J+Kinlan

=toc How is Short Term Memory Affected by Age?=

Goals:
The purpose of my experiment was to find out if short term memory was affected by age. My prediction was that people between that ages of 20 and 50 would have the best short term memory. People ages 20 and younger would have the second best short term memory, and people age 50 and above would have the worst short term memory.

Discoveries:
Along the way, after doing some research and testing, the data and the science started to come together. My predictions were exactly correct. The middle age group had the best short term memory, the younger group has the second best short term memory, and the older group had the worst. This started to make sense because I learned that as people age they have fewer neurotransmitters and slower blood circulation, both of which negatively affect short term memory. Overall, there were not many surprises, the experiment played out as I predicted. This picture displays one of the three short term memory tests. This was the visual test.

Challenges:
The biggest challenge during my project was trying to find as many participants as I could due to the time constraints I encountered. Due to the relatively small amount of people I tested, I am not sure how accurate the data was. Another problem or challenge was figuring out how to interpret the data and be able to group the data into graphs.

Solutions:
I solved my first problem by simply trying to test as many people that were willing to be tested, whether it was at school or at home. I ended up testing 26 people in total. I solved my data problem by using Microsoft Excel. I was unfamiliar with the program so I spent probably 2 hours trying to make a respectable looking graph. After hours toiling away at the program, I ended up with three pretty good graphs that represented the data well.

Looking Back:
If I were to do this project again the main thing I wish I could have done was start earlier. Instead, I just had to make due with the time that I had. If I had had more time to do this project I could have looked at more variables than just age. For example, I could analyze which gender had the best short term memory. Also, I would have had more time to interpret the data and I would be able to look at the common areas people made mistakes and be able to see if there were any patterns that I didn't notice.

5 Things I Wish I Knew Before the Project:
1. Experiments need many participants- To get accurate data I believe that any experiemnt needs at least fifty participants. 2. Start Early- Due to my circumstances, I had to start my project about five days before it was due, so I had to hurry to get it done. 3. Research before testing- By doing this you will have a better idea of what the results will be and it will help you predict the outcome of the experiment. 4. Do a little work everyday- By working on your project a little bit everyday, you will not be stressed out by the time it is due, and you will make fewer careless errors. 5. The project is manageable- Don't stress out about having to do this project, you will not have to break your back over it. As long as you enjoy the topic you are doing and don't leave everything to the last second, the project will be quite manageable.