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Observe Volunteers in a Behavior Experiment Science Projects (29 results)

Observe how volunteers do a task to experiment with what they feel, how their memories work, and how they perceive objects. Recruit enough participants to form a valid conclusion.

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
What Conflicting Mental Tasks Reveal About Thinking: The Stroop Effect
Science Fair Project Idea
Scientific Method
Can you pat your head with one hand while you rub your stomach with the other? This science project idea is kind of like doing that, but this project can actually give you some insight into how your mind works. The task is to name colors. It sounds simple enough, but see what happens when color words get in the way. Read more
Warped Words and the Stroop Effect
Science Fair Project Idea
Scientific Method
The Stroop effect describes an experiment about the time it takes to name the color of printed words. When you try to name the color in which color words are printed, it takes longer when the color word differs from the ink color than when the color word is the same as the ink color. This project is an interesting variation: what happens if you 'warp' the words into a curved shape that is harder to recognize as a word? Will the Stroop effect still happen? How 'warped' do the words have to be in… Read more
Exploring the Uncanny Valley
Science Fair Project Idea
Scientific Method
What do you consider creepy? Clowns? Zombies? Video game characters with jerky movement? In 1970, a roboticist by the name of Masahiro Mori suggested that people are "creeped out" by robots that are almost, but not exactly, humanlike. He called this phenomena the uncanny valley. But researchers are still exploring and defining the uncanny valley. In this science project, you can do your own exploration—just try not to creep your friends out too badly! Read more
Do Preferences Bias Our Choices?
Science Fair Project Idea
Scientific Method
What is your favorite color and why? Do you think that simple tasks might be biased by your preferences? Find out in this science project if your color preferences will bias your fine motor skills when doing quick, repetitive tasks. 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
How Many Numbers Can You Remember?
Science Fair Project Idea
Scientific Method
Are you good at remembering addresses and phone numbers? How many numbers do you think you can remember? Try this experiment to test your digit span, the maximum number of digits that you can remember. 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
Hands-on Shopping: More Likely to Buy if You Can Give It a Try?
Science Fair Project Idea
Scientific Method
Did you know that the average child sees 20,000 30-second TV commercials in just one year? That's a lot of encouragement to buy new toys, clothes, entertainment, and food. In this behavioral science fair project, you'll find out some other ways (besides commercials) that marketers use to try and get adults to buy products, like having them touch or hold an item. You'll find out if these methods work with kids, too, and if they increase how much people are willing to pay for a product. It's a… Read more
The Brains Behind 'Where's Waldo?'
Science Fair Project Idea
Scientific Method
What makes you notice someone in a crowd? Why do some things stand out, while others melt into the background? In this science project you can investigate the psychology of how things get noticed, by studying how our brains perform a visual search. Have you ever looked and looked desperately for something? It is so frustrating! The classic example is when I lose my keys. You would think that by now (knowing that I am the kind of person who often loses my keys) I would have a huge, bright red… Read more
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