Mcgregors Theories X and Y Essay Example

Mcgregors Theories X and Y Essay Compare McGregor’s Theory X and Theory Y style of leadership and consider the types of organizations in which each style of leadership might be most appropriate. Douglas McGregor devised his concept of Theory X and Theory Y in the USA in the 1950’s using a survey of managers, which he then proposed in his book, ‘The Human Side of Enterprise’ in the 1960’s. Theory X states that a manager distrusts his subordinates, believes they don’t enjoy work and therefore must be controlled. Theory Y, on the other hand, speculates that a manager believes their employees enjoy work and wish to contribute, the manager is therefore more likely to include them in the decision making process and employ a more democratic style of leadership (Marcousse 2003). The two theories are not opposite ends of one spectrum, but rather two separate lines of continuum that describes the attitude and perception a manager has of their employees. The type of motivation that the employees receive from their manager is down to their management style. These Theories match up with Maslow’s ‘Hierarchy of Needs’. McGregor makes the point that the way in which a manager runs and controls his team has massive impacts on the happiness in employees, relating to esteem and self actualisation. These are two factors of motivation mentioned by Maslow in his theory. In comparing these two theories, X and Y, we must take into account different factors that may affect the two ideas and how they may do so in different scenarios or places of work. We will write a custom essay sample on Mcgregors Theories X and Y specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Mcgregors Theories X and Y specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Mcgregors Theories X and Y specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer The general idea is that Theory Y is the path of the â€Å"enlightened manager† (Chapman 1995) who runs a democratic form of leadership, and that it receives better results than theory X, whose manager employs more of an autocratic dictatorship. However this cannot always be believed. In different cases a manager may do better in his work to tell employees the best and most effective way to complete a task, knowing through experience. FW Taylor (1856-1917) believed in efficiency and complete control of a task provided to the manager. This idea related to such methods as the assembly line, a process broken down into simple tasks and completed individually by a group of workers along a line. Employed by such companies as Ford in the early 1900’s, in producing cars, this method gave great results, however keeping workers motivated was difficult, part of Taylor’s method was to â€Å"devise a pay scheme to reward those who complete or beat tough output targets, but penalize those who cannot, or will not, achieve the productivity Taylor believed was possible. (pg 218) For the manager, Theory X is a self – fulfilling method, the workers are likely to develop a lack in interest in their work and do it solely for the wage (Marcousse 2003). There are two scenarios in which Theory X can escape a degree of criticism for producing a lack of motivation from its workers(Marcousse 2003). The part time worker has partially already given in to the idea that they will not be receiving much independence and del egation of responsibility. This is due to the amount of time they have committed to their work. For example, a part time security guard might be asked to stand guard on a gate for an hour every morning to let personnel through, however once they have completed this task they are unlikely to achieve much more than changing the channel on their TV. The job simply requires a pair of eyes at one point in the morning, and the rest of the time they are simply on call. There is no enjoyment or form of learning with this job; the part time worker is simply there to take home some money at the end of the month, satisfying his basic needs for financial security, a mutual understanding between employer and employee. A large majority of the time there is little for the security guard to watch over. When something does arise that requires more attention, someone of higher authority is only a phone call away. In this, theory X is the logical management style, as to use theory Y would mean a greater chance of mistakes being made by someone who doesn’t have the same experience and qualifications as the elected official. The other scenario is in a moment of chaos (Marcousse 2003). At this point, due to the limited time scale in such moments, someone needs to take full control and make quick decisive decisions. Such a case is easily understood when put into the confines of an army unit under fire. Someone must give direct orders to keep the enemy under pressure and move their men to safety, or face either death or capture. Theory Y would consume too much time to listen to all possible ideas and make a decision, with young men who have been trained to take orders rather than come up with them. Efficiency is the key in this scenario, Taylor would be completely right in giving total control to a senior soldier to try and ensure the safety of his soldiers. Encouraging an employee to work for a great amount of time during the week or without the threat of danger

Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrandâ€Discussion Questions

'Unbroken' by Laura Hillenbrand- Discussion Questions   Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand is the true story of Louis Zamparini, who was an Olympic runner that survived for more than a month on a raft in the Pacific Ocean after crashing his plane during World War II. He was then taken as a Prisoner of War by the Japanese. Hillenbrand tells his story in parts, and these book club questions are also divided by parts of the book so that groups or individuals can discuss the story over time or focus on the areas they want to discuss more deeply. Spoiler Warning: These questions contain details about the end of Unbroken. Finish each section before reading the questions for that part. Part I Were you interested in Part I, which was mostly about Louis childhood and running career?How do you think his childhood and Olympic training helped him survive what would come later? Part II Were you surprised by how many servicemen died in flight training or in planes that went down outside of combat?Superman received 594 holes in the battle over Nauru. What did you think of the descriptions of this air battle? Were you surprised by their ability to survive despite being hit so many times?Did you learn anything new about the Pacific theater during World War II through this part of the book? Part III How do you think Louie survived the crash?What were details of the mens survival on the raft most interesting to you? How they found and saved water or food? The ways they kept up their mental acuity? The lack of provisions in the life raft?What role did emotional and mental state play in Phil and Louies survival? How did they keep their minds sharp? Why was this important?Were you surprised by how ferocious the sharks  were?Louie had several religious experiences on the raft that led to a new belief in God: surviving the gunning by the Japanese bomber, the tranquil day at sea, the provision of rainwater and seeing singing in the clouds. What do you make of these experiences? How were they important to his life story? Part IV Were you aware of how severely the Japanese treated Prisoners of War during World War II? Were you surprised to learn how much worse it was for men captured in the Pacific war than for those captured by Nazis?When Louie is interviewed just after his release, he says If I knew I had to go through those experiences again, Id kill myself (321). As they were going through it, how do you think Louie and Phil survived the starvation and brutality they faced as prisoners?What were the ways the Japanese tried to break the mens spirits? Why does the author focus on how this was worse in many ways than the physical cruelty? What do you think was the hardest thing the men had to endure?Later in the narrative, we learn that the Bird and many of the other soldiers were pardoned? What do you think of this decision?How do you think the men escaped the Kill All order?Why do you think Louies family never gave up hope that he was alive? Part V Epilogue In many ways, Louies unraveling is not surprising considering all he endured. After attending the Billy Graham crusade, however, he never experienced another vision of the Bird, he saved his marriage and he was able to move on with his life. Why do you think this is? What roles did forgiveness and gratitude play in his ability to move on? How did he see God at work throughout his whole experience despite the unimaginable suffering he experienced?From the moment of their rescue through the present day publishing of this book and the movie adaptation, Louie Zamparini has received significant media attention whereas Allen Phillips was treated as a trivial footnote in what was celebrated as Louies story (385). Why do you think that was?Louie continued to have adventures well into old age? What parts of his post-war story were most notable to you?Rate Unbroken on a scale of 1 to 5. Details of the book: Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand was published in November 2010.Publisher: Random House496 PagesThe movie adaptation of Unbroken was released in December 2014.

Avon Calls on Foreign Markets Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Avon Calls on Foreign Markets - Essay Example The brand name has also been changed according to needs, e.g. France. The logo appears on the Avon product. It uses celebrity in order to sell its products. Avon is for women and their needs. Foreign operation Avon was formed on 1886 and has changed its marketing strategy frequently. It did so in order to maintain its growth in the market (Alanfaya, 2006, p.1). Avon depends hugely on foreign markets .The reason was that since US market is full of retailers of beauty product there is no untapped market left where Avon can capture and increase its market share. Thus Avon decided to operate on less competitive market. The domestic market of Avon depends on the US market. The market comprises of less than 5% of the world’s population. Socio and demographic changes Avon showed a declining trend in the US market in the 1990’s. The percentage of people using make up went down drastically from 92% to 88%. The decline affected the age group between 18 to 24 years of people. They are the people who would spend money on trying new products. Yet market share dropped by 4% in 1996. One of the main reasons in the decline of demographic is the changing fashion (Dortch, 1997, p.1). Candace Corlett remarked that the youths like to look more natural. The growth in the cosmetic market is projected to grow for all age groups. From the above data, it can be analyzed that the US market is now growing. But Avon being a cosmetic organization, it is mostly preferred by women of all age group. The ratio of women is at a higher rate than males. This would prove to be beneficial for Avon as it’s mainly caters to women. The age group of 15 to 65 years is also dominated by women. Therefore this change could affect Avon in a positive way and generate more sales in US (CIA, 2011). When it comes to socio economic changes, Avon has established itself as a big brand. Avon categories itself as a global brand and caters to millions of women worldwide. Out of every 5women 2 wom en uses Avon product. Thus the socioeconomic changes would affect the business of Avon. The better economic rate of the people more business it would be able to generate. Global Recession The recession of 2008 did not affect much on the operation of Avon. But however if a recession hits again, the economy would experience a fall in real GDP which would lead to less spending of income. But Avon deals in cosmetic products and this industry is growing (Eucck, 2011). Customers demand more for a quality product and Avon is a brand which satisfies their needs. Avon’s strength lies on its direct sales. It provides recession proof employment. Thus a global recession would not affect the operation of Avon. Competitive Advantage Avon competitive advantage is that it brings products to its customers through direct sales. When the china market banned direct sales, Avon sold its product through small shops and malls (Parker, 2005, p.256). Avon has come up with an advantage business model, during the period of unemployment and recession. It provides economic advantage for most women in the world. Avon gives a better customer service than other companies. It provides the best direct sales, thus it would not be easy for its competitors to overcome such a difference and overtake Avon. It has got a wider geographic coverage. Avon is present globally; it is at a position where it can expand even more, which is also not possible for any of its competitors the product line is much more attractive than its

Internal analysis on Toll Singapore Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Internal analysis on Toll Singapore - Case Study Example Supply chain management (SCM) is a developed discipline viewed as the management of a system of interlinked businesses working together in the core goals of providing essential services and products to target clientele or markets within the service provision base and precincts of the participating business entities. Various scholars have had their contributions on the concepts of SCM. There are some dissonances and concurrences when it comes to defining what SCM really. Perhaps one of the lucid definitions is offered by Harland (1996) who views SCM as a form of management that covers all transportation and storage of raw material, refined goods, and inventory in process from points of departure or origin up to the points of need (consumption). The track of transported goods from the point of origin up to the point of consumption constitutes what has been termed as the supply chain in business management and logistics science. Further perspectives on SCM stem from the view of the discipline as pertaining to the entirety of the aspects planning and overseeing of all activities entailed in procuring, conversion and management of all the logistical activity. Also crucial to this view is the inclusion of aspects coordination and alliance within the network players which may be the suppliers, the middlemen and even third party services renders as well as clients. Contemporary SCM is ... ion of aspects coordination and alliance within the network players which may be the suppliers, the middlemen and even third party services renders as well as clients. The core of SCM holds the integration of services and products supply as well as demand regulation in the SCM networks. Toll Singapore and Contemporary Supply Chain Management Contemporary SCM is undergoing significant transformation and modification under the influence of various sweeping phenomena in the forms of globalisation and technological leaps. Scholars around the discipline are factoring in the importance of various dynamics that have been largely less considered in earlier conceptualisations on SCM. The SCM discipline has had remarkable contributions from the works of Coyle, Langley and Gibson among others. Although the scholars have brought the supply chain element to the fore of the contemporary concepts on SCM, the scholars have underscored the role that information technology is playing and will continue to play in contemporary and future SCM domains. Coyle, Langley, Gibson, Novack, Bardi (2008), contend that, "A supply chain perspective germane for appropriate deciphering and application of the feasible SCM tenets will tap in the essence and merits of information technology as well as the rate of change and a closer recognition of logistics with all its associative dimensions". Toll group strength lies in the integration of operational expertise and assets in strategic thrust aimed at championing supply chain effectiveness in providing optimum SCM services to the target clientele pool. The Toll group Model The Toll group model can be explored in tandem with Michael Porter Value Chain conceptual framework. The value Chain framework of Michael Porter is an ensemble of useful conceptual

Questions Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 6

Questions - Assignment Example It has also made researchers lazy to go to the field and get first-hand research results. The audience accessing education has drastically increased hence much knowledge and skills are being acquired. On the other hand, false information is also found on the internet hence may be misleading to people who are learning. It has been easy for teachers to use the internet to elaborate their point in class and motivate their students. I second the statement to focus technology on e-learning delivery methods in public school districts. E learning is one of the flexible ways for students to participate in learning. In addition, it reduces congestion in schools and the need for the teacher to concentrate too much on the subject matter. With e learning, it is possible to have ready notes right in seconds and attend to assignments and researches. E learning holds the importance of educational opportunities across the globe for vast audiences of learners. Most students in higher learning institutions are proficient in computer uses and skilled at internet navigation. It is a method of acquiring knowledge whose performance is influenced by various factors such as student’s perception regarding ability to do tasks ad achieve goals, motivation to explore, and knowledge desire. Internet has been a source of motivation to learners since it is flexible, diverse and broad (Chang et. al, 2014). The positive aspects of these effects is that learning is interesting and learners are not pushed to engage in learning activities but on the other hand it has brought so much laziness amongst the students and reliance on information that is not true. Constructivism is a significant dominant pedagogy that applies in the e-learning process. It encourages students to build their own knowledge base regarding individual experience. It is considered the ideal aspect of e learning.

The Education System In Palestine

The Education System In Palestine Developing education in Palestine is a unique experience, rich and full of challenges and obstacles. First, it is unique due to the fact that it is one of the few countries where the Ministry of Education was established from scratch. Rich because of the enthusiasm and inspiration of Palestinians to learn. It is a challenge because Palestine is not yet a state and is facing a daily conflict with the Israeli occupation (UNESCO, 2002). Since the beginning of the Aqsa Intifada in 2000 and until now, the suffering of the Palestinian education increased like other vital sectors in Palestine as a result of the ongoing and repeated Israeli aggression. In particular, the aggression affects the lives of Palestinian children, their lives, future and school. Hundreds of students were killed, arrested and injured by the occupation army, which demolished many schools and some were transformed to military barracks. Not only has the Israeli occupation authorities stopped to this limit, but they est ablished the Apartheid Wall, which increased the suffering of the educational family and prevented the access of teachers and students to school safely; thus, this forced them to travel long distances or wait for the Israelis to allow them to cross the gates that are set up on the wall (MOEHE, 2009). Background: As a result of the 1948 Mandate and the banishing of a lot of people from their houses, Palestinians sought for recompense in education in order to protect a satisfactory level of living (Fasheh, 1990; Hallij, 1980). As far as the Israeli Occupation inflated, Palestinians considered education as a mean to keep them away from the obliteration and the Israelis confiscation, and the possibility of being a weapon to contend with (Tahir, 1985; Hallij, 1980). Throughout the period between 1967 and 1994, the Israeli government was in charge for the education sector in the West Bank and Gaza. After the Palestinian Authority was established in 1994, enrolment of students into all schools reached over a million from 650,000. However, the Ministry of Education suffered in creating methods for planning, synchronization and budgeting whilst handling the situation with the students growth and the continual crisis of the Israeli occupation (Nicolai, 2007, p. 1). After the Oslo I Accord in 1994, the Palestinian Authority Ministry of Education was founded. According to the West Bank report of the Educational Sector Analysis published in 2006, in September 2000, it was the first time when the Palestinian national curriculum was launched in the Palestinian schools and particularly in the first till the sixth grades for which this curriculum replaced the Jordanian and Egyptian curricula used since the Israeli occupation in the West Bank and Gaza in 1967. Moreover, this curriculum created an advantage for Palestine as being the first Arabic country that teaches the English language in the first grade, as well as initiated and taught Information Technology as an obligatory material from the fifth till the twelve grade. Additionally, schools had elective subjects such as home economics, health and environment from the seventh grade till the tenth grade, and economics and management in the eleventh and twelve grades (Passia, 2008, p. 356). The education system endured from striking damages through that period; schools and universities were closed for a long time and even some universities closures extended to about four years, where Israelis obliged a big number of teachers to leave their jobs. Moreover, it was prohibited to reveal anything about the Palestinian history, culture, geography and inheritance neither in class nor in the situation, for which the Jordanian textbook were in the West Bank and the Egyptian textbooks were in Gaza at that time (Nicolai, 2007, p. 1). According to the World Bank report (2006a, p. 44), a total of 266 schools and 7,350 classrooms were built between 1995 and 2005. The MOEHE was directly accountable for the building of 118 new schools and 2,675 educational classrooms in order to decrease the schools double shifts. According to the PCBS, 41% of classes had 30 students or less in 2004/2005 and only 18% of classes had more than 40 students (ibid: p. 51). According to the MOEHE (2007/2008), the survey results indicated that there are 1,182,246 male and female students studying in kindergartens and schools including 710,287 students in the West Bank and 471,959 students in Gaza Strip; 592,389 males and 589,857 females. Moreover, there are 766,730 students in government schools, 253,116 students in UNRWA schools, 78,111 students in private schools and 84,289 children in kindergarten. There has been an obvious increase in the number of schools since the years 1994 and 2007. The total number of schools increased from 1,469 (1,080 governmental schools, 254 UNRWA, and 135 private) to 2,337 schools (1,775 governmental schools, 286 UNRWA, and 276 private) in the West Bank and Gaza during 1994/1995 and 2006/2007. The number of sections also increased during the same period. In 2007, the class sections in the Palestinian schools reached 31,963 (34% student rate per each section), 22,833 in Governmental schools (33.3% students), 6,188 in UNRWA s chools (40.9% students), and 2,942 in private schools (24.6% students) (MOEHE, 2007, p. 1). Due to the harsh and hard situation that the Palestinian people have been facing until recent years, yet, the drop out rate decreased since 1993/1994 (2.25%) until 2005/2006 (0.9%) in Palestinian schools, and 3.33% in governmental schools compared to 0.1% in governmental schools in the same years sequentially (ibid: p. 2). In 2000, while the MOEHE was attempting to endure the corrosion of the education system, the Aqsa Intifada began. This Intifada caused to increase the corrosion in the education system that the MOEHE was facing. Based on the World Bank report (2006a, p. 37), Palestinians are the most educated people in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) area with 91% adult literacy rate. According to the MOEHE, in year 2007/2008, only 1,867 out of 2,415 schools were operating with one shift and the remaining 548 schools were operating with two shifts, including 67 schools in the West Bank and 481 in Gaza Strip (Passia, 2008, p. 359). Education Structure in Palestine: The education cycle is divided into 12 phases, starting from the first grade to the twelfth grade; the pre-school education provides educational services for children from the age of four up to the age of five, which is not yet a mandatory phase in the Palestinian educational system (World Bank, 2006a, p. 6). The common education system is divided into two phases. Phase one, the basic education that is covering grades from one to ten and is divided into preparation phase from grade one to four, and empowerment phase from grade five to ten. The second phase is the secondary education, which is not obligatory, that covers grades from eleven to twelve. These grades are alienated to literature, scientific, and vocational education, which included industrial, agricultural, commercial, hotel and home economics. In the West Bank and Gaza, there are fifteen industrial schools, as there are only three of them governmental (ibid: p. 9). According to the World Bank Report (2006b, p. 53), in 2004/2005, the total number of students attending schools and pre-schools was about over a million, 60% in the West Bank, 70% in governmental schools, 24% in UNRWA schools, and 6% in the private sector. As for teachers employment, governmental schools employed 66% of teachers, UNRWA 18% and the private sector 18%. However, the private sector is not investing adequate education and mostly vocational training due to the high expenditures and the slow profits anticipated from these projects. On the other hand, the private sector invests in nurseries and kindergartens (Fronk, Huntington and Chadwick, 1999). Schools Enrolment in Palestine: West Bank and Gaza accomplished high enrollment rate compared to other developing countries in the MENA region. According to the MOEHE (2005), during the period of 2005/2006, there are 383,748 students in the preparation stage; including 195,618 male and 188,130 female that are registered in schools in Palestine. A total of 62% of students (238,500 students) registered in governmental schools, 29% (109,419 students) in UNRWA schools and 9% (35,829 students) in private schools. As for the empowerment stage, a total of 569,873 students are registered in schools; including 296,247 male and 283,626 female. A total of 70% students (Among them, 398,672 students) are in governmental schools, 25% (145,133 students) in UNRWA schools, and 5% (26,068 students) private schools. Quality of Education in Palestine: According to Kellaghan and Greaney (2001, pp. 22-23), quality is the term relates to the adequacy or appropriateness of objects or processes for the purposes for which they were intended. Furthermore, quality implies a scale, and often implies standards. An object can be of good or poor quality, or it can meet, or fail to meet, a standard. There are many features of the system that would influence the educations quality; such as the schools building condition, teachers status, administration staff, teacher training, and the curriculum, for which any weakness in any of these indicator will affect the other indicators. Nonetheless, the outcome is the most important part, but what really matters is not the high enrollment rate, but the fact that if the students are obtaining the suitable knowledge, understanding and skills and are not dropping out of schools. To measure the quality of education in Palestine is not easy because of the major effect of the political situation on the education sector. Curfews, closures and all Israelis policies forced on the Palestinians affected the education sector mainly during Al-Aqsa intifada; students need to cope with all emergency situations, as well as for the teachers and schools administrators. Those aspects demoralize the educational quality. According to the MOEHE, about 43 schools were occupied and turned into Israeli military bases since the outbreak of the Al-Aqsa intifada (Nicolai, 2007, p. 2). According to the World Bank report (2006a, p. 4), developing countries regularly reach to a serious point after the attainment of high schools enrolment; but had to shift their concerns to the educational quality that might have been affected by the fast extension. The report also reconfirmed that the MOEHE has to shift their focus more on monitoring, evaluation and investing in human resources such as training teachers instead of their focus on construction and the provision of textbooks. Current Educational Situation in Palestine: Based on UNICEF (2010) statistics, there are 1,141,828 students in 2,611 schools from the first till the twelfth grade; 1,955 governmental schools, 325 UNRWA schools and 308 private sectors. Compared to the details demonstrated before, there is a clear change in number of students. According to the MOEHE, in governmental schools, there are 70% attendance, 22% in UNRWA and 8% in private sectors. Since the last elections in 2006, Gaza has been under siege and the needed construction material has been prevented to enter Gaza, which caused a problem of the increasing number of students leading to increasing the double shifts in schools. Double shifts reached 82% in governmental schools, 90% in UNRWA schools which lead schools to cut off the educational hours in order to observe the large numbers of students. In addition, the Ministry added that there is a high need to build new schools in the next five years in order to absorb the increasing number of students. Thus, its recommendation w as to build at least 100 UNRWA schools and 105 governmental schools. Nonetheless, obstacles hindering the movements of students to their schools havent got easier; they still suffer from long distances and are obliged to walk as high as 25 km to reach their schools in addition to paying a lot of money on a monthly basis (UNICEF, 2010, pp. 1-2) Conclusion: The problem of the education sector in Palestine is not easy; the complexity of the political situation is affecting this sector, the stages that the Palestinians went through and changing the responsible authority on the education sector since the British mandates left its finger prints on the current deterioration in the education sector. The problem of the schools crowdedness is not only due to the population growth but also due to the accumulated problems during the period 1967-1994; this freezing period in the education sector development affected deeply the quality of education in Palestine. Since the start of the MOEHE in 1994, the PA has only been trying to rebuild the education system through the expansion policy and constructing additional schools and classrooms. Yet the Israeli occupation is still hampering the education development through the closure policies. Previously and currently, the MOEHE is still facing many problems; such as, the continuous growth rate of students and the limited number of educational classrooms in addition to the unsuitable geographic distributions of schools site due to the Israelis imposed checkpoints, settlers road that increased throughout the second Intifada, and the segregation between Palestinian areas; as a result, students face the problem of crossing long distance to arrive at their schools. Moreover, governmental schools faced a main problem of the small sizes educational classrooms in the West Bank.

Imaging Techniques and Cognitive Function Essay examples -- Medicine

Neuroimaging is a multidiscipline science and experts from the field of psychology, statistics, physics and physiology all contribute to its further development (Poldrack et al., 2007). In the last 20 years the imaging techniques developed from single proton emission tomography (SPET) to positron emission tomography (PET) and finally to functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) (Page, 2006). Their applications are numerous in experimental and cognitive psychology. However, at one level they can constitute another dependent variable (brain activity) as a response to an independent variable (stimulus manipulation) and at the other level, understanding the structure and processes of the brain can shed light on ‘normal’ cognitive functioning (Kaye, 2010). Therefore, this essay will argue that imaging techniques not only tell us about the brain structure but also try to explain its cognitive functions. Two non-invasive imaging techniques will be put forward, namely, electr oencephalogram (EEG) that measures electrical activity and gives excellent temporal resolution and fMRI that is based on changes in blood supply and provides excellent spatial resolution. The claim will be evaluated in the light of their basic assumptions, methodology and contribution to examining the brain function. Relevant evidence of studies with healthy adults will be provided. Finally, technologies that can only show the brain structure will be introduced. First, let us look at the electroencephalogram (EEG), which is based on recordings of electrical brain activity with millisecond temporal resolution and it provides â€Å"the most direct measure correlate of ongoing brain processing that can be obtained non-invasively (Johnsrude and Hauk, 2010, p. 28). The ba... ...12 from http://web.ebscohost.com.libezproxy.open.ac.uk/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=1b047404-ffff-413f-b018-a4213e391053%40sessionmgr115&vid=2&hid=110 Page, M. A. (2006). What can't functional neuroimaging tell the cognitive psychologist?. Cortex: A Journal Devoted To The Study Of The Nervous System And Behavior, 42(3), 428-443. Retrieved May 5, 2012 from http://www.sciencedirect.com.libezproxy.open.ac.uk/science/article/pii/S0010945208703757 Poldrack, R.A., Fletcher, P.C., Henson, R.N., Worsley, K.J., Brett, M. and Nichols, T.E. (2007). Guidelines for reporting an fMRI study. NeuroImage, 40 (2), 409-414. Retrieved May 5, 2012 from http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1053811907011020 Whatson, T. (2006) Studying the brain: Techniques and technology. In Exploring the Brain (2nd ed.), 11-41, The Open University, Milton Keynes.