Human Sciences Research

Describe Independent Variable:

An independent variable is a factor that can be varied or manipulated in an experiment (e.g. an object). This means that it in the thing in an experiment that you change, for example using distance, this is the thing that you will want to change in order to find out the results and to support your conclusion and your own hypothesis.

Describe Dependant Variable:

A dependent variable is what you measure in the experiment and what is affected during the experiment for example time and height. This variable depends solely upon the independent variable, thus making it dependant.

The difference between control/experimental group:

The control group only thinks that they are receiving results of whatever it is they are testing while only the experimental group is really receiving it. However, if you are a member of either group you will never know which you were a part of. It would/could skew the results and render the entire test invalid. For example, the reason that these groups are different comes down to the truth that will need to be gained from the experiments, and truth from a person is hard to gain when they know the specific answers that the experimental group is searching for. Therefore, the experimental group are the ones performing the test secretly, and the control group are the oblivious ones involved in participating within the test.

2.What implication(s) does this have for knowledge gained in the human sciences (how does this issue or concept affect our ability to learn and know things via the human sciences)

The implications from dependant and independent variables are that dependant variables depend solely upon that of the independent, so if the independent variable goes wrong, the dependant cannot complete the test without the reliable results gained from the independent. That is its fault.

For the control and experimental groupings, the experimental group depends upon the control group to produce reliable and truthful results; otherwise the test will be in vain. This is hard to gain, as truth is incredibly difficult to gain from human beings without them being oblivious to the test that is being carried out upon them. Truth is hard enough to gain, but by adding human nature to the equation, you almost have a recipe for disaste

Human Response

In our previous TOK lesson, the class was split in half; one half was observing the patterns of human reaction in certain conditions, and the other half were the ones being observed (supposedly without knowing they were being watched).

At first, this exercise made me rather uncomfortable. Being one of the observed, I knew quite quickly what the other half of the class was doing. When I realised this, my whole personal reaction to the test changed and instantly I put on a persona for the class to see, for example, on task with a straight back and calm attitude because I believed this to be something that the observers would want to see. This highlights perfectly how truth is incredibly difficult to obtain in the light of human reactions and actions. Once a person knows that they are being tested for something, instantly, whether we mean it to happen or not, our truthful attitude (if we have one) becomes one that is in fact biased.

In future, the truth must be sought without the people being tested knowing, for that is the only way that the answers will not be thought out or biased.