Human Sciences

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Human Sciences
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Looking at human activities using the methods of
science

• Observation
• Measurement
• Experiments
• Laws

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Experiments

• How do we do experiments?
• Why are natural science experiments done in a
  laboratory?
• Limit variables
• Simplified phenomena are easier to observe
• Remove interfering effects/safer when testing to
  destruction/extremes
• Why is it not a good idea to do human science
  experiments in a laboratory?
• Humans respond to complex stimuli and reasoning
  and act very differently when there is only one
  stimulus
• Humans tend to do what is expected of them and
  act differently when observed
• There are ethical problems with testing humans to
  extremes.

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Experiments

• Can we do human science experiments in the Real
  World?
• Some, but not many because
• Too many variables
• Ethical problems of getting permission from
  everybody involved
• Almost impossible to replicate

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Experiments

• So how do we do human science experiments?
• Do in the laboratory to reduce the distractions
• Lie about what the experiment is testing
• Get permission before and afterwards
• Be creative about testing at the extremes (eg
  tape of screaming in Milgrams experiment)

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Experiments

• This is how magicians and illusionists do their
  tricks.
• They distract one part of your perception/consciou
  sness
• and while you are not looking
• make something disappear