Human Behavior Science Projects (Page 5)

Practice

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

We've all heard that "practice makes perfect," but what is the best way to practice? For example, does "mental practice" do any good? You'll need at least 9 volunteers for this project. Pick a well-defined sports activity, with a measurable outcome, such as shooting basketball free-throws (measure number of shots taken and number of shots made), or balancing on one foot on a slightly raised beam (measure how long you can do it; if it's too easy, try closing your eyes). Test all volunteers… Read more

Pretty Packaging: Can Attractive Packaging Lead to Healthier Eating?

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Have you ever bought or tried something new, just because of the way it looked, or the nice box that it came in? On your birthday, which present do you pick to open first? The one that looks big and colorful and exciting or the one that is wrapped in old tissue paper? The way that something is packaged and wrapped often advertises what is inside. But can attractive, exciting packaging convince you to try something that might not be very exciting, but is, perhaps, something that is good for you?… 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

Racing Drones: Does Practice Make You Faster?

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Have you ever flown a drone? Did you find it easy the first time you tried? In this project, you will fly a drone through an obstacle course and measure how practice changes your performance. Will practice help you finish the course in less time? Try it out! 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

Testing for Bias in a Photo Lineup

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

You may have read about criminal cases where innocent people have been wrongly convicted of a crime. Sometimes, modern DNA analysis techniques have provided the evidence to exonerate these innocent people. In many cases, mistaken identification by eyewitnesses provided strong evidence for the original conviction. How can prosecutors and defense attorneys make sure that photo lineup procedures used to identify criminal suspects are unbiased? This project shows you how to conduct an objective… Read more

Testing the Accuracy of Eyewitness Testimony

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Think back to the last time you went to the grocery store. How well can you describe the person who was ahead of you in the check-out line? How many details do you remember about the person? How accurate do you think your memory is? Here is a project to investigate the accuracy of people's observations during everyday life. Read more

That's a Pretty Tough Baby! A Study of Gender Stereotypes in Children

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Have you ever seen a baby in the park and wondered if it was a boy or a girl? Maybe once you found out the gender, you thought how sweet, mischievous, or cute the baby was. But wait…do you think that the words you used to describe the baby might be based on your own gender stereotypes? A gender stereotype is when you expect someone to act a certain way simply because he or she is a boy or a girl. In this human behavior science project, you will investigate whether young children use gender… Read more

That's a Real Smile! ...or is it?

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

If someone is smiling, it means they're happy, right? Well, not always. Sometimes people smile to be polite, or because they want to "appear" happy or friendly for social reasons. How easy is it to spot which smiles are genuine and which are fake? Try this science fair project to find out! Read more

The Bouba-Kiki Effect

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Have you ever wondered if some shapes have certain "sounds" to people, even if they have different native languages? For example, does everyone match certain physical characteristics, like sharpness or roundness, with certain sounds? Are there certain human sounds with meanings that can cross the language barrier? In this science project you will investigate this by testing the Bouba-Kiki Effect—will it turn out that abstract visual properties can be linked to sound? Read more

Human Behavior Science Projects (54 results)

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