Monday, 10 November 2014

Example of Math-Project

November 10, 2014    No comments

Lie Detector

Difficulty Level Medium
Cost Minimal
Safety Issues
Adult supervision required when dealing with volunteers.
Project Time Frame
2-4 weeks

Objective

This project explores the human behavior known as lying.
Project Goals
  • To define lying in general, and to categorize types of lies.  
  • To see how well people can tell when other people are lying.
  • To encourage more realistic discussions on the ethics of lying, not to mention its countless practical uses.

Materials and Equipment

  • Computer with internet access
  • Digital video camera (or mobile phone video camera)
  • Typical office/craft supplies (such as paper, pens & poster-board)

Introduction

Simply put, a lie is any deliberately misleading action (or inaction), spoken or unspoken.  Lying is a loaded gun.  People say it’s wrong, and yet everyone does it.  We’re taught that honesty is the best policy, and yet we all believe that there are such things as “good” lies.  How good are we at the lying game?
Research Questions
  • Why do people lie?
  • Why are the benefits and disadvantages of lying?
  • Do lie detectors really work?
  • Can we tell when someone is lying?  If so, how?
Terms, Concepts and Questions to Start Background Research
  • Familiarity with computers and video software.
  • A basic knowledge of statistics would be helpful.

Experimental Procedure

  1. Read overviews of relevant topics (see bibliography).
  2. Design a list of five simple questions like “How old are you?” or “What is 2+2?”
  3. Recruit volunteers who don’t mind being filmed.  
  4. Instruct some volunteers to lie, and others to tell the truth.  All lies must be close enough to the truth to be believable.  For instance, a 38-year old man can give his age as 37.  
  5. Film volunteers answering the questions.
  6. Get as many people as you can to participate in this test:  Show the film (with the questions edited out so only the answers are viewed), and have viewers try to guess whether each person on the film is lying or telling the truth.
  7. Score viewers based on percentage of correct answers.
  8. Analyze the data.
  9. Interpret findings in a detailed report.
  10. Show results visually using charts and graphs.
  11. Display relevant photos taken throughout the course of the experiment.

Bibliography

  1. Wikipedia articles:  “Lie” and “Lie Detector”
  2. Conceptual Statistics for Beginners (Newman, Isadore & Carol, 2005 reprint)
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Does Smell to Enhance Memory?

Objective:

This experiment will investigate whether smell can be used to enhance test subjects’ memories.

Research Questions:

  • Can smell be used to enhance memory?
  • Does smell affect the recall abilities of males and females differently?
In this experiment, students will try to “link” certain memories with specific scents. They will then evaluate if memory recall is improved when the specific smells are reintroduced at a later time.

Materials:

  • Test subjects
  • 20 images of everyday objects
  • 20 note cards
  • Scissors
  • Glue
  • 20 distinct smells
  • Box
  • Paper
  • Pencils
  • Notebook for recording results

Experimental Procedure:

  1. Create flashcards of 20 everyday objects.
  2. Gather 20 different smells. You can use candles, perfume, cologne, food, etc… Assign a smell to each flashcard.
  3. Recruit approximately 20 test subjects to participate in your experiment (10 adult males and 10 adult females).
  4. Show test subjects each flashcard. While showing them the image, ask them to smell the scent that you have assigned to that image for approximately 15 seconds while studying the picture. Place the item that is being smelled in a box so that the test subject cannot see it.
  5. After 2 hours, ask each test subject to list the items they saw on the flashcards.
  6. Evaluate the lists. Identify the items that are missing from each list.
  7. Ask each test subject to smell the scent corresponding to each item missing from the list. Allow them 1 minute after each smell to try to recall and write down the item that they are missing.
  8. Record how often smell is able to help test subjects remember the missing items.
  9. Analyze your results. What percentage of the time did smell help a test subject recall an image? Did the smells help female test subjects more than male test subjects (or vice versa)?
Terms/Concepts: smell and memory

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Discover gender differences in processing visual information.

Research Questions:

  • Are there differences in what men and women recall after seeing a busy image?
  • Are women more likely to remember certain parts of the image, while men are more likely to remember other parts? What does this tell you about the way men and women perceive the world?
Do women and men process visual information differently? This experiment will evaluate this question and explore the differences in how the two genders describe a very busy, complicated image.

Materials:

  • Computer
  • Different images to construct a picture (include numbers, letters, different items, and a variety of people)
  • Notebook for recording results

Experimental Procedure:

  1. Construct a picture using many different images. Include numbers, letters, different items, and a variety of people.
  2. Ask many different men and women to study the image for 10 seconds.
  3. Give participants one minute to list everything they saw in the picture.
  4. Evaluate the results. Study the first five items listed by each participant. What types of things do women tend to list first? How does this differ from lists written by men?
Terms/Concepts: Visual perception; How might gender influence what a person sees and remembers in an image?
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Texting Versus Talking

Objective:

This experiment will evaluate which type of cell phone usage has the most impact on reaction time.

Research Questions:

  • How does talking on a cell phone influence reaction time?
  • How does texting affect reaction time?
Texting and talking on cell phones distract users and can lead to injuries while walking and driving. This experiment will evaluate how these two types of cell phone usage influence reaction time. Is texting more dangerous?

Materials:

  • Calculator
  • Meter stick
  • Blindfold
  • Test subjects with cell phones (approximately 10 males and 10 females)
  • Notebook for recording results

Experimental Procedure:

  1. Place your thumb and index finger above the 100 centimeter mark on the meter stick. For each test subject, perform the following steps:
  2. Ask the test subject to place his or her thumb and forefinger on either side of the meter stick at the 0 centimeter mark. When you drop the stick, the test subject will attempt to catch it by closing his or her thumb and forefinger.
  3. Test baseline reaction time first. Drop the meter stick and record the distance (in centimeters) that the stick falls before the test subject is able to stop it.
  4. Perform five trials and calculate the average score.
  5. Repeat the test. This time, ask the test subject to speak to someone on a cell phone while you conduct the experiment.
  6. Perform five trials and calculate the average score.
  7. Repeat the test. This time ask the test subject to send a text message (with one hand) while you conduct the experiment.
  8. Perform five trials and calculate the average score.
  9. Repeat steps 2-8 for many male and female test subjects.
  10. Evaluate your data and calculate each participant’s average reaction time for each experiment. Use the formula: d=0.5a*t2 Solve for t when d equals distance traveled by the meter stick and a equals the acceleration due to gravity constant (9.8 meters per second squared).
  11. Evaluate your results. Which type of cell phone usage affects reaction time most? How much is reaction time changed by texting? By talking?
Terms/Concepts: cell phones and reaction time
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Does Practice Make Perfect?

Objective:

This project determines if hands-on practice, mental practice, or no practice at all leads to better shooting of free-throws. Note: This project can be modified to accommodate almost any sport. For example, you could use it for batting practice, tennis swings, bowling strikes, etc.

Research Questions:

  • Did the group that practiced shooting free-throws increase the number of free-throws they were able to make at the end of the experiment? If so, by how much?
  • Did the group that practiced mentally increase the number of free-throws they were able to make at the end of the experiment? If so, by how much?
  • Did the control group that didn't practice at all increase the number of free-throws they were able to make at the end of the project? If so, by how much?

Materials:

  • Pen and/or pencil
  • Lab notebook
  • Nine volunteers
  • Basketball
  • Basketball hoop

Experimental Procedure:

  1. Begin by having all of your volunteers make ten free-throw attempts each. Record how many free-throws each person was able to make in your notebook.
  2. Now divide your volunteers into three groups. Ask your first group of three volunteers to practice shooting free-throws for ten minutes everyday for two weeks. Ask your second group of three volunteers to only mentally visualize themselves practicing free-throws for ten minutes everyday for two weeks. Ask your third group of three volunteers, your control group, not to do any practicing of any kind for the next two weeks.
  3. At the end of the three weeks, gather your volunteers together again. Ask each volunteer to make ten free-throw attempts. Record how many free-throws each volunteer was able to make.
  4. Analyze your data. Compare the number of free-throws made at the beginning to the number of free-throws made after two weeks. Did all of the groups improve? Did one or two groups improve more than the others? If so, why do you think that is? Were there any surprises?
Terms/Concepts: free-throws; mental practice; visual practice; control group
References:
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How to Make a Lie Detector

Objective:

This project explores whether and what associations exist between numbers and letters and colors.

Research Question:

  • Do certain numbers or letters make a high percentage of people think of the same color?
Synesthesia is a condition in which a sense-impression is involuntarily produced by the stimulation of another sense. In the most common form of the condition, grapheme-color synesthesia, letters and numerals are perceived as certain colors. For example A is seen as red and the number 1 as blue. People, of course, may make cultural or personal grapheme-color associations without having actual neurologically-based synesthesia. In this project you will test people for synesthesia while looking for common culturally-based grapheme-color associations.

Materials:

  • Computer with internet access
  • Color printer
  • Paper
  • Test subjects
  • Paper and pencil for recording and analyzing data

Experimental Procedure:

  1. Print out IN COLOR Test Square #1 and Test Square #2 from this web page: “Test Your Synesthesia,” Mind Hacks
  2. Print out the numbers one through nine and the letters of the alphabet, each on its own sheet of paper, in a large, simple font, in black and white.
  3. Ask each test subject to look at the symbols in Test Square #1 and pick out the red ones. The subject should be able to spot the red ones instantly.
  4. Next show the subject the collection of symbols in Test Square #2 and ask him to spot the ones that are different. For almost all people (possibly all of your test subjects) this will take more time and effort. The symbols, rather than jumping-out-at-you the way the red ones did in the previous square, will have to be reviewed one-by-one. Except of course in the rare event that the subject is a true grapheme-color synesthete in which case the 2s and the 5s will appear to be different colors.
  5. Now with subjects whom you have determined are not synesthetic, show them one-by-one the numerals one through nine and each letter of the alphabet and ask them what color they think of when they see that number/letter. Record responses.
  6. Analyze subjects’ responses. Did certain numbers or letters make a high percentage of people think of the same color? For example, the number 1 might cause a lot of people to think of blue.
  7. Propose possible cultural explanations for any patterns you discover. For example, perhaps the number 1 makes people think of blue because blue ribbons indicate 1st place.
Terms/Concepts: synesthesia, synesthete, synesthetic, grapheme-color synesthesia
References:
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Font and the Impact of the Written Word

Objective:

This experiment will investigate whether font choice affects peoples’ ability to remember the information that they read.

Research Questions:

  • Does font affect test subjects’ ability to remember written information?
When people read a piece of paper, does the choice of font affect their ability to remember what they read? In this experiment, you will address this question by testing participants’ abilities to recall written information.

Materials:

  • Test subjects
  • 10 different fonts ranging from simple to complex
  • Computer
  • Printer
  • Timer
  • Notebook for recording results

Experimental Procedure:

  1. Compose a list of thirty different everyday objects (eg, scissors, hair brush, shampoo, etc…).
  2. Print your list with five different font styles. Make sure the size of the words are comparable between lists. Include some fonts that are bolded and some that are italicized.
  3. Gather 50-100 similarly aged test subjects.
  4. Divide your test subjects into five groups.
  5. Ask each group of subjects to spend two minutes studying one of the lists you created. Use a different font style with each group.
  6. Take the list away, and after ten minutes ask each group to write down all of the items that they can remember from the list.
  7. Analyze your results. For each group, what was the average number of items remembered from each list? Are there certain fonts that seem to reduce test subjects’ ability to remember the listed items? Which group performed the worst on the memory test? What font was used with that group? Which font resulted in the best performance on the memory test? Does bolding or italicizing a font appear to affect memory?
Terms/Concepts: font and memory
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What's Your Learning Style?\

Objective:

To determine whether volunteers remember more information when it is presented orally, visually or kinesthetically.

Research Questions

  • Do people learn better by hearing the information, seeing the information, or doing something with information?
  • Do people learn in different ways?
  • How can we improve people’s memory and improve the way they learn?
Memory is a person’s ability to remember information. Memory is necessary for learning. People learn in different ways. Some people are auditory learners; some are visual learners.

Materials:

  • 10 boys and 10 girls ages 11-13
  • 4 different sets of 30 flashcards (the flashcards should have simple pictures of nouns – objects or animals)
  • Paper
  • Pencils
  • Stopwatch or timer

Experimental Procedure:

  1. Gather the necessary materials. You will need four different sets of 30 flashcards, but the flashcards should be similar in appearance and difficulty. Also you will need to make an answer key for each set of flashcards. The answers do not need to be in the exact order, but you do need to know which cards were used for each of the tests.
  2. Gather your volunteers. You can give the volunteers the tests in small groups.
  3. For each test, provide each volunteer a piece of paper. Have each volunteer write his or her age and sex at the top of the paper and number their papers 1 through 30. When the volunteers are done, have them put their pencils down.
  4. For the first test, show the volunteers each flashcard from one set for five seconds without saying anything. Be sure each volunteer can see the flashcards well. After all the flashcards have been shown, give the volunteers five minutes to write down what they saw on the flashcards. At the end of five minutes, collect their responses.
  5. For the second test, repeat step 3. Then say each word on the second set of flashcards without showing the flashcards to the volunteers. Read the cards slowly and clearly, pausing five seconds between each card. After all the flashcards have been read, give the volunteers five minutes to write down what they heard. At the end of five minutes, collect their responses.
  6. For the third test, repeat step 3. Then show and say each flashcard from one set for five seconds. Be sure each volunteer can see the flashcards well. Read the cards slowly and clearly, pausing five seconds between each card. After all the flashcards have been read and shown, give the volunteers five minutes to write down what they saw and heard. At the end of five minutes, collect their responses.
  7. For the fourth test repeat step 3 except they do not need to put their pencils down.
  8. Provide each volunteer an additional piece of paper. Show and say each flashcard from another set while encouraging the volunteers to write the word on the additional piece of paper. Be sure each volunteer can see the flashcards well. Read the cards slowly and clearly, pausing five seconds between each card. After all the flashcards have been read and shown, collect the additional piece of paper that the volunteer wrote the words on. Then give the volunteers five minutes to write down what they saw and heard and wrote. At the end of five minutes, collect their responses. Thank your volunteers for their participation.
  9. Correct the results of the four tests. Record the data on a chart.
  10. Analyze the data and draw a conclusion.
Terms/Concepts: memory: a person’s ability to remember information auditory: to be understood through hearing visual: to be understood through sight kinesthetic: to be understood through action or touch; Memory and learning go hand in hand. In order to learn something you need to remember it and do something with it. Memory is essential to all learning. But people learn in different ways. Some people learn better by seeing, others by listening, and others doing.
References:
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Reward or Punishment: Which is the Better Motivator?

Objective:

This experiment investigates whether reward or punishment is more apt to motivate people.

Research Question:

  • Will people put forth greater effort when promised a reward for good performance or threatened with a punishment for bad?
The answer to this question has far-reaching implications in areas ranging from government to law-enforcement to school and workplace policy to parenting.

Materials:

  • 60 or more fancy pencils
  • Lots of plain paper
  • A table or desk and chair
  • A three-minute timer
  • Paper and pencil for recording and analyzing data
  • 40 or more test subjects

Experimental Procedure:

  1. Divide your test subjects into two groups, a “reward group” and a “punishment group.” Do not reveal to them the true nature of the experiment; instead tell them that you will be testing people’s ability to sit still and do a repetitive task.
  2. You will meet individually with each member of the groups. When meeting with a test subject for the first time, begin by thanking him for his participation in your project and give him a fancy pencil as a token of your appreciation. Subjects may use the pencil to take the test.
  3. Explain the test: “You will sit still at a desk for three minutes. Do your best to remain perfectly still (except for your writing hand). No moving, no shifting your weight, no scratching an itch, no coughing, etc. In those three minutes, draw rows of little circles, as many as you can in the allotted time.”
  4. Lastly, just before beginning the test, tell subjects from the “reward group” that if they do well on the test that you will give them a second pencil as a reward. Tell subjects from the “punishment group” that if they do poorly on the test you will have to take back the pencil you gave them.
  5. Conduct the test. While the subject is taking the test, watch him carefully. Keep a tally of all disallowed movements. At the end of the test collect the circle paper and file it with the tally sheet noting which group the subject was in.
  6. Thank the subject. Let everyone keep/have the extra pencil. You don’t want to actually make anyone feel bad.
  7. After testing all subjects, analyze the tally sheets and circle papers. How many disallowed movements did the people from the reward group on average make? How many in the punishment group? What is the average number of circles reward group subjects drew? Punishment group subjects? Did subjects from one or the other of the groups do on average a better job of sitting still? Did subjects from one or the other of the groups draw on average more circles? Were differences significant? What might this say about reward and punishment as motivators?
Terms/Concepts: reward, punishment, motivator
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Evaluating Choice Blindness: Do You Know What You Want?
“Choice blindness” refers to the phenomenon where people are blind to their own choices or preferences and are able to validate decisions they did not actually ever make. This experiment will evaluate whether men or women are more likely to demonstrate choice blindness.

Problem:

This experiment will evaluate whether the phenomenon of “choice blindness” occurs more often with men or women.

Materials:

  • Approximately 30 test subjects (15 men and 15 women)
  • 20 photos of non-celebrity, unknown (to test subjects) males
  • 20 photos of non-celebrity, unknown (to test subjects) females
  • Notebook for recording results

Procedure:

  1. Recruit 15 male and 15 female adult test subjects.
  2. Print 20 photos of non-celebrity, unknown males and 20 photos of non-celebrity, unknown females. The photos should be headshots that are approximately the same size, zoom, brightness, etc.
  3. Present two male photos side by side and ask a female test subject to tell you which person she finds more attractive.
  4. Take both photos away and present her with her chosen photo. Ask her to tell you why she chose that image.
  5. Record her answer.
  6. Repeat steps 3-5 ten times with the female test subject using different pairs of faces each time. In three of the trials, however, exchange one face for the other after the test subject makes her choice. In these three trials, closely observe your test subject. Does she notice that she is presented with the photo that she did not choose? Is she able to give a reason why she chose that photo (even though she actually did not choose the photo)?
  7. Repeat this experiment with all of your male and female test subjects. For your male test subjects, use the non-celebrity, unknown female photos that you chose.
  8. Analyze your results. How many times were you able to fool your female test subjects by presenting them with photos they did not choose? How many times were the male test subjects fooled? What conclusions can you draw about choice blindness in men and women?

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