Ideas for Design/Data/Analysis Labs
This can be a fun and successful area of student-designed research, but here are a few tips to remember:
Here are a few links that might get you started.
Perception & Memory
Lots more cognition games from http://cognitivefun.net/
Brain games and tests from Lumosity.com
Puzzle Solving
Assignment: Identify a human behavior DV test, using the above or other links. Formulate a research question and hypothesis, with meaningful range of an independent variable. (If looking at gender, or any other binary categorization, as IV, be sure to pay attention to notes below on controlled variables! No IV of caffeine consumption levels, please.) Collect data over the course of the next week. Final (full, three part) lab report is due Monday, 3/10/14.
Important notes regarding variables:
Important notes regarding literature research:
- Aim to generate large sample sizes of reliable data
- Aim for an experiment rather than a survey - test the effects of at least five increments of a variable under your control on the measurable impact on your dependent variable.
Here are a few links that might get you started.
Perception & Memory
- Reaction times: human benchmark
- Reaction times: Jim Allen’s reaction tester
- Reaction times: Sheep shooter
- Reaction times & spatial: Dot reactions
- Vision: Spot the Difference
- Vision: Stroop Effect simulation (and another one here)
- Vision: Colour & reaction times
- Vision: Face memory test
- Hearing: lots of sound memory games from Exploratorium
- Hearing: memorize the melody
- Hearing: note memory pairs
- Hearing: auditory reaction times
- Hearing: Human benchmark pitch discrimination
Lots more cognition games from http://cognitivefun.net/
Brain games and tests from Lumosity.com
Puzzle Solving
Assignment: Identify a human behavior DV test, using the above or other links. Formulate a research question and hypothesis, with meaningful range of an independent variable. (If looking at gender, or any other binary categorization, as IV, be sure to pay attention to notes below on controlled variables! No IV of caffeine consumption levels, please.) Collect data over the course of the next week. Final (full, three part) lab report is due Monday, 3/10/14.
Important notes regarding variables:
- sufficient data - replicates of your DV; >10 fair, >50 good
- range of IV - pick an interesting window, tested levels do not need to be equidistant, (but the scale on your graph should be!)
- list ALL CV's - explain potential interference, THEN/ALSO collect data on these variables (you may be able to disregard later - or...use them to create new, more clear results)
Important notes regarding literature research:
- Citation-based background scientific context - required
- Citation-based comparison of results to known/past information - required
