The Piano Essay Example

The Piano Essay Colonialism (both sexual and political),symbolism,depiction of Maori,Portrayal of male characters,etc. The Piano looks at social patternings of the two main male characters,Stewart and Baines,rules of behaviour in society,their usually unsuccesful attempts to live out their desires,and how each ones identity affect the others place in the family,community and life. The Piano has powerful emotional themes resonating through it, all dealing with the release of repressed passion. Baines, one of the main male figures in the play,who has embraced the native Maori methods of living, no longer clings to the values of British society, and is therefore quite capable of expressing himself freely, which he does in some strange ways. On the other hand , Stewart views the Maori with suspicion and hostility . Baines is another settler who assists Stewart,especially in mediating between him and the indigenous Maori whose language and customs Baines has come to know and sometimes share. Stewart cannot apreciatte either the need for the piano. Campions use of the blasted setting for Stewarts house,in pointed contrast to Baines more ecological integrated one ,depicts the tradition and the use of the landscape for We will write a custom essay sample on The Piano specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The Piano specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The Piano specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer symbolic as well as representational differences between the two male characters Stewart and Baines. Unlike Stewart who has built his cottage in a wooden cottage surrounded my bush and mud,Baines is in harmony with his enviroment. Baines moves between the separate worlds of Maori and white,acts as messenger and interpreter. He has long ago given up any attempt to distance himself and the native people. Baines relationship with the Maori is very good. In a way, he has succeed to create a bridge nature and culture in the film through his affinity with the land and his easy relationship with the Maori stand in contrast to Stewart. Stewart makes a bad start and his marriage gets off when he leaves the piano on the beach where Ada and Flora land. He is a capitalist colonizer trying to buy the burial land from Maori and trying to exploit them. Maori blend in the country and move through the landscape in such a way that white people can never match there. Stewart would not be in the country if it were not in the process of being colonized. He is obsessed with owning more and more land and he treats the Maoris like children . Stewart complains to Baines What do they want the land for? They dont cultivate it, burn it back. How do they even know its theirs(pg. 121). Stewart appears as a confused man ,who tries to control his world,his music,his sex ,is emotional deadness with moments of humour when he orders Flora to witewash the indigenous trees after she and some of her friends are caught rubbing up againstthem in a playful way. The Piano for him is an object of no value until it can be exchanged for some land. Value for him is seen in terms of exchanging or buying property of land. Therefore,Baines is a more sympathetic character than Stewart because he is more in touch with the Maori among whom he lives and they in turn are more in touch with the nature in the play. Although Stewart is very conservatively severely dressed,he wants to show that he is a gentleman and he only cares about how he appears to others as we have seen in the play. The camera captures him to comb numerous times his hair and care not so much about the image of his future wife but more about the reflection of his face in the small framed photo where Adas is represented. As opposed to Stewart,Baines is dressed informally,he stays more close to the land,gives not a big emphasis in the outer look but more to his feelings,has softer tones,as also his face marked with the special tatoos moko expressing not only Maoris identity but also his affinity with both Maori and nature,as a white Tarzan of The Piano. He has gone bush and has a strong relationship with the Maori people. He is the natural man that speaks Maori like native. He is not afraid to go down to go down the river and wash his dirty clothes in public in front of the native women there. Baines is more native than civilised with his apperance in the film. When Ada arrives and brings the piano with her,Stewart sees it as invaluable untill Baines puts a value on it . It becomes a commodity with exchange value and Ada learns to bargain her body for her desire, the piano. Stewart puts her in that position . He has no idea of what empathy with the woman means. In falling back on his patriarchal authority , he turns Ada against him permanently, where she sees him like a monster. Baines, on the other hand, thinks always of Ada and the importance of the piano to her . He hears her in her silence, while Stewart does not hear her at all. Stewart is never a husband to Ada. His behavior makes Ada look elsewhere, since he is not prepared to give her anything she needs. Stewart slips easily to the role of tyrrant for Ada,since her father chose him as his daughters partner. He is presented with a puritan patriarch order. The two mens contrasting relations to the Maoris also serve to give us their measure, perhaps a little too obviously: Baines is linked to the natural people and more interested in Ada than in music. Baines is illiterate but not ignorant. Watching Ada play her piano, listening to the music with which she speaks, he can detect a passion in this woman that he too wants to play. Stewart is a man that values have failed him,although he tries to show Ada his patriarchical figure. Most of the cases,he undermines her like a bargain. He has already accepted her muteness and he thinks that she snob. As opossed to Baines,Stewart denies the affection of love. Stewart wanted to know how she looked ,although Baines wanted to know how she felt. Her muteness fascinates Baines but creates dreadful thoughts for Stewart. Baines, a man with no education,without manners and no restraints the antithesis with Ada,but also the only man the appreciates her beauty and respects her autonomy. He has a sensuous play of touch and smell and that is his language with Ada. Their bodies become the dictionaries and instruments of expression,while the piano serves the smell of the salt sea and the sound of the keys. It is so expressive and erotic as Ada is elevating the scale in her piano climax as Baines in the meantime massaging her leg through a hole in her black stocking. Baines has no interest in piano lessons. But he talks Ada, who finds him repulsive, into an exchange. She will earn her piano back, key by key, if she will tolerate his indecent sexual desires while she plays. Ada, forced to submit to unwanted contact with Baines to regain the piano her husband sold without her consent. But Adas need for the piano outweighs her rage and resentment. Adas willingness is enforced as Baines ups the stakes, more keys in exchange for more sexual favors from Ada. However, Baines is ready to drop his pants at almost any excuse,as opposed to Ada that sheds her inhibitions, and her clothes, at a slower pace. Baines seduction of Ada is lengthy, slow, deliberate shown in the film with the help of a warm afternoon sunshine between them. By giving her the power to bargain with him, Baines has liberated something in Ada. He is the one who recognizes the sexual passion contained in Adas piano playing. He and Ada are becoming imprisoned by their passion for each other. His passion for Ada makes him free her not only from the bondage of her father but also from Stewart,whereas Ada builds a better and more balanced relationship with the masculine figure of Baines . He is the man that can admit her feminine elements and she can also in turn accept his masculine in her. Baines is somehow feels sickened about that degraded bargain at a point and he wants Ada only if she wants him, and is prepared to send her away. She must now decide if she wants to give herself to him of her own free will and that is the liberating moment of her sexual passion . After she leaves, Baines is haunted by the echo and odor of a woman that she has left him with awe and lot of thoughts. Stewart makes two attempts to rape her,but she manages to drive him crazy with frustration and unables him to rape her at the end. He feels unable anymore and his only alternative is to imprison Ada and Flora in the home by nailing shut the door and windows. The piano has lost a key and now the wife will lose her finger. The punishment from Stewart symbolically fits the sexual crime. In a rage Stewart chops off Adas index finger with an axe. When he tells Flora to give the wrapped finger to Baines, it it is with the warning that if he ever tries to see her again Ill take off another and another! (Campion, 104). Stewart shows here by cutting her finger his patriarchys brutal denial of female passion in all its liberating possibilities . Afterwards Flora is made to deliver the finger, instead of the piano key, to Baines. Stewart, unable to be a man with his strong wife after that incident , is after finding himself near her bed where he is sexually aroused by her victimized condition and undoes his pants. But when Adas eyes open, Stewart is stopped in his tracks, stopped in his tracks, and hears the voice that sounds in her mind. A man in Stewarts position ,though deeply repressed in his sexuality,expects to be able exercise his rights over his wife,but even there he fails. His hopefulness about winning Adas heart and love is as pitiable as his violence on her is odious. Even Flora does no longer see him as a threat to her relationship with her mother. He understands that he must let her leave with Baines. Sacrifice precedes the powerful resolution of the impossible conflicts in this film. Stewart sacrifices Ada to restore her and he regains himself. Flora finds her own voice when she risks the complete sacrifice of her mothers love. Baines sacrifices land, then the piano, then Ada, and after regaining her, finally sacrifices his old identity entirely for Ada and her love. As far as Adas side, she sacrifices the piano for her love of Baines, for Flora, and for her own will to live. The film ends with ambiguity. Baines, Ada, and Flora move to a town where Ada, is fitted with a metal finger,which has repaired Stewarts assault , gives real piano lessons and is learning to speak. Baines is there to love her and so is Flora. But Ada dreams of still being attached to the piano in the deep sea. Here we return to The Pianos deep structure of imprisonment and freedom. Imprisoned by silence, by passion, by bars, by men, by New Zealand, by Victorian custom, and by the will that was not her own, Ada escapes to freedom and finds her voice. She unexpectedly finds the voice she silenced as a child and the love she perhaps never knew. Show preview only

Sample of Essay For Magnet Program

Sample of Essay For Magnet ProgramWriting a sample of essay for magnet program is one of the toughest assignments you will have to perform. Writing this kind of assignment will basically cover three sections of a general essay on an important topic. The first section, what is your purpose for writing this essay, will be an introduction.This is your starting point to actually define who you are and what you expect from the magnet program. In this section you must put your best foot forward, as this will be the basis of any possible response that you might receive. The next part will be the body of the essay and this is usually the second part of a general essay. You will be submitting this part of the essay via email and this is where you have to make sure that you have written it perfectly.After you have written the body of the essay, the final paragraph is typically the most difficult. It is the last part of a piece and in order to ensure that the essay does not fall apart, the stud ent must make sure that they have properly answered the question. To keep it interesting, you can use a sample of essay for magnet program as a guide to help you keep it on track.There are many essays that provide you with great ideas on how to answer certain questions in a number of different ways, but the easiest way to do so is by using a sample of essay for magnet program as a reference. Also, you will find many examples online, so you can get a general idea of what you can and cannot say in a particular circumstance.The essay for magnet program should also include your essay advisor's name. Even though you do not have to do it by the end of the project, you should still include it, as it is an extra resource for the essay. If you get all the information that you need before the deadline, it will not make the process any harder. By following these guidelines you will ensure that you do not get caught off guard by a final deadline. If you are not sure of your own strengths and we aknesses when it comes to essay writing, a sample of essay for magnet program will give you a better idea of what you should prepare yourself for.If you are using a sample of essay for magnet program, make sure that you use this resource to your advantage. Not only will you make sure that you know all the answers to all the questions, but you will make sure that you are well prepared in the event that you have to take on a specific type of assignment. It is important to remember that writing an essay for magnet program can be challenging, but it is also rewarding essays will make you a better writer.

How to Write a Literary Analysis on African American Literature

How to Write a Literary Analysis on African American Literature When you are writing a literary analysis on African American literature, your goal is to analyze a particular piece of literature by reviewing the characters, plot lines, and literary devices employed by the author in order to make their point. A â€Å"Literary Device† is a storytelling and/or literary technique that uses an identified set of characteristics or patterns common to the genre or sub-genre. For example, comedies use juxtaposition to create a sense of ridicule towards a stuffy or rigid character. Whether you are discussing an author or a playwright for your literary analysis on African American literature you can be sure that each will use all kinds of â€Å"devices† to create a desired response. For example, if you are watching a comedic play you are going to see and hear an array of jokes or witness that helps to move the story forward. The same can be said of the tragedy or the drama as well, with the exception being that they use alternative devices. â€Å"Subordinate Character† is another useful technique you might use to analyze a piece of literature for your next literary analysis on African American literature. When we speak of main characters we tend to mean the heroes or the characters, who drive narrative or action of the story. The â€Å"subordinate† characters tend to actually give the main characters a bit more definition or dimension by interacting with them in a positive or negative manner. How exactly would a subordinate character’s interactions with the main character affect the plot? Usually, there are different ways that these characters will â€Å"speak† to the hero or heroes of a story. They include: Internal and External Conflicts – the subordinate character may physically represent some sort of internal conflict with which the main character is struggling, or they may actually be the external conflict that is driving the plot. A good example of this is the group of â€Å"suitors† against whom Telemachus is struggling in â€Å"The Odyssey†. Their presence in the boy’s home drives him to behave in certain ways. Motivations – subordinate characters might also serve to motivate the main characters to behave in a way that deeply drives the plot of the story too. For example, in â€Å"Romeo and Juliet†, we see Juliet’s father forcing her to marry Paris as one of the primary motivators behind her actions with Romeo. Relationships – the relationship between a main and subordinate character can also serve to drive the plot. Again, in â€Å"Romeo and Juliet† we can see that the relationship between Romeo and his best friend Mercutio leads him to slay one of the Capulets and initiates the story’s tragic conclusion. Influences – there are also ways in which the subordinates can influence the plot too. Consider the famous tale â€Å"Great Expectations† and how Miss Havisham so persistently influences the plot of the story through her manipulation of both of the main characters of Pip and Estella. Finally, â€Å"Character Traits† are the very specific qualities of any literary character are displayed through the â€Å"traits† the reader or viewer witnesses. For example, the character of Mercutio in â€Å"Romeo and Juliet† is a bit wild and careless and this is the ultimate reason that the reader or viewer will anticipate and accept his untimely death. Many authors and playwrights use words spoken directly by characters in order to help the reader or viewer to define that character and to make the story clear. The ways that characters â€Å"speak† are called narration, dialogue, monologue and soliloquy. These are all literary devices that all modern readers are used to and readily accept. All of these items are useful devices to analyze when writing your paper next time. We hope that they will help you. We have also prepared a set of 20 topics followed by 1 sample essay and 10 facts on African American literature analysis.

Save Dispute For People

Save Dispute For People Save â€Å"Dispute† For People Save â€Å"Dispute† For People By Maeve Maddox The verb dispute, like contradict, connotes disagreement. Unlike contradict, dispute does not work equally well with human and nonhuman referents. The following â€Å"clickbait† headline illustrates what I mean: 13 Facts That Will Dispute The Person Who Says Reagan was a Great President Facts or people may contradict, but only people dispute. The verb dispute entered English from Old French in the thirteenth century with the meaning â€Å"to contend with opposing arguments; to debate or argue.† That remains the chief meaning. Another meaning is â€Å"to challenge.† Here are examples of correct usage: The people are tired of  political parties disputing among themselves, he says. How to dispute an error on your credit report Some Experts Dispute Claims Of Looming Doctor Shortage Scientists offered cash to dispute climate study Here are examples in which the verb dispute is used where contradict or another word or phrase would be more apt: There is no evidence in the record that will dispute the fact that Tiger Inn does not invite guest lecturers to speak on its premises. If a person strongly believes in something, any fact that will dispute their point will be automatically denied. The following example from a site belonging to a Spanish speaker seems to use dispute in the sense of contend or perhaps prevail: Fourth step, we must begin to interpret our strategy by thinking about  tactical  actions. These are  the concrete facts  that will dispute over the space of our adversary. I suspect that dispute may be going in the direction of an all-purpose synonym for contradict because it is shorter than most of the alternatives. Meanwhile, careful writers will think twice about who or what is doing the disputing and save the verb dispute for people. Synonyms for dispute in the sense of â€Å"to argue† or â€Å"to voice disagreement†: debate discuss exchange views quarrel disagree clash fall out wrangle bicker squabble Words and phrases that may be used with nonhuman referents in the sense of contradict or refute: contest [kon-TEST] disprove prove wrong prove false debunk discredit invalidate confute conflict with be at odds with be at variance with be inconsistent with run counter to disagree with Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:50 Synonyms for â€Å"Leader†English Grammar 101: Verb MoodContinue and "Continue on"

The New Deal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

The New Deal - Essay Example 24). This period was also the start of complex social programs and signaled the wider acceptance of trade unions in the United States. The New Deal policy was triggered by the initial crash for the US stock market, which occurred on October 24, 1929 followed by October 29 "Black Tuesday" in which the stock market fell even more than it had the week before. These events catapulted into a worldwide economic depression (Chandler 1970). This economic depression was manifested in the US through a 4 percent to 25 percent increase in unemployment incidence, alongside reduction of manufacturing output by approximately a third. Due to deflation of currency values, prices fell, making the repayment of debts much harder. The drop in values of the mining, lumber, and agriculture industries caused these items to drop as well. The impact of the depression was however not as severe in white collar and service sectors. "Throughout the nation men and women, forgotten in the political philosophy of the Government, look to us here for guidance and for more equitable opportunity to share in the distribution of national wealth I pledge myself to a new deal for the American people. This is more than a political campaign. It is a call to arms." Roosevelt formed the "Brain Trust," a group of academic advisers whose formation was aimed at assisting in his recovery efforts. Extensive government intervention in the economy was sought instead of allowing laissez faire to run its course (Chandler 1970). Some vocal conservative opposition attacks were faced by the New Deal, such as the American Liberty League led by democrats, particularly the 1924 and 1928 presidential candidates John W. Davis and Al Smith. There was also a large group of New Deal opponents called "Old Right," led by politicians, intellectuals, writers, and newspaper editors (Chandler 1970). This first New Deal of 1933 had goals of short-term recovery programs based on the assumption that the federal government headed by Roosevelt can solve the financial problems. Some of the policies promoted and implemented by the Roosevelt government are banking reform laws, emergency relief programs, agricultural programs, and work relief programs (Chandler 1970). Many organized liberal groups gained much of what they demanded, except the Socialist Party, which was practically destroyed. The First New Deal was described as a mixture of self-contradiction, experiment, and pragmatism (Chandler 1970). Eventually, the economy recovered form the low point of 1932, sustaining the improving until 1937 when the Recession of 1937 regained the 1934 levels of unemployment. Economists and historians disputed the concept of the New Deal being responsible for the economic recovery (Chandler 1970). The New Deal was critiqued by several historians and Barton Bernstein spoke of the so-called 'conservative achievements' of liberal reform due to its inadequacies. Howard Zinn also gave considerable emphasis to flaws, limits, and conservative stances but failed, among others, in providing theoretical framework for understanding the New Deal (Foner 1997, p. 143).

Evaluation of TV show or movie Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Evaluation of TV show or movie - Essay Example But as the new episodes are aired, the personalities which we have assigned to each characters seems to be invalid when different mishaps at the firm arisesand the characters are on an emotional roller coaster ride, revealing their true selves to the audience. Although on the surface, the serial outlines the show having uncaring and unemotional characters but involvement of one young and sympathetic associate attorney have them questioning their ways, bringing out their uncertainty and feelings and evoking their allegiance which makes all the ladies in the audience gush out â€Å"Oh my God, Harvey is such a darling!†. Hence, Suits depicts faithfulness, trust and loyalty as a medium to achieve a feat and not only competence. Played by a skilled actor Gabriel Macht, Harvey Specter is a self-centered and unemotional man whose main concern is winning for which he can do anything, but as we approach season two we see that to keep his associate, Mike Ross - who does not clear the eligibility of the job, in the firm he goes to great length by threatening to leave his job if the kid got fired, which illustrated the care he had for his associate. Moreover, in the mid of the same seasonin a critical situation where Harvey is to be disbarred on the accusation by his enemy for burying evidences, he teams up with the firm’s former managing director Daniel Hardman (who again gets involved in the firm after his wife died), whom he regard as an enemy, rather than voting for Jessica’s decision of going to a trial because that would jeopardize everyone in the firm, showing his loyalty and commitment to the organization. Similarly, in the same manner it is revealed in the upcoming season that being in compa ny of his associate; Harvey is starting to value those things, which initially were nuisance to him. Moving to the female leading character, Jessica Pearson is a hard woman who will go to any length to keep her surname on the wall of the firm

Sensation Seeking And N100 Psychology Essay

Sensation Seeking And N100 Psychology Essay This research seeks to examine the relationship between event-related potentials, specifically the N100 component, and the personality construct of sensation seeking. Nine students enrolled in a university level introductory psychology course received credit for participating in this study. With the use of an electroencephalogram, voltage information in the brain was recorded while the participant listened to auditory stimuli including a target, standard, and random tone. After separating participants based on high and low sensation seeking scores and comparing that with an event-related potential developed from the EEG information it was shown that those high in sensation seeking had higher amplitude and a longer latency at N100 than low sensation seekers. This shows that one of the components of sensation seeking, boredom susceptibility, may have had an effect due to the repetitive presentation of stimuli which resulted in lower amplitude at the N100. Sensation seeking and N100 This study seeks to examine the relationship between levels of sensation seeking and event-related potentials (ERP), specifically the N100 component. Using ERPs to compare with personality constructs is effective because the stimulus can be time-locked to the brain activity that is being recorded and analyzed to see how the person is reacting whether on a conscious or unconscious level. Sensation seeking, as described by Marvin Zuckerman (2007), is a trait defined by the seeking of varied, novel, complex, and intense sensations and experiences, and the willingness to take physical, social, legal, and financial risks for the sake of such experience. Sensation seekers are attracted to high risk sports such as sky diving and mountain climbing, they experiment with a variety of drugs, and are sexually promiscuous in that they have a varied range of sexual partners. High sensation seekers will assess situations as low risk vs. low that will see a higher risk; even still highs will anticipate more positive arousal whereas lows anticipate fear and anxiety. Sensation seeking correlates with dominance and adventurousness, but not with neuroticism or anxiety. High sensation seekers tend to be associated with non-conformist groups and are attracted to abstract stimuli. There are four dimensions of sensation seeking that are used in Zuckermans sensation seeking scale that help determine if a person is a high or low sensation seeker. The first component is thrill and adventure seeking (TAS). If someone is high in TAS they will exert a need to be involved in activities that give them unusual sensations and experiences such as moderately risky sports. This is where activities like mountain climbing and sky diving come into play. The second aspect is experience seeking (ES) which describes the attraction to non-conformist groups. A person scoring high in experience seeking will seek out sensations and new experiences through the mind and the senses and through a nonconforming lifestyle. Activities include things like enjoying abstract art and traveling to new and different places. Disinhibition (DIS) reflects the involvement in wild parties, susceptibility to drugs, and promiscuity. Disinhibition alone can be normal, but when paired with aggression it can be a sign of psychopathy. The last subscale is boredom susceptibility (BS) defines the aversion sensation seekers have to monotonous tasks and people they find to be boring. For example, Zuckermans stimulus deprivation task found that high sensations seekers, when in a room for any length of time with no visual or auditory stimuli got restless and bored (Zuckerman, 2007). Zuckermans theory for the biological basis of sensation seeking started with his monoamine oxidase (MAO) theory. He hypothesized that high sensation seekers have low MAO compared with low sensation seekers having high levels of MAO. Monoamine oxidase is a neurotransmitter regulator. MAO regulates the level of monoamines which include norepinephrine, dopamine, and serotonin. High levels of MAO result in reduced sensitivity to a stimulus and conversely low levels increase sensitivity. This is because if there are high levels of MAO there are lower levels of monoamines and vice versa. In summary, high sensation seekers have low levels of MAO which result in an increase of sensitivity to stimulus. The negative correlation between MAO levels and sensation seeking is also indicative of a relationship between sensation seeking and the levels of catecholamine. High levels of MAO are found in the limbic system. The limbic system is involved in pleasure and sensitivity to reward. Zuckerman wor ked under the assumption that this sensitivity in high sensation seekers produces alertness and interest in novel stimuli associated with strong orienting responses. He then merged his theory of MAO with another theory that connects the limbic system activity with levels of catecholamine and sensation seeking. It explains that dopamine controls the readiness to explore and approach novel stimuli in the environment and norepinephrine regulates the sensitivity to, or expectation of positive reinforcement (i.e.) norepinephrine and dopamine together are two components of the reward system. The nucleus accumbens (NA) is part of the limbic (reward) system and hypothesized to be the major center for sensation seeking. This may be because there are higher levels of dopamine found in the NA. Therefore, this theory relates the attributes of sensations seeking to low levels of MAO, resulting in high levels of catecholamine (dopamine and norepinephrine) in the limbic system (reward center), whi ch ultimately increases readiness to explore and approach novel stimuli in the environment and sensitivity to stimulus and positive reinforcement (Zuckerman, 1983). An event-related potential (ERP) is a wave form developed by averaging epochs from data collected using an electroencephalogram (EEG) that is a time-locked representation of the voltage activity in the brain reacting to the stimulus presented (Rugg Coles, 1995). ERPs allow analysis of stimulus on a neurological level. Like this study, it can be used with personality constructs or psychological disorders to study their effects on the reaction to stimulus in the environment. The amplitude of different components in the waveform are indicative of the strength of the reaction and the latency represents the time it takes for the reaction to occur. The EEG itself is useful, but almost impossible to use its data because its such a general collection of information. ERPs act as a funnel for important information that fine tunes the data collected with the EEG that result in data that can pin point neurological reaction whether conscious or unconscious. This is another reason ERPs are useful , they allow researchers to collect data that the participant may not even be aware of (Rugg Coles, 1995). N100 (N1) is a negative spike at approximately 100 ms after a stimulus has been presented. N1 amplitude seems to be associated with detection of a stimulus. The onset and offset of a stimulus will elicit a N1 where as the repetition of a stimulus will show a reduction in N1 amplitude. N1 does not explain any content information about the stimulus presented, it will only express when a stimulus is in the environment. Within the confines of this study using the oddball paradigm with auditory stimuli, the N1 could have been increased in amplitude by creating a larger time gap between the presentations of stimulus. Since the N1 is elicited at the onset of stimulus, by increasing the time between auditory tones the recognition of a new stimulus is larger. Another way to manipulate the amplitude of the N1 is to repeat the stimulus in random time intervals for silence length (Atienza et al., 2001). N1 amplitude can also be increased by increasing the intensity or frequency of the continuous stimuli (Naatanen, 1990). Sensation seekers have a stronger curiosity or willingness to investigate novel stimuli which means they will have stronger orienting response (OR). Orienting response occurs when presented with a moderately intense or novel stimulus. Although this study is focusing on standard stimuli it can still be considered novel. Novel, in this regard, does not mean the complexity of the stimuli; it means novel to the participants environment. Sensation seeking has been positively correlated with orienting response to a novel stimulus. According to Naatanen (1990), N1 has high amplitude at the onset and offset of stimulus. It seems to represent the participants initial response to the onset of auditory stimulus which can also described as an orienting response. Research conducted by Atienza et al. (2001), found that components of the N1 were involved in the initiation of an orienting response. Operating on the assumption that N1 is indicative of an orienting response and that high sensation see kers have stronger OR it is hypothesized that those high in sensation seeking will have a shorter latency and higher amplitude at N1 than low sensation seekers. Method Participants Nine undergraduate university students were given course credit to be involved in the study. The male and female participants were recruited from introductory psychology courses. They were required to complete five personality questionnaires. The Eysenck personality questionnaire-revised, agency and affiliation questionnaire, BISBAS, ten item personality inventory, and the sensation seeking scale were used to assess the participants personality traits. From the total sensation seeking score participants were split into two categories: scoring high on sensation seeking (4) and low on sensation seeking (5). Materials The sensation seeking scale is based upon the four subscales of the personality construct: thrill and adventure seeking, experience seeking, disinhibition, and boredom susceptibility. The scores for these four subscales are added together to give the total sensation seeking score. An electroencephalogram (EEG) was used to record voltage activity in the brain while presenting the participant with auditory stimuli. It is hooked up to an amplifier that projects a variation in voltage over time. The electrodes were placed according to the 10/20 system. This system describes that electrodes are arranged based on their distance from the two main axis: anterior-posterior and the coronal (Rugg Coles, 1995). The electrodes Fz, Cz, Pz, linked mastoids, Fcz (ground), EOG, and Fp2 were used. The linked mastoids were used for references and the EOG and Fp2 were used together to get a bipolar recording. The auditory tones including: a standard high frequency tone, target low frequency tone, and a random sound were presented using an oddball paradigm. The participant was also equipped with headphones and a remote button. Procedure The participant was required to sit in an isolated room with headphones on and listen to a sequence of auditory tones including target stimuli, standard stimuli, and a rare sound. During the presentation of the auditory stimuli the participant was asked to respond to the target tone by pressing the remote button and to essentially ignore the other sounds. The EEG picks up frequencies that are not considered usable data for this study. With the computer program Neuroscan blinks and muscle reactions were removed from the data collected. The EEG is then separated into segments or epochs to represent each time the auditory tone was presented. The base line is manipulated so all recordings were at approximately 0 amplitude. The last step was to average all of the waveforms to produce a graph representing the event-related potential at each electrode. Results On average, low sensation seekers had higher amplitude at N100 and shorter latency than high sensation seekers. Those scoring high on sensation seeking had a longer latency and lower amplitude than low sensation seekers. Table 1: Average amplitude and latency at each electrode for high and low sensation seekers ERP.png Fig. 1: Event-related potential for high and low sensation seekers in reaction to standard stimuli at the Cz electrode Discussion It was thought that those who score high on sensation seeking would have higher amplitude and a shorter latency at the N100. The results contradicted what was hypothesized in that high sensation seekers actually had lower amplitude and a longer latency at N100. From the results, it is speculated that the repetition of stimuli played on one of the components of sensation seeking: boredom susceptibility. To recap, the N100 is indicative of the onset of stimuli in the environment and has no content information. In the perspective of the N100 component and neglecting the differences in the auditory tones presented, the high sensation seeker was presented with stimuli repetitively for an extended period of time. Zuckerman (2007) stated that people high in sensation seeking dislike monotonous tasks which would explain why they would have lower amplitude at N100 than low sensation seekers. When looking at the N100 alone, Nataanen (1990) explained that with repetition of a stimulus there is a decline in N1 amplitude. The presentation of auditory tones to participants was repetitive and would have resulted in lower N100 amplitude for both high and low sensation seekers. It was also shown, in research conducted by Budd et al.(1998), that stimulus presented too closely together will result in a smaller N1 because there is not enough time for neuronal recovery. There also may be a chance, because of the lack of statistical analysis, that there is actually no significant difference between the amplitude at the N1 for high and low sensation seekers. From the research done by Carol et al. (1982) on the correlation between sensation seeking and drug selection based on the optimal level of arousal theory, it can also be speculated that there would be no significant difference between high and lows at the N100. The optimal level of arousal theory would postulate that high sensation seekers, because their optimal level of arousal is higher than low sensation seekers, would choose stimulants over depressive drugs to heighten their level of arousal. It would also be expected that low sensation seekers would be more attracted to depressants because of its dampening effect on arousal levels. Their results showed that high and low sensation seekers both enjoyed the stimulants more. Looking at these results it may be concluded that it is more realistic that there is no significant difference between high and low sensation seekers at N1 (Carol et al., 1982). The sample size was quite small with a total of 9 participants. With a larger sample the results would be more applicable to the general population. The study used male and female participants, but there was no analysis of whether females or males scored higher on sensation seeking or what that meant in terms of the results. This made it so the results and the scores could not be compared on the basis of gender. The age range of participants was limited to 17-19. Also, all of the participants were from introductory psychology courses from the same university. In future research it would be interesting, using ERP, to compare gender and the scores on the sensation seeking scale and how that would affect the results. From previous research it was thought that levels of testosterone correlated to levels of sensation seeking. That higher testosterone, more prevalently in males, had a positive relationship with high levels of sensation seeking (Zuckerman, 2007). In reference to the results in this study and its possible origin from boredom susceptibility, new research could look at the different components of sensation seeking instead of the total score and how that would affect ERP studies. In the research from Zuckermans publications, it was found that the demographic factors that most affected levels of sensation seeking were gender and age, which supports the idea of future research being done with those two aspects (Zuckerman, 2007).