Will+Added+Pressure+Cause+Lower+Test+Scores?


 * Title: Will added pressure create lower test scores? - Natalie Kerr and Jess Earl **

Purpose: We did this experiment to find if added pressure/stress when taking a test will result in a lower score. This is important to know as we can __apply__ the information we find to our own lives. With the results of this test we will know weather its better to stress about a test, or remain as calm as possible. We plan to give three groups of six biology honors students (three boys and girls) the same fifteen question test. To control the results, one of our questions will ask if they have read our ISP already. We will graph the results of this to see if that affects scores as well. We will also time each student and graph the results to see if more pressure makes them work faster or slower. We can use this information to pace ourselves on tests we take in the future. Each group will have added variables designed to increase pressure. Group one will be our control group. They will just have to __take the test__. Group two will be told that they have two minutes to complete the test and a flashing timer will be placed in front of the person taking the test. Group three will also be informed of the two minute time limit, having the timer placed in front of them, as well as being watched as they take the test. Stress is caused by many different things. Both big or small problems and changes can cause stress, even just thinking about something will trigger some people (Nordqvist, 2009). Because of this we think that the accumulation of many small stressful variables will instigate results that will support our hypothesis. Studies have shown that pressure can have harmful effects on your body, pressure can deplete power and inhibit the memory (Harms, 2011). If stress levels rise too high, they can be harmful to you and the test results. (Carver.J, 2010) Also, we wondered if stress can be a good thing. If your able to control stress, it can be a good thing helping you to be at the top of your game (Carver. J, 2010). Stress affects people differently and could potentially raise scores. “A situation that is too much for one person to tolerate may be stimulating to another.” (Carver.J, 2010) Stress can effect the way you think and act. Will this be a hindrance or an advantage? We think that for most people it will be hindrance, making it harder for them to concentrate on their test. Some students stress over their test scores because they are worried about how they will perform. (Webber, 2007) We will tell the students that their scores will be posted for the class to read at the end.

Hypothesis: If we give a test to three different groups of biology honors students, with varying levels of stress instigated in each group, then the group with the least amount of stress (group one) will have the best average score.

Materials:
 * Test ,
 * 18 biology honors students (9 boys and 9 girls),
 * Timer,
 * Jess,
 * Natalie,
 * Pencils,
 * Chart to keep track,
 * Calculator ,
 * Quiet room,

Procedure: First we will create our test composed of fifteen questions covered in the Biology Honors curriculum, and found on previous tests given in the class. Then we will take the boys and girls from Group 1 one at a time and have them take the test by themselves in the hall. The instructions to take their time and hand it in when they are finished will be given to them. We will collect the tests when they are finished, to be graded. We will record their times without them being aware and record those as well. Then we will take the boys and girls from Group 2, and give them their tests one at a time, telling them they have two minutes to complete the test and a flashing timer will be placed in front of them. We will collect and grade the tests when they are done. Then we will take the boys and girls from Group 3, give them their tests, tell them they have two minutes to complete the test, place the timer, and watch them take the test. Afterwords we will collect and grade their tests, the same as Group 1 and Group 2. We will find each groups average score (add all scores together and divide by the number of people), and put the numbers into our data table to analyze. All of the groups will be timed, and that information will be recorded in the graph shown below. The answers to the question concerning wether or not they had read our ISP will be recorded as well. To sum up:


 * Group One will take the test with no pressure. They will have all the time they need.
 * Group Two will take the test with minimal pressure. They will be given two minutes and a timer to keep track.
 * Group Three will take the test with high pressure. They will be given the two minutes and timer just like Group Two, but we will stay and watch them take the test.
 * All groups were told that their scores would be posted for the class to see.

Data:

__**Scores of tests**__


 * || Group 1 || Group 2 || Group 3 ||
 * Average Score || 12/15 || 10/15 || 8/15 ||
 * Highest Score || 14/15 || 15/15 || 12/15 ||
 * Lowest Score || 9/15 || 4/15 || 6/15 ||

__**Scores of People who read our ISP vs. People who did not**__
 * || Highest Score || Lowest Score || Average Score ||
 * People who read our ISP || 11/15 || 9/15 || 10/15 ||
 * People who did not read our ISP || 15/15 || 4/15 || 10/15 ||

__**Time it took to finish the Test **__
 * || Average Time || Shortest Time || Longest time ||
 * Group 1 || 3:59 || 1:48 || 5:45 ||
 * Group 2 || 1:59 || 1:55 || 2:00 ||
 * Group 3 || 2:00 || 2:00 || 2:00 ||

Analysis: We found that those in Group One generally scored better than those in other groups. They also (minus one exception) Used from 1:27 to 3:45 minutes longer than the two minutes given to other groups. This shows that they were very comfortable and relaxed during their test, taking all the time they needed and answering questions correctly. Group Two all finished either on the two minute mark or less than 5 seconds before. Their scores went down from those of Group One. The minimal stress placed on them affected their scores exactly how we thought they would. Group Three all used the full two minutes and as you can see in our graph, had the lowest scores of all. this is because they had the most pressure of all. There were some exceptions such as the perfect score that one student from Group Two got. The averages of each group dropped by two point increments, from 12 to 10 to 8. The lowest scores did not quite go in the order we expected, as one student in Group Two received 4/15. Excepting that the next lowest score would have been an 8/15 which would have put the scores in the descending order we expected. One of the things we recorded was who had read our ISP versus who didn't. We expected scores of those who had read it to vary from those who hadn't as they would know what was going on. Strangely enough, although highest and lowest scores varied, the average scores were exactly the same, showing that it didn't really matter at all. Stress is stress, and it affected both those who read and those who didn't read our ISP.

Conclusion: We hypothesized that If we give a test to three different groups of biology honors students, with varying levels of stress instigated in each group, then the group with the least amount of stress (Group One) will have the best average score. We accepted our initial hypothesis, as Group One did in fact end up with the highest average score, as well as having high lowest and highest scores.

Limitations: We encountered limitations with the intelligence level and knowledge of our test subjects. We also had some variation in the pressure.The students we tested also have varying strong points in academics. If we were to redo this experiment, we would test our subjects for their IQ levels and compare the matching students together. We would also apply the same amount of pressure to each student. Lastly, we would have questions from other subjects added to our test.

===- Not everyone has the same intellectual capactiy for the same questions- in other words not everyone has the same knowledge as a(n) other person, well you use general questions or the basic curreculim offered at the school? ( Alex Phelps) We will use the curriculum covered in Biology Honors. ===

- what if they effect of the score is not affected by the pressure but intellgence? -victoria gebhart - we will use only Biology Honors students (Natalie Kerr).

Many people freak out when they are put on spot, will you tell the test takers that day, or give them a heads up?. -Lily Maxwell No, we won't let them know it's a test Will each group consist of the same honor students and they will just take a similar test with the added stress, or will you use different people for each test? (Tia Sherman 1-7-13) We will be using different people for each group. Will the questions include any graphs, tables ? What type of questions will they be? Visualizing a graph and having somebody creepily staring at you could definitely be overwhelming -Chloe` White We will be asking questions that were covered over the Biology Honors curriculum.

-Maybe you can explain a little more on why you are doing this experiment (Liz Foster).

You should make sure that your questions cover a variety of subjects because I know that I would stress out if it had math questions on it, but another person might stress out if there were grammatical questions. (Kaitlyn Olsen 1-12-13)

Works Cited

Harms, William. “Writing about Worries Eases Anxiety and Improves Test Performance.” UChicago News. University of Chicago News Office, 13 Jan. 2011. Web. 26 Nov. 2012. < [] >.

Carver, J., and J. Sharman. “How to Cope with Exam Stress.” Exam Stress. Mind, 2010. Wev. 27 Nov. 2012. < [] >.

Nordqvist, Christian. "What Is Stress? How To Deal With Stress." // <span class="stw_link">Medical News Today //. MediLexicon International, 11 Apr. 2009. Web. 14 Dec. 2012. <http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/145855.php>.

Webber, Bridget. "How Stress Can Affect Testing Results." //Helium//. Helium, 20 May 2007. Web. 14 Dec. 2012. <http://www.helium.com/items/345454-how-stress-can-affect-testing-results>.