Youth, Prime, & Senior

By: Zan Q.
Year: 2000
School: Lexington Junior High School, 8th grade
Division: Junior

The main purpose of this project was to find out whether or not age affects reaction time. For this project, I needed the help of multiple volunteers from different age groups.

I created a checkerboard-like sheet with random numbers scattered in the boxes. Each one of the volunteers had to pick up a specific colored counter, which they were instructed to pick up.

Then, they had to place this counter on a specific number that they were given. I made sure I had explained the rules in the exact same way to every volunteer so that it would not affect their reaction time. I also made sure I used the same pace when giving them the number and color. For example, if I told them red 3, they would have to pick up the red counter and place it on the box that has a 3 m it. They repeated this process over and over until they had finished placing down all the counters in the boxes.

The significance of this project was to find out if age has an actual effect on reaction time. I did this project because at one point someone asked me if I think age has an effect on reaction time, I didn’t have an exact answer and thought it would interesting to find out, so I decided to test this out. Finding out your reaction time can be important because it is important when driving, when playing sports, in emergency situations, and in many day-to-day activities.