we should tell everyone at the party they can eat now.

C

Not yet, Mama.

C

Still someone who does not have any.

A

Does everybody have ice cream?

C

No.

A

Who’s missing?

C

He wants another flavor.

He wants another flavor.

A

He wants another flavor?

C

(X) She wants another flavor.

A

Kay, what about frog?

Ribbit.

A

Should we give everybody two flavors?

C

Yea.

C

(Wha) what can (XX) the orange one (XX)?

A

Should we sing Happy Birthday?

C

Mama, (this is not)this is a party.

It’s not a birthday.

A

Oh, a tea party, not a birthday?

C

Yea.

A

Okay.

A

I’d like one more favor.

(Could I have, umm Oh) I like orange.

A

Could I have chocolate too?

C

(Umm we only have, you only can have) pass it around after the oranges.

A

Everybody gets an orange ice cream?

A

But I think Curious George doesn’t like orange.

C

He does like orange.

A

Wait, he’s telling me something. {Whisper noises}

A

(Huh, he told me) he’s going to tell you something. {Whisper noises}

A

What did he say?

C

He says he likes, he likes orange.

A

He does?

C

Yea.

A

Okay.

A

I thought I remembered someone not liking orange; maybe it was BrownBearBarney. {Whisper noises}

C

He said he does.

A

What did he say?

C

He says I like orange.

A

Oh, okay.

A

Maybe it was frog.

{Psst} Molly, I don’t like orange.

C

He does.

A

No, Molly, I’m allergic.

C

No, he’s, (he he’s) not allergic.

A

Oh you’re not allergic, frog.

It’s not orange, it’s strawberry.

I can’t eat strawberry, Molly.

C

(He can eat, he can) no he can eat strawberry!

A

Oh, well there’s some flavor I don’t like, maybe it’s (uhh), grape.

C

Yea.

A

I don’t like grape.

Please don’t give me grape.

C

I want (X), (umm, he didn’t like) he does like all the flavors.

A

He does?

C

Yea.

A

Oh.

A

Would you like a blueberry, I’ll put it in your cup.

C

Yea, I’m going to leave (these) them after.

A

I think it’s time to tell everyone they can eat, they’re hungry.

C

Not yet, Mama.

C

(The) who’s this one for?

C

(What’s)who’s this one?

C

Mama, I want to pass grape now.

She likes grape!

A

Okay, that’s the last one.

And then it’s time to eat.

Their tummy/s are (huh), their tummys are rumbling.

C

Yea.

A

Sara says, “My tummy’s rumbling, Molly, I’m hungry.”

C

No, you can’t eat, this is the last, (X).

I’m going to have^

Pass these ones, the yellow ones.

A

It’s the last one?

C

The last ones and, and all those ones.

A

Wait, Sara’s talking to you. “Molly, my tummy’s hungry, can we eat now?”

C

Um, not yet.

A

“But why?”

C

But I am still passing these around.

A

(Oh), okay, I’ll wait.

C

Here penguin.

C

More purples.

A

What about me?

You forgot me, Molly.

C

(Um), there’re no more purples.

C

They’re some more pinks.

A

Huh, it’s hiding.

C

Purple!

A

Okay, let’s put away our food.

C

No.

A

I think everybody has a lot of food.

C

They don’t have any more food, mama.

(We have to have them for, tothey are still, they) they/’re hungry, hungry, hungry.

A

They’re really hungry?

C

Yea.

C

They’re still hungry.

A

Okay.

C

Their tumblies not rumbling still.

C

They need green, they don’t have any green.

A

Okay, last one. Then we’re going to eat.

C

And then, yea.

A

Kay.

C

And then, Mama we need blueberry for them too.

A

Are we ready to eat or is there something else that they need?

C

They need blueberry.

They don’t have any blueberry.

C

These some blueberry, mom, blueberry (and then) and then the last one.

A

Kay.

C

(And I get Mama, I’m putting), I’m getting some yellow ones out.

A

You wanna give them all lemon too?

C

Yea.

A

Oh my goodness, (the) these guys are really getting well fed.

C

Yea.

A

They have a feast.

C

Not yet!

There’s another, something else (X).

C

Yea, all done.

A

Kay.

A

Are they all ready?

Would you like some help passing them out?

C

Yea.

A

Kay, I’ll help you.

A

Froggie needs one.

Doggie needs one.

C

I need.

A

Who else?

C

He already has one.

A

(Oh), I don’t have one.

I don’t have any (X).

C

I don’t have one.

I.

A

Kay.

A

Are we all ready to eat?

C

Yea.

A

What should we do before we eat?

C

Um, let’s just eat our food.

A

Just eat our food?

Ooh, don’t put it in your mouth for real.

Just pretend.

A

Kay, ready?

Tell everybody they can eat.

C

Eat, everybody.

Choose one of the topics below to research in relation to cellular biology and related technologies. Evaluate and report on the advances made in these fields and the possible benefits to society. Be sure to also include any possible risks associated with these technologies.Technological ApplicationsNew Treatments for Cancer (e.g. drugs that target tumour cells)New Treatments for HIV/AIDSRadioisotopic Labeling to Study Internal OrgansFluorescence to Study Genetic MaterialCriminal Forensic TechniquesAntibiotics for Drug-Resistant Bacterial StrainsNanotechnologies for Diagnostics and Treatment

In the Materials and Methods section you explain clearly how you conducted your study

in order to: (1) enable readers to evaluate the work performed and (2) permit others to replicate your study.

You must describe exactly what you did: what and how experiments were run, what,how much, how often, where, when, and why equipment and materials were used. The main consideration is to ensure that enough detail is provided to verify your findings and to enable the replication of the study.

You should maintain a balance between brevity (you cannot describe every technical issue) and completeness (you need to give adequate detail so that readers know what happened).

This should be the easiest section to write.

1. Order your procedures chronologically or by type of procedure and then

chronologically within type of procedure using sub-headings, where appropriate, to

clarify what you did. It is up to you to decide what order of presentation will make the most sense to your reader.

2. Use the past tense and the third person to describe what you did. For example: “The sample was incubated at 37ºC for 3 days.” – NOT: “I incubate the sample at 37ºC for 3

days.”

3. Describe your experimental design clearly, including the hypotheses you tested,

variables measured, how many replicates you had, controls, treatments, etc.

4. Explain why each procedure was done. Reference may be made to a published

paper as an alternative to describing a lengthy procedure.

5. Identify the source of any specific type of equipment, a specific enzyme, organism,

or a culture from a particular supplier, which is critical to the success of the experiment.

6. Describe in detail any modifications to equipment or equipment constructed

specifically for the study and, if pertinent, provide illustrations of the modifications.

7. Precisely quantify measurements (all metric) and include errors of measurement.

8. Describe the dates and the site where your field study was conducted including

physical and biological characteristics of the site, if pertinent to the study’s objectives.

9. Identify treatments using the variable or treatment name, rather than an ambiguous, generic name or number (e.g., use “healthy donors” rather than “group 1”).

Other points to consider when writing the Materials and Methods:

1. Don’t mix results with procedures.

2. Omit all explanatory information and background – save it for the discussion.

3. Don’t include information that is irrelevant to the reader, such as what color ice

bucket you used, or which individual logged in the data.

Dependent Variable

The variable that depends on other factors that are measured. These variables are expected to change as a result of an experimental manipulation of the independent variable or variables. It is the presumed effect.

Independent Variable

The variable that is stable and unaffected by the other variables you are trying to measure. It refers to the condition of an experiment that is systematically manipulated by the investigator. It is the presumed cause.

The process of examining a research problem in the social and behavioral sciences is often framed around methods of analysis that compare, contrast, correlate, average, or integrate relationships between or among variables. Techniques include associations, sampling, random selection, and blind selection. Designation of the dependent and independent variable involves unpacking the research problem in a way that identifies a general cause and effect and classifying these variables as either independent or dependent.

The variables should be outlined in the introduction of your paper and explained in more detail in the methods section. There are no rules about the structure and style for writing about independent or dependent variables but, as with any academic writing, clarity and being succinct is most important.

After you have described the research problem and its significance in relation to prior research, explain why you have chosen to examine the problem using a method of analysis that investigates the relationships between or among independent and dependent variables. State what it is about the research problem that lends itself to this type of analysis. For example, if you are investigating the relationship between corporate environmental sustainability efforts [the independent variable] and dependent variables associated with measuring employee satisfaction at work using a survey instrument, you would first identify each variable and then provide background information about the variables. What is meant by “environmental sustainability”? Are you looking at a particular company [e.g., General Motors] or are you investigating an industry [e.g., the meat packing industry]? Why is employee satisfaction in the workplace important? How does a company make their employees aware of sustainability efforts and why would a company even care that its employees know about these efforts?

Identify each variable for the reader and define each. In the introduction, this information can be presented in a paragraph or two when you describe how you are going to study the research problem. In the methods section, you build on the literature review of prior studies about the research problem to describe in detail background about each variable, breaking each down for measurement and analysis. For example, what activities do you examine that reflect a company’s commitment to environmental sustainability? Levels of employee satisfaction can be measured by a survey that asks about things like volunteerism or a desire to stay at the company for a long time.

The structure and writing style of describing the variables and their application to analyzing the research problem should be stated and unpacked in such a way that the reader obtains a clear understanding of the relationships between the variables and why they are important. This is also important so that the study can be replicated in the future using the same variables but applied in a different way.

You will defend the truth (agreement) of the following statement :

The expectation is that you present a thorough analysis and presentation to defend statement. You are required to support the positions put forth in defending the statement. The course material must be used to provide the support.

“It is better to be a leader than a follower.”

Post your position in the Discussion area for Week 6 by Thursday.. By Saturday, you will refute the validity of the opposite viewpoint of at least three classmates based on your arguments. By Sunday, respond to those You are expected to maintain your position at all times. In responding on Saturday and Sunday, you are expected to support the position put forth. The course material must be used to provide the support.

Completing the Learning Activity

Read the grading rubric for the project. Use the grading rubric while completing the project to ensure all requirements are met that will lead to the highest possible grade.

Third person writing is required. Third person means that there are no words such as “I, me, my, we, or us” (first person writing), nor is there use of “you or your” (second person writing). If uncertain how to write in the third person, view this link: http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/first-second-and-third-person.

Contractions are not used in business writing, so do not use them.

Paraphrase and do not use direct quotation marks. Paraphrase means you do not use more than four consecutive words from a source document, but put a passage from a
26 / Journal of AHIMA August 11

Time to Lead

Leaders and Leadership, Building Trust By Carolyn Valo, MS, RHIT, FAHIMA

TO LEAD IMPLIES many things—leading a project, a self-man- aged or self-directed team activity, or becoming a department director, manager, or supervisor, all the way to extending and applying gained skills, advanced education, and experiential learning to perhaps lead a large enterprise.

As a member of AHIMA, there are many tools, resources, and learning opportunities available to each one of us, such as the Leadership Academy, other related online education, the Body of Knowledge, and the Communities of Practice, all of which are accessible from AHIMA’s Web site. Leadership, however, goes beyond these notable educational tools and resources. AHIMA and each component state association provide opportunities to expand our learning around leading and serving in leadership roles through volunteering.

Learning to become a leader goes beyond skill building and experiential learning; for many, including me, networking with our peers helps us identify role models and mentors with leadership experience. Combined, these tools, resources, and networking options can help provide pathways to becoming a leader, if desired.

Inspiring Trust Trust is a key imperative of leadership. In fact, trust and leader- ship may even seem synonymous. As a leader, trust is at the core of effectively leading people, processes, tasks, or activities.

Leaders who inspire trust must gain trust as a first good step in leadership. A high degree of trust between a leader and his or her staff or among team members helps reach desired goals or outcomes. Leaders who display or extend trust and demon- strate active listening skills encourage open participation, mo- tivate individuals, and more importantly, they inspire others to demonstrate trust in team or project work.

Trust requires clarity (of goals and roles), confidence (in staff and team members), consistency (in how processes are ap- plied), and active listening skills in order to encourage all to participate in tasks and activities. Trust helps foster common understanding and collaboration, which leads to efficiently

reaching desired goals or the organization’s vision and mission. As an example of how an HIM manager can inspire trust, as-

sume that a manager just learned accounts receivables, or AR (days or dollars), are outside the target. The manager decides to seek direct input from the staff that performs the day-to-day functions related to AR.

When the manager takes, as a first step, engaging the staff to problem-solve the missed AR target, the staff members feel confident that the manager trusts in their knowledge, skills, and ability and are more likely to be motivated to reach decisions on how to realign and maintain the AR target. In addition, this approach likely fosters open and active staff collaboration and

participation. In this example, inspired trust results in gained trust, with staff taking ownership for monitoring and develop- ing practices or processes related to maintaining the depart- ment’s AR target.

As you explore becoming a leader or encouraging others to lead, consider this statement on leadership skills: “Leadership is not exerting power over others or exhorting them to follow you. Rather, it results from your example of empowering others to step up and lead. Leaders do that by learning to lead them- selves, becoming self-aware and behaving authentically.”1

Note 1. George, Bill. “Leadership Skills Start with Self-Awareness.”

Minneapolis Star Tribune, February 26, 2011. www.startri- bune.com/business/116923928.html.

Trust helps foster common understanding and collaboration, which leads to efficiently reaching desired goals or the organization’s vision and mission.

Copyright of Journal of AHIMA is the property of American Health Information Management Association and

its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder’s

express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use.