Human Behavior Science Experiments (Page 3)

Improving Focus for People with Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Have you ever wondered how you could help yourself or your classmates focus or perform better in class? Many students do! Some kids diagnosed with a neurodevelopmental disorder learn better in different ways, and easy changes while performing a task can make a huge difference to them. In this science project, you'll test if standing can significantly improve your performance and if this further improves performance for those who have neurodevelopmental disorders. Read more

Is Smiling Contagious?

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

You've probably observed from your own personal experiences that some actions are contagious. Yawning is a great example. When one person in a room yawns, several other people usually do, too. Coughing, clearing your throat, these are other actions that often seem contagious. But what about smiling? Have you ever walked down the street and had a random stranger smile at you? Did it make you happy? Did you smile back? In this science fair project, you'll investigate whether smiling is… Read more

It's Written All Over Your Face: The Science of Facial Expressions

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Okay, now you've done it. You goofed off, didn't study for your math test, and didn't do well. Mom and Dad are not going to be happy. In fact, they might even be angry. They don't say anything when they see your test, but you can tell from their faces that they are angry. But how can you tell? How can you tell if someone is angry, or happy, or sad? The answer is that you have learned how to tell someone's emotional state from his or her facial expressions. Are facial expressions of happiness or… Read more

Memory Mnemonics

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Have you ever had to remember a long list of planets or the state capitals? These kinds of lists are full of interesting facts, but they can be hard to remember, especially for tests. What could you do to remember the list better? In this human behavior science fair project, you will learn about a memory technique called mnemonics (pronounced nuh-MAH-nicks) and investigate whether using mnemonics can help you and your friends remember lists of words. Read more

Multitasking: Brain Drain or Boost in Efficiency?

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Think it's a good idea to plug into iTunes, surf the Web, or watch TV while doing homework or trying to read? Lots of people do it and claim that jumping from one activity to another keeps their attention level up and even gives their brain some time to "relax" between the more challenging tasks. Just how efficient is multitasking? In this project, you'll find out after testing the ability of volunteers to successfully do two or more things at once. Read more

Now You See It, Now You Don't: A Chromatic Adaptation Project

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

This project shows that our perceptions can change, even with the stimulus remains the same. A clear color difference in an image disappears after just 20 seconds of looking at another (special) image. Now you see it, now you don't! Read more

Pinocchio’s Arm: A Lie Detector Test

STEM Activity

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Did you ever think of lying as an interesting social skill? Lying is actually tied to empathy, the ability to see things from another person’s perspective. Most humans begin to develop these skills around the age of three, when they begin to understand that what they know about the world might be different from what other people know about the world. Telling lies might be a skill, but lies can be bothersome. Sometimes, you really like to know how to tell a truth from a lie. Will the… Read more

Racial and Gender Bias in AI-Generated Images

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

If someone asks you to draw a picture of a doctor, lawyer, or engineer, what first pops into your mind? The race and gender of the person you imagine might be shaped by your personal life experiences, such as whether you have family members in those professions, or what representations of them you have seen on TV or online. What do you think will happen if you ask an artificial intelligence (AI) program to generate the picture instead? Will pictures generated by AI reflect the true real-world… Read more

Seeing Science: Exploring Perception with the Stroop Effect

STEM Activity

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Have you ever tried to pat your head with one hand while you rub your stomach with the other? This science activity is kind of like doing that, but it can actually give you some insight into how your mind works. The challenge of this activity is to name colors. It sounds simple enough, right? If you think it does, you should see what happens when words of colors get in the way! This is a fun activity to try out with family and/or friends while spending time together over the holidays. Read more

Shaping Your Thoughts?

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

This is an interesting experiment that explores certain aspects of how your brain pays attention. In this project, you'll have to recruit a bunch of volunteers to take a simple test: naming a list of printed shapes. What makes the test tricky is that words will be printed on top of the shapes. The word/shape combination creates the potential for the brain to get conflicting information. Which information is more likely to grab your attention: the shape you are supposed to name or the word just… Read more

Human Behavior Science Experiments (65 results)

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