It's for a psychology experiment, i'm comparing the reaction times of people to the number of hours of sleep they get per night on average. Please give me some ideas on how to carry out this experiment. For example, like what will be a good way to select subjects, just male or both female and male, age, and so on. Any help will be greatly appreciate! Thanks!!!
It seems like you are looking to correlate sleep times to reaction times. If you will actually be doing the experiment rather than just proposing one, it might be convenient to choose college peers. (I am assuming you are in college.)
You might want to do a pilot study with one gender, just to get the "bugs" out. Be aware that reaction times can vary depending on the hour of the day.
What type of task will you be using to measure reaction times?
Are you going to rely on self-reporting for hours of sleep?
Will the subjects be measured over a period of days, say a week, to get an average?
You have many such questions to answer in creating your experiment. Good luck!
For the samples, i was thinking about recruiting 10 females age range from 19-25. Yes, i am pretty much will have a survey about general backgrounds, and number of hours of sleep on average per night. I will give the survey to the participants before testing the reaction time.
To test the reaction time, the method i'm thinking about doing is: I hold the ruler. Line the subject's hand up with the bottom. Drop the ruler and ask the subject to grabs it. Where they grab it will be shown by a measurement on the ruler. That will be a measure of reaction time. Like you said, since reaction times can vary depending on the hour of the day, the time of day will be the same for everybody. ( in the morning 10-12 maybe?) i only have two week to carry out the experiment so the subjects will just be measured over a period of days.
What do you think about my method? Please give me your suggestions. Thank you!!!
To carry out your experiment comparing reaction times to the number of hours of sleep people get per night, here are some steps you can follow:
1. Define your research question: Clearly define the specific research question you want to answer, such as "What is the relationship between the number of hours of sleep and reaction times?"
2. Select your sample: Determine the characteristics of the participants you want to include in your study. Consider factors such as age, gender, and any other relevant criteria. Your sample should be representative of the population you want to generalize your findings to. Ideally, you would want a diverse sample with both males and females, spanning different ages and sleep patterns.
3. Obtain informed consent: Ensure that you have appropriate ethical clearance and consent from the participants or their guardians if applicable. This is crucial to protect their rights and ensure confidentiality.
4. Measure sleep duration: Collect data on participants' average hours of sleep per night. You can use self-report measures, such as a sleep diary or questionnaires, or objective measures like sleep trackers if available.
5. Measure reaction times: Choose a reliable and valid method to measure participants' reaction times. There are various tools available, such as computer-based reaction time tests or smartphone apps specifically designed for this purpose.
6. Group participants based on sleep duration: Divide your sample into different groups based on their average hours of sleep per night, such as <6 hours, 6-8 hours, and >8 hours. This will allow you to compare the reaction times of individuals with different sleep durations.
7. Conduct the experiment: Administer the reaction time tests to each participant in a controlled setting. Ensure consistency in terms of timing, environment, and instructions to minimize confounding variables.
8. Collect and analyze data: Record the reaction time data for each participant along with their sleep duration. Use appropriate statistical techniques, such as correlation analysis or t-tests, to explore the relationship between sleep duration and reaction times.
9. Interpret and report findings: Analyze the results obtained from your data. Determine whether there is a significant correlation or difference in reaction times between different sleep duration groups. Interpret these findings and provide conclusions based on statistical significance and effect sizes.
Remember to consider any potential limitations of the study, such as sample size, measurement errors, or confounding variables, and discuss them in your report.
It is recommended to consult an experienced researcher or supervisor for guidance throughout the research process.