The Future of “Fair and Balanced”: The Fairness Doctrine, Net Neutrality, and the Internet

In recent months, different groups--pundits, politicians, and even an FCC Commissioner--have discussed resurrecting the now-defunct Fairness Doctrine and applying it to Internet communication. This iBrief responds to the novel application of the Doctrine to the Internet in three parts. First, this iBrief will review the history and legal rationale that supported the Fairness Doctrine, with a particular emphasis on emerging technologies. Second, this iBrief applies these legal arguments to the evolving structure of the Internet. Third, this iBrief will consider what we can learn about Net Neutrality through an analogy to the Fairness Doctrine. This iBrief concludes that, while the Fairness Doctrine is not appropriate to use on the Internet in its present form, the arguments for the Doctrine could affect the debate surrounding Net Neutrality, depending on how the Obama Administration implements Net Neutrality

The Age of Neuroeducation

Neuroeducation as an amalgamation of neuroscience, cognitive science and educational psychology has the explicit aim of improving classroom teaching and learning and has repeatedly stressed the role of the teacher in student motivation and learning. This article briefly reviews the nature of human learning from the perspective of neuroeducation and presents four factors of successful learning as a consequence of this line of research. These four factors relate to the credibility of the teacher, individual differences, the role of a positive classroom climate and the activation of previous knowledge

Psychological Universals in the Study of Happiness: From Social Psychology to Epicurean Philosophy

Within the framework of Positive Psychology and Needing Theories, this article reviews cultural practices or perceptions regarding what happiness is and how it can be achieved. Mainly research on Subjective Well-Being (SWB) has identified many cultural differences in the pursuit of happiness, often described as East-West splits along categories such as highly expressed affect vs. quiet affect, self-assertion vs. conformity to social norms, independence vs. interdependence and the like. However, it is the overall goal of this article to show that whatever the normative content of a culture’s or subculture’s view of happiness may be, it involves the same basic psychological needs beyond how people may choose to report or express resulting emotions. In particular, the theory of happiness proposed by the Hellenistic philosopher Epicurus provides broader, more inclusive categories and concepts which can be used to explain and possibly harmonize assumptions from particular traditions

COME THEN, AND BE GRAFTED: THE MYSTERY OF FAITH AND DIVINE REVELATION IN AUGUSTINE’S HERMENEUTIC OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

This thesis argues that Augustine’s theology of faith is constitutive to his hermeneutic of the Old Testament, because faith is the necessary predisposition to perceive the mystery of God revealed in Scripture and encounter the grace that effects transformation in the soul. In reading the Old and New Testament as a mutually interpreting dialectic that clarifies the mystery of God revealed in Scripture, the content of Scripture provides categories for further interpretation. Augustine’s understanding of Scripture as the locus for God’s gracious action in the soul suggests that Scripture should be understood as part of God’s larger design to heal the soul of pride and concupiscence. Thus, through a faithful reading of Scripture, the believer participates in Christ’s righteousness and therefore fulfills the Law in grace and truth. Given the formal and theological likeness between Augustine and Paul’s reading of Scripture, this thesis concludes with reflections on how Augustine exemplifies an imagination profoundly converted by Paul’s texts, and in turn provides insight into reading Paul’s own texts anew

An exploratory study of the perception of family conflict and it's [sic] relationship to family structure and birth order : effects on late adolescent male and female self-concepts : a thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Psychology at Massey University, Turitea, Palmerston North, New Zealand

The relationship between self-concept, birth order, family structure and family conflict is an area of potential interest to researchers due to the complexity of factors, which can influence development in adolescence. The purpose of the following study was to explore the relationship between self-concept, gender, birth order, family structure, family conflict, and family relationships for the late adolescent between the ages of 17 and 19. The sample consisted of 204 people, the vast majority of which came from three Palmerston North high schools. The sample also consisted of a few first year Massey university students. Demographic information along with a scale to measure family conflict and relations with family members came from a questionnaire designed by the researcher. Self-concept was measured by the Tennessee Self-Concept Scale (2 nd Edition). Results indicated there was a significant difference in the self-concept scores between those from high and low conflict families but no significant difference in self-concept scores between those in intact and non-intact families. Males scored significantly higher than females on the Total Self-Concept Scale, Moral Self Concept Scale, Academic/Work Self-Concept Scale, Social Self-Concept Scale, Physical Self-Concept Scale, Family Self-Concept Scale, and Personal Self-Concept Scale. There was no significant difference on total self-concept scores between birth orders. First borns did perceive significantly higher conflict in their families than last borns but did not perceive significantly higher conflict than middle borns. The total self-concept correlation coefficient was highest for first borns but this only differed from middle borns. Family relationships as a buffering measure did not interact with family conflict and therefore, does not moderate the relationship between total self-concept and conflict