Category Archives: FA16-Project 10

FA16-Project 10-Final Week

Abstract:

It’s easy for one to get distracted, but there are ways you can help keep ones focus. In the game Attention Span of a Snail or Speedboat? the specific cognitive process we would be focusing on is sustaining attention. The participants were separated into two groups: the experimental group and the control group. The experimental groups were those who had short attention span. They attended a debate round with the 6 audience member present. They were shown videos and afterwards require answering questions. The primary objective of this is to see whether those who have short attention spans can maintain the same focus and concentration level, compared to those who have long attention spans. For the control group, those with long attention spans were asked to watch the same videos shown to those with short attention spans, except they were asked to refrain from answering questions, unless those with short attention spans were unable to.  In the end, those with high attention spans were able to pay attention no matter what. Those who had short attention spans were distracted easily, making it harder for them to retain information.

Introduction:

Games can help test ones attention span. In the game Attention Span of a Snail or Speedboat? the specific cognitive process is sustaining attention.  The primary objective of this is to see whether those who have short attention spans can maintain the same focus and concentration level, compared to those who have long attention spans. The game objective does reinforce the learning objective, because all the questions ask and topics ask, are questions the participants should be able to answer. This game is all about learning and testing their skills to see how aware they are and whether they can stay on track. The participants are learning how to memorize information from the videos they watch. The amount of information they remembered can explain how long or short they have been paying attention. The participants would be asked questions from the beginning to end. The game is trying to teach the players and the audience the amount of information that can be retained once they get shown a video. The primary objective of this is to see whether those who have short attention spans can maintain the same focus and concentration level, compared to those who have long attention spans. They attended a debate round  where those with long term attention span and short term attention span answer questions based on the video they just saw. The learning experience in the game is for players to try to gain as much information as possible from just by watching a video. It’s going to test them on how long the subject can stay interested without entering their own world. Two players are trying to prove that their focus isn’t affected by what they watch. Their attention span isn’t going to change, while the other two participants, who aren’t being asked questions, try to prove that their concentration skills are above average compared to those who had to answer questions without being timed. The objects used this game are a board that is similar to the Monopoly board. You would then need index cards and  markers to label the board. Short term (ST) and Long term (LT) would be labeled on the board with objects. A red Christmas present sticker represents short term memory, while the blue Christmas present box represents long time memory. Those would be based on who answered those questions asked. In total 20 questions was asked, and the participants got to choose from 4 sections. One set of index cards would consist of questions that needs to be asked, while the back of the index cards will have the answers to the questions being asked.  Representing the participants will also be fun stickers. The Christmas tree would represent the female participants, while the candy cane represented the male participants.

Thesis as a prediction:

Games can either be detrimental to attention spans or it can be a means of improving and sustaining attention. I predict games are the main problem and not the age of a child. Certain games need more attention than others. Certain games need more time to be completed. Some games are very strategic. Board games and card games are more efficient unlike computer games. With board games and card games you are interact with other people, unlike with computer games where its just a computer and an individual.

Methods:

Subjects

  1. My populations of interest are kids who are about to teenagers. In total 4 subjects would be the main participants. There would be 2 males and 2 females. The 2 females would be in their 20’s and the 2 males would be around 17 years old. The subjects are kids who have long term and short term memory. They are also sampled based on how well their attention span is. If someone is easily distracted or can completely focus, they would definitely be a part of this process. These kids were recruited from my family household. The participants were separated into two groups: the experimental group and the control group. The experimental groups were those who had short attention span. They attended a debate round with the other two participants from the control group. They were shown videos and afterwards require answering questions. The primary objective of this is to see whether those who have short attention spans can maintain the same focus and concentration level, compared to those who have long attention spans. For the control group, those with long attention spans were asked to watch the same videos shown to those with short attention spans, except they were asked to refrain from answering questions, unless those with short attention spans were unable to.  One day per week, each participant was asked to repeat this same experiment to see if the attention span was getting worse or better.Males and females who had different attention spans and have a different type of thinking were included. These subjects were chosen, because they have a different attention span, whether it being long term or short term. They also have a different strategy in how they memorize information.Any children under 17 was excluded from this experiment.The average age was kids who range from ages17-25. They were both genders. High school education and college education was required. These kids were from all over the world.The subjects being paid in food or college credits for each session they attended.
  2. Apparatus: The materials I used to collect data were questionnaires, along with the 2 days a week sessions. The game was presented, when kids came into a regular classroom. Those who zone out quickly had to respond to questions based on what they had watched earlier. Responses were measured by questionnaires given to the participants, and they were measured based on responses given out loud. They were also measured by numbers to see how well focused they were and how well information was being retained.In total 4 subjects were used. There are four main subjects. Two subjects were being tested on how well their attention was being sustained after playing games. The other two subjects, who had no involvement in games, their attention span were also being tested. The subjects were recruited from my household. Two participants were high school students, while the other two were college students.  The participants were promised $100 dollars for every session they attended. Based on the responses from the questionnaire, favorable candidates, regardless of ethnicity and background, who showed clear signs of short attention span and those who showed long attention spans, were chosen. They would have to participant in question rounds that they were require to attend for 1 months, with 1 sessions per week. The participants were separated into two groups: the experimental group and the control group. The experimental groups were those who had short attention span. They attended a debate round with the other two participants. They were shown a movie called Snow White and the Seven Dwarf and afterwards required to answer  questions. The primary objective of this is to see whether those who have short attention spans can maintain the same focus and concentration level, compared to those who have long attention spans. For the control group, those with long attention spans were asked to watch the same videos shown to those with short attention spans, except they were asked to refrain from answering questions, unless those with short attention spans were unable to.  One day per week, each participant was asked to repeat this same experiment to see if the attention span was getting worse or better.
  3. Procedures:In this experiment there were two groups which both consist of 2 main subjects each. Both groups were required to fill out questionnaires that asked them to answer questions based of how well they think their focusing skills are. How well they focus after watching t.v? How well they focus after playing games for a certain amount of hours? Participants in one group were presented films to watch and afterwards required to ask questions, while participants in group two just watched films and weren’t required to answer questions. Subjects in each condition were asked to attend their sessions. This experiment lasted 1 month, and data was collected every week. At the end of every week, participants were given questions to answer based on what they experience that week. The data was shown how many questions were answered for group one, while for group two, the data shown was simply how focused they were. All participants were asked to answer a set of questions at the end of each week to evaluate their progress. Each participant’s questionnaire score was averaged using a scale from 1 to 5 with 5 indicating that the individual had a more positive reflection based on how well they concentrated.

Results:

All participants were asked to answer a set of questions at the end of each week to evaluate their progress. Each participant’s questionnaire score was averaged using a scale from 1 to 5 with 5 indicating that the individual had a more positive result based on how well they concentrated.  The control group, which consisted of the two participants who received little to no questioning after watching the film, demonstrated no improvement during the 1 month session. At first boring films were shown to the first experimental group to see how long it would take before they become distracted. Both participants with high attention span scored top notch from the beginning of the experiment.  Those with high attention spans were able to retain information faster than those with short attention spans. They were strongly attentive. The experimental group in which participants had to watch videos and were sure to be asked questions afterwards showed little to no improvement. The highest score for these particular individuals only managed to come out to a 2 to 3, which meant the individuals were either bored by the films shown and had no interest. Progress for these participants was much slower compared to the individuals who had high attention spans. Those with high attention spans were able to pay attention no matter what. Those who had short attention spans were distracted easily, making it harder for them to retain information.

Participants Week 1 Week2 Week 3 Week 4
1 1 1 2 3
2 2 2 3 3
Mean 1.5 1.5 2.5 3

Short Term Memory Chart

Long Term Memory Chart

Participants Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4
1 3 2 4 3
2 3 4 4 5
Mean: 3 3 4 4

Comparing and Contrasting Long Term and Short  Term Memory

Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4
Short Term Memory 1.5 1.5 2.5 3
Long Term Memory 3 3 4 4

 

Discussion:

Games can help test ones attention span. In the game Attention Span of a Snail or Speedboat? the specific cognitive process is sustaining attention.  The primary objective of this is to see whether those who have short attention spans can maintain the same focus and concentration level, compared to those who have long attention spans. The game objective does reinforce the learning objective, because all the questions ask and topics ask, are questions the participants should be able to answer. This game is all about learning and testing their skills to see how aware they are and whether they can stay on track. The participants are learning how to memorize information from the videos they watch. The amount of information they remembered can explain how long or short they have been paying attention. The participants would be asked questions from the beginning to end.

Some people have a short attention span while playing games, while others may continue being able to have the same long attention span they have had before. Visual the way they perceive things and think about things. Playing board games and card games are completely different from video games. Some games would cause one to think faster, while other games would cause others to just freeze. Solving this problem further would advance in this field because it would answer certain questions such as, Does it depend on a certain age whether a kid suffers from a shorter attention span? Does attention span deficiency depend on the game being played? Those who struggle with short term attention, a game would be created to help them be able to focus more. Once they find that game they are interested in, they wouldn’t want to stop playing it. The main point of this work is to test the attention span of others.  My game was testing to see whether or not the game will  be able to sustain ones attention or completely make them disregard the game. As the game went on week after week, those who had short attention spans was able to improve weekly. They would answer more and more questions each week. This week the game ended up in a tie, which is pretty impressive.

This work can be related to other studies because I am trying to find a solution to how having a short attention span or a long attention span can affects one life. This study relates to real life because for example, if you are a journalist, you have to make sure the work you are publishing is facts, because if it’s not, you can be sued. This game does exist as an economy, because the people are playing a role in deciding whether having a long attention span or a short attention span should determine how much information one truly memorizes. The ability to stay focused is an important factor. This can go under working in reality. In the work place you need to be very attentive to what you are doing. Picking the correct video for both the control group and experimental group would be a challenge. If you pick a movie that’s interesting and what those with short attention spans may like to watch along with if the participants already seen that specific video , it can cause problems leading to defective results.

References:

  • Chan, P. A., &Rabinowitz, T. (2006). A cross-sectional analysis of video games and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder symptoms in adolescents. Annals Of General Psychiatry, 5
  • Lawrence, V., Houghton, S., Douglas, G., Durkin, K., Whiting, K., &Tannock, R. (2004). Executive function and ADHD: a comparison of children’s performance during neuropsychological testing and real-world activities. Journal Of Attention Disorders, 7(3), 137-149.
  • Tahiroglu, A. Y., Celik, G. G., Avci, A., Seydaoglu, G., Uzel, M., &Altunbas, H. (2010). Short-term effects of playing computer games on attention. Journal Of Attention Disorders, 13(6), 668-676. doi:10.1177/1087054709347205
  • Bioulac, S., Lallemand, S., Fabrigoule, C., Thoumy, A., Philip, P., &Bouvard, M. P. (2014). Video game performances are preserved in ADHD children compared with controls. Journal Of Attention Disorders, 18(6), 542-550. doi:10.1177/1087054712443702

PSY 200 Data-Memory  Final Project

FA16-Project10-Week 16

As the projects come to an end, I believe my project was efficient and effective. In the beginning, I was unsure about whether any improvements would be shown, considering for the first few weeks of playing my game the results just seem so bland. As the weeks went on and the days slowly passed, the results started to show. Major improvements were eventually happening. Even though those with long term memory was more successful at this game, those who had short term memory showed a drastic change the last week, where the males tied with the females. That’s the first time that has ever happened.

My results support the thesis, because in my game I had 4 participants.All participants were asked to answer a set of questions at the end of each week to evaluate their progress. Each participant’s  questionnaire score was averaged using a scale from 1 to 5 with 5 indicating that the individual had a more positive result based on how well they concentrated. The control group, which consisted of the two participants who received little to no questioning after watching the film, demonstrated no improvement during the 1 month session. At first boring films were shown to the first experimental group to see how long it would take before they become distracted. Both participants with high attention span scored top notch from the beginning of the experiment. Those with high attention spans were able to retain information faster than those with short attention spans. They were strongly attentive. The experimental group in which participants had to watch videos and were sure to be asked questions afterwards showed little to no improvement. The highest score for these particular individuals only managed to come out to a 2 to 4, which meant the individuals were either bored by the films shown and had no interest. Progress for these participants was much slower compared to the individuals who had high attention spans. Those with high attention spans were able to pay attention no matter what. Those who had short attention spans were distracted easily, making it harder for them to retain information. Throughout each week this game has been played, those who had short term memory showed signs of improvement. Yes, they still had trouble answering questions based on the movie Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs, but they were capable of getting more question correct every week. The last week of this week, both males who had short attention spans had tied with the two females who have long attention span. Each participant from these two groups tied with the other person from the other group. One male got 9  questions  correct, while one female participant also got 9 correct. One male got 11 questions correct, and the other female got 11 questions correct. This week both participants who have short term memory showed major improvement. By these individuals playing this game, it did prove that games do have a way with holding ones attention and keeping them interested, especially if they are competitive.

This work can be related to other studies because I am trying to find a solution to how having a short attention span or a long attention span can affects one life. This study relates to real life because for example, if you are a journalist, you have to make sure the work you are publishing is facts, because if it’s not, you can be sued. This game does exist as an economy, because the people are playing a role in deciding whether having a long attention span or a short attention span should determine how much information one truly memorizes. The ability to stay focused is an important factor. This can go under working in reality. In the work place you need to be very attentive to what you are doing. Picking the correct video for both the control group and experimental group would be a challenge. If you pick a movie that’s interesting and what those with short attention spans may like to watch along with if the participants already seen that specific video , it can cause problems leading to defective results. A boring movie shown can cause one to get frustrated easily and lose concentration skills. Another challenge is convincing the audience to support you. The skills a character and player must learn or master is being themselves being completely honest with the answers they give. They must master a skill known as memorizing information so they can answer the questions asked to them correctly.  Some problems that are still remaining, is if you switch up the questions in different orders would those with short term memory still recognize the questions, even if you aren’t going in order. How effective is the game? Future problems also consist of what do you do when the game ends in the tie. Do you have a tie-breaker?

One thing I noticed continuously throughout this whole game making process for my game was how computers were always being used. Computers were always seen as the main source to test attention spans, to see which brain functions would activate, and to test memory. After see the improvements in my game, I feel more card games and board games can be used.  Having someone constantly be at the computer can cause many different feelings, such as anxiety, frustrating, and also when one does go back to play that same game their improvement can have a sudden decrease. I feel board games and card games can be efficient, because they are testing both attention span and memory. Even if one results stay at a steady rate, decreases, or increase, you know the results aren’t being manipulated.  I think more card games and board games should be used and not just computers. There is only so much computers can do after-all. PSY 200 Data-Memory Questionnaire

FA16-Project 10-Week 15

Games can help test ones attention span. In the game Attention Span of a Snail or Speedboat? the specific cognitive process is sustaining attention.  The primary objective of this is to see whether those who have short attention spans can maintain the same focus and concentration level, compared to those who have long attention spans.This last week, the results came out to be really shocking because both males who had short attention spans had tied with the two females who have long attention span. Each participant from these two groups tied with the other person from the other group. One male got 9  questions  correct, while one female participant also got 9 correct. One male got 11 questions correct, and the other female got 11 questions correct. This week both participants who have short term memory showed major improvement. By these individuals playing this game, it did prove that games do have a way with holding ones attention and keeping them interested, especially if they are competitive.

img_0271

This picture represents how the two females with long term memory scored. Participant one is all the green stickers. She got 11 questions out of 20 correct. Participant 2 is represented by the red stickers and she scored 9 out of 20.

img_0273

This picture also represents how both females score. In this picture, the questions that have red sparkly stars on in, represents the questions the participants had trouble in. It took them longer to answer those questions.

I do believe my game was helpful to those who had a hard time paying attention, because they learned how to block out sounds and just stay focused. This game pushed the participants to think hard and become  strategic. Some videos show the questions being asked and how at times they confused the game with a different movie.I even asked both participants with long term memory their thoughts on whether long term memory or short term memory should matter and what type of memory they think they have. img_0270 img_0269 img_0268 img_0267 img_0266 img_0260 img_0259 img_0256 img_0254 img_0253

img_0292

This board represents the males participant. The candy cane represents participant 1 who got 11 questions correct, while participant 2 is represented by the flower and only got 9 questions correct. The red sparkly stickers on both represents how long it took for participants to retain information. In this case the red sticker represents long term memory, while the green stickers represent short term memory.

In terms of the male participants, I think they were just as shocked as I was to know each of them tied with one of the other opponents. I even asked the male opponents their thoughts about their memory and what they thought about the game. For the male participants this was a major improvement, because they went from barely getting questions correct to now tieing the scores. That is pretty impressive.  img_0288 img_0286 img_0283 img_0281

This week made me realize how much my experiment has change. Eventually the plan was to start off with 16 people and i have done that for a while, till i realized I didn’t need 16 participants. So I started collecting data with just 4 participants and to be honest, that was the best decision ever. Two males and two females have shown improvement throughout this experiment. The females still have the advantage because they still progressed steadily from day 1, while the males in the beginning slowly started failing in the beginning but proving their can win. They proved their memory can improve over a short period of time.

FA16-Project10-Week 14

In total 16 subjects were used. There are four main subjects. Two subjects were being tested on how well their attention was being sustained after playing games. The other two subjects, who had no involvement in games, their attention span were also being tested. 6 subjects were asking the 4 main subjects questions, while the other 6 people were audience members. The subjects were recruited from a high school. The participants were promised college credits. Based on the responses from the questionnaire, favorable candidates, regardless of ethnicity and background, who showed clear signs of short attention span and those who showed long attention spans, were chosen. They would have to participant in question rounds that they were require to attend for 1 months, with 2 sessions per week. The participants were separated into two groups: the experimental group and the control group. The experimental groups were those who had short attention span. They attended a debate round with the 6 audience member present. They were shown videos and afterwards require answering questions. The primary objective of this is to see whether those who have short attention spans can maintain the same focus and concentration level, compared to those who have long attention spans. For the control group, those with long attention spans were asked to watch the same videos shown to those with short attention spans, except they were asked to refrain from answering questions, unless those with short attention spans were unable to.  Two days per week, each participant was asked to repeat this same experiment to see if the attention span was getting worse or better.

The main attention was the 4 participants in this experiment. 2 males and 2 females. All participants were asked to answer a set of questions at the end of each week to evaluate their progress. Each participant’s questionnaire score was averaged using a scale from 1 to 5 with 5 indicating that the individual had a more positive result based on how well they concentrated.  The control group, which consisted of the two participants who received little to no questioning after watching the film, demonstrated no improvement during the 2 month session. At first boring films were shown to the first experimental group to see how long it would take before they become distracted. Both participants with high attention span scored top notch from the beginning of the experiment.  Those with high attention spans were able to retain information faster than those with short attention spans. They were strongly attentive. The experimental group in which participants had to watch videos and were sure to be asked questions afterwards showed little to no improvement. The highest score for these particular individuals only managed to come out to a 2 to 3, which meant the individuals were either bored by the films shown and had no interest. Progress for these participants was much slower compared to the individuals who had high attention spans. Those with high attention spans were able to pay attention no matter what. Those who had short attention spans were distracted easily, making it harder for them to retain information. Those with short attention span ended up starting off at a scale of 1 and later on progressing to 3. Those who have long term attention started of on a scale of 3 and later went on to scoring a 5. Sometimes one participant from the long term would start of low, get a high score in the middle and decrease towards the end, but they still did better overall compare to those with low attention span.

Results with long term memory was at a score of Mean-3.5; from week 4 (Final week) SD- 0.92582 and results for participants with short term memory was at a score of Mean- 2.125 from Week 4 with a SD- 0.83. As you can see, those with long term memory scored more higher and sharper than those with short term memory.

FA16-Project10-Week 13

In my game Attention Span of a Snail or Speedboat? the main problem that seems to arise is whether or not partial points should be given for a question that’s not completely answered. There are conflicts in terms of answering the questions. For example, one question asked was to name all the dwarfs in the movie Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. This would be a problem, if one of the players doesn’t name all the characters, but instead named 6 out of the 7. They would want partial credit, but no partial credit is given in this game. It’s more of you either know it or you don’t. If partial credit was given, it would mess up the results, and there would also still be a chance that the other team would be able to steal the question and gain full credit. So instead of given partial points for a question, full credit is always given. If someone only names 5 or 6 dwarfs they wouldn’t get credit for it, because they didn’t name all 7 characters present. Instead the question would just get passed over to the other team or just skipped over and counted as incorrect and the other team gets to choose another question.

This game is also not fully functional.The game is functional in a way because it’s detailed. By detailed, I mean the game consists of a lot of questions and is very detailed, because those questions are based on the movie. Questions would be based on what the characters are wearing and to describe the setting.  Also to name the characters. It also shows the audience members whether or not having long attention spans or short attention spans can be equally the same or super different. It would also give the audience member an idea based on how many questions each participant gets correct. It isn’t fully functional because in terms of how the points should be calculated. Whether or not one should get partial credit or shouldn’t is still yet to be known. It also isn’t functional in whether or not two people from the same team should be able to answer the same question if their partner got the question wrong.  Whether the question should get passed on to the other team or the team member is yet to be known. Whether the question should be eliminated even if both teams answered incorrectly is still in the works.

The game is complete. I say this because audience members get to ask questions. Every member present in this game gets to voice their feelings and thoughts.The game is balanced. It’s a fair game, because both sides get to compete together. This game accurate represents the points as to whether short term memory or long term memory should matter. If it should, after the game audience members would be able to chime in and give their thoughts. In the end of the game, all four main players would get to share their thoughts on how they feel about their results and defend their stance on long term and short term memory.

FA16-Project 10-Week 12

In my game Attention Span of a Snail or Speedboat? the materials used to build this game are a board that is similar to the Monopoly board. You would then need index cards and markers to label the board. Short term (ST) and Long term (LT) would be labeled on the board with objects. A red Christmas present sticker represents short-term memory, while the blue Christmas present box represents long time memory. Those would be based on who answered those questions asked. In total 20 questions was asked, and the participants got to choose from 4 sections. One set of index cards would consist of questions that needs to be asked, while the back of the index cards will have the answers to the questions being asked.  Representing the participants will also be fun stickers. The Christmas tree would represent the female participants, while the candy cane represented the male participants.

In this experiment there were two groups which both consist of 2 main subjects each. Both groups were required to fill out questionnaires that asked them to answer questions based of how well they think their focusing skills are. How well they focus after watching t.v?  How well was the information retained? Participants in one group were presented films to watch and afterwards required to ask questions, while participants in group two just watched films and weren’t required to answer questions. Subjects in each condition were asked to attend their sessions. This experiment lasted 2 months, and data was collected every week.At the end of every week, participants were given questions to answer based on what they experience that week. The data was shown how many questions were answered for group one, while for group two, the data shown was simply how focused they were.

   The subjects watched Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.  While watching this movie, the participants needed to pay close attention to details.  The participants had to prepare themselves to answer questions like ” What was the name of the all the dwarfs?” and ” Did the Prince in the movie have a name?”. After answering the twenty questions presented, the results were in. In the end, the results were the male had a greater short-term attention span compared to the females. The males had 7 questions where they were shown to have short-term memory, because the candy canes were placed where the red boxes were located. In terms of the females, there were only 3 places where the females got placed on short-term memory. In terms of long-term, the males had 4 questions where they were able to remember. In terms of long-term, the females had 6 places where they remembered long-term.  Males were unable to sustain a longer attention span.

FA16-Project10-Week 11

This week while working on my game, I had to change some things compared to what i originally had written a few weeks ago.  One thing I changed in my game Attention Span of a Snail or Speedboat was the location as to where my game would take place. My game would be taking place in my living room and all the members participating in this game are my family members. Another thing was to create this game objects were needed. To create this game I used a board that’s simpler to a monopoly board. On the board four categories were present. It was like playing a game of Jeopardy.  On this board there was two sections with questions about the Dwarfs from the movie Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The third section consisted of questions about the Prince. Lastly, the last category contained random questions.  Each participant was asked to ask questions. The difference was, if the male participants were unable to answer the questions, the female participants got the chance to answer. The point of this game was to test memorization skills and see how much information was retained by the males. After all, the males were the one who were being tested for short term attention span. Their attention span mattered the most, because their job was to convince the audience members they can memorize just as much as those with long attention spans. It was also to help determine whether attention spans should matter and if it truly does make a big difference. In this game the movies the participants in the control group and the experimental group was asked to watch was Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. After the movie was over, a question round was then asked. Some key symbols to look out for would be the decorations used. The Christmas tree represented the females and the candy canes represented the male participants. The red Christmas box represented short term attention span, while the blue Christmas boxes represented long term attention span.

Some of the questions that were asked can be found on google. The only difference was, these participants weren’t allow to google any questions. Everything asked they either  knew the answer or they didn’t. One question that could trick those with short attention span was when asked about the prince’s name. This can make those with short attention span, who happened to get distracted easily feel like they missed this important factor in the movie. They would potential guess a name. In actuality, the prince’s name was never mentioned.  If those with short attention span happened to get a question wrong, the females would be able to answer the questions for them. The boxes show which participants happened to have a greater memory and sustain a better attention span.

Overall, this experiment was simple and still is simple. All the participants are doing is watching a movie and afterwords answering questions. Those questions are directly from the movie presented. The participants just have to tap into their brain and figure out what the correct answer is.  After answering the twenty questions presented, the results were in. In the end, the results were the male had a greater short term attention span compared to the females. The males had 7 questions where they were shown to have short term memory, because the candy canes were placed where the red boxes were located. In terms of the females, there was only 3 places where the females got placed on short term memory. In terms of long term, the males had  4 questions where they were able to remember. In terms of long term, the females had 6 places where they remembered long term.  Males were unable to sustain a longer attention span.

 

img_0147

Questions asked after watching the movie Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

img_0149

Answers to the questions asked.

FA16-Project 10-Week 10

During week 10 we were responsible for fixing our games.  My game Attention Span of a Snail or Speedboat? is a game used to figure out who has long attention spans and short attention spans. Those with long attention spans are more attentive, unlike those with short attention spans who gets distracted by the drop on a pencil. In total 16 subjects were used. There are four main subjects. Two subjects were being tested on how well their attention was being sustained after playing games. The other two subjects, who had no involvement in games, their attention span were also being tested. 6 subjects were asking the 4 main subjects questions, while the other 6 people were audience members. The subjects were recruited from a high school. The participants were promised college credits. Based on the responses from the questionnaire, favorable candidates, regardless of ethnicity and background, who showed clear signs of short attention span and those who showed long attention spans, were chosen. They would have to participant in question rounds that they were require to attend for 2 months, with 2 sessions per week.

All participants were asked to answer a set of questions at the end of each week to evaluate their progress. Each participant’s questionnaire score was averaged using a scale from 1 to 5 with 5 indicating that the individual had a more positive result based on how well they concentrated.  The control group, which consisted of the two participants who received little to no questioning after watching the film, demonstrated no improvement during the 2 month session. At first boring films were shown to the first experimental group to see how long it would take before they become distracted. The same movie was shown for both the control group and the experimental group.

My game was created with a board.  The way this occurred was in the middle of the board was the title of the movie. The 4 participants was family members. The movie my family watched was “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”. In the end those with short attention spans were asked to name the seven dwarfs. They were also asked to describe the outfit Snow White was wearing. Those with long attention spans got the chance to answer the questions once the opposite team got the answer wrong. On the board it consisted of numbers and letters. The letters that says SA stood for short attention while LA was long attention. On the board had index cards that had questions on them, while the other deck of index cards had the answers to the questions asked.  The other 6 participants were taking turns asking the questions from the cards. The last 6 members were able to ask the participants if they were sure about their answer given and if they want to stick with it or not. They were also asked to explain how they came to terms with that answer. In the end the game was beneficial, because those with long attention spans did much better. Those with short attention spans did poorly. Those with short attention spans kept get distracted by either their phones or what’s happening around them, while those with long attention spans were unbothered. In the end when they had to repeat the questionnaire,  those with long attention spans had continued to improve, while those with short attention spans remained with the same results or only had a one point difference.

FA16-Project 10-Week 9

My game is called Attention Span of a Snail or Speedboat?. During this week I started to rebuild my experiment and realized there is a chance my results may end up not changing at all throughout this experiment. In total 16 subjects were used. There are four main subjects. Two subjects were being tested on how well their attention was being sustained after playing games. The other two subjects, who had no involvement in games, their attention span were also being tested. 6 subjects were asking the 4 main subjects questions, while the other 6 people were audience members. The primary objective of this is to see whether those who have short attention spans can maintain the same focus and concentration level, compared to those who have long attention spans.

Picking the correct video for both the control group and experimental group would be a challenge.  If you pick a movie that both groups know then it’s obvious they would get every question correct that’s being asked to them. This can lead to defective results. The subjects  must master a skill known as memorizing information so they can answer the questions asked to them correctly. This game exist in an economy. For example, in the work place you need to be very attentive to what you are doing. For example, if you are a journalist, you have to make sure the work you are publishing is facts, because if it’s not, you can be sued.

All players mainly have to do is answer the questions being directed to them afterwards. The aftermath would be interesting if in the end those with long attention spans and short attention spans ended up getting the same amount of questions correct.  It’s a fair game, because you get to see how focused or how easily distracted both parties can be once they are put to the true test of answering questions. Participants in one group were presented films to watch and afterwards required to ask questions, while participants in group two just watched films and weren’t required to answer questions. For the control group, those with long attention spans were asked to watch the same videos shown to those with short attention spans, except they were asked to refrain from answering questions, unless those with short attention spans were unable to. This is fair, because everyone has an even chance to answer the questions.  This is one of the easiest game ever to play in my opinion.

FA16-Project10-Week 8

My project is called Attention Span of a Snail or Speedboat?  Throughout this experiment, the main focus is to see what influences one to have a longer attention span than another person. Two experimental groups were provided. The experimental groups were those who had short attention span. They attended a debate round with the 6 audience member present. They were shown videos and afterwards require answering questions. The primary objective of this is to see whether those who have short attention spans can maintain the same focus and concentration level, compared to those who have long attention spans. For the control group, those with long attention spans were asked to watch the same videos shown to those with short attention spans, except they were asked to refrain from answering questions, unless those with short attention spans were unable to.  Two days per week, each participant was asked to repeat this same experiment to see if the attention span was getting worse or better.

In this experiment there were two groups which both consist of 2 main subjects each. Both groups were required to fill out questionnaires that asked them to answer questions based of how well they think their focusing skills are. How well they focus after watching t.v? How well they focus after playing video games for a certain amount of hours? Participants in one group were presented films to watch and afterwards required to ask questions, while participants in group two just watched films and weren’t required to answer questions. The materials I used to collect data were questionnaires, along with the 2 days a week sessions.  I used questionnaires to collect data, because overtime it shows a change as to how one feels they are doing. The audience also has an impact on what the participant scores for the week.

    Both participants with high attention span scored top notch from the beginning of the experiment. Those with short attention spans struggles and earned themselves a 3 by the end of the course. They got distracted easily and wasn’t seeking interest in what was being shown to them. Progress for these participants was much slower than the progress demonstrated by the individuals who had high attention spans. Those with high attention spans were able to pay attention no matter what. They were able to block out all distractions. Those who had short attention spans were distracted easily, making it harder for them to retain information and answer questions.