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Lesson 4: Predictions, Predictions

Lesson 4: Predictions, Predictions

Objective:

You will continue to read articles critically. You will anticipate visualizations about the data that will be collected from the class experiment, and you will make predictions about the outcome.

Materials

  1. Article: PsyBlog’s 10 Ways Our Minds Warp Time found at:
    http://www.spring.org.uk/2011/06/10-ways-our-minds-warp-time.php

  2. Experiment Predictions handout (LMR_3.1_Experiment Predictions)

Vocabulary

theory

Essential Concepts

Essential Concepts

Designing an experiment requires making many decisions, including what to measure and how to measure it.

Lesson

  1. Begin by reading the article 10 Ways Our Minds Warp Time.

  2. After critically reading the article, answer the following questions in the boxes, then click to check your work:

    Who was observed and what were the variables measured? People and their perceptions of time.


    What statistical question(s) were the researchers trying to answer? How is time perception affected by different stimuli?


    Who collected the data? Researchers such as cave expert Michel Siffre collected data.


    How were the data collected? Data were collected through various experiments/studies (13 were cited).


    What claim(s) did the article make? There were 10 claims made regarding time perception.

    What are some statistics that the article used to make the claim(s)? The article has several percentage statistics. Cite a few.

  3. What information from the article surprised you? Why? Jot down your thoughts in your IDS Journal.

  4. Which stimulus from the 10 featured in the article would you be interested in trying for yourself? How would you do in comparison to the article? Write your responses in your IDS Journal.

  5. In the previous lesson you designed an experiment but did not select an actual treatment. For your experiment, you will now decide on a treatment in which your subjects will determine how long one minute (without the use of a time aid) is. You can use the methods found in the article for inspiration, or come up with something novel on your own. Write down your stimulus (treatment) in your IDS Journal.

    Note: Select a stimulus that can be done immediately (e.g., standing on one foot). Stimuli that require a long time or preparation (e.g., running a mile) are not ideal.

  6. Before you carry out your experiment, you will test your theories by making predictions about the data and the outcomes. A theory is an idea used to explain a situation.

  7. Recall your experiment’s research question:

    How does our perception of time change when exposed to a stimulus?

  8. Do you believe that there will be differences in the estimate of how long a minute is between the treatment and control groups? Why or why not? Write your response in your IDS Journal.

  9. Suppose there are differences between the measurements of how long a minute is between the treatment and control groups. Do you think the difference will be large or small? Explain why in your IDS Journal.

  10. For the next activity:

    Click on the document name to download a fillable copy of the Experiment Predictions handout (LMR_3.1) and complete it.

  11. Record in your IDS Journal: Which of the two prediction plots in LMR_3.1 has more variability? Why does it show more variability?

  12. Analyze: Based on the predictions you made in LMR_3.1, which group's estimate of the length of one minute will be closer to 60 seconds? Why?

  13. Begin conducting your experiements with your subjects. Complete your experiment for homework.

  14. In the next lesson you will participate in an experiment in which you will estimate the length of one minute.

Reflection

What are the essential learnings you are taking away from this lesson?

Homework

Finish conducting your experiment and collecting your experiment's data.