The Choice by Nicholas Sparks Book Review

The Choice by Nicholas Sparks Book Review This love story from  Nicholas Sparks follows his usual easy-to-read, entertaining style, with a  Ã¢â‚¬â€¹plot that culminates in a poignant ending, producing real emotion from the reader. The lovers, Gabby and Travis, seem to be cross purposes. Even their dogs seem to be at odds, especially when her dog becomes pregnant. What choices will be made? Too Much Prologue and Epilogue? A major criticism of the novel has been Sparks use of a prologue and epilogue, each of which is in the present, 11 years after the main action. The criticism is not valid, for the prologue creates a sense of impending but unnamed doom that heightens dramatic tension in the novel. Hints are dropped. He brings flowers to his wife of 11 years at her workplace because theyd had an argument three months ago, the last time they had spoken and shared the same bed. As a child, Travis asked his father to tell him stories with a surprise ending because these were the best ones. The story then moves to when they met 11 years earlier. Travis is a single and unattached veterinarian, his life filled with friends and fun. Shes in a long-term relationship. In fact, she has moved to Beaufort, North Carolina to be near her boyfriend. Her dog brings them together. In just a few days, Gabby and Travis fall in love. She resists with all her might, but the inexorable flow of the ocean is working against her. Shortly after meeting her, Travis knew that the solitary journey hed been on for years had somehow reached its end. Both know  snap decisions  can be made, can be exactly right, and powerfully enduring. The Twist Sparks said at a reading that he always knows the twist, the surprise which ends his novels  when he begins writing. This twist will, compared to his other emotionally charged novels, unleash a torrent of tears, Niagara Falls on steroids. But, the emotion will be emotionally cleansing for it involves a choice each of us is likely to face one day. How do we meet the curveball life throws us from time to time? What choice will Travis make? This is the stuff of serious romance novels. Perhaps the most prescient comment is by a  woman at a reading who noted, Life gets turned around by someone, a catalyst, who  melts  the other persons wall. That is true here, but the catalyst is a bit surprising, even for Sparks. Why Are Sparks Novels so Popular? Readers appreciate that Sparks always provides a good story. It has a message and it flows. He seems to understand women. There is always a clear theme, but it isnt written to formula. The Movie The Choice was made adapted as a feature movie in 2016, starring Benjamin Walker as Travis and Teresa Palmer as Gabby, with Maggie Grace and Tom Welling as their other love interests and Tom Wilkinson as Travis father. It received a very poor rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

OMAM vs. La Strada Comparison Paper Essays

OMAM vs. La Strada Comparison Paper Essays OMAM vs. La Strada Comparison Paper Paper OMAM vs. La Strada Comparison Paper Paper Essay Topic: Black Dog of Fate Of Mice and Men and La Strata By comparing Of Mice and Men and La Strata, they both come together to a similar point. Innocent figures are usually represented by nature while the opposite is described with a condescending connotation. Weapons are used to harm things and are able to assert dominance. When asserting dominance, one might say that the dominant being is a male showing masculinity while the one being dominated is classified as being a female showing feminism. When these two archetypes conjoin, it an be analyzed as innocence is inferior to weapons as weapons can disrupt a balance of nature, which can translate to how weapons and their users are more masculine to innocent figures which can lead to their ultimate doom. Steinbeck and Felling show a common interest in innocent figures and weapons due to the presence of both in their literary work. In Of Mice and Men, Leonie is portrayed as an innocent figure. He is described in a simplistic way and with nature and animal terms. As Leonie is being described in the beginning of the novel, his walking is described as the way a bear drags his saws (Steinbeck 2). Although the bear is known to be scary and dangerous, it can also be a lovable, stuffed teddy bear that a young child would want to play with. On that notation, Leonie is classified as a harmless, lovable man who is dumbstruck and has no intention on harming anybody. However, Liens friend, George, is described with the opposite of what Leonie was. He is classified as a man that was small and quick, dark of face (Steinbeck 2). Dark symbolizes evil or bad. So as Leonie is enjoying life, George will indeed know how to mess things up. Steinbeck makes the readers feel affection towards Leonie as he stumbles on throughout the novel. He is also recognized as being child-like. George describes Leonie as either a domesticated dog or a young male child when he says, Good boy! Thats fine Leonie! (Steinbeck 15). Being child-like creates a hidden definition of being dumbfounded and not knowing whats better or worse. Liens strength can get the best of him as he doesnt know that he has so much of it. When he murders Curlers wife, he only thought that he had hushed her but accidentally killed the woman. This pertains to the idea that Leonie is a child that doesnt know what hes doing and is portrayed as innocent but can possibly lead to his tragic fate. Riding along with Sampans, Slaloming is often identified as an innocent figure. She doesnt do anything bad or harmful to anyone. She is looked down upon all other people, thinking that she is a reckless child. Like in Of Mice and Men, a child is known to be a bit of a hassle and always getting into trouble. Although, what Slaloming gets in trouble for is the opposite of what normal people get in trouble for. Sampans knishes her for not obeying his orders to steal from the nunnery. This is known to be an innocent figure if one does the right thing but can easily backfire as it will be contrasted with black in the background or around her while she is wearing white. White symbolizes purity, softness, and innocence, thus creating another reason as to why Slaloming is an innocent figure. Her hair is lighter than everybody else in the film which also creates the contrast and the innocence. However, Sampans is always wearing black or dealt with black around him which makes him a threat to Slaloming. Moreover, Gloamings whiteness will soon be struck by Campaigns blackness. In Of Mice and Men and La Strata, Leonie and Slaloming are parallel characters that are classified as innocent figures. George speaks out to Leonie as if he was a small child and Sampans treats Slaloming like a child that is out of line. Leonie and Slaloming both act like they could be five years old and readers wouldnt know the difference. They both act like they dont know any better and think everything is all fine and dandy. Their partners are similarly the exact opposites of Leonie and Slaloming. Both of them can be recognized as two individuals that involve nature and light, which can be analyzed to become a symbol of innocence. Moreover, George and Sampans drastically contrast with the innocent figures as they are portrayed as evil and bad. George was described with a dark face and Sampans was always dressed in black or shot in front of a black background. George and Sampans are identified as threats towards Leonie and Slaloming as they are the opposites of them. Weapons are used to keep Leonie from doing anything bad. George uses the gun o show his masculinity and uses it to kill Leonie. George asserts his dominance when, the muzzle of it close to the back of Liens head. The hand shook violently, but his face set and his hand steadied. He pulled the trigger. (Steinbeck 106). Before this had happened, Leonie stole the gun and ran off so he wouldnt be harmed. This foreshadows as to how Leonie dies in the end and is ironic because he thought he wouldnt be harmed by the gun but he was killed by the gun without him even knowing it. Male dominance is used to impress other males as it was in the wild. George kills Leonie because he wants to get rid of useless things and to impress all the guys back at the farm. Sampans uses different kinds of weapons to punish Slaloming or keep her in line. When Sampans was teaching Slaloming a circus act, she would do something wrong and Sampans would whip her with a piece of straw that came out of the fields. Although Sampans had technically paid for Slaloming, he is still asserting his dominance with the act of aggression towards her. When Slaloming disobeys Sampans as he attempts to take from the nuns, she is again beaten as an act of rebellion.

Advertising and promotion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Advertising and promotion - Essay Example Different brands are differentiated by the creation of unique brand logos, brand names, brand values and brand designs as well as typefaces. The first step towards development of a brand is the assessment of the business, how it operates, and the kind of messages to be sent to the consumers. The company should work out its product competencies, assess the existing and potential customer, and find out the feeling of the customers about the brands after which the company considers the development of a new brand within its current customer perception. This is then followed by putting all elements together and creation of the brand (Clifton, 2010). A good example is Reebok from Adidas Group and Jordan Brand from Nike Inc, both which are sports wear brands. Creation of the Reebok brand was inspired by its fitness and its commitment to consumers by empowering them to be fit for life. The success of this product is based on its courage to challenge convention in innovative products developm ent and in the creation of new markets. The Reebok brand comes with different designs, color and strap lines. Despite of these different designs, the brand is highly differentiated with features which persuade customers to love it and even come more loyal to the brand. The Reebok brand and the entire Adidas Group are highly focused on the environment as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility. The company has developed an effective strategy to manage environmental impacts and risks from its brands, and this has promoted its brands value. The creation of Jordan Brand from Nike Inc was inspired by the dynamic legacy, vision and the direct involvement of Michael Jordan. The brand comprises of apparel, footwear and accessories. The creation of the brand was based on the assessment of the existing and the potential customers and the definition of the core competencies of the company. Different brand design, color, different brand names under the shelter of Jordan Brand and strap line s are parts of the Jordan Brand and its different images. The different designs of the Jordan Brand attract different consumers depending on their needs. With the use of different designs, the company is able to persuade different customers to love and like the brand and even increase brand loyalty. The brand values of Jordan Brand are indicated by its Corporate Social Responsibility towards investing in the community in sectors like creativity, sport and education. The engagement of the Jordan Brand in the community has mad the brand to remain active in the market as it has promoted the brand value. Section B: Segmentation, Targeting and Positioning Market segmentation is the process of subdividing the larger market into segments with similar wants, needs and market characteristics. It involves the identification of market portion which are distinct from each other in order to better satisfy all the needs of the consumers. Market segmentation can be achieved by dividing the market geographically, demographically, in terms of their behavior and psychology (Cant, Strydom and Jooste, 2009). Targeting is the process of selecting a certain group in the market in which the company intends to focus its advertising efforts. Targeting can also refer to a group of like minded individuals who are inclined towards similar products and who

Marketing plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Marketing plan - Essay Example With the introduction of smart phones in the market, Nokia continues to take the lead, taking about 56.4% share of the 70.9 million units shipped in Europe in 2006. Nokia sold 40 million smart phones in 2006, reaffirming the fact that the success of the brand remains unscathed (Nokia leading phone market 2007). In fact, it has taken the brand to another level by making its phones highly competitive with the introduction of the Nokia N Series, a collection of smart phones that cater mainly to consumers who have requirements for a full-featured mobile phone with personal computer-like functionalities. These smart phones offer complete phone functionalities while alternately serving as personal data assistants. This â€Å"elite† group of high-end phones has created a stir in the market that the units instantly grew in popularity within a few months after being launched early 2005. The launch of the Nokia N series in 2005 created such a huge impact that sales of these products increased significantly since its launch. As of 2006, Nokia is recognized to be the worlds’ leader in smart phones sales, contributing to 42% market share (Smart phone sales are soaring 2006). This just goes to prove that Nokia has maintained its good relationship with the market as it has continuously managed to cater to the consumers’ needs despite the existence of other Personal Data Assistant (PDA) brands such as Palm and OS, and the emergence of new ones. Nokia is still the top choice in the UK market when it comes to smart phones. Its 3G (third generation) phones continue to fly with its up-to-date features. However, with the emergence of other brands that are determined to give Nokia fierce competition brand-wise, it is a challenge for this company to come up with even more effective ways to hold the market’s attention and sustain its stature in the market.

How HIPAA Violations Affect the Medical Billing Process Essay Example for Free

How HIPAA Violations Affect the Medical Billing Process Essay When you hear HIV you always think of Aids are they the same or is there a difference. HIPAA Privacy Rule: HIPAA is a federal law that: †¢Protects the patients’ privacy with their medical records and other health information provided to health plans, hospital, doctors and all other health care providers. †¢Allows the patient access to their medical records. †¢It gives the patient rights to how their personal information is used and exposed. HIPAA has proven to be very successful in stopping discrimination against the people diagnosed with HIV and Aids by preventing anyone from knowing about their HIV and Aids status. In the year 2000 laboratories and doctors are required by law to report to their State Health Department all cases of HIV and Aids. They are reported to better measure the HIV and Aids epidemic, and how it is changing and to create programs for HIV and Aids prevention and offer medical which best serve affected people and their communities. All this information is protected by confidentiality laws. Under this law identifying information regarding who has HIV and Aids can only be used to help the State Health Department track the epidemic and for partner notification this information cannot be shared with immigration and naturalization Service (INS), police, welfare agencies, landlords, employers and insurance companies. The National Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issues guidelines influencing states to collect and report the data on HIV and Aids so they can track the epidemic on a national basis. The state health department will then remove all the personal information (name, address, etc.) from your test results and send the information to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Over the next several years HIV and Aids data will become the basis for funding formulas which will allocate federal money for care treatment under The Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency (CARE) Act.  This is the largest federally funded program in the United States for people living with HIV and AIDS. This act reaches hundreds of thousands of people every year with medical care, drugs, and support services. The program requires that health departments receiving money from the Ryan White program show â€Å"good faith† efforts to notify the marriage partners of a patient with HIV and AIDS. (www.Aids.gov) HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) is a virus that attacks the T-cells in the immune system. This illness changes their immune system making people very vulnerable to diseases and infections. This condition worsens as it progresses corresponding to research the origins to this disease dates back to the late 19th or early 20th century in Western Central Africa. In 2008 worldwide there were †¢33.4 million People living with HIV and AIDS. †¢2.7 new HIV infections †¢2 million deaths from AIDS The disease was identified in the 1980s, and there is now known cure, but treatments and medicine can slow the course of the disease. The newest drug combination drug therapy can cost up to $20,000 in U.S. dollars a year. HIV is found in body fluids like semen and vaginal fluids, blood and breast mild. And can be passed through blood-to-blood and also sexual contact. Women can pass this to their babies through pregnancy, childbirth, and through breast milk. AIDS is (acquired immune deficiency syndrome or immunodeficiency syndrome). AIDS is the disease caused by the HIV virus AIDS is the syndrome that appear in the advance stages of HIV infection, AIDS is a medical condition derived from HIV. HIV and AIDS are the same AIDS is the outdated name and HIV is the correct name. There are three recognized ethical principles that apply to clinical and research ethics: †¢Respect refers to respecting the decisions of autonomous people and protecting the ones who lack decision making capacity and therefore are not autonomous and imposes a positive obligation to treat people with respect by keeping this information confident and keeping promises. †¢Beneficence imposes a positive obligation of the best interest of the patient. †¢Justice requires people to be treated fairly and often requires that benefits and burdens to be distributed fairly within society. Privacy is critical  when it comes to HIV and AIDS, because of the sensitivity of HIV related information most patients don’t want to share this private and personal aspect of their life because it involves their sexual behavior or substance abuse. This information can lead to stigmatization this can cause patients to worry about their privacy being protected, and they may be hesitant to see a doctor or remain in the care of a physician. It is vital to have health care providers express that they are committed to securing patient privacy. The law gives certain protection to or conditions. Electronic systems need to be able to identify and manage this data appropriately. HIV and AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases are a whole different category with special privacy concerns. When releasing HIV and AIDS records for other purposes it is necessary to identify testing and treatment for these conditions through the use of red flags or warning messages. The electronic system simplifies exclusion or segregation of HIV test results to protect against release without patients proper consent from the patient. Preferably a system will also flag treatment of HIV and Aids when producing copies of records. EHR systems must provide mechanisms that enable facilities that extra layer of protection for this information required under 42 CFR, Part 2 requires patient consent for disclosures of protected health information even for the purpose of treatment this consent must be in writing. When a health care provider providers care to an HIV and AIDS patient they seem to be walking and ethical tightrope even when they are aware of protocol about disclosing HIV status simple assumptions and carelessness can lead to devastating consequences for the patient and also legal ramifications. There are some things a health care worker can do on their own to protect private information while at work. †¢Turn off your computer when you walk away or not in use. †¢Set your computer with passwords to get access to confidential files. †¢Use a system that will trace who accesses confidential informatio n. †¢Become familiar with the law train employees in proper disclosure protocol. †¢Never discusses a patients HIV and AIDS status. Social ramifications exist if HIV and AIDS information is announced improperly. If a patients friends discover he or she has HIV and AIDS they won’t want to be around them due to the fear of catching the disease people  will start to gossip spreading this private information destructing the life of the infected person. They will undoubtedly be treated differently. He or she could have difficulty finding employment if the employer finds out about the disease because of inappropriate disclosure of medical information. If a person is living with HIV and Aids you are protected against discrimination under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation act of 1973 and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA). Under these laws, discrimination means that you are not allowed to participate in a service that is offered to others or you are denied a benefit, because of your HIV disease. ( http://aids.gov/hiv-aids-basics/just-diagnosed-with-hiv-aids/your-legal-rights/civil-rights/index.html ) HIV and AIDS in the workplace gets larger each year, because it affects people between ages 25 – 44 and they make up 50% of our 121% million workers. There are laws to protect people with HIV and AIDS in the workplace. †¢Americans with Disabilities act of 1990 (ADA) does not allow employment discrimination because of disability and covers businesses with 15 or more employees. †¢Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Federal and state governments work with more than 100 million working men and women and 6.5 million employers. †¢The Family Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA) this act to the private-sector of employers of 50 or more employees and within a 75 mile radius of their worksite. A person is entitled to a total of 12 weeks of job protected unpaid leave in a 12 month period. †¢The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). Addresses obstacles to healthcare you can face if you are HIV and AIDs positive. Protecting you discriminatory treatment from your insurance company, and also protects your privacy rights. †¢The Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation act of 1986 (COBRA). This law allows employees the option to keep their health insurance at their own expense after getting laid off, fired from a job. Allowing them to purchase health insurance for a period up to 36 months. HIV and AIDS not only hurt people with the disease but also their families and families. According to the International Labor Organization believes that by the year 2020 HIV and AIDS will lower the workforce by 24 million people. This will cost the workforce higher costs of medical insurance as well as work absences related to health, hiring and costs of retraining.

Studies on Adolescene of Piaget and Erikson Essay -- Compare Cognitive

Studies on Adolescene of Piaget and Erikson Adolescence is considered a difficult time of life and one in which a number of changes occur as the individual achieves a certain integration of different aspects of personality. One approach to the cognitive and emotional transitions made at different times of life is to consider how the changes in, say, adolescence are linked to a continuum of change beginning in childhood and continuing throughout life. Some theorists, such as Piaget, were interested primarily in the transitions of childhood and youth, while others, such as Erikson, saw all of life as a series of transitions and offered a continuum of stages covering all of life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Piaget became fascinated in his early studies with his discovery that children of the same age often gave the same incorrect answers to questions, suggesting that there were consistent, qualitative differences in the nature of reasoning at different ages, not simply a quantitative increase in the amount of intelligence or knowledge. This discovery marked the beginning of Piaget's continuing effort to identify changes in the way children think; how they perceive their world in different ways at different points in development. Piaget's contributions can be summarized by grouping them into four main areas. First, he produced literature on the general stages of intellectual development from infancy through adulthood. This concern occupied him from 1925 to 1940, and after 1940 he began to describe some of the developmental stages in formal, structural terms using models from symbolic logic (Flavell, 1963, 1-9).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The different stages postulated by Piaget help to explain different rats of learning at different ages as well as the types of learning possible at different ages for the majority of the population. Learning itself is seen by Piaget as a process of discovery on the part of the individual, and learning as a formal activity becomes a system of organization by which instruction is enhanced by the way the teacher arranges experience. Learning is thus experiential, and Piaget suggests that experiences have meaning to the extent that they can be assimilated. Such assimilation does not take place without accommodation, an aspect of considerable importance from the point of view of adaptation and possible development:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One of the principal aims of the teacher wil... ...enerativity versus stagnation--the individual needs to be needed and to assist the younger members of society, and generativity is concerned with guiding the next generation. The last stage is that of ego integrity versus despair, and this is the time when the way the other conflicts were decided has an influence. If the preceding conflicts were not suitably handled, despair may result in later life (Liebert & Spiegler, 1982, 88-92).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Piaget was most interested in the learning stages for the child, while Erikson carried his stages through the life cycle. Both indicate how the stage of adolescence is part of a continuum, however, prepared for by childhood and leading to adulthood. Further research may differentiate even more divisions over the adolescent years.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  References   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Flavell, J.H. (1963). The developmental psychology of Jean Piaget. New York: D. Van Nostrand.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Furth, H.G. (1969). Piaget and Knowledge. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Liebert, R. M. & M. D. Spiegler (1982). Personality: Strategies and issues. Homewood, Illinois: The Dorsey Press.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Whitbourne, S.K. & C.S. Weinstock (1986). Adult development. New York: Praeger.

Bandura’s Experiments

In the early 1960s Bandura and other researchers conducted a classic set of experiments that demonstrated the power of observational learning. In one experiment, a preschool child worked on a drawing while a television set showed an adult behaving aggressively toward a large inflated Bobo doll (a clown doll that bounces back up when knocked down). The adult pummeled the doll with a mallet, kicked it, flung it in the air, sat on it, and beat it in the face, while yelling such remarks as â€Å"Sock him in the nose †¦ Kick him †¦ Pow! † The child was then left in another room filled with interesting toys, including a Bobo doll.The experimenters observed the child through one-way glass. Compared with children who witnessed a nonviolent adult model and those not exposed to any model, children who witnessed the aggressive display were much more likely to show aggressive behaviors toward the Bobo doll, and they often imitated the model's exact behaviors and hostile words. I n a variant of the original experiment, Bandura and colleagues examined the effect of observed consequences on learning. They showed four-year-old children one of three films of an adult acting violently toward a Bobo doll.In one version of the film, the adult was praised for his or her aggressive behavior and given soda and candies. In another version, the adult was scolded, spanked, and warned not to behave that way again. In a third version, the adult was neither rewarded nor punished. After viewing the film, each child was left alone in a room that contained a Bobo doll and other toys. Many children imitated the adult’s violent behaviors, but children who saw the adult punished imitated the behaviors less often than children who saw the other films.However, when the researchers promised the children a reward if they could copy the adult’s behavior, all three groups of children showed large and equal amounts of violent behavior toward the Bobo doll. Bandura conclude d that even those children who did not see the adult model receive a reward had learned through observation, but these children (especially those who saw the model being punished) would not display what they had learned until they expected a reward for doing so.The term latent learning describes cases in which an individual learns a new behavior but does not perform this behavior until there is the possibility of obtaining a reward. B Bandura’s Theory of Imitation According to Bandura’s influential theory of imitation, also called social learning theory, four factors are necessary for a person to learn through observation and then imitate a behavior: attention, retention, reproduction, and motivation. First, the learner must pay attention to the crucial details of the model’s behavior.A young girl watching her father bake a cake will not be able to imitate this behavior successfully unless she pays attention to many important details—ingredients, quantiti es, oven temperature, baking time, and so on. The second factor is retention—the learner must be able to retain all of this information in memory until it is time to use it. If the person forgets important details, he or she will not be able to successfully imitate the behavior. Third, the learner must have the physical skills and coordination needed for reproduction of the behavior.The young girl must have enough strength and dexterity to mix the ingredients, pour the batter, and so on, in order to bake a cake on her own. Finally, the learner must have the motivation to imitate the model. That is, learners are more likely to imitate a behavior if they expect it to lead to some type of reward or reinforcement. If learners expect that imitating the behavior will not lead to reward or might lead to punishment, they are less likely to imitate the behavior.C Theory of Generalized Imitation An alternative to Bandura’s theory is the theory of generalized imitation. This theo ry states that people will imitate the behaviors of others if the situation is similar to cases in which their imitation was reinforced in the past. For example, when a young child imitates the behavior of a parent or an older sibling, this imitation is often reinforced with smiles, praise, or other forms of approval.Similarly, when children imitate the behaviors of friends, sports stars, or celebrities, this imitation may be reinforced—by the approval of their peers, if not their parents. Through the process of generalization, the child will start to imitate these models in other situations. Whereas Bandura’s theory emphasizes the imitator’s thought processes and motivation, the theory of generalized imitation relies on two basic principles of operant conditioning—reinforcement and generalization. D Factors Affecting Imitation Many factors determine whether or not a person will imitate a model.As already shown, children are more likely to imitate a model when the model’s behavior has been reinforced than when it has been punished. More important, however, are the expected consequences to the learner. A person will imitate a punished behavior if he or she thinks that imitation will produce some type of reinforcement. The characteristics of the model also influence the likelihood of imitation. Studies have shown that children are more likely to imitate adults who are pleasant and attentive to them than those who are not.In addition, children more often imitate adults who have substantial influence over their lives, such as parents and teachers, and those who seem admired and successful, such as celebrities and athletes. Both children and adults are more likely to imitate models who are similar to them in sex, age, and background. For this reason, when behavior therapists use modeling to teach new behaviors or skills, they try to use models who are similar to the learners. Microsoft ® Encarta ® Reference Library 2003.  © 1993-2002 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.