Guiding Questions

How is an “epidemic of violence” different from the epidemic of Hush Puppies or Paul Revere’s ride? Products and messages are relatively straightforward and simple things. How is crime different?

Response:

• The Gladwell’s tipping point mainly talks about the three rules are the law of the few, the stickiness factor, and the power of context.
• The three main rules offer a perfect way of epidemics. They give us a way towards reaching a tipping point.
• There are different rules followed between epidemic of violence or crime and epidemics (hush puppies did or Paul revere’s ride).
• Connectors were discovered the product of hush puppies, the shoes. They played a key role for hush puppies far and wide spread.
•  Paul Revere viewed as two sorts of people (connector and a maven) who establish the word of mouth epidemics. Paul revere started a word of mouth epidemic. He used to travel on the midnight ride to spread the messages to the people.
• The character of the messenger is the significant part in epidemics. Messenger is what execute something extent.
•  As per Gladwell’s, an epidemic of violence expressed about the crime and the characteristics of the people. We can see various kinds of people in our surroundings. As per the Gladwell’s 1984 encounter turned most of the people attitudes to quit doing violations. The best way to alter people’s behavior is to change their surroundings. If the surroundings are changed then automatically the individuals change their behaviors.
• We can observe that, in the case of hush puppies did or Paul revere’s ride, connectors and maven are used influence the people by spreading the messages.
• Whereas in the case of violence, character of one individual changed other characters.
• While talking about hush puppies or Paul Revere’s ride, we can observe that are mainly to spread about messages or products to influence people. These are honest and simple things.
• Crime is more about a complicated set of behaviors and their unlawful activities, particularly against morality and that can be affect to the other individuals directly or indirectly.
• Criminals are a different kind of people who could be cleared up by the dangerous winds of an epidemic.
• Epidemics are susceptible to the forms and conditions of the times and places in which they occur. (TP p.138 & 139)

Explain your understanding of Wilson and Kelling’s ‘broken windows’ theory. What was the tipping point in the decline of violent crime in New York during the 1990s? How is this theory juxtapose to typical theories of criminal behavior (i.e. Where have you observed such a theory?)

Response:

• Broken window theory suggested by Wilson and Kelling and they claimed that crime is the necessary result of the disease.
• The theory related to the crimes which occurred in New York city in the early 1990s.
• The police department was concentrated on serious crimes, but the theory explains that most of the small crimes happen to serious crimes.
• The broken windows are equivalent to the minor crimes relatively like graffiti and public disturbances, mentioned by Gladwell. If the police department ignores the minor crimes, then there is a chance of an increase in serious crimes.
•  If one window is broken, then rapidly it must be fixed otherwise the other windows will be broken and it leads to community from the building.
• This is an epidemic theory of crime. It states that crime is spreading as a fashion trend is spreading that it can begin with a broken window and expanded to the complete community. (TP p.141).
• 1990’s violent offense weakened across the United States for several reasonably candid reasons.
• Most of the people pulled towards the crime because of fewer jobs for economic failure. Once the economy’s improved dramatically then the new jobs generated.
• The people who are attracted to the crime got received jobs and the overall growth of the people mentioned that there were fewer individuals in the age run guys about eighteen and twenty-four that is in custody of the principal part of all violence. (TP p.140).
• Most of the people are died because of drunk and drive and affected normal people because of these accidents. Previously police don’t take care of these issues but now they are conducting check posts to test the people. Because of this revolution by the police department, most of the people feared about cases and penalties. Now accidents are decreased dramatically when compared with the previous years.

What influences a student to cheat on a test, assignment, or activity in a school assessment and measurement situation? How consistent and transferable is Gladwell’s theory to everyday life?

Response:

•  Nowadays there is a lot competition is going in between the children to get the best grades. There might be a chance to cheat on the tests to get a good grade.
• As per the Gladwell, an experiment was conducted to measure the honesty of the children.
• There are several tests conducted with different approaches with different typical tests.
•  As per the research, there were surprising results that student cheat in the different conditions like under minimal supervision with the answer key given to the students.
• The subject of the test and size of the classrooms are also influenced the children to cheat.
• They didn’t find the students who are honest at all the time and vice versa.
• Some of the students are cheated depends on the environmental factors but not all the time.
• They have also given different physical ability test to observe the children.
• Their first conclusion was that the students from the stable and happy homes cheats less when compared with the other students who are from unstable and unhappy homes.
• As per Gladwell’s, there is a less consistency in the students. There are one kind of children who is honest and children with the kind of cheating.
• Some people used to cheat at school only but not at home and some other students cheat at home but not at school.
•  If the same test conducts between the same group after six months apart, the same of student cheat in the same way. But any pattern of test is changed then automatically the kinds of cheating also changed as well. (TP p.155,156, ; 157)

Define FAE and describe how you have experienced FAE in your professional life.

Response:

• Fundamental attribution error defined as the inclination to judge a person in an offensive position. Which is an unusual way of stating that when it comes to understanding other people’s behavior, human beings constantly make the error of exaggerating the value of the fundamental character features and minimizing the seriousness of the situations and circumstances. (TP p.160).
• I have faced a lot of FAE experiences and this is the one which we faced all over the time. Whenever we plan for vacation to any other cities for a week, some of the friends will never come. Then immediately I used to think that they are involved in some other work that they are not interested in the trip. However, there are some other circumstances at home that don’t permits for the trip.
• The FAE makes the world is simpler and better understandable place. (TP p.161)
• Another Gladwell’s example of Darley and Boston, which we can observe in our daily lives. (TP p.164)
• The most important thing is to determine how to bypass the fundamental attribution error. We must stop thinking for a while before we assuming something. We need to understand the situations and cause for that person’s action to withdraw creating opinions about someone.

What is an environmental tipping point? What is more important in raising youth – family or peer influence? Do you agree with Judith Harris – why/why not?

Response:

• Environmental tipping points are something that we can develop. An environmental tipping point is a somewhat badly defined thought of a while that global environment turns to start with one solid case then over the next steady case.
• We can fix broken windows at the starting point of crime which at a minor stage like graffiti or else it guides to the serious crime. (TP p.167)
• As per Judith, peer influences and social connections plays a key role in deciding how children turn out better than the family rules. (TP p.167)
• I do agree that the both peer and family influences will affect the children. But the majority is going to peer influences.
• Most of youth will stay with the peers more than the family, so peer’s behavior will affect when compared with the family influences.
• The social connections will also influence the raising children behavior. The people we encounter also play a key role in shaping the children behavior. (TP p.168)
• Individual activities are stimulating earth approaching a tipping point.