Human Sciences

Questions from last class  Should trends in human behavior be used/referenced in criminal convictions considering the problem of free will?  TWE can math be used to predict human aptitude?

Considering the Numbers episode…  Reflecting on the episode, TWE can math accurately predict human behavior?  How does behavior link to aptitude?  Can math be considered the language of Natural Science but not Human Science if they are both “sciences”?  Assuming mathematical or natural scientific evaluation of aptitude is accurate, should we allow it do dictate funding for schools?  Which influences human behavior more: will or ability?  How can we distinguish between natural and human science when studying the abilities of human beings?

Human Sciences:  Study the reality of being human  More specifically, the human sciences study the social, cultural and biological aspects of human existence.  Uses the scientific method to test hypotheses  Relies more heavily on statistics  Includes things such as anthropology, economics, psychology, sociology  Significant contributors: Smith, Ricardo, Keynes, Friedmann in economics, Boas in anthropology, Freud, Watson in psychology

Hawthorne Effect  Change in behavior due to the fact that the participants know they are being observed

Verstehen approach  The inquirer drawing on his/her own experiences as evidence in his/her investigation in the human sciences

Names in Human Sci  Economics  Smith,  Ricardo  Keynes  Friedmann  Anthropology  Boas  Psychology  Freud  Watson

Common Econ Models  Microeconomics  Supply and Demand Basic Supply and Demand Who Pays a Sales Tax? The Cobweb Model and Inventory-Based Pricing #Basic Supply and DemandWho Pays a Sales Tax?The Cobweb Model and Inventory-Based Pricing #  Theory of the Firm Perfect Competition # Monopoly / Monopolistic Competition Price Discrimination The Demand for LaborPerfect Competition #Monopoly / Monopolistic CompetitionPrice DiscriminationThe Demand for Labor  Theory of the Consumer Two Goods - Two Prices # Intertemporal Substitution Labor Supply, Income Taxes, and Transfer PaymentsTwo Goods - Two Prices #Intertemporal SubstitutionLabor Supply, Income Taxes, and Transfer Payments  Macroeconomics Models in Chronological Order The Classical Model # The Simple Keynesian Model The Keynesian IS/LM Model # The Mundell-Fleming Model # Real Business Cycles The IS/MP Model The Solow Growth Model Financial Markets Utility-Based Valuation of Risk Mean-Variance Analysis: Risk vs. Expected Return Fixed Income Securities: Mortgage/Bond Calculator Growth Investments: Present Value CalculatorThe Classical Model #The Simple Keynesian ModelThe Keynesian IS/LM Model #The Mundell-Fleming Model #Real Business CyclesThe IS/MP ModelThe Solow Growth ModelUtility-Based Valuation of RiskMean-Variance Analysis: Risk vs. Expected ReturnFixed Income Securities: Mortgage/Bond CalculatorGrowth Investments: Present Value Calculator

Common Anthropology Models  Anthropology is the study of humans past and present  It is frequently classified 4 ways:  Sociocultural  Biological  Archaeological  Linguistic

Common Psych Models  Asch Conformity Experiemnts  Pavlov’s Dogs  Harry Harlow and Science of Love  Milgram Obedience Experiment  Bobo Doll Experiment  Zimbardo’s Prison Experiment  Little Albert Experiment  Seligman & Learned Helplessness

Classic Psychological Experiments  Milgram  Background:  Would you do it?  BF Skinner  Background:  Freedom & Morality:  V Chomsky Debate:  Operant Conditioning:  Little Albert:

Create a mini social experiment of your own  Create a questionnaire or poll for the other TOK class.

KI  TWE is it legitimate for the inquirer to draw upon his/her own experiences as evidence in his/her investigations in the human sciences (the verstehen approach)?  TWE are personal factors such as gender and age important in the human sciences?  Human sciences are less able to predict because humans have free will. But human sciences nevertheless try to establish laws of human behaviour. How can this be?  To what extent are the methods of the human sciences “scientific”?  How can one eliminate the effect of the observer being part of the system in the human sciences (see the Hawthorne effect in psychology or the field worker being part of the community in anthropology)?  In the verstehen approach, how might the emotions of the investigator as object of study affect the result of the investigation?  How can one rely on the results from questionnaires given the problems of wording, leading questions, sampling and selection effects and the fact that respondents might not either know the truth about their own intentions or indeed tell it?  Is the judgment of one model being more accurate than another the same as in natural science?