Zen Crawley Group BMs. Jimenez/Science Science Fair Report

Background ResearchReaction time can be tested in many different ways. Simple reaction test

involve “only one stimulus and one response.” Simple things can test someone’s reaction time. This could be sounding a buzzer and telling a person when he or she hears it, to tap their foot. The buzzer acts as the stimulus. My research says that “Simple reaction time improves from childhood until the late 20s. After the late 20s, reaction times increase, but very slowly, until people reach their early fifties. As people reach their late sixties and seventies, reaction times increase markedly.” This interested me be because you would think after the age 50, when are person is usually less active, that their reaction time would start to slowly decrees.

The factor of male and female also plays a role in reaction time. Men are proven to be faster, but women catch on faster and make fewer errors then men in the learning process. As women age their reaction time increases faster then a male’s but a male’s reaction time is always faster. This basically means that if you give a male a reaction time test they might do better then a female but they will make more errors completing the test and learning it then a female would. In the end the women’s reaction time will still be slower. ______________________________________________________________________________________

Another persons project:“Objectives/GoalsFor my project I wanted to see how much age affects one's reaction time, and to see if there was a certainpoint in one's life at which reaction time starts to dramatically increase.Methods/MaterialsI created a computer program that would be used to conduct my experiments by measuring each person'sreaction time. I tested people between the ages of 6-85 and divided them into 8 age groups. Each subjectwas tested 5 times. I tested a total of 120 people on my laptop computer.ResultsThe slowest group of people I tested were ages 76-85 & older, with an average of 0.75 seconds. Therewere two fast groups, both with averages of 0.45 seconds. The first group was ages 26-35, the secondgroup was ages 56-65.Conclusions/DiscussionI hypothesized that between the ages of 65-85 & older there would be at least a 10% increase in reactiontime over the quickest reaction time measured. The second to last oldest age group had an average reaction time of 0.66 seconds. The oldest group had an average reaction time of 0.75 seconds. Thequickest time measured was 0.34 seconds. There is more than a 10% increase between these times,

therefore validating my hypothesis. I have concluded that reaction time does slow with age, although asone gets older it doesn't just start increasing. It goes in a up-down pattern and once one reaches their mid60's it steadily increases from there.”______________________________________________________________________________________

This project states that age does affect reaction time and that throughout your life reaction time increases. But it does slow. After a while it then once again increases on a steady basis.

HypothesisMy hypothesis is that reaction time is greatly affected by age. As you get older your body isn’t the same as 10 years before. Unless you stay active throughout your life, as you get older your body begins to move slower, you become less flexible, and so on. Even though my research says as you get older your reaction time increases, I believe that at a point it doesn’t and it does in fact decrease a little. I believe for your first 5-10 years your reaction time increases a lot. It may increase up until age 40. Once past age 45 I think your reaction time stops increasing as rapidly. At age 70 I believe that, your reaction time starts to decrees but very, very slowly. These hypotheses would impose that age definetly affects reaction time through out your life but it could affect it in a good way and a bad way.

Materials and Methods Test Subjects-

Ages, 10-30, 31-50, 51-80, 81-100(Two to three people per age group.)

Stopwatch Notepad Table and Computer

Procedure Get computer and place on table. Then log onto

http://www.humanbenchmark.com/tests/reactiontime/index.php Bring a group into the room. Have each subject take the test

(The test states that when the screen turns from RED to GREEN, the subject should quickly tap their mouse. They repeat this 5 times.)

As the subject completes clicks on the green record their time. When they have done this 5 times add up all times and then divide them by 5. This will fin their average reaction time.

Next take the second person from the same age group. Repeat Steps 4-5 until all subjects from the same age group have taken the test.

When everyone from thevgroup has taken the test repeat Steps 3-6 over again.

Do this until all age groups have been tested. After all results have been written down then transfer them to a computer. Make a data table with all results for better organization. Analyze the data

table to see if the original hypothesis is true or false.

Results/Data- on last page

ConclusionFrom my results I can conclude that my hypothesis that age does in fact affect reaction time is true. I was also correct that the difference in reaction time in ages 10-30 was similar and even progressed a little’s at times. My results also show that results from male compared to female are a variable. Looking back at my research I believe my project backs it up and has a close out come of the example project.

Bibliography1. Kosinski, Robert J. 2005. A Literature Review of Reaction Time. Accessed March 17, 2005.

<http://biae.clemson.edu/bpc/bp/Lab/110/reaction.htm#Arousal>

Marieb, Elaine N., Exercise 22 Human Reflex Physiology, Activity 9: Testing Reaction Time for

Basic and Acquired Reflexes, pp. 232-233, Human Anatomy and Physiology Laboratory Manual

(Cat Version), 2003,7thEd.- Update, Benjamin Cummings, San Francisco, California.

2. http://www.radford.edu/jkell/Reaction%20Times.pdf3. http://www.livestrong.com/article/442800-how-does-aging-affect-reaction-time/

1 2 3 4 5 Avg

10 to 30 241 316 255 254 243 261.8

292 261 291 279 258 276.2

1 2 3 4 5 Avg0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

241

316

255 254 243261.8

292261

291 279258

276.2

10 to 30Series2

1 2 3 4 5 Avg0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

275 287

328

257276 284.6272

257

361325

272297.4

31 to 50Series2

1 2 3 4 5 Avg

31 to 50 275 287 328 257 276 284.6

272 257 361 325 272 297.4

1 2 3 4 5 Avg

81 to 100 392 317 274 344 332 331.8

385 321 279 343 331 331.8

1 2 3 4 5 Avg0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

303 319287

325 311 309315

391

323301 306 307.2

51 to 80Series2

1 2 3 4 5 Avg0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400392

317

274

344 332 331.8

385

321

279

343 331 331.8

81 to 100Series2

1 2 3 4 5 Avg

51 to 80 303 319 287 325 311 309

315 391 323 301 306 307.2