science

Kyokan

Kyokan is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Kyokan rather than just read about it. In short: Kyokan (Japanese: 共(きょう)感(かん), romanized: kyōkan) is a Japanese word that is used in various fields and means "to feel oneness with". Use in primatology One example is a concept forwarded by Masao Kawai as a means of studying primates in the field.

Key takeaways

Kyokan belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Kyokan to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Kyokan from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Kyokan (Japanese: 共(きょう)感(かん), romanized: kyōkan) is a Japanese word that is used in various fields and means "to feel oneness with".

Use in primatology One example is a concept forwarded by Masao Kawai as a means of studying primates in the field. It first appeared to Western primatologists in Kawai's book Ecology of Japanese Monkeys (1969). For primatologists, the kyokan method is a very subjective and empathic form of research. It involves feelings of mutual relationship, attachment and shared experience between both the researcher and their subject. As Kawai argued: "By positively entering the group, by making contact on some level, objectivity can be established. It is on this basis that the experimental method can be introduced into natural behaviour study and which makes scientific analysis possible." His use of the term kyokan seems to be somewhat unusual amongst his peers in Japanese primatology, but the underlying principles are part of the foundation of the Japanese discipline in the field.

Other uses Another example of how the word is used can be seen in game creation. Shigeru Miyamoto, creator of Donkey Kong, Mario and The Legend of Zelda amongst other games, wants game creators to feel kyokan with the future users of their games. He wants "the players to feel about the game what the developers felt themselves."

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Kyokan

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Kyokan claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Kyokan before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Kyokan ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Kyokan

In research: Kyokan appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Kyokan in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Kyokan is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Japanese words and phrases, Primatology, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Kyokan outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Kyokan in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Kyokan means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Kyokan out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Kyokan in simple terms?

Kyokan (Japanese: 共(きょう)感(かん), romanized: kyōkan) is a Japanese word that is used in various fields and means "to feel oneness with". Use in primatology One example is a concept forwarded by Masao Kawai as a means of studying primates in the field.

Why does Kyokan matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Kyokan?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Kyokan.