A Cognitive and Social Psychological Perspective on the Demand for Fashion

The fashion industry is an important global industry. In 2012, in Britain it generated more than £48 billion annually and employs more than 600,000 people. Whether or not we consider ourselves fashionable or interested in fashion, we all clothe ourselves in items we have bought or have chosen to wear. Individuals in developed countries tend to buy more fashion items than they need and many have bought items that remain unworn. The fashion industry depends on demand for new ideas and products which allow individuals to perceive themselves as socially or economically superior or simply different. From a psychological perspective, this is in conflict with the well understood desire to conform. The psychological underpinnings of the demand for fashion are complex and have been neglected in research. This paper considers the cognitive and social psychological roles of decision making in the demand for fashion

How technology can facilitate students’ reflective practice

Reflective practice, engaging with experience, reflecting-in and reflecting-on action (Schön 1983) develops new understanding and leads to persona-l and professional development (e.g. Moon, 1999). Reflective practitioners are able to self-regulate and monitor their progress. Reflecting on what was learned can help students become more aware of their own thought processes (McCrindle and Christensen 1995), but reflecting on how it was learned, metacognition (Flavell 1978) offers far greater benefits. There exists mounting evidence for the benefits of metacognition in relation to enhanced performance and academic success (e.g. Coutinho 2007; Dunning et al. 2003). However, despite the costly time investment incurred by recording reflections in journals, reflections are more often retrieved from memory than from the written word. Thus the retrieved reflection is subject to the fallibility of human memory (e.g. Baddeley 1999, p.275): distortion, embellishment or forgetting. Furthermore, despite evidence demonstrating that when learners know reflections are to be read, graded or assessed by others, the incentive is to demonstrate knowledge and hide ignorance or doubt (Boud and Walker 1998), students’ reflections in HE are typically assessed. Dewey’s original purpose of reflection was to consider and strive to overcome weaknesses. In fact, Boud (1999) highlights the dichotomies between the nature of reflection and the nature of assessment, and questions the value and integrity of assessing reflective practice at all

An ideal balance?

Considers the intersection between employment policy and family law, and the changes in work and family regarding traditional gender roles. Examines UK and EU policy initiatives aimed at achieving a better work/life balance for employees with children. Argues that many of the policy aspirations are predicated on an equal opportunities employment model that may not exist in practice and also fail to reflect the realities of family life

Using meta-reflection to enhance performance

Much evidence supports the use of reflective practice for personal development, yet it is not commonly used as a learning tool in students. More typically, reflective writing is assessed as a stand-alone piece of work. The objective is then simply a grade. The proposed project would actively promote the use reflections to improve performance by means of using technology to record, store and retrieve them. These individual reflections will populate a database so that ultimately, with permission, each individual's reflections can be accessed by others via the database. Thus these reflections will become a learning tool for students. Using technology facilitates classification and retrieval and reduces the problems associated with human memory

Towards transparent telepresence

It is proposed that the concept of transparent telepresence can be closely approached through high fidelity technological mediation. It is argued that the matching of the system capabilities to those of the human user will yield a strong sense of immersion and presence at a remote site. Some applications of such a system are noted. The concept is explained and critical system elements are described together with an overview of some of the necessary system specifications

Informal Relationships National Report: Scotland

No abstract available

The breadwinner, the homemaker and the worker/carer: new stereotypes for old?

No abstract available