Photo Source: Eric H. Chudler, University of Washington

Check out the picture above. As fast as you can, DO NOT read each word, rather try naming the color of each word. It’s a little harder than you thought, right? This strange phenomenon, known as the Stroop Effect in honor of it’s discoverer, J. Ridley Stroop, shows that the words themselves – and the meanings we attach to them – have a strong influence on our ability to say the color of the word. Sarah, eight grade entrant in the 2009 California State Science Fair, wondered if gender had any effect on an individuals ability to complete this task.

She administered 3 computerized tests to 100 female student volunteers and 100 male student volunteers. As a control, her first two tests timed color recognition and word recognition, while her last test exposed participants to the Stroop Effect.

Be sure to check out Sarah’s full entrance application, including results and conclusions! Also, for more information on the Stroop Effect, as well as an example interactive Stroop Effect experiment, we suggest visiting Neuroscience for Kids!

Photo © 2011 K Tempest Bradford, Flickr

iPods, cell phones, e-readers, computers, and other technological devices are all the rage these days. Since so many people are changing the way they read books and magazines, as well as how they do research, etc. – opting to read from a screen instead of from paper sources – many have wondered if reading comprehension is being affected. The creators of Education.com have designed an experiment to explore this very thing.

The great thing is, most of the materials you need are readily available! The experiment calls for 60 participants in total, as well as access to a selected book in paperback, e-reader, and computer format. You’ll need to create a test to give all participants and the test averages will give you an idea if reading comprehension was affected by the reading format.

For the full project, be sure to visit Education.com!

Sixth grade student, Aaron P. Gallagher, put together this fantastic science fair project that explores whether people respond more quickly to visual or auditory stimuli. His hypothesis was that people would react faster to a tone versus a graphic. To test his theory, he utilized a computer program that would randomly beep or flash a red dot. Participants were instructed to hit the space bar as quickly as possible when presented with the tone or graphic and the speed with which they did this was recorded within a thousandth of a second. After 10 tests, the participants data was averaged to determine which stimulus resulted in the quickest response. A sampling of 102 people showed that the eyes have it!

If you have the skill to build your own test – by all means, do it! We did find these separated tests at Cognitive Fun, but you’ll have to check them out to see if they’ll work for you!

[NOTE: If you don't have the ability to utilize an online test or computer program, here's a project that will test the same variables, but does not require technology beyond a stop watch! It's from the Challenger Learning Center.]

Photo © 2006 Alberto G., Flickr

Not only is exercise important for keeping our bodies strong and healthy, it’s also good for the mind – affecting mood, alertness, energy levels, and general feelings of well-being. Since exercise has been shown to do all of these things, the creators of All Science Fair Projects wondered if exercise before an important exam could have any effect on academic performance. To test this theory, the creators found an equal mix of male and female participants and designed eight 50-question exams with which to collect results.

The exams related to four different subject areas – math, science, history, and geography – and were tailored to the age group of the participants. [NOTE: Two exams of comparable difficulty were created for each subject area.] Over a period of five days, student volunteers took eight different exams.With the first set of exams -one from each subject area – students were immediately taken to the exam room to begin testing. With the second set of exams, students were asked to perform 30-minutes of light activity, followed by a period of rest, and then taken to the exam room.

The exams were then scored and the results compared! For full project details – suggestions for creating an exam ‘schedule’, sample test results, conclusions, etc – be sure to visit All Science Fair Projects!

Photo © 2009 Shawn Campbell, Flickr

While elementary and middle school aged students won’t likely suffer from indigestion, they’re sure to know an adult or two who does! This great science fair project, created and performed by sixth grade Selah elementary school student, Nicole, offers a look at which over-the-counter antacid works best to neutralize stomach acid. 

Nicole decided to test Pepcid AC, Tums, Maalox, and Tagamet – dissolving samples of each product in water and recording the pH level of each sample, then adding ‘stomach acid’ {Hydrochloric acid} one drop at a time and retesting the solution’s pH. She continued adding acid to the samples, recording the number of drops, until each sample was neutralized (pH 7.0). [NOTE: This experiment uses strong acid that can be harmful to skin/if ingested, etc. so be sure to use caution - proper equipment for handling the acid and parental supervision is advised!]

This project was completed in 1999, so check at your local drugstore, there are sure to be other antacids you could include in y0ur project! For full project details – lists of supplies, step-by-step procedure, a sample research report, etc. – be sure to visit Nicole’s project page at Selah Elementary.

Photo © 2009 Lisa Padilla, Flickr

Talking, texting, gaming, catching up with social media – these are just a few of the things cell phone users can do at any given moment. Not only can cell phones be a distraction in school, around the dinner table, or even when out with friends, statistics have shown that they can be a huge distraction to drivers as well. For the high school student interested in determining if a cell phone conversation can adversely affect reaction time, making the person behind the wheel a more dangerous driver, be sure to send them over to this great science fair project created by Dr. Andrew Olson of Science Buddies! 

The great thing about this project is – since cell phones are so prevalent – students won’t have a hard time getting their hands on the materials needed to complete the project! Not only that, Dr. Olsen does a great job of helping students prepare and complete the project providing a brief introduction, suggested topics/concepts/questions for research, a list of several helpful sources, a list of materials needed, a step-by-step experiment procedure, and even a list of variations to make your project more complete/interesting!

For this fantastic science fair project, be sure to visit Science Buddies!

Photo © 2009 Mikleman, Flickr

Reading a book. Riding a bike. Driving a car. These are all things we need our peripheral vision for. Ever wonder if eye color affects peripheral vision? High school student, Hannah E. Sallee, entrant into the 2010 California State Science Fair, wondered this very thing and decided to test it. 

Using a homemade vision protractor, Hannah tested how well participants – 5 with blue eyes, 5 with green eyes, and 5 with brown eyes – could detect the size, color, and shape of various objects. Hannah didn’t say in her project proposal how many times she tested each participant, but we suggest testing them at least 3 times for more conclusive data.

For more project details, be sure to click over to view her science fair entry form. Additionally, for more information about peripheral vision testing, check out this additional project – Now You See It, Now You Don’t – from Science Buddies!

Photo © 2009 Karrie Nodalo, Flickr

While listening to music as you complete an activity may not seem like multitasking, high school students Olivia Kyi and Verna Zhao wondered if having music on in the background could be a distraction, affecting both concentration and performance. To test this theory, they used a 100 piece puzzle, classical music, and some willing participants. 

Perfect for upper middle school students interested in cognitive science, this project is great because it doesn’t require many materials and can be done at school (perhaps in one of the study rooms in the library/media center) or at home. Here’s the gist…

1. Set out the 100 piece puzzle in a quiet room, inviting Test Group 1 (comprised of both male and female subjects) to work together to complete it. Record how long it takes the group to complete the puzzle.
2. In the same room, invite Test Group 2 (comprised of both male and female subjects) to work together to complete the same puzzle. The difference – place a CD player in the corner and play classical music while they complete the puzzle. Time how long it takes the group to put the puzzle together.

To get conclusive results, you’ll have to do this several times with different groups of volunteers.

[NOTE: Here's a similar project that we found over at Education.com - it tests the correlation between music and memory.]

Photo © 2009 Flickr, Pixel Drip

High school student, Dao Quan Lin, wondered how effective liquid laundry detergents were at destroying the bacteria that can grow on our clothes – specifically Serratia marcescens. There are a bunch of detergents out there so, to narrow down his testing field, Dao began his project with a survey of local laundry mats to determine which brands were the most popular. His results showed that Tide, Gain, and All were the popular choices. 

To complete the project, Dao needed the following materials – a sterile Petri dish, agar, sterile filter paper, detergent samples, and a place to incubate the samples. After 24 hours, he checked the results and measured the zones of inhibition. [NOTE: If you don't know what that is, Science Buddies has a great informational article/tutorial about it!] We know the moms at your middle school will be interested to know the results – everyone wants bacteria free clothing!

Photo © 2006 Flickr, Rex Sorgatz

We’ve all heard that consuming too much soda (or pop) can be detrimental to our health. Whether it’s the high sugar levels, aspartame, dyes, acidity, etc. – there are numerous reasons why soft drinks have gotten a bad rap. Did you know that soft drinks have emerged as one of the most significant dietary contributors to tooth decay? The acid (among other things) works to erode tooth enamel and can lead to more cavities/decay. This project from Education.com – Look Ma! No Teeth! – will help upper elementary students explore which soft drink is actually the worst for your teeth! 

Now don’t get too excited – this project doesn’t give testers free reign to drink as much soda as they want. Students will actually observe how their favorite soft drinks affect granulated limestone – tying the pH levels of the drinks to any decay observed in the limestone samples.

For the full project details – including research questions, materials needed, project procedure, etc. – be sure to visit Education.com!

Photo © 2009 Flickr, Inha Leex Hale

Mouthwash is commonly used to rid the mouth of bad odor and germs. Ever wonder how successful it is at killing harmful bacteria in a person’s mouth? Several types of bacteria are commonly found in the mouth, but high school student, Israt Hossain, decided to test the effectiveness of several products – fluoride rinses and antiseptic mouthwashes – on inhibiting the growth of Staphylococcus epidermidis. 

To complete this project, he chose to test six different mouthwashes, along with water as a control. The only other items he needed, besides the various products, were Petri dishes, agar, sterile paper disks, and a place to incubate the samples. Not only is this a good way to determine if products are actually doing what they say they’re going to do, the results of this project could help both consumers and dental health care providers make better choices.

Photo Source: buysubliminal.com

There is a lot of controversy surrounding subliminal messaging – especially subliminal advertising. While this form of advertising is banned in most major countries, many still believe that subliminal messaging can be used in a powerful way, non-commercially of course, to help individuals change habits and reach their goals. However they’re used, have you ever wondered if subliminal messaging actually works? 

We found this science fair project, perfect for middle and high school students, over at Super Science Fair Projects. It was entered by sophomore student, Kyasha Moore, into the California State Science Fair, and explores whether subliminal messaging is effective and, if so, whether or not it makes a difference whether the test subject is male or female.

For the project details, be sure to visit Super Science Fair Projects!

Photo Source: Rowan Frances

Ever wonder if what we see influences our perceptions of taste? If you’re interested in finding out the psychology behind color and food, this project is for you! The cool thing is, there are lots of variations to this particular project…

Identifying Drink Flavors

• Education.com suggests doing the experiment with apple juice. Fill three containers with juice – 1) add red food coloring, 2) add green food coloring, 3) leave untouched. Have at least 20 volunteers test a sample of each – #1, #2, then #3 – and identify the flavor. Determine how many participants mis-identified the flavor to keep with the color. 
• eHow.com suggests using club soda or Sprite/7-Up. Fill four containers, adding a different color of food coloring to each, and invite participants to identify the flavor. [NOTE: The order of samples tested doesn't matter as much in this experiment as it did for the apple juice. However, make sure the order is consistent from volunteer to volunteer.]

Citrus Scramble

eHow.com also recommends a fun fruit test using oranges and lemons. They invite you to test whether staging affects our perceptions of taste – by inviting participants to sit at a table adorned with oranges (some peeled, some not), blindfolding the volunteer, and switching out the orange slices to have them eat a slice of lemon instead.

Jelly Bean Identification

Science Fair Projects suggests using jelly beans to determine whether our eyes can fool our taste buds. Divide participants into two groups – in the first group, participants will see the samples they’re consuming and report on the flavor, but in the second group, participants will be blindfolded as they eat each sample and identify the flavor.

For the full project details, be sure to visit these great sites! While each experiment is great by itself, perhaps doing more than one will give you a more comprehensive look at color v. taste!

After encountering Dr. Alan Hirsch’s book, What Flavor is Your Personality? Discover Who You Are by Looking at What You Eat, Megan, seventh grade student and contributor to Free Science Fair Projects, wondered this very thing…

“Can a person’s favorite snack choice can indicate certain aspects of their personality?” 

She broke the project down into two parts. In the first data collection session, Megan actually had her participants choose and eat their ‘favorite’ snack {from a selection of eight predetermined} then fill out a questionnaire that explored their snack preferences as well as how they viewed their personality. In the second data collection session, participants simply completed an online questionnaire. Snack choices were the invention of the participants and the subjects did not actually eat the food.

For the full project – the questionnaire as well as Megan’s results – be sure to visit Free Science Fair Projects!

Photo ©2007 Tim Patterson, Flickr

You’re probably wondering what kind of science fair project involves plants and a microwave! We stumbled across this interesting project – from Marshall Dudley as well as Eclectic Science Network – and even thought there were mixed results, we thought it might be a fun concept to explore. The project attempts to determine whether microwaved water {that has been allowed to cool before watering} has a negative affect on plant growth.

Dudley’s granddaughter noticed a significant difference, whereas Jared Graham {creator of Eclectic Science} and his students didn’t observe any difference between the plants watered with microwaved water and those watered with stove-boiled water. Be sure to visit both sources for project procedures, suggestions for project completion, and conclusions!

Photo ©2010 Ariel Waldman, Flickr

The human body does not produce vitamin C, nor can it store vitamin C. Because of this we need a continuous supply of the vitamin in our diets. This science fair project, created by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and featured at Education.com, explores various fruit juices to determine which you should drink to get the most vitamin C. Great for elementary students, we do suggest completing this project with an adult since it involves use of the stove.

For a full write-up of the project – a list of materials, step-by-step procedure, project suggestions, tips & tricks for completing the experiment, etc. – be sure to visit Education.com! And, while you’re there, be sure to hang around. If this project doesn’t pique your interest, they have tons of other ideas for you to check out!

Photo ©2009 Vegan Feast Catering, Flickr

Talk about having the best-smelling, greatest tasting experiment at the science fair! We think this project, exploring which brand pops the most kernels, created by Karen Muska would be great for elementary students. Please note that because it deals with hot oil, students attempting this experiment will need adult supervision and help! To start, go on a field trip to the local grocery store(s), making a list of the various popcorn brands and their prices. You’ll want to test brands that cover the price spectrum – from value brands to premium brands. [NOTE: If items are on sale, note their original price.]

Karen does a great job of taking prospective experimenters through the project process, so be sure to visit her site for the full details. Our only addition/extension is the price component. At the end of the experiment, you’ll be able to confirm which popcorn brand is the best value for your money.

Interested in other aspects of popcorn? Check out another cool popcorn science fair project –> Why Does Popcorn ‘Pop’?

Photo ©2011 Microsoft Sweden, Flickr

Perfect for the upper elementary/early middle school crowd, specifically those who are infatuated with video games/gaming, this science fair project designed by Patrick Kiger of Discovery Science explores how video games affect the player’s heart beat. Again, one thing we really like about this experiment – since “87 percent of young people between the ages of 8 and 18 [live] in a home with a game console” {as reported in a recent study by the Kaiser Family Foundation} – is that the materials needed are relatively few…

• Video games of different genres
• Participants with a pulse
• Timer/stopwatch

[NOTE: The original supply list included only one video game for this study - we recommend various video games of different genres to add a bit of dimension to the project. You'll be able to see if the style of video game - action adventure, strategy, racing, sports, etc. - has any effect on participant heart rates.]

Of course there are many other considerations/extensions you might explore in your project. You might observe the participant’s gaming style, consider the participant’s fitness level/heart health, etc.

For the full project details, be sure to visit Kiger’s full write-up at Discovery Science!

Memory is a fascinating concept. Ree and her daughter over at The Pioneer Woman wondered if gender had anything to do with memory – whether a male, looking at male-specific objects on a poster remembered them with more frequency than a poster of female-specific objects, and vice versa. Together the duo designed an experiment that would be a perfect exploration for upper elementary/early middle school students (grades 5 and 6).

The great thing about this project is that the set-up is simple – all you need is a poster of male-specific images and a poster of female-specific images, as well as willing test subjects. No expensive kits. No bulky equipment. Just various items that can be created at home.

For a complete write-up of the project – the hypothesis, procedure, conclusions, etc. – be sure to visit The Pioneer Woman!

photo © 2006 Bistra Ivanova , Flickr

Every person’s fingerprint is unique, but do genetics have anything to do with the whorls, loops, and arches that make them up or are the patterns truly random? We found a great science fair project idea that explores this very question over at Science Buddies and think it would be a fantastic exploration for middle school age students, grades 6 through 8.

What’s great about this project is that you don’t need a lot of extra supplies – you simply need an ink pad, paper, a magnifying glass, and some willing participants! For a full supply list, suggestions for background research, a step-by-step procedure, sample data collection worksheet, and a list of variation suggestions, be sure to visit Dr. Sandra Slutz’s full project page over at Science Buddies!