Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

hi,

i am having another project about "is it good to surf the web, watch TV or plug iTunes while doing your homework or trying to read?"
hopefully you will be able to help me.
thank you

sorry, but what is your question? are you having trouble with figuring out procedure?

My question is how can you do a experiment/observating project on this. is there any scientifi9c reason behind this?

Hi there,

What you're interested in studying is the effects of distraction on performance. (Try putting "effects of distraction on performance" into Google to find some links to help you.) To set up an experiment, you will need to first come up with your measure of performance. One example is to come up with a set of simple math problems for your subjects to complete. You can measure how long it takes them to complete the quiz, as well as how many questions they got right, under different conditions (watching TV, watching YouTube, listening to music, etc.). Keep in mind that too many independent variables (the distractions) may make it harder for you to interpret your data. You might want to focus on one or two, to see which one creates more distraction (e.g., TV versus music).

I hope this helps. Please post back if you have more questions!

Good luck,
Heather

hi,
thank you everyone.

heatherL wrote:Hi there,

What you're interested in studying is the effects of distraction on performance. (Try putting "effects of distraction on performance" into Google to find some links to help you.) To set up an experiment, you will need to first come up with your measure of performance. One example is to come up with a set of simple math problems for your subjects to complete. You can measure how long it takes them to complete the quiz, as well as how many questions they got right, under different conditions (watching TV, watching YouTube, listening to music, etc.). Keep in mind that too many independent variables (the distractions) may make it harder for you to interpret your data. You might want to focus on one or two, to see which one creates more distraction (e.g., TV versus music).

I hope this helps. Please post back if you have more questions!

Good luck,
Heather

now my question is how can i calculate the data?

Hi,

How you calculate your data will depend on what you measure! In the example I gave, you could compare the average time it took people to complete your quiz, under quiet conditions and with a distraction. (If you use more than one type of distraction, you should calculate an average for each type separately.) You could use a bar graph to compare your averages. Have one bar for quiet conditions, and one for (each type of) distraction. You can do the same type of calculation and graph for the quiz scores.

Cheers,
Heather