IB Class Entry - Language and Thought Processes

Language and Theory of Knowledge 

I take both IBH Korean and IBH Literature and I find it very difficult to translate one language to another sometimes. One instance when I realized this was when my IB Korean class talked about the meanings of moral and ethics when I realized that the definitions tended to vary when processed in a different language. I decided to use this experience on language and though processes to write my TOK blog and came upon this article. 

Language can influence our knowledge and our culture. For instance, if we choose the word ‘good’ to describe something then our perspectives on the topic is only focused on the positive aspects rather than the differing perspectives. This influences our knowledge on that topic because we choose to focus on one specific area.

In addition, I used to consider language as a means of communication but through the article I learned that it "influences our culture and even our thought processes." Many people in our school are bilingual and I find that some aspects are understandable but some are implausible. I realized that my understanding tended to differ on which language I was using to think. 

When I translate a word into a different language I find that some are impossible to translate while keeping the same exact meaning. The translation doesn't have the same effect or meaning in English as in Korean or maybe vice versa. I realized that being bilingual actually helps us have deeper insight into our second language. 

I believe that language and knowledge are closely related yet it is difficult to determine which is more influential. The different language usage causes people to have varying cultures and perspectives because language is influential. But knowledge can also influence language because people with more education and knowledge may use more sophisticated words than others. I wondered "how does language and knowledge relate and be influential to each other?" 

http://anthro.palomar.edu/language/language_5.htm

Personal Entry - BBC: Spot the Fake Smile Test

BBC: Spot the Fake Smile Test 

This experiment was designed to test whether one can distinguish the difference between a fake smile and a real smile. It was based on the research by Professor Paul Ekman, a psychologist at the University of California.
I guessed 13 pictures correctly out of 20 and most of the pictures I got wrong were because I marked feigned expressions as real smiles. I personally thought that this test helped me how one's physical characteristics and expressions can both portray and hide emotions. People tend to feign expressions when they want to be polite or hide their emotions. From this test, I realized that it is difficult to notice when people are putting on a real smile or a fake smile. I related this to many other theories connected to emotions and wondered if feigning expressions affect ones' decisions as well. 
In addition, expressions can show one's personality because a bubbly person will have a bigger and more cheerful smile. Each unique smile emphasizes their individuality. Hiding one's smile hides both their personality and individuality. 

IB Class Entry - Ethics in Psychology Case Studies

For my TOK Presentation, I focused on the ethical considerations of one specific psychology case study. I chose IBH Psychology because it was closely related to Theory of Knowledge and many case studies are famous for having low ecological validity and ethical considerations. 

We chose Milgram’s experiment (1963) because it is known as one of the most unethical studies in the field of psychology. Even though Milgram had brought profound knowledge and evidence why we comply to authority figures, the participants were found to be distressed and have traumatic after-effects. This caused controversy on whether the knowledge from Milgram’s study, that used unethical methods, is valid for use. Thus, we came up with the question "How valid is the knowledge we gain from unethical psychology studies?" Through our knowledge question we focused on the validity of the unethical psychological studies. 

Ethicsž is an area of knowledge and are moral principles that govern a person's or group's behavior. Ethical guidelines of psychology studies include: informed consent from all participants, no deception, debriefing must take place, confidentiality and the right to withdraw. 

Through our presentation I learned that Milgram’s experiment is considered to be an unethical study because participants were deceived and were not allowed to withdraw during the experiment. Whenever a participant would ask to withdraw, the experimenters would pressure them. Even though some deception is allowed for an experiment, the emotions of the participants indicated extreme distress. Through the after-effects of the experiment, many are convinced that a study cannot bring valid knowledge if the ethical guidelines are not followed.