My topic, what exactly do I want answered?

Well, these are the questions that have been asked to me and these are my answers, but hopefully when I have done more research it will be easier to answer them.

1) the specific question you propose to answer for your final research paper;

            What is Munchausen syndrome by Proxy and how popular is this phenomenon. Also what are some of the warning signs?

 2) your working thesis statement (i.e., a sentence that tells what you think you will prove in that paper, a response to the question you will answer)

            Exactly what is Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy and how can it be properly diagnosed?

 3) an overview of what you currently know about the issue:

            Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy (MSBP) is a form of child abuse which affects mainly mothers. It’s a disorder in which the mother makes a child think they are sick so they can take them to the hospital and doctors to get attention. They crave attention that they may have not gotten when they were a child and by manipulating their child into thinking that they are sick the receive the attention they crave. There are some instances in which the search for a child’s disease brought to the doctors from the mother can lead to harsh unnecessary surgery, which can endanger a child’s well being.

4) an overview of what you need to find out about the issue;

            I need to find a clear definition and warning signs. But what I am more interesting in finding are actual cases where Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy is determined. Also there are many mothers whom have been to court and used this syndrome as defense I would like to know through the law point of view on how this syndrome can either make or break you in a child abuse case.

 5) a list of arguments which oppose the one you plan to make;

            Is it easy to diagnose? Some say it is and others have a hard time diagnosing it because the warning signs are to vague. Have mothers won cases in front of a jury because they get excused for having a mental health issue, Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy? How many people actually have went to prison because of this form of child abuse. Is this generational?

 6) a list of sources you have looked at on the topic at this point:

            The book Sickend, which is a true story of a girl whose mother had this syndrome.This is only one source out of many I researched. I would post the other ones but so far this is the only source I have gotten much of my information from, so why post the others?

Plagerism and Laugh Tracks!

Plagiarism Lines Blur for Students in Digital Age. -Trip Gabriel
  Gabriel talks about plageriasim, something students do not really think about and what teachers always look for! What really caught my eye is when Gabriel states what Sarah Brookover says about plagiarism. Brookover works at the campus library where she goes to school and he quotes her saying, "Because you're not walking into a library, you're not physically holding the article, which takes you closer to 'this doesn't belong to me.'" This is very true alot of people that surf the internet do not give credit to those where credit is due, they over look that alot and think it belongs to them since it is on their computer. Gabriel also links plagiarism to ilegally downloading music or watching television shows for free. I see where he makes the link, because those songs and television show are someone elses work and by illegally downloading them they recieve no credit. Copying and pasting can be alot easier then trying to be creative and having and producing your own thoughts. 

"Ha ha," he said. "Ha ha" -Chuck Klosterman
 In this excerpt Klosterman talks about laugh tracks. Laugh tracks are not something everyone thinks about while watching your favorite tv shows. By Klosterman pointing it out, it becomes all you can think about while watching your tv shows. Do laugh tracks make the sitcom/show more funny? Probably not. Having laugh tracks bring insecurity. Also I feel like it takes the fun away from your own imagination. Most of the time people are watching these shows and do not understand why the "audience" is laughing. Shouldn't it be up to the viewer to decide what is funny and what isn't?

Topic!

So, what I am planning on writing about is Munchausen By Proxy Syndrome. Munchausen By Proxy Syndrome is a form of child abuse. It is when a mother makes up fake illness' for their children, and make them believe they are sick. By doing this the mother is getting attention by doctors, attention that she can not get else where. This form of child abuse is a lot harder to investigate. There is a book, which is a true story, called Sickened. Sickened is written by Julie Gregory and her mother had Munchausen By Proxy Syndrome. Julie did not realize until she had a psychology class in college that her mother had this syndrome. Her whole life she spent in a hospital getting unnecessary surgery. It went as far as Julie getting open heart surgery to find the problem to the fake illness' her mother would make up. I found this quite interesting, because in our minds we wonder how a mother could possibly do this to their child. Also, how does one find enough evidence to diagnose or prosecute a person with this illness. After reading the book Sickened, it made me want to research more about this illness, find out the statistics, like what is the percentage of mothers prosecuted for child abuse? What are the similarities between the mothers who show signs of having this illness. Also, how the children who were abused got over it, if they did at all, and if those children have children would they be more likely to do posses the same illness?

Annotated Bibliography

 Ramey, C.T., & Ramey, S. L. (1998). Early intervention and early experience. American Psychologist, 53(2), 109-120


This article is called Early Intervention and Early Experiences. This article is written by Craig and Sharon Ramey. This article talks about early intervention. In the United States early intervention services are mandated for young children, as young as preschool children, with mental disabilities. Public Law 105-17, the amendments to the individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 1997, regulates the social forces. “In 1975, Congress passed landmark legislation to ensure that all children would receive a free and appropriate education. Known originally as The Education for All Handicapped Children Act, this led to the creation of a complex special-education system throughout the United States.” (Ramey & Ramey p. 111) Early intervention is extremely important. If disabilities are caught in the early years or early stages they are more easily treated or dealt with. Children that are given early intervention are most likely so succeed at a developmentally appropriate pace.

Reflection on "Your Brain on Computers."

The article written by Matt Richtel, "Your Brain on computers," has two sides to the world of technology, is it a good thing or a bad thing? I personally think it sometimes can be a bad thing. There are people that get so caught up on their devices that they do not notice the world evolving around them. People rely too much on computers, what happens if you computer crashes, or one of your devices break? You feel lost and insecure. This is what the technology age is doing to us. Also, when it comes to interacting with people they have a harder time. Most people that spend all their time on the internet are less sociable when it comes to people. Mr. Campbell had a beautiful family but he made it clear that his devices owned him and were more important. He could go one day without checking e-mail. As a role model his children, Connor and Lilly, became the same way. Connor's grades went down because of his excessive internet usage. Lilly, only a second grader, got so lost on the computer that you could call her name and she wouldn't answer. Also, you can tell Mrs. Campbell is fed up with her husbands figurative absence, but she is as guilty as him. When she was baking cookies for teacher appreciation day she burnt them twice cause she just had to get to her phone and go on facebook. We are all guilty of leaving the real world behind for a few hours and get lost on the internet but i believe that it is becoming us. What did people do before cell phones, is the question that always arises in some conversations. It's consuming us, I believe that people's time on the internet should be limited because we are non sociable beings anymore unless you're talking through a technological device, there is no need to talk to people face to face anymore. Call me old fashion but I believe that is the best form of communication.

Introduction

My name is Katie Lapsley. I am from a small town twenty minutes outside of Pittsburgh. I attend Indiana University of Pennsylvania with a major in Child and Family Studies. When home on breaks I work at the local grocery store as a cashier. Also in the summer I work with Pittsburgh Young Leaders Academy which is a summer camp for at-risk youth. I love love love country music. I'll be attending the Taylor Swift concert in June. I'm a very outgoing person and love meeting new people. I love doing off the wall things, and taking adventures with my sister and my best friend Julie. This weekend we drove down to Georgia then to South Carolina because we were sick of the snow and needed nice weather in our lives. In November we went to Nashville, needless to say I was in heaven! We're going back in July for my 21st birthday. We love road trips! I love giraffes, and i'm terrified of thunderstorms. Well there's just a little about me!