مکالمه ی اول

Conversation 1:

Listen to a conversation between a student and a professor.

Professor: Hi, Eric, How are things going?

Student: Oh, I am really busy with my workload.Some professors assign so much reading that it’s like they think we have no other homework.

Professor: One of the most important things you’ll learn in college is how to manage your time, how to, you know, prioritize, when to say “no” to a social engagement if you have a paper due, that sort of thing.

Student: I guess so.

Professor: So how are you finding the material we’re covering in class?

Student: I’ve actually come to talk to you about it. I have a 6-month-old niece so I find early childhood development really interesting.Piaget, that Swiss psychologist you told us about, his development theory is really cool.

Professor: Yes, his theory that cognitive development in children occurs in four stages that you can actually observe.

Student: Yea, um, so my niece, she’s in the sensory motor stage now, right at the part where she thinks things disappear when they’re out of sight.

Professor: Very good!She probably won’t understand that objects continue to exist, even when they are out of sight, until she’s a month or so older.

Student: Yea, yesterday, we were knocking a little ball around and it rolled under the couch. She immediately lost interest and reached for something else.

Professor: Because to her, the ball ceased to exist.

Student: Yeah. I’ve actually been taking notes on her behavior because I’d like to write my term paper about her, if it’s ok with you.

Professor:Your term paper?

Student: Yeah. I’d like to do a case study or something. Piaget watched his kids, and like,changed the whole world of psychology.

Professor: Wait a minute. Piaget didn’t just observe his own children.He did exhaustive research over 30 years to develop and test his theory. And anyway, your assignment isn’t to do a study, it’s to research the literature on a particular psychological topic and write about it and I gave you a list of suggested topics to choose from.

Student: Well, what if I research something like, is it possible to speed up cognitive development? Like, if I reached under the couch to get the ball while she watched me, would she learn earlier that objects don’t disappear or can’t 6-monthold babies think that ay yet?

Professor: Uh, hmmm, I do applaud your initiative, Eric. However, I sincerely doubt you could get any kind of valid or meaningful information from such an experiment.

Student: But I already put so much time into watching my niece.

Professor:

Remember, this is only a freshman psychology class, you weren’t trained in carrying out an original research project.I wish you’d come to me earlier but you know there’s still some time before the due date. I suggest that you recheck the list of topics.At least one of them relates to cognitive development. Then come see me again if you have any questions.

Student: Okay.

the door.

get in as much observation time as you can.