Does sugar improve the memory of Year 10 students?

RESEARCH METHODS IN PSYCHOLOGYDoes sugar improve the memory of Year 10 students?

Research ScenarioDr Starburst is interested in the effect of sugar on the memory of Year 10 students in Victoria. He decides to test the students memories by using 2 lists of 10 3-letter nonsense words, which will be presented to participants for one minute. Participants must then recall as many of the 10 nonsense words in each trial as they can. Participants assigned to the experimental group (50%) will consume a quantity of snake lollies prior to participating in the memory test. Participants assigned to the control group will consume no lollies prior to the test. The average scores for each group will be calculated and compared.

Prior ResearchThe impact of increasing blood glucose on psychological functioning: David Benton, Biological Psychology, 1990:Suggests that glucose is beneficial when performing tasks demanding little mental capacity.

Carbohydrates and mental function: feeding or impeding the brain?: E. L. Gibson, Nutrition Bulletin, 2007.Some people may benefit from some improvement in mental function after a specific dose of carbohydrate but it is too simplistic to assume that ingesting carbohydrates will inevitably improve cognitive function.ParticipantsDr Starburst asks all secondary schools in Victoria if they would like to participate, and twenty schools volunteer. He selects 18 Year 10 students from each school by using a random-number generator on the school rolls, and gets permission from each students parents to include them in the study. He then allocates 180 participants to the experimental group and 180 to the control group.

MaterialsFor this study, the following materials will be required:

A random number generator or similar device to randomly allocate participants to control or experimental groupsSnake lollies for experimental groupTwo lists of 10 3-letter nonsense words for the memory testStopwatch or clock for timingAnswer sheet for participants to write their answersSpreadsheet or chart for collating results

HypothesisA Hypothesis is an educated prediction about the outcome of a study or experiment, usually based on prior research.

In this case, it may be:That Year 10 students in Victoria who consume sugar prior to a memory test will have a higher score than Year 10 students who consume no sugar.Participant InstructionsParticipants in the experimental group will consume the allocated quantity of snake lollies prior to the two memory tests.In each test trial, participants must attempt to memorise all ten nonsense words in order. They will be permitted to see the list for 1 minute, before being asked to write the list down in order from memory. They will have 1 minute to recall the full list.Memory Test #1Get ready...

Memory Test #1AROPELHIBENJLODORPZIKNERCEWMUPMemory Test #1Participants will have 1 minute to write down the list of 10 words in the correct order.

Ready, set...

GO!Memory Test #1 - ScoringAROPELHIBENJLODORPZIKNERCEWMUP

Memory Test #2Get ready...

Memory Test #2WIDGESNAJHOBMEKBUPDOKTEMYISNINMemory Test #2Participants will have 1 minute to write down the list of 10 words in the correct order.

Ready, set...

GO!Memory Test #2 - ScoringWIDGESNAJHOBMEKBUPDOKTEMYISNIN

Collating of ResultsParticipants must add their scores for Test 1 and Test 2 and then divide by 2 to obtain their average or mean score.The scores for all participants in the experimental group must then be collated to obtain a group averageThe same must be done for the control group.The mean score of each group can then be compared.

Analysing Results / Drawing ConclusionsWhat was the mean score for each group?Was there a small or large difference between the group mean scores? Do you think the difference was significant?Would you conclude that the hypothesis was supported or not supported in this case?What other factors might have influenced the experiment and affected the results?Do you think the overall results can be generalised to the whole population of all students in Victoria?Research Methods Key TerminologyType of Study: ExperimentPopulation: Victorian Year 10 students.Sample: 360 Victorian Year 10 students.Participant: A Year 10 Student.Sampling: RandomIndependent variable (IV): sugarDependent variable (DV): mean score on memory testControl Group: 180 students who did not consume lollies prior to the tests.Experimental Group: 180 students who did consume lollies prior to the tests.Extraneous Variables: Individual intelligence, mood, what participants may have consumed prior to experiment, etc...

Memory Test #3Get ready...

Memory Test #3CCGANZUSADOCLOLWWWQLDDVDSMSPTOMemory Test #3Participants will have 1 minute to write down the list of 10 words in the correct order.

Ready, set...

GO!Memory Test #3 - ScoringCCGANZUSADOCLOLWWWHIVDVDSMSPTO