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Reaction Time - Sample Task

The document outlines an experiment to investigate how sleep duration affects visual reaction time, hypothesizing that more sleep leads to faster reaction times. The procedure involves testing participants after varying sleep durations and recording their reaction times using a colored dot test. The analysis includes data presentation, conclusions drawn from the results, and discussions on the reliability and improvements of the study.

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Aayushi Jain
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25 views3 pages

Reaction Time - Sample Task

The document outlines an experiment to investigate how sleep duration affects visual reaction time, hypothesizing that more sleep leads to faster reaction times. The procedure involves testing participants after varying sleep durations and recording their reaction times using a colored dot test. The analysis includes data presentation, conclusions drawn from the results, and discussions on the reliability and improvements of the study.

Uploaded by

Aayushi Jain
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Criteria B- Sample Task – Reaction Time Experiment

Research Question

How does the number of hours of sleep affect the visual reaction time of a person?

Hypothesis (with Scientific Reasoning)

If a person gets more hours of sleep, then their reaction time will be faster (shorter), because
sleep helps the brain rest and improves cognitive processing, including attention and neural
response speed.

Variables

• Independent Variable (IV): Number of hours of sleep (e.g., 4 hours, 6 hours, 8


hours)
• Dependent Variable (DV): Reaction time measured in milliseconds (ms)
• Controlled Variables (CV):
1. Type of reaction time test used (e.g., colored dot test)
2. Time of day the test is conducted

Procedure

1. Recruit 3–5 volunteers who can help perform the reaction time test for three different
sleep durations over a few days.
2. Ask each participant to sleep for 4, 6, and 8 hours on different nights (in any order,
with a rest day in between).
3. On each morning after waking up, allow the participant 15 minutes to fully wake up
before testing.
4. Use the Colored Dot Reaction Time Test online:
https://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/java/stopl.html
5. Each participant will take the test 5 times and record the average reaction time for that
day.
6. Repeat steps for each sleep condition (4h, 6h, 8h).
7. Record and compare the average reaction times for different sleep durations.

Safety Precautions

• Ensure students do not compromise their health — this can be simulated or done with
volunteers who already experienced sleep variations naturally.
• Use age-appropriate, ethical testing — no participant should intentionally be deprived
of sleep for extended periods.
• The digital test is screen-based, so remind students to maintain proper posture and
take breaks to prevent eye strain.

Criteria C- Sample Data Table – Effect of Sleep on Reaction Time

MYP Criteria C – Processing and Evaluating


Task:

You have conducted an experiment to investigate how the number of hours of sleep affects
human reaction time using a colored dot visual test. Use the provided data to analyze and
evaluate the results.

Criteria C Question:

C.i: Present your data in an appropriate format (e.g., graph or chart).


C.ii: Interpret the data to draw a valid conclusion.
C.iii: Discuss the reliability of your data and suggest improvements.
C.iv: Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the investigation.

Sample Student Answer


C.i – Present Data
I created a line graph with "Sleep Duration (hours)" on the x-axis and "Average Reaction
Time (ms)" on the y-axis for Participants A, B, and C. Each participant shows a decreasing
trend in reaction time as sleep increases.

C.ii – Conclusion
The data shows a clear pattern: as the number of hours of sleep increases, the average
reaction time decreases. For example, Participant A’s reaction time decreased from 341 ms (4
hours) to 252 ms (8 hours). This supports the hypothesis that more sleep leads to faster
reaction times because sleep helps the brain function better and improves focus.

C.iii – Reliability and Improvements


The results are fairly consistent across three participants, and we took the average of 5 trials
per test, which improves reliability. However, the sample size is small (only 3 people), and
external factors like caffeine intake or time of day might have influenced the results.
Improvements:

• Increase the number of participants


• Ensure participants follow a strict routine (no caffeine, same test time)
• Add more sleep durations (e.g., 5h, 7h) for better comparison

C.iv – Strengths and Weaknesses


Strengths:

• Repeated trials improve accuracy


• Clear and testable hypothesis
• Simple and safe experiment using online tools

Weaknesses:

• Small sample size


• Sleep duration was self-reported and might not be accurate
• Other variables (screen time, stress, health) were not controlled

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