Effects of race on the perception of Guilt Essay Example for Free

Effects of race on the perception of Guilt Essay Affective mood disorders are mental disorders characterised by disturbances in mood and emotional states, unlike Schizophrenia, the most severe of mental disorders, which is distinguished by problems with thought processes. These affective mood disorders can include variations such as Bipolar disorders where the patient experiences two extreme states; mania accompanied with depression and Unipolar disorders where only the depressive state is present. There have been many suggestions as to the cause of these disorders. It has long been thought that there are two types of depression: reactive and endogenous. Reactive depression follows the psychodynamic view that depression relates to life events such as loss of a loved one and endogenous depression mirrors the cognitive approach where the individual attributes failures internally thus bringing on depression. However the DSM-IV only lists two sub-types of depression, which are reliant upon the length that the patient has suffered for. These are major depressive disorder and dysthymic disorder. Biochemical explanations are mainly associated with unipolar depression and were developed in the 1950s with the introduction of Tricyclic drugs, which were discovered to help those with depressive symptoms. It has been suggested that chemical imbalances in the brain cause these depressive symptoms. Neurotransmitters such as serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine are believed to be of a higher level in patients with no signs of depression compared to lower levels in those with depression (Schildkraut, Green and Mooney, 1985, in Gleitman et al, 1999) However, it is only possible to investigate this by measuring the by-products of the metabolising neurotransmitters. Although it has been found that patients with depression have lower levels of these by-products, Cooper (1988, in Cardwell et al, 2000) carried out post-mortems on patients who had suffered from depression and found that there was no abnormality in the chemicals of the brain. Medications used to treat depression can be used in support of the biochemical hypothesis as drugs such as Lithium and Tricyclic antidepressants increase the levels of norepinephrine and serotonin in the brain implying that it was the shortage of these chemicals that was causing the depression. Rosenzwig, Leiman and Breedloves (1996, in Gleitman et al, 1999) experiment also supports this view as it was discovered that lowering the levels of the neurotransmitters works in reverse and can cause depression. However, these anti-depressant drugs cause an immediate increase in the levels of norepinephrine, following the biochemical hypothesis once the norepinephrine level is increased depressive symptoms should disappear. In fact it takes 2-3 weeks after first taking the drugs for an effect to be seen, yet within a couple of days after taking the drugs the norepinephrine levels have returned to their previous level. This hinders the biochemical hypothesis and suggests that it may not purely be a chemical imbalance that causes depression. Patients who suffer with bipolar depression also have low levels of norepinephrine during a depressed phase, returning to a higher level when in a manic stage, (Muscettola et al, 1984,in Gleitman et al, 1999) the switch between the manic and depressive phases occur very quickly and without external influences, indicating that it is in fact a biological rather than psychological reason that causes this switch to take place. Another strand to the biological approach is the question; does depression run in families? The biological explanation supports this suggestion. There have been numerous twin studies comparing concordance rates of MZ (identical twins) with DZ (non-identical) twins, all giving evidence for some genetic transmission. Evidence for a genetic link concerning bipolar disorders comes from a study carried out by Hodgkinson, Mullan and Gurling, (1990, in Gleitman et al, 1999); they discovered that patients who had bipolar disorder also had an enzyme deficiency accompanied by a type of colour blindness. All of these irregularities are caused by a defect on the X-chromosome. This indicates that the genetic cause of bipolar disorder also lies with the x-chromosome and may explain to a certain degree why it has been found that more women than men suffer from bipolar depression. However it is important to note that women, no matter what culture have a different social support structure to men, allowing them to talk more about their problems. Therefore it may simply be the case that more women report their problems than men, who keep their feelings of depression to themselves. This difference also occurs with unipolar depression and can be accounted for by the vast amounts of hormonal changes women endure through menstruation, child carrying and the menopause. McGuffin et al (1996) compared 109 pairs of twins and found a rate of 46 per cent concordance in MZ twins to that of 20 per cent in DZ twins; this study shows a genetic link for depression but that it is not the only factor. If depression were only caused by genetics then the concordance rates would be 100 per cent for MZ twins and 50 per cent for DZ twins, suggesting that other factors play an important role. This genetic link may be due to environmental factors as the patients are likely to live in a shared environment. This suggests that the concordance rates occur not because depression is hereditary but because it can be learnt. This however could also work in reverse; a relative may not suffer from depression because they have experienced depression and have learnt ways to cope with their feelings and experiences. This can also be illustrated by Siever, Davis, and Gorman, (1991, in Gleitman et al, 1999) who carried out twin studies that showed identical twins were four times more likely to both suffer from a mood disorder than non-identical twins. Identical twins have a closer shared environment than non-identical twins, which may account for the higher concordance rate amongst identical twins.

Ethical Teachings in Christianity and Islam Essay example -- Ethics,

There are several ethical teachings in Christianity and Islam that instruct Christians and Muslims on how they should act in everyday life. These ethical teachings often require the members of each religion to give generously to the welfare of those in need. This essay will prove that both Islam and Christianity have ethical teachings that instruct people to give to the needy. This will be proved by first defining what an ethical guideline or teaching is, by looking at the Islamic ethical guidelines that instruct Muslims to help those in need and finally through analysing the Christian ethical guidelines that teach Christians to contribute to the welfare of those in need. Ethics is the explicit, philosophical reflection on moral beliefs and practices to clarify what is right and wrong and what human beings should freely do or refrain from doing. Therefore ethical guidelines are the guidelines set out to tell human beings what they should freely do and what they should refrain from based on whether it is right or wrong. Ethical guidelines in Christianity teach Christians how they should act so that their daily living reflects spiritual principles and supports the purpose and value of this world. For example the Ten Commandments were made by God to teach human beings to refrain from things such as stealing, murder and not loving your neighbour. Islamic ethical guidelines can be found in Islamic law. There are laws on how Muslims should treat one another and how they should behave towards Allah. For example the third Pillar of Islam; Zakat, teaches Muslims to give their left over wealth to the poor and needy. This guideline was passed down from Allah to teach Muslims that they should treat the poor and needy with respect and help ... ...welfare to the needy as it teaches that those who give to the needy will be accepted into heaven. Both Islam and Christianity have obvious ethical teachings that require Muslims and Christians to contribute welfare to those in need. The teachings of Zakat, Mohammed’s sermons, the Qur’an passages and the teaching of jihad all instruct Muslims to give their extra wealth to those in need. The Bible passages about the poor teach Christians to give money to the needy as well. These teachings are invaluable to Islamic and Christian society as due to these teachings Muslims and Christians give more money to the poor and thus as a result of these teachings poor people in Islamic and Christian society are better supported. Works Cited Holy Bible. Wheaton: Tyndale, 2005. Print. The Qur’an: Translation. Trans. Abdullah Yusuf Ali. Elmhurst: Tahrike, 2000. Print.

Does CSR Help or Hinder a Company’s Performance?

Task 4: (582 words) Write a literature review for â€Å"Does CSR (corporate social responsibility) help or hinder a company’s performance? † This literature review explores the state of the art in corporate social innovation research. It briefly outlines the main themes in the corporate social responsibility (CSR) debate organizational legitimacy, moral choices, stakeholder interaction, sustainable development radical and user driven innovation. The paper then reviews the major objects of corporate social innovation singling out and eco innovations as key themes.It closes by analyzing how social innovation is enacted at each of the four levels discussed in the first part. The debate about CSR has been said to have begun in the early 20th century, amid growing concerns about large corporations and their power. The ideas of charity and stewardship helped to shape the early thinking about CSR in the US (Saurabh Gaur, 2011) . Our work would like to verify, after a review of literature, by using panel data, if some performance indicators can be affected by the firms’ social responsible behavior and their certifications.The novelty of our analysis comes from its dynamic aspect and from the buildin g of a CSR index that intersects two of the three main international indices (Dow Jones Sustainability World Index, FTSE4Good Index,2011), in order to be objective and to have a representative sample. The main results seem to support the idea that the CSR firms are the more virtuous, having better performances in the long run. in reporting is clearly crucial whereby being transparent does not necessarily mean revealing everything as this can be counterproductive to the communication of the key message (Bebbington et al. 1999). Consequently, companies must decide how much information to disclose. Based on different stakeholders to needs whereby it is sometimes necessary to disclose information that puts the company in a bad light. The ample room for mano euvre in identifying significant impacts and prioritising them has been partly blamed for the little significance behind achieving formal public endorsement for CSR disclosure (Boiral, 20 09).This is where the concept of Corporate So cial Responsibility, (CSR) has developed and is beginning to enter into common lexical knowledge and is increasingly being used by academics and economists for the sustainability of economic development. As often happens when new terms are coined, they tend to lose their conceptual precision, leaving their evocative value which is however watered down by the multitude of different meanings and contexts in which it is used .However, if we are to say that CSR is necessary for corporate strategy, given the recent ness of the phenomena and absence of a well-defined and universally accepted certification method, at present CSR has certain major limitations which we would like to rectify, that is an objective benchmark rather than a mere marketing tool for th e public, the principal motivation and elements that push firms into ethical behavior and suitable certification.It is actually this second point that has given rise to a proliferation of articles concerning social certification (Ullman, 1985) that have still not shed light on the mot ivation that entices firms to bear the cost of certification or looked at the experimental performance of CSR firms. As a result, various performance measures have been adopted both on the market and in accountability that all give rather discordant result s. Corporate social responsibility is the commitment of businesses to contribute to sustainable economic development by working with employees, their families, the local community and society at large to improve their lives in ways that are good for business and for development† (Cavett-Goodwin, 2007). Therefore, our paper tries to give an answer to the questions explained above. References: — Global reporting initiative, Sustainability Reporting Initiatives [online] Available from :< http://www. globalreporting. org/ReportingFramework/G3Guidelines> [Accessed 15 July, 2010]. Tsoutsoura M. , 2004, â€Å"Corporate Social Responsibility and financial Perfor mance†, Center for Responsible Business, Working Paper Series, N. 7, University of Califor nia, Berkeley. – Academy of Management Review, Institute of Social and Ethical Accountability [online] Available from :< http://www. accountability. org/about-us/news/accountability-1/pharma-s-3imandate. html> [Accessed 11 may, 2010]. – Roberts C. , 1992, â€Å"Determinants of Corporate Social Responsibility Disclosure: An Application of Stakeholder Theory†, Accounting, Organizations and Society, 17, 6, 595 – 612. World Business Council for Sustainable Development [online] Available from : [Accessed 15 October,2012]. – Donaldson T. , (1989), The Ethics of International Business, The Ruffin Ser ies in Business Ethics, Oxford University Press. – Sustainable investment , Ethical Investment Research and Information Service [online] Available from < http://www. eiris. org/managers/sustainable_investment. html> [Accessed 24 Jun, 2007]. – Cooperative Bank, Ethical Purchasing Index [online] Available from :[ Accessed 23 april,2005] TASK 6: (1073 words)The synthesized essay on: â€Å"Does CSR (corporate social responsibility) help or hinder a company’s performance? † Abstract The corporate social responsibility (CSR) is getting an increasingly important issue for economic agents all over the world. The development sustainable businesses need to implement their social responsibility. Though there is no detailed measurement available on the impact of these practices on business performance, CSR is believed to have a positive relationship with a company’s goodwill and also be a mean to a more profitable operation.The view that SCG should further integrate CSR programs into its business str ategies, broaden its CSR network to its various stakeholders, put more emphasis on environmental issues, and employ an efficient measurement mechanism for evaluating the impacts and benefits of its CSR programs . Introduction Reality shows that firms have recently been able to adapt to a changing world not only by developing economically but also socially and ethically. A firm’s aim remains based on a development strategy that not only favors’ its hareholders but also responds to all stakeholders involved either directly or indirectly in the production process. The social impact of big and small corporations is becoming a very important issue in business administration. A bad social impact, in fact, could increase the firm’s risk, could lead to wrong relationships with many stakeholders and could affect corporate reputation. This article presents some empirical evidence that aims to answer the following question: does CSR practice influence a company’s im age and reputation? Main body:Total Review of Related, Performance Measures and Corporate Social Responsibility Corporate Social Responsibility is getting an increasingly important issue for economic agents due to a new attention to all the aspects of firms activit ies and their relationship with stakeholders. In fact, firms with the attitude toward disclosure related to social responsibility activities appear to be able to develop and maintain better relationship with s takeholders in general Corporate Social Responsibility is a concept wit h a growing currency around the globe.It frequently overlaps with similar approaches such as cor porate sustainability, corporate sustainable development and corporate responsibility. Moreover, CSR has a wide range of potential meaning: it can be considered as the private sector’s way of integrating the economic, social, and environmental imperatives of its activities. We focus on two main characteristics of CSR: social welfare orientatio n and stakeholders’ relationship orientation.AS businesses have increased their adoption of corporate social responsibility practices, managers face growing pressure to justify the allocation of scarce firms resources and accurate measures of corporate social responsibility results are required. Because the corporate image and reputation have been considered as intangible assets and valuable resources a firm can use in order to differentiate itself from its competitors. The reputation is built over time as the result of complex interrelationships and exchanges between a company and its stakeholders.This complexity of interrelationships makes imitation difficult for competitors in the short term. The grand aggregation approach to corporate reputation loses substantial informational content unless multiple lists of stakeholders can be surveyed; this research will be conducted taking into account the perspectives of only two stakeholders. The rule contact by companies integrates social and environmental concerns in their business operations and in their interaction with their stakeholders on a voluntary basis.When you review each of these, they broadly agree that the definition now focuses on the impact of how you manage your core business. The increasing attention to CSR is firstly based on its capability to influence firm’s performance. The researches in this field examine how CSR can provide firms with an incremental gain. For example, researchers have considered purchase intentions, increased sales, enhanced image, and improved employees morale as benefits of CSR.In particular, regarding to this aspect, the literature consists of three principal strands: the existence of a positive correlation between CSR and financial results, the lack of correlation between CSR and Many studies about the relationship between CSR and performance have focused their attention over a variety of other important characteristics that can be possible causes of firmsâ €™ performance. Some researchers have studied the effect of firm’s dimension, industrial sector, age, leverage level and intangible expenditures. t is possible to assume that the biggest firms are able to have a behavior more responsible than the smallest ones. The biggest ones probably pay more attent ion to the relationship with external stakeholders. Moreover, the firm’s dimension affects the link between certification and performance: at the beginning firm’s strategies are focused on the basic survival and just when firm is increasing its dimension because it has crossed the trigger point of survival, it can begin to take care of ethical and philanthropic responsibilities.In the meantime firm’s dimension can be linked with financial performance through economies of scale . The financial result and the existence of a negative correlation between CSR and financial results. The commitment by business to behave ethically and to contribute to economic development while improving the qualit y of the life of the workforce and the families as well as the local community and society at large The CSR is a commitment to improving the well-being of a community through discretionary business practice and contribution of corporate resources. Ethical CSR is morally mandatory and goes beyond ulfilling a firm’s economic and legal obligations, to its ethical responsibilities to avoid harm or social injuries, even if the business might not appear to benefit from this. It may be to SCG advantage to let its CSR stakeholders take a greater role in developing and implementing its strategic CSR programs SCG may further benefit from establishing broader CSR networks with its employees, customers, business partners and with non-profit organizations. Conclusion The above results give first empirical evidence that in Italy firms stock prices are not affected by CSR reports even if firms show a greater attention to these issues.The possible expla nations of these results could be the following: CSR is a relatively new issue in Italy, and most investors have a low degree of perception of the matter; The quality of disclosure for CSR is not easily measurable; there is a lack of general accepted principles and most firms use CSR disclosure as an additional instrument of advertising, avoiding to give relevant information . Most investors are short-term oriented while CSR’s impact is mostly in the medium-long term. At the moment, the small number of firms in the sample is due to few CSR reports available.But, thanks to a greater attention to CSR issues, the sample could be enlarged soon. These aspects could be the main direction of further implementations of our work. References – KAPLAN, R and NORTON, Using the Balanced Scorecard as a Strategic Management System [online] Available from: < http://www. balancedscorecard. org> [Accessed 12 July, 2011). – Carroll A. B. , 1991, â€Å"Corporate Social Performance Measurement: A Commentary on Methods for Evaluating an Elusive Construct†, p. 385-401 in J. E. Post (ed. ), Research in Corporate Social Performance and Policy, vol. 12, Greenwich, CT: JAI. – Donaldson T. (1989), the Ethics of International Business, the Ruffin Ser ies in Business Ethics, Oxford University Press. – Cooperative Bank, Ethical Purchasing Index [online] Available from :[ Accessed 23 april,2005]. – Donaldson T. , (1989), the Ethics of International Business, The Ruffin Series in Business Ethics, Oxford University Press. – Global reporting initiative, Sustainability Reporting Initiatives [online] Available from :< http://www. globalreporting. org/ReportingFramework/G3Guidelines> [Accessed 15 July, 2010] TASK 7 ( 845 words) Compare and contrast how these 2 articles discuss the financial crisis:Abstract This subject is written to the accounting on changing the wrong direction when the debate about modern auditing practices. In the context of the current financial crisis shows that, there are certain similarities between the accounting scandals and the global crisis is expected. All this directly and indirectly affect society. Beside of that, the article also pointed out in different directions to struggle to overcome. Introductions The business landscape is changing all around the world. Advances in finance and technological improvements have accelerated the rate of changes dramatically.That due to the negative impact of different accounting should push certain risks, against the backdrop of increasing economic turbulence; this paper seeks to stimulate debates a bout the quality of auditing by examining the audit reports. Different parties such as; governments, firms, especially small investors are struggling to keep up with these changes. During of that The financial crisis and shows that a large nu mber of enterprises have collapsed within a short period after receiving unqualified audit reports, so the law makers and standard setting bodie s hysterically searched the possible solutions.Some of the accounting principles are changed to having good news or optimistic idea the y are considered as revolutionary. Body paragraphs Regulators and investors have traditionally relied upon corporate financial statements to make sense of bank liabilities, risks and economic exposure, but this has been highly problematic. An early estimate suggested that despite a raft of Attention has fo cused on auditors because of the belief that a green light from an auditor means that a company’s accounting practices have passed muster.Adverse â€Å"key financial ratios† are considered to be an indicator of going concern problems. The environment in which it operates also shows that auditors received considerable income from their audit clients, which may be very significant for regional offices managing the audit. The fee dependency and related advancement o f career can create conflict of interests. A uditors may argue that the financial crisis unfolded suddenly and they were thus ill-prepared to make judgments about the likely financial distress. The issuing of audit reports is subject to organizational and regulatory politics.Auditors may be reluctant to qualify bank accounts for fear of creating panic or jeopardizing their liability position. We have reached the limits of conventional auditing technologies and ought to be considering alternative forms of accounting, disclosures and accountabilities. They are just publishing the financial analyses. This might mean; they are hiding the inputs and want the public to see only the result. the authorities do not give assurances regularly when the things go well but if there is a problem they usually ma kes public speeches to convince them.The social cost of the unfolding crisis is difficult to estimate, but vast amounts of public money are being used to prop-up distressed financial enterprises. For example, in addition to providing huge sums to stimulate banking liquidity. The UK auditing standards, closely aligned with international auditing standards, state that the â€Å"auditor’s procedures necessarily involve a consideration of the entity’s ability to continue in operational existence for the foreseeabl e future. Especially small investors are giving great importance to the financial media’s comments.Accounting is the methodology which provides measurements, statements or provisions of assurance about financial status concerning firm’s financial situations. Accounting can be described as â€Å"language of business â€Å"because accounting information provides signals to end users, especially to investors. Usually their premiums are much higher than their salaries which are generally associated with the growth of the firm. This payment system encourages or even forces them to growth. Brokers are the mediators between the buyers and the sellers.In every transaction they earn c ertain amount of commission. Even though they have certain amount of fixed income their main source of income comes from the transactions. There is an inherent conflict of interest bet ween auditor and client relations. Auditors prepare auditing reports for external users: investors, government etc. , but audit fee is paid by the client: audited company. This price would be correct and even overvalued; t here could be even further decline in the price. This station is called value trap. If the investor buys the stock, he is caught by the trap.Finally models explaining valuation of currencies such as purchasing power parity, fisher effect and international fisher effect could not be put into practice accurately because of statistical deficiencies. Conclusion The deep of financial crisis raises questions about the role and value of the independent audit. Besides that, the Markets do not seem to have been assured by unqualified audit opinions and many financial institutions either coll apsed, that had to be bailed out within a short period of receiving unqualified audit opinions.Thought out that on any independent inquiry into the role of auditing, especially at financial institutions, would help to highlight the shortcomings of the current practices. However, there are remedies for audit industry has mediated previous crises by revising auditing standards and codes of ethics and the early signs are that the same strategies will be deployed again. So on the restrictions and the consequences will be improved over time through economic struggles.

Biography of Mary Sibley, Salem Witch Trials Witness

Mary Sibley (April 21, 1660–ca. 1761) was a key but minor figure in the historical record of the Salem Witch Trials in Massachusetts Colony of 1692. She was the neighbor of the Parris family who advised John Indian to make a witch’s cake. The denouncing of that act has been seen as one of the triggers of the witch craze that followed. Fast Facts: Mary Sibley Known For: Key role in the Salem Witch Trials of 1692Born: April 21, 1660 in Salem, Essex County, MassachusettsParents: Benjamin and Rebecca Canterbury WoodrowDied: c. 1761Education: UnknownSpouse: Samuel Sibley (or Siblehahy or Sibly), February 12, 1656/1257–1708. m. 1686Children: At least 7 Early Life Mary Sibley was a real person, born Mary Woodrow on April 21, 1660 in Salem, in Essex County, Massachusetts. Her parents, Benjamin Woodrow (1635–1697) and Rebecca Canterbury (spelled Catebruy or Cantlebury, 1630–1663), were born in Salem to parents from England. Mary had at least one brother Jospeh/Joseph, born about 1663. Rebecca died when Mary was about 3 years old. Nothing is known of her education, but in 1686, when Mary was about 26 years old, she married Samuel Sibley.  Their first two children were born before 1692, one was born in 1692 (a son, William), and four more were born after the events at Salem, after 1693. Samuel Sibleys Connection to Salem Accusers Mary Sibleys husband had a sister Mary, who was married to Captain Jonathan Walcott or  Wolcott, and their daughter was Mary Wolcott. Mary Wolcott became one of the accusers of witches in the Salem community in May 1692 when she was about 17 years old. Those she accused included  Ann Foster. Mary Wolcott’s father John had remarried after Samuels sister Mary died, and Mary Wolcotts new stepmother was Deliverance Putnam Wolcott, a sister of Thomas Putnam, Jr.  Thomas Putnam Jr. was  one of the accusers at Salem as were his wife and daughter, Ann Putnam, Sr. and Ann Putnam, Jr. Salem 1692 In January of 1692, two girls in the home of the Rev. Samuel Parris, Elizabeth (Betty) Parris  and  Abigail Williams, ages 9 and 12,  began exhibiting very strange symptoms, and a  Caribbean slave, Tituba, also experienced images of the devil—all according to later testimony.  A doctor diagnosed the â€Å"Evil Hand† as the cause, and Mary Sibley offered the idea of the witch’s cake to John Indian, a Caribbean slave of the Parris family. The primary evidence in the trial against the group was the witchs cake, a common folk magic tool made using the urine of the afflicted girls. Supposedly, sympathetic magic meant that the evil afflicting them would be in the cake, and, when a dog consumed the cake, it would point to the witches who had afflicted them.  While this was apparently a known practice in English folk culture to identify likely witches, the Rev. Parris in his Sunday sermon denounced even such well-intentioned  uses of magic, as they could also be â€Å"diabolical† (works of the devil). The witchs cake didnt stop the afflictions of the two girls.  Instead, two additional girls began to show some afflictions:  Ann Putnam Jr.,  connected to Mary Sibley through her husbands brother-in-law, and Elizabeth Hubbard. Confession and Restoration Mary Sibley confessed in church that she had erred, and the congregation acknowledged their satisfaction with her confession by a show of hands. She probably thereby avoided being accused as a witch. The next month, the town records note her suspension from communion and restoration to full congregational inclusion when she made her confession. March 11, 1692 – Mary, the wife of Samuel Sibley, having been suspended from communion with the church there, for the advices she gave John [husband of Tituba] to make the above experiment, is restored on confession that her purpose was innocent. Neither Mary nor Samuel Sibley appears on the 1689 register of covenanted church members of the Salem Village church, so they must have joined after that date. According to genealogical records, she lived well into her nineties, dying about 1761. Fictional Representations In the 2014 Salem-based supernatural scripted series  from WGN America, Salem,  Janet Montgomery stared as Mary Sibley, who in this fictional representation is an actual witch. She is, in the fictional universe, the most powerful witch in Salem.  Her maiden name is Mary Walcott, similar but not the same as the maiden name, Woodrow, of the real-life Mary Sibley. Another Mary Walcott in the real Salem universe was one of the key accusers at age 17, a niece of Ann Putnam Sr. and cousin of Ann Putnam Jr. That Mary Walcott (or Wolcott) in the real Salem was a niece of Samuel Sibley, husband of the Mary Sibley who baked the witchs cake.  The producers of the  Salem  series seem to have combined the characters of Mary Walcott and Mary Sibley, niece, and aunt, to create a completely fictionalized character. In the pilot of the series, the fictional Mary Sibley assists her husband in throwing up a frog. In this version of the Salem witch history, Mary Sibley is married to George Sibley and is a former lover of John Alden (who is much younger in the show than he was in the real Salem.) The Salem  show even introduced a character, Countess Marburg, a German witch  and terrible villain who has had an unnaturally long life.  At the end of Season 2, Tituba and the Countess die, but Mary goes on for another season. Ultimately, Mary comes to wholeheartedly regret her choices. She and her lover are reconciled and fight for the future together. Sources Ancestry.com.  Massachusetts, Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988  [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.  Original data:  Town and City Clerks of Massachusetts.  Massachusetts Vital and Town Records. Provo, UT: Holbrook Research Institute (Jay and Delene Holbrook).  Note that the image clearly shows 1660 as the birth date, though the text at the site interprets it as 1666.Mary Sibley. Geni, January 22, 2019.Yates Publishing.  U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900  [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004.Jalalzai, Zubeda. Historical Fiction and Maryse Condà ©s I, Tituba, Black Witch of Salem. African American Review 43.2/3 (2009): 413–25.Latner, Richard. Here Are No Newters: Witchcraft and Religious Discord in Salem Village and Andover. The New England Quarterly 79.1 (2006): 92–122.Ray, Benjamin C. The Salem Witch Mania: Recent Scholarship and American History Textbooks. Journal of the American Academy of Religion 78.1 (2010): 40–64.Satans War against the Covenant in Salem Village, 1692. The New England Quarterly 80.1 (2007): 69–95.