-NiE ,
ADVANCED
Trustworthiness NiE Activity 1 Critical thinking l Identify
l Measure
l Reason
l Organise
Creative thinking l Imagine
l Connect
Problem solving l Question l Research
l Recreate l Present
Communicating l Oral l Aural
l Written
Collaborating l Listen
Full-on deception
22 February 2017
11
VÁCLAV HAVEL was a Czech writer, philosopher, political dissident, and statesman. He served as the first president of the Czech Republic. Havel once said, “Lying can never save us from another lie.” What do you think Havel meant? Read an excerpt of this article from The Star published on Nov 2, 2016, for a better insight into this quote. Answer the questions that follow.
Liar, liar, pants on fire By AMINA KHAN
A LITTLE dishonesty goes a long way. Scientists who studied the brain activity of people who told small lies to benefit themselves found that these fibs appeared to pave the way to telling whoppers later. The findings, published in the journal Nature Neuroscience, demonstrate how self-serving lies can escalate and offer a window into the processes in the brain at work. “Whether it’s evading tax, infidelity, doping in sports, making up data in science, or financial fraud, deceivers often recall how small acts of dishonesty snowballed over time and they suddenly found themselves committing quite large crimes,” said Tali Sharot of University College London. The researchers suspected this had to do with a biological process known as emotional adaptation, where over time the brain responds less and less strongly to a repeated stimulus. The first time you put on a perfume, for example, you smell it clearly; on the 10th day, you might hardly detect it. The amount of perfume hasn’t changed, but your brain’s response has. Something similar might be happening when people lie, she explained. “The first time you cheat, you feel quite bad about it, but that bad feeling keeps you from cheating a whole lot,” she said. “So it’s good. It curbs your dishonesty.” But over time, the brain reacts less and less, the way it would to a strong smell. And a lower negative reaction could make it easier to lie the next time, the theory goes.
l Contribute respectfully
NiE Activity 2 Problem solving l Question l Research
Critical thinking l Identify l Reason
l Present
l Measure l Organise
Communicating l Oral
Why? ou? you trust? o d o h can trust y W rs e 1. th o t a is th portant it on? 2. How im s are you, orthy pers tw s u tr a what way u In o ? y y h re rt A o 3. you trustw t ways are a h w In . 4 tworthy? ot so trus perhaps, n prove? u do to im o y ld u o c 5. What you? trust you? p trusting r parents to u s o y to o D ts n re 6. se your pa might cau t a h W . , 7 ut that? ith friends e bad abo b ld u o onships w w ti t a la h re W r u . o 8 trust in y portant is d that 9. How im they foun hers? c if a d te te d c n e a ff a family nships be ese relatio th ld u o w 10. How uthful? or merely ot been tr tionships la re ll a you had n in important rspective. orthiness tw s u tr on your pe Is . te ra 11 o le lie you b la E nes? when a litt e m ti a selected o t ral lesson bou with a mo rd essay a d o n w E . 0 e 0 n 3 o a to a larger 12. Write take. xpanded in e ld to e that mis d d a a h m g in v from ha you learnt
Creative thinking l Brainstorm l Connect
Collaborating l Listen l Attain goal l Contribute respectfully
Work with a partner on this activity. First, cut out the wheel below with the word “trustworthy” as the hub. Write a word on each spoke to represent either a synonym or an antonym to describe trustworthiness. While you may use a dictionary to complete the activity, you must look for at least three words from The Star and paste them onto the spokes. Next, pass your completed wheel to your teacher who will redistribute the wheels to different pairs of students. Complete the wheel by stating if the word in each spoke is a synonym or an antonym. (You may choose to colour the spokes in two shades, one for synonyms and another for antonyms.) An example has been done for you.
YM TON AN
SYNON YM
TRUSTWORTHY