psychology experiment ideas for high school students

Psychology Experiment Ideas for High School Students

Psychology as a subject is an extremely interesting one because it helps us delve into the human mind. An interest in this subject can be developed early on by encouraging high school students to conduct experiments in the same. This following Buzzle article lists out some such experiments that you can take up.

That's How Psychologists Work
At an ongoing party, a woman dressed in revealing clothes walked in through the door. Everyone turned to look at her; the psychologist turned to look at everyone.
The subject of psychology aims to study the varied facets and workings of the human mind. This is essentially (and most effectively), done through the medium of conducting experiments. However, when we speak about 'experiments', people automatically assume that one must mean the very complicated and fancy studies which involve a lot of 'mind play'―this could not be further away from the truth. The experiments that are conducted in psychology range from the very simple to the very detailed; and the flexibility of the subject lies precisely in the fact that these experiments can be made simple enough to not only be understood by students, but the conducting of which can actually help them develop an interest in the subject and understand the human mind better. In order for that to happen, however, there is a need to start young. Not only should students be exposed to varied experiments, but also be asked to conduct them as well. And it is exactly this subject that we will be trying to highlight. In this Buzzle article, we will list out certain psychology experiment ideas for high school students that are simple, interesting, and extremely informative.
1. The Short-term Memory Test ―Visual Test
Aim: To compare short-term memory on the basis of age and gender.
Things Required
Subjects to conduct experiment on 3, colored markers/highlighters Scissors Sad emoticon drawing Red eraser Note with the word 'Paper' written on it
How to Conduct
Arrange for at least 10 women and men in each category that you're choosing to study―for example, age groups from 5-10, 10-15, 15-20, and men and women in each category. Arrange for the objects listed above and cover them with a sheet of cloth. Bring the first subject in, take the cover off, and ask him to study the objects for 30 seconds. After the 30 seconds have passed, cover the objects with the cloth again and ask a series of questions. Ask things like:
• How many colored markers did you find. • What were the colors of the markers? • Which emotion did the emoticon portray? • Were the scissors open or closed? • Was there an eraser on the table? • If so, what was the color.
Note the results after conducting the experiment on all the subjects. The results of this experiment will help you decide whether age and gender has an effect on the short-term memory of a person.
2. The Short-term Memory Test―Auditory Test
Aim: To compare short-term memory on the basis of age and gender.
Things Required
Subjects to conduct experiment on A list of 5 uncommon words
How to Conduct
Arrange for at least 10 women and men in each category that you're choosing to study―for example, age groups from 5-10, 10-15, 15-20, and men and women in each category. Call the first subject into the room and tell them you will say 5 words out loud, and very slowly to them. They will have to remember those 5 words and repeat them in that order. Then, proceed to slowly, clearly, and loudly say the 5 words (for example, Red, Wall, Bottle, Crying, Surprise) Let them think and memorize these words for 5 seconds. Then ask them a series of questions that are intended to throw them off balance.
• What is 8 x 3 • Which city did they grow up in. • What color is their footwear. • Which is their favorite color.
After 4-5 unrelated questions have been asked, ask them to repeat the set of 5 words in the order that they were said in. Take note of how many subjects were able to recall all the words in the right order. Conduct the experiment on all the subjects. The results of this experiment will help you decide whether age and gender has an effect on the short-term memory of a person.
3. The Stroop Effect Experiment
Aim: To test whether the Stroop effect changes with gender and age.
Things Required
Subjects to conduct experiment on A sheet of paper with names of 8 colors written on them in the same color as the word (The word 'red' in red ink, the word 'green' in green ink) A sheet of paper with names of 8 colors written on them in a different color as the word (The word 'red' in blue ink, the word 'green' in black ink)
How to Conduct
Arrange for at least 10 women and men in each category that you're choosing to study―for example, age groups from 5-10, 10-15, 15-20, and men and women in each category. Ask the first subject to enter and once he is comfortable, show him the first sheet of paper which has the name of the color written in the same-colored ink. Note the time he/she took to read the name. Next, show him the second sheet which has the name of the colors written in a different color. Note the time taken to read the names correctly. The results of this experiment will help you decide how age and gender affects the Stroop effect in a person. The Stroop effect is a commonly conducted experiment that proves that reading is an automatic reaction of the mind. There is a tendency to read the word instead of analyzing the word. Thus, when asked the color of the word; for example, 'red' written in green ink, the tendency is to say 'red' because of the word red.
4. Effect of Type of Movies on Pulse
Aim: To test whether genders are affected differently by different types of movies.
Things Required
Subjects to conduct experiment on Movies in 3 categories―Tragedy, Romantic, Horror
How to Conduct
Arrange for at least 10 women and men. In a controlled environment, play the 1st movie for the subjects. Check the pulse of the subject after every 2 minutes and take notes. Similarly, play the other 2 movies as well and take notes. Note: You don't have to play the whole movie; appropriate scenes that depict the emotion you're trying to study will also work perfectly well. The results of this experiment will prove whether there are certain movies (read, emotions) that affect the genders, and which gender is affected by which movie type.
5. Gender Differences in Expressing Emotions
Aim: To test the facial, verbal, and physiological differences in expressing emotions according to gender.
Things Required
Subjects to conduct experiment on Multimedia videos in 3 categories
How to Conduct
Arrange for at least 10 women and men. Have them seated in a room, and play videos in 3 categories for them (one that evokes laughter, another that evokes sadness, and a third that evokes fear). While they watch the videos, record their facial expressions (mouth, eye movements, eyebrows), physiological changes (heart rate, sweating), and their verbal responses. The results of this experiment will show whether the kind of video has an effect on the expression of emotions of the subjects and whether it is, in any way, guided by their gender.
6. The Conformity Experiment
Aim: To test the tendency of humans to conform to the opinion of a group rather than maintain their own.
Things Required
Subjects to conduct experiment on A control group A sheet of paper with 3 lines of different heights drawn on them A sheet of paper that has a single line from among the 3 lines drawn on it
How to Conduct
Use a control group and ask them to deliberately give the incorrect answer to the question that is asked. Make the subject enter with the control group and show them the first sheet of paper with the 3 lines marked a, b, and c. Once they are done studying the sheet, show them the second sheet which has a single line drawn on it. This is the same line as the figure 'c' in the first sheet. Start off with 4-5 people from the control group and ask them to relate which line from the first sheet it corresponds with. The control group will deliberately answer with choice 'a'. Once the control group has answered, ask the same question to the subject and record his answer. The results of this experiment will study the percentage of people who conform to the popular opinion while discarding their own. The conformity experiment is undertaken to prove that people will usually conform to the popular group opinion while discarding their own, even when the opinion is completely wrong.
Use these simple psychology experiment ideas for high school students, and then use the results to discuss how the human mind and nature works. We guarantee that these experiments will raise their interest in the subject sufficiently well.

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