Why I Wonder
My name is Naphat Prateepveruriya (my nickname is In). I’m a 4th grade student at International Community School (ICS) in Bangkok. I really love my school because it is a place where we care about “who we are” as much as “what we learn.” My teachers always encourage us to be curious, and since my school has students from over 30 countries, I get to see how people from different cultures think and act.
I have always been a curious observer. Whether I’m listening to my mom read bedtime stories or talking about “Big Questions” in my Outschool philosophy class, I always ask one thing: “Why do people make the choices they do?” At ICS, my interests are supported every day. In Social Studies, we learn about different continents and countries, which helps me understand human behavior on a global scale. We also follow the “4Bs”: Be Safe, Be Respectful, Be Responsible, and Be Problem Solvers. To me, being a “Problem Solver” often means understanding the reasons behind someone’s actions and decisions.
One of my biggest inspirations is a book series called “Fushigi Dagashiya Zenitendo” (The Mysterious Snack Shop). It taught me that every choice has a consequence. This made me look at people around me – like my little sister or my friends – and wonder why they decide to act in certain ways when they are happy, frustrated, or in a hurry.
Another big turning point for me was taking an online discussion class called “Philosophy for Children: Logic for Kids with Questions Big and Small” on Outschool. Discussing “Big Questions” with other children helped me realize that I wanted to organize my thoughts more systematically. This class gave me the idea to turn my observations into a real project, which is how the Human Judgement Lab was born.
I officially started my Human Judgement Lab and Little Thinker blog in late 2025 to record my observations systematically. Every week, I record about 7–8 observations from my daily life like at school, the supermarket, the mall, or the playground, and put the information in my notebook and computer. When I see something interesting, I try to record it carefully. I look at the Situation and what caused it (Environment Trigger). I also try to guess what will happen (Prediction) and compare it to what the person actually did (Final Decision). Then, I add my own Observer’s Insightto explain what I think about it.
The Little Thinker Blog is where I turn my weekly observations from my Human Judgement Lab into short stories and essays. I write about moments from my daily life that make me stop and think, such as what happens at school, on the playground, or in public places. Each week, I choose one or two situations that felt interesting or confusing to me. I try to describe what happened, what choice was made, and why I think the person acted that way.
Writing helps me practice thinking carefully and noticing that people do not always make the same choice in the same situation. For example, in my blog post about “The Invisible Brake,” I explored the internal reasons why we sometimes stop doing things we love. You can visit my blog to see how I translate raw data into stories here:
- Home Page: https://sites.google.com/view/littlethinkersnotebook/home
- Latest Essay: https://sites.google.com/view/littlethinkersnotebook/home/weekly-essays/2026
Here’s a sample of my latest essay written on January 12: “When Being in a Hurry Leads to the Wrong Choice.”
The Observation:
I was going to 7-Eleven with my mom to buy ice cream when I saw a jet-black motorcycle heading toward the store. In front of the shop, there was a small slope for people in wheelchairs to go up to the sidewalk.
At first, I felt confused. The motorcycle could not park in front of the shop because that space was for a bus. It was also against the law to park on the sidewalk.
So, I wondered, Where was the motorcycle going to park?
The Prediction:
I predicted that the motorcycle would park a little past the store.
That place was not against the law, and the police would not lock the motorcycle’s wheels
The Reality:
In reality, the motorcycle parked right in front of the convenience store.
The driver quickly got off and rushed into the shop
The Why:
The driver probably did that because he was in a hurry to buy something.
What I Learned:
I learned that when people are in a rush, they sometimes do the wrong thing because they do not have time to think.
When we hurry too much, we only think about what we want to do, not what is right.
New Question I Still Have:
How can we try to do the right thing when we are in a big hurry?
Through this project, I’m learning that people’s choices can change depending on many things, like how they feel inside.
Lately, I have also become curious about Artificial Intelligence (AI) and if computers can ever think or make choices like we do. I have recently started a new part of my project where I compare human decisions with AI decisions. So far, I have recorded 29 situations in my Lab, and for 12 of these cases, I have compared how a human and an AI would react to the same environment. I found that sometimes they choose the same thing, but often they are very different. I am excited to keep collecting more data to study if computers can ever have “judgement” like humans. My school teaches me to be a “Problem Solver,” and that makes me want to keep observing and writing every day.
