AP Seminar: Understanding Stimulus Materials – Part 2
Summary
TLDRIn this AP Seminar lesson, teacher Gerardo Gonzalez guides students through analyzing three stimulus materials to understand happiness from various perspectives. The first study, by Nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman, suggests a saturation point in happiness linked to income. The second explores genetic influences on well-being, indicating a happiness baseline set by genes. Lastly, a New York Times piece critiques the commercialization of happiness, represented by Disneyland. The lesson aims to teach students how to summarize texts, interpret data, and synthesize information to build arguments, preparing them for future research topics.
Takeaways
- 📚 The lesson's objective is to understand how to summarize and explain a text's main idea without oversimplifying or making faulty generalizations.
- 🧠 The importance of incorporating stimulus materials accurately into papers to support arguments, especially with peer-reviewed academic works as evidence.
- 📈 Understanding and interpreting both qualitative and quantitative data from various sources is crucial for developing an argument in the paper.
- 🔍 The significance of identifying the main idea of the source material and incorporating it into the overall research topic and argument.
- 🏆 Daniel Kahneman, a Nobel Prize-winning economist, is highlighted for his influential work on the impact of behavior on economic decision making.
- 💰 The study by Kahneman and others suggests that high income improves life satisfaction but not necessarily emotional well-being, with $75,000 identified as a threshold for emotional well-being.
- 🧬 Another study explores the genetic influence on subjective well-being, indicating that about 33% of life satisfaction variation can be explained by genetic variation.
- 🌟 The Happiness Project article from The New York Times Style magazine discusses happiness as a creation and criticizes the notion that happiness can be bought.
- 🤔 The script encourages students to consider the implications of the sources, such as the policy goal of reducing suffering and the role of money in achieving happiness.
- 🔗 The lesson emphasizes the need to review stimulus materials to identify areas for further inquiry and to find potential research topics.
- 💡 Lastly, the script reminds students to think beyond the literal interpretations of sources like Disneyland and consider the broader metaphorical implications on happiness and materialism.
Q & A
What is the main objective of the lesson presented by Gerardo Gonzalez?
-The main objective of the lesson is to understand how to summarize and explain a text's main idea or aim while avoiding faulty generalizations or oversimplification, and to interpret, use, and synthesize qualitative and quantitative data from various perspectives to develop and support an argument.
What is the significance of incorporating stimulus materials into academic papers according to the lesson?
-Incorporating stimulus materials is significant because it helps to progress the argument or contribute to the narrative of the response. It is necessary to earn points in the first rubric row and ensures that the paper is not just referencing the materials but using them meaningfully to support the argument.
What does the study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences conclude about the relationship between high income and happiness?
-The study concludes that high income improves life evaluation but not emotional well-being. It suggests that there is a threshold around $75,000, beyond which further increases in income do not improve emotional well-being.
Who is Daniel Kahneman and what is his contribution to the study discussed in the lesson?
-Daniel Kahneman is an influential economist and Nobel Prize winner in Economic Sciences. His work focuses on how behavior impacts economic decision-making. In the study mentioned, Kahneman, along with his co-author, aimed to find out if money can buy happiness.
What is the concept of 'emotional well-being' as defined in the study by Kahneman and Eaton?
-Emotional well-being is defined as the emotional quality of an individual's everyday experience, which includes how often and how strongly one experiences feelings such as joy, anxiety, sadness, anger, and affection, and their overall impact on life.
What is the Happiness Project and how does it relate to the concept of happiness discussed in the lesson?
-The Happiness Project is a piece published in The New York Times Style magazine that explores happiness from a cultural and literary perspective. It serves as a counterpoint to the more quantitative and scientific studies discussed in the lesson, offering narrative insights into the pursuit and experience of happiness.
What does the study in the Journal of Neuroscience, Psychology, and Economics suggest about the genetic influence on happiness?
-The study suggests that about 33% of the variation in life satisfaction is explained by genetic variation. It explores the relationship between a functional polymorphism on the serotonin transporter gene and life satisfaction, indicating that certain genetic variants may be associated with greater life satisfaction.
What is the implication of the study's findings on policy-making regarding happiness?
-The implication is that policy goals might need to consider reducing suffering and improving happiness. However, the study raises questions about how to define suffering and the feasibility of creating programs to address it, considering the cost and efficiency of such initiatives.
How does the Happiness Project challenge the idea that money can buy happiness?
-The Happiness Project challenges this idea by suggesting that happiness is not something that can be purchased or inherited but rather something that is created. It critiques the notion that materialistic means can lead to happiness, highlighting the limitations of places like Disneyland in providing a genuine sense of happiness.
What is the overarching theme that connects all the sources discussed in the lesson?
-The overarching theme is the exploration of happiness, examining it from various angles including economic, psychological, genetic, and cultural perspectives to understand what contributes to an individual's sense of happiness and well-being.
What advice does the instructor give for approaching sources that may seem intimidating or complex?
-The instructor advises students to focus on the introduction, discussion, and conclusion sections of a source if they find the content intimidating or complex. This approach can help students gain a firm understanding of the research and its implications without getting overwhelmed by the details.
How does the instructor suggest students should review the stimulus materials to prepare for future lessons?
-The instructor suggests that students should review the stimulus materials to identify the two or three sources that interest them the most. They should then give a close read to each of these sources, looking for connections that can guide them in a potential direction for their research topic.
Outlines
📚 Lesson Introduction and Objectives
The video begins with an introduction by Gerardo Gonzales, a teacher at Lane Tech College Prep in Chicago, Illinois. He outlines the goals for this AP Seminar lesson on understanding stimulus materials, focusing on summarizing and explaining a text's main idea without oversimplification. The lesson also aims to teach students how to interpret and synthesize qualitative and quantitative data from various sources to support an argument, incorporating peer-reviewed academic works into their essays. The importance of accurately using stimulus materials in writing is emphasized, with an explanation of the rubric for scoring these materials in students' papers.
💼 Review of Stimulus Materials and Studies on Happiness
The instructor proceeds to review three stimulus materials related to the theme of happiness. The first study from the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences examines whether high income improves life evaluation but not emotional well-being. The second study, from the Journal of Neuroscience, Psychology, and Economics, titled 'Genes, Economics, and Happiness,' explores the genetic influence on subjective well-being. Lastly, 'The Happiness Project,' a piece from The New York Times Style magazine, is mentioned as a cultural perspective on happiness. The teacher advises students to read the abstracts of academic papers to understand the purpose, methodology, and findings before delving into full articles.
🏅 Nobel Laureate Daniel Kahneman's Study on Income and Happiness
The video delves into a study by Nobel Prize-winning economist Daniel Kahneman, which investigates the relationship between income and happiness. Kahneman, along with co-author Dr. Angus Deaton, concludes that while higher income does lead to increased life satisfaction, it does not necessarily improve emotional well-being. The study suggests a threshold of $75,000, beyond which additional income does not significantly enhance emotional well-being and may even increase stress levels. The instructor highlights the importance of understanding the authors' backgrounds and their focus on how emotions influence economic behavior.
🧬 Genetic Influence on Happiness and Life Satisfaction
The instructor discusses a study that explores the genetic basis of happiness, specifically focusing on the serotonin transporter gene and its variants. The study, which uses a twin design and genetic association, finds that individuals with certain genetic variations report higher life satisfaction. However, the results are not conclusive, indicating a need for further research. The video emphasizes the complexity of determining happiness, suggesting that both genetic and environmental factors play a role in an individual's overall well-being.
🤔 Policy Implications and the Nature of Suffering
The video raises questions about the policy implications of the research findings, particularly whether reducing suffering should be a policy goal. It discusses the challenges of defining suffering and the potential for policymakers to address it through programs and initiatives. The instructor encourages students to consider the broader implications of the research, such as the balance between the cost of implementing policies and their potential benefits.
🧬 Genetics, Environment, and the Complexity of Happiness
Continuing the discussion on the genetic influence on happiness, the instructor highlights the study's findings that genetic variation can account for about 33% of the differences in life satisfaction. The study also suggests that the relationship between a specific genetic polymorphism and life satisfaction requires further investigation. The instructor emphasizes the importance of not being intimidated by scientific sources and encourages students to focus on the introduction, discussion, and conclusion sections to grasp the research's significance.
🎢 Disneyland as a Metaphor for the Pursuit of Happiness
The video presents 'The Happiness Project' as a narrative exploration of happiness, using Disneyland as a metaphor for society's attempt to create and purchase happiness. The instructor poses questions about whether Disneyland represents a genuine pursuit of happiness and whether all individuals can experience happiness equally. The piece critiques the idea that happiness can be bought and suggests that materialism may influence how people seek happiness.
💭 Reflecting on Perspectives of Happiness and Research Topics
In the final part of the video, the instructor encourages students to reflect on the different perspectives on happiness presented in the sources and to consider which viewpoint aligns with their own beliefs. The goal is to identify areas of interest for potential research topics. The instructor also addresses the issue of student access to resources and invites those in need to reach out to the College Board for support.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Summarize
💡Stimulus Materials
💡Generalizations
💡Quantitative Evidence
💡Qualitative Data
💡Life Evaluation
💡Emotional Well-being
💡Synthesize
💡Peer-reviewed Academic Works
💡Happiness
💡Disneyland
💡Policy Goal
💡Serotonin
💡Twin Design
💡Neuroscience
Highlights
Understanding how to summarize and explain a text's main idea while avoiding faulty generalizations or oversimplification is the first lesson objective.
Incorporating stimulus sources accurately into papers is crucial for developing arguments and earning points in the rubric.
Interpreting and synthesizing qualitative and quantitative data from various sources is key to supporting an argument.
Quantitative evidence from sources requires understanding to avoid misinterpretation.
The importance of accurately incorporating stimulus materials into essays for earning points on the rubric.
The concept that high income improves life evaluation but not emotional well-being, as per a study published in PNAS.
Daniel Kahneman's influential work on the relationship between behavior and economic decision-making.
Emotional well-being and life evaluation are distinct measures of happiness with different responses to income levels.
A potential threshold of $75,000 income beyond which emotional well-being does not significantly increase.
The idea that policy goals could include reducing suffering, as suggested by the study's findings on income and well-being.
The study's exploration of genetic variation's influence on subjective well-being and its implications for economic utility.
The Happiness Project piece from The New York Times Style magazine offers a cultural perspective on happiness.
Disneyland as a metaphor for the pursuit of happiness through materialistic means.
The critique of Disneyland as a place accessible only to those who can afford it, challenging the idea of universal happiness.
The importance of not being intimidated by scientific sources and focusing on the introduction, discussion, and conclusion.
The need to review stimulus materials to identify areas of interest for potential research topics.
The guidance provided for students without internet access or devices to reach out to the College Board for support.
Transcripts
good morning everybody welcome to lesson
three of AP seminar understanding the
stimulus materials part two my name is
Gerardo gonzales I teach at Lane tech
college prep in Chicago Illinois and so
today what we're gonna be looking at is
the remaining three stimulus materials
and I'll go into those in a second I
want to give a quick overview as far as
what our goals are for today's lesson
our first objective is to understand how
to summarize and explain a text main
idea or aim while avoiding faulty
generalizations or oversimplification as
you know from the previous two lessons
right now when we're taking a look at
the stimulus materials we want to make
sure that we can accurately incorporate
the stimulus sources into our papers
once we begin writing so this is a very
very important skill for us to have we
also want to take take a look at
understanding how to interpret use and
synthesize qualitative and quantitative
data and information from various
perspectives and sources to develop and
support an argument we want to make sure
that we're able to do this since the
paper requires that we incorporate peer
reviewed academic works and as evidence
into our essay we want to make sure that
we are developing an understanding for
some of the skills needed to incorporate
that into our paper and to of the
sources specifically that we're looking
at today lean heavily heavily on
quantitative evidence so we want to make
sure we have an understanding of what's
being presented to us and I'll walk you
through some of those heavier data
pieces in a little bit as a big picture
goal we want to make sure we want to
develop an understanding of the
individual sources within the stimulus
materials to identify areas for further
inquiry in future videos we'll be
building heavily on the content
presented throughout the first three
lessons so let's review a little bit
of that noun in the first lesson miss
mrs. Molloy walked you through the
different components of the rubric row
to review right now I have up the first
rubric row incorporating the stimulus
material as part of your response is
necessary to earn points in the first
rubric row and I've highlighted on your
screen where you can see how that how
you can earn points for that so it's not
enough to simply make a reference to the
stimulus materials into your paper if it
doesn't contribute to the argument
that's being made which you can see on
the right-hand side zero points are
going to be earned for your paper so
this is a very very important rubric row
it's five points you either earn zero
points which is on the left or five
points which is on the right and so I
want to go into that a little bit more
deeply in the extended part of the
rubric the primary question that we ask
ourselves concerning the incorporation
of the stimulus materials is does the
stimulus material help to progress the
argument or contribute to the narrative
of the response so the response being
your paper so if you can if you say no
so let's say you have written your paper
and you're reviewing your paper you're
having someone peer-review your paper
and you say no if you delete the
reference with little or no effect on
the on your response you're not going to
earn any points in this row additionally
if you just incorporate it as a
jumping-off point for the through your
argument and just kind of just give it
like a brief mention or a tangential
reference meaning like it's just kind of
like a cursory reference to your to the
stimulus materials you're also probably
not going to earn any points for this
rubric row so we want to make sure that
we move into the right-hand side of the
category here if we delete the reference
to the stimulus material and if that
deletion would change or weaken the
argument so your argument that you're
making
if the way in which you use the stimulus
source reflects an accurate
understanding of the source material
then that's how you're earning points so
we want to make sure that today that
you're understanding the critical the
main idea of the source and helping to
incorporate that main idea into the
overall present into the overall
research topic and argument that you end
up writing so today we're gonna discuss
three of the sources the other three
sources in the stimulus packet we'll be
looking at high income improves
evaluation of life but not emotional
well-being which is a study published in
the Proceedings of the National Academy
of Sciences after that we'll be
reviewing a study published in the
journal Journal of Neuroscience
psychology and economics which is
entitled genes economics and happiness
and then finally we'll be taking a look
at the Happiness Project which is a
piece published in The New York Times
Style magazine so two peer-reviewed
journals and then one more cultural
literary piece
ok so we're sort of on two ends of the
spectrum here but I think that they tie
in nicely which is why we're grouping
them together just as a review if you
haven't watched the previous video from
mrs. Molloy she goes over the other four
stimulus with stimulus sources so you
you'll probably want to check those out
as well so let's take a look a little
bit into what you need to know here
there's a lot of text on the screen and
if I was giving a presentation to my
students I probably would not have all
of this text on the screen but since
you're in front of your screen right now
I've put up the abstract of this source
so depending on your level of experience
reading academic journals if you're not
familiar with what an abstract is an
abstract is a summary of what the source
what the study is about typically they
tell you what the purpose of the study
is
how they conducted their study and then
their main findings so I always
encourage my students before you read
the source before you read a twenty page
source you want to make sure that you
take a look at the abstract to see if
the source is is going to be of some
value to you and reading the abstract is
going to give us a little bit of an
understanding a little bit of a heads up
as far as what it is that we're about to
read and so if you don't have a lot of
experience or if maybe you feel a little
intimidated reading some of these longer
quantitative pieces starting off with
the abstract is a great strategy for you
to take so I have the abstract up here I
have color coded some of the key words
that I want you to pay attention to and
I will continue color coding it with the
same colors throughout the sources so
that you can see connections that you
can possibly be making some of the key
words that I want you to take a look at
before we go into reading this are
subjective well-being motional
well-being life evaluation and then life
satisfaction of course were the the
major theme connecting all of the
sources is happiness right and so in in
this case we want to see sort of like
whether or not money buys happiness so
let's take a look at this abstract I'm
gonna take a minute here there'll be a
little bit of quiet time please go
through this abstract on your own
you
you
you
you
you
okay so I want to point out two
different things here that I've
underlined so the major question that
this study is going to to seek to answer
is whether or not money buys happiness
okay and so that is the basis for this
study and you may
we've probably asked ourselves this
question many many different times right
whether having more money or not would
would lead us to truly finding happiness
and I'll get into that a little bit and
then we also want to see they they
conclude high income buys life
satisfaction but not happiness and that
low income is associated with having a
low life evaluation and low emotional
well-being okay so I'm gonna go into
those two main conclusion goals and
conclusions in a bit but before I go
into the specific findings of the study
I want to make sure that you understand
who is who the author of this pieces so
this piece is the primary author of this
piece is Daniel Kahneman dr. Daniel
Kahneman is one of the most influential
economists of the twentieth century
and he was awarded the Nobel Prize in
Economic Sciences in 2002 much of the
work that this economist focuses on is
how our behavior impacts our economic
decision making so if we are happy do we
behave differently in terms of like how
we purchase things or how we work then
if we are sad or if there are other
emotional factors that influence how we
behave in terms of economics in this
particular study Khanna men and Eaton
aim to find if the opposite also holds
true so mainly does money buy happiness
and so I'll go into that in a second so
just always remember and I'm sure that
you've been doing this throughout the
year you want to make sure that you
understand who your authors are okay and
so now that we know Daniel Kahneman
as an influential economists this this
author is also going to be cited in the
other study that we're looking at never
at all so just make sure that you're on
the lookout for that name so three
things that I want to focus on
throughout the throughout the passage
there are two main terms that the
authors seek to evaluate the first is
emotional well-being which is defined as
the emotional quality of an individual's
everyday experience and this can be seen
in how often and how strongly you
experience feelings such as joy anxiety
sadness anger and affection and their
overall impact on your life so these
feelings generally determine whether you
view your life as pleasant or unpleasant
the opinion that you have on your life
is called your life evaluation okay so
in Survey Research
this is typifies by the question of how
satisfied are you with your life as a
whole these days note that your answer
may vary greatly depending on when the
question is asked especially the current
situation that we're living in right so
right now many people are stuck in their
homes we're not able to go out we're not
able to visit stores restaurants things
like that and so right now if
researchers were looking to evaluate
like conduct Studies on our current life
evaluation they may be a little bit
lower than what normal levels may be but
what this source attempts to seek is to
provide by the question does money buy
happiness
aim so does money buy happiness this is
an inherently debatable question that
could receive hundreds of different
responses if you asked a hundred
different people you might get a hundred
different reasons for why it does or
doesn't buy happiness
some people might say yes because it
allows us to buy the things that we that
would make us happy so a big house the
ability to travel or the ability to
provide for your family right other
people might say no because they may not
value they may not see those material
things that we want to buy with money as
bringing us happiness and so what this
study aim to achieve was to determine if
money actually makes people happier and
so what they found was that not
necessarily it doesn't necessarily the
more money that you have does not
necessarily equate to having more actual
happiness and so the research State the
researcher stated that perhaps $75,000
is a threshold which further increases
in income no longer improve individuals
abilities to do what matters most of
their emotional well-being so $75,000 so
if you ask yourself you know $75,000 is
that a lot of money or is that a little
bit of money depending on where you live
$75,000 may be a lot of money but in
other places it may not it may just be
enough to get you by and so when we look
at that $75,000 number that number is
going to be super relative to where a
person lives and what other factors are
impacting their lives there this this
figure right here is going to be what
best typifies the source as a whole and
so if you notice we have four different
measures here we have a positive effect
which is the top line not blue we have
this dashed ladder here and then we have
stress-free on the bottom and so on the
left-hand side you can see the fraction
of the population who would study
experiencing each of these things and so
a positive effect blue effect and so
right now I'm reading underneath of the
figure positive effect blue effect
stress and life evaluation in relation
to household income so each of these
measures compared to how much money they
are making
now blue is the is one minus the average
of the fractions of the population
reporting worry and sadness stress-free
is the fraction of the population who
did not report stress for the previous
day so if you if I ask you were you
stressed yesterday if you answered no
that's kind of how we're getting that
and then these three hedonic measures
are marked on the left-hand scale the
latter is the average reported on the
number scale okay so how are you with
your life basically is what this latter
measure is taking a look at so I've
highlighted in blue the the area where
each of the lines tends to taper off so
what these researchers found was that
the numbers do not the the scale does
not continue to increase with more money
after a while so right around the
$75,000 mark each of your positive
feelings tends to taper off so you're
not gonna continue to get happier with
more money in fact if you take a look
down at the stress-free mark they're the
more money that you have actually over
time ends up leading to more stress and
so you might be asking yourself well why
how would having more money how would
having more of an ability to purchase
things lead to you being more stressed
out well if you think about it having
more money might end up making you feel
like you need to purchase higher-end
Goods more luxury items to sort of keep
up with the Joneses to make sure that
you are showing off your your level of
wealth but you may not actually have
that amount of money to be showing off
so the classic more money more problems
right so we want to make sure that in
this case
is there a easier that sweet spot and so
the author's so let's talk about some of
those questions and some of those
big-picture connections to how we can
make those connect to our other sources
one of the critical elements of any
passage that you should read should be
like what are the implications of this
source so implications are the
consequences of the argument that the
source is making so you could think of
that as the so what of the argument
although we usually associate the word
consequence with being something
negative implications can be either
positive or negative okay so if I ask
you what are the implications of this
argument you don't necessarily need to
look at it in a negative way we can have
positive implications so on page 19 of
the source the authors posed the
following question they asked us whether
or not it should be policy goal to
reduce suffering okay so should
lawmakers be responsible for reducing
the suffering of people and so in this
case what they're saying is if I go back
to the previous screen the people people
who are making less money over here on
the left-hand side we're gonna see that
they tend to have higher levels of
stress and lower levels of positive
effect so what the what the authors
based off of their findings there they
asked a big question of should it be a
policy goal for us to reduce these but
the issue with this question is how we
define suffering to be sure there are
many issues that plague every community
around the world we don't need to look
much further than the current pandemic
to realize that there are issues that
should definitely be addressed and
tackled by policymakers but what are the
limits right to create programs to
create many sort of these programs that
seek to reduce the suffering many
policymakers are gonna be against that
because it's gonna cost a lot of money
or it may not be run as efficiently or
it may just be very difficult to begin
with and to go along with this what are
some of the other
factors discuss in the present study
that could impact emotional well-being
or life evaluation how might these same
factors be seen or connect with the
other stimulus sources so by this point
we've seen the concept of utilitarianism
we've seen the concept of like
renouncing pleasure and so think about
that right if we can see like if is
there a greater good in this aim to
reduce suffering so as we're reading
more and more sources we want to start
thinking about some of those potential
connections that we can make so I
strongly encourage with that very very
brief overview take a look at that
source with those big picture questions
in mind the second source said I want to
take a look at is this the Nev source
and so full disclosure before going into
this my personal strength is not in the
sciences I'm a history teacher and these
types of sources have always been
intimidating to me so if you if you've
taken a look at this source and if you
also felt intimidated with me I'm 100%
with you on that I'm not gonna spend too
much time digging around into the
biological foundation of this source
because I just don't feel that
comfortable with that and I strong so
for everyone whether you feel
comfortable with this source or not I
strongly encourage everyone to read the
introduction discussion and conclusion
sections of this piece to get a firm
understanding of the need for this kind
of research
so please just because you're a little
you might be a little bit intimidated
with how this source looks you should
still take a look at this because a lot
there's a lot of stuff here that you can
use for your potential research topic if
you are someone who has an interest in
learning about this please take a deep
dive into the source there are many many
many different connections that my
current students have made with this
source by looking at the science behind
behind the study
so let's take a look at this at this
abstract again so I'll read this one we
explored the influence of genetic
variation on the subjective well-being
by employing the twin design and genetic
Association study in a nationally
representative twin sample we first
showed that about 33% of the variation
in life satisfaction is explained by
genetic variation although previous
studies have shown that baseline
happiness is significantly heritable
little research has considered the
molecular genetic associations with
subjective well-being we study the
relationship between a functional
polymorphism on the serotonin
transporter gene and life satisfaction
we initially find that individuals with
the longer more efficient variants of
this genotype reported greater life
satisfaction however our replication
attempts on independent samples produce
mixed results indicating that more work
needs to be done to better understand
the relationship between this genotype
and subjective well-being this work has
implications for how economists think
about the determinants of utility and
the extent to which exogenous shocks
might affect individual well-being
okay so a lot of scientific terms here
being being raised and so I just want to
walk back a little bit so take a look at
the color coding here um so if you
decide to go back I'm gonna point you to
this color coding here okay so similar
terms are being coded with the similar
color go for your reference there okay
so what does a lot of this stuff mean so
a lot one of the key findings of this
study can be seen in these two figures
okay so I'm gonna start with the one on
the left the basis of the breath present
study was to see if there's a genetic
variation that might lead to people
having different levels of happiness
okay so is are we born with our
happiness gene okay so our
is happiness a genetic function or is it
something that's environmental right so
that that is sort of this nature versus
nurture debate on happiness figure one
which is the image on the left best
represents what the what the researchers
aim to study using a nationally
representative twin sample which means
that the participants generally reflect
the population of the country in terms
of gender race income etc the
researchers looked at sets of twins to
see variants of a specific gene so in
this case this gene is this 5-htt gene
and how that gene could impact how
satisfied someone is with their life so
looking at that more closely take a look
at the items inside of the yellow box
okay so the researchers cited past
studies in there sort of like in their
litters in their introduction and in
their literature review that found that
this gene can have two different
variants a short variant which is the
darker cylinder with an S in it or a
long variant which is the lighter
cylinder with an L inside of it so prior
research has found that the longer
variant is able to more efficiently
produce a neurotransmitter known as
serotonin okay so this sera if you've
taken ap psychology you've probably
learned that serotonin is often referred
to as the happy hormone
okay so serotonin is what is is sort of
what can best regulate our mood each of
us has the possibility to either have to
store alleles one short and one long
allele or two long alleles okay so if
I'm looking still looking in this yellow
box we can either have two L's two S's
or one s and one L as is represented
currently on the screen compared to the
with two short variants so those who had
to two of these s alleles those with one
long allele and one short allele were
8.5 percent more likely to indicate
being very satisfied with their lives
which is sort of what is reflected in
Figure 2 on the right hand side so if
you have the representation that's
currently on the screen compared to
having two short alleles you were 8.5
percent more likely to indicate being
very satisfied with your life so if I
asked you that question how how
satisfied are you with your life and if
you said very satisfied
you were 8.5 percent more likely to have
this one short allele and one long
allele there was an even larger increase
for those four people who had two long
alleles so if you had two longer leo's
if you had two long alleles you there
was a 17 point 3 percent increase in the
likelihood of being very satisfied with
your life so if you take a look on the
again within that yellow box if we move
from having one one short and one long
to just too long you were there was a
17.3 increase in the likelihood of being
very satisfied so this is important
right because if the quote if the
author's seek to ask is happiness a
heritable genetic quality so are we born
with our Mac our maximum level of
happiness
the authors find maybe okay so what they
what they say is that genes can provide
a baseline for our happiness and that
our genes impact us differently
throughout our lives and they they say
this with this key quote genes and
environment can play different differing
roles in explaining experience at
different points of our life course so
when we're in our teenage and early
adult years our genes may not have as
large of an impact on our lives as
they may have later on in life to major
implications here that the authors
discuss the first is the concept of
utility so thank you til atte
utilitarianism it's an economic term
referring to the total satisfaction
received from consuming a good or
service and then what they say about
life satisfaction it's impacted by both
environmental and biological factors
some big just some some other takeaways
please don't be intimidated by the
source make sure that you're focusing on
the introduction discussion and
conclusion if you're struggling with the
science behind this study and of course
I want to make make sure that you're
thinking about how these how this source
connects to the other stimulus materials
and then furthermore is happiness of
subjective concept the final piece that
we want to take a look at is the
Happiness Project from the New York
Times Style magazine in this case this
is not a very quantitative piece it's
not very data heavy there is a lot more
narrative here and so the type of
evidence that we're gonna see here is a
lot different than the previous two
sources so with that I want to ask you
two major questions and these these two
questions are what I want you to think
about as you're reading the source the
first is how does a Disneyland serve as
a representation of our attempt to
create happiness and the second is are
all individuals able to experience
happiness to the same extent and so what
I did here was take a look at try to
pull two key quotes here for each of the
questions that I asked for the first
question of how Disney Land serves as a
representation of our attempt to find
happiness the first quote is in the
world of Disney we feel homesick for a
home that never really existed yet
everything we care about whether being
loved they're feeling right or having
fun or looking good stems from a set of
narcissistic compulsions that Disney
embraced and built - graphic completion
that is his contribution and however
foolish however impossible in the end
it gives life to the notion that
happiness is a creation something made
rather than inherited a beautiful
necessary lie so this this kind of goes
against the previous source that we were
just talking about and the second sort
second quote that I wanted to point out
to you it's if you ask a young Russian
or an Iranian who loves them who love
America why they love it they believe
that it is happiness more they believe
that you can pay your way to being
anything you fancy and that it
represents a kind of genius possessed
and managed by corporations so in this
case Disneyland is is representing our
pursuit to really purchase our happiness
to seek our happiness through more
materialistic means then the second
major question that I want to ask is are
all individuals able to experience
happiness to the same extent and this is
where the author o'hagan is pretty
critical he says the idea of Disneyland
is a simple one it would be a place in
in quoting Disney he says the idea of
Disneyland is a simple one it will be a
place for people to find happiness and
knowledge will be a place for parents
and children to share pleasant times
together
a place for a teacher and pupils to
discover greater ways of understanding
and education here the older generation
can recapture the nostalgia of days gone
by and the younger generation can savor
the challenge of the future so in
quoting Disney O'Hagan is really seeking
to highlight how Disney felt that
Disneyland would be this positive
experience for for people to go to and
experience and but he he's pretty
critical of this quote he says
Disneyland is only a democracy for those
who can afford to get in and even then
your spending power will continue to put
pressure on your sense of freedom and he
uses the example of the wristbands that
had Disneyland currently offers and how
children can go and purchase anything
that they want simply by tapping the
wristband on something and so
can't according to Hagen can everyone
experience happiness not really because
you need money to buy happiness so
that's a major question that you should
ask yourself does once again does money
buy happiness and so some key takeaways
and questions to consider for this
source
how does Disney function as a metaphor
for other institutions and so here's
where I really want to highlight
something that could lead to a
misconception these sources have many
many different applications and don't
need to be taken in the most literal
form so just because the source is about
Disney and Disneyland doesn't mean that
you necessarily have to do your research
topic on Disneyland okay so there are
the context of this of this piece is key
and it's aiming to get at more than just
what Disneyland is actually doing it's
it's meant to serve as a representation
for for how our materialism impacts how
we gain happiness so now that we've
looked at all of the sources I want you
to think about which perspective of
happiness do you agree with the most and
which of the sources agree with each
other and which of the sources would
disagree with one another putting some
answers to these questions will help to
find a potential research topic which is
something that we'll be taking a look at
in future lessons so to review our goal
today was to summarize and explain a
text main idea to avoid faulty
generalizations and oversimplifications
for that oversimplification piece that's
really I want you to be careful with
that did with that last Disney source to
make sure that you're not just looking
at it in the most literal sense we also
wanted to interpret use and synthesize
our qualitative and quantitative
evidence from various perspectives to
develop and support an argument and then
our big a big picture goal was to
develop an understanding of each of the
individual sources within the stimulus
materials to identify areas for
their inquiry so now that we've looked
at all of those different sources now
it's sort of your job you should before
going on to the next sources review the
stimulus materials to identify the two
or three sources that you're most
interested in and once you do that you
should give a close read to each of
those sources
looking for connections among the
different sources that can guide you in
a potential direction for your topic in
future videos we'll be looking at how to
actually use the videos use the sources
to identify a potential topic so be on
the lookout for those as well one final
note we know that not all students have
access to the Internet or a device and
so we're working on solutions to help
students get what they need to show best
show their work and so if you need
mobile tools or connectivity or know
someone that does please reach out to
the College Board at CBI org slash tech
that's all for now
thanks for watching
تصفح المزيد من مقاطع الفيديو ذات الصلة
AP Seminar: Understanding Stimulus Materials – Part 1
AP Seminar: Developing a Research Topic within Context of Stimulus Materials
AP Seminar: Individual Written Argument (IWA) – Directions and Rubric
AP Seminar: Incorporating Evidence
The riddle of experience vs. memory | Daniel Kahneman
AP Seminar: Submitting the Individual Written Argument
5.0 / 5 (0 votes)