Early human science has developed a reputation for being,
unreliable and inconclusive due to the unpredictable nature of humans
themselves. However, recently this ideology has changed and the human sciences have
become an important part of science and discoveries. Although, the question remains,
are the findings of human sciences as reliable as those of natural sciences? In
fact, it has been found that the human sciences can be as reliable or even more
reliable than the natural sciences on some occasions. This is mainly due to the
fact that experiments relating to human science do not only rely on theories
and basic facts; they rely heavily on statistical observations in addition to
facts and theories on order to come to conclusive results. One such example is
the selective attention test conducted by Daniel Simons. In the experiment the
video begins by asking the viewers to count the number of time the ball is
passed between a group of people. Halfway through the video a gorilla walks and
dances amongst the group. At the end, the viewers were surveyed and asked if
they saw a gorilla? Most of the participants admitted that they did not. This finding
cannot be disputed as it is a physical observation and thus is reliable
information.
New methods of testing in the human sciences has also led to
the ability to quantify information to a great extent. One such example is
statistical information, observations in an experiment can be quantified and
expressed in terms of numbers and data. In fact, data gathering is an essential
part of human science testing and is relied upon heavily.
The world of human sciences has truly progressed and has
become a major part of modern society. However, many social claims investigated
in the human sciences actually apply to periods throughout history. For example,
the claim that growing up with a single mother as opposed to a complete family
consisting of both parents causes the child to lead a life of crime. This is an
issue that we face in modern society, however, Elvis Presley had written a song
decades ago named “in the ghetto” discussing the same social issues and ideas.
