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The Effect of Colored vs. Black Text on Ability of Seventh Graders to Memorize a Word List |
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Researched by Whitney B.
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The purpose of this experiment was to determine the effect of colored versus black text on the ability of seventh graders to memorize a word list.
I became interested in this idea when my mom and I were watching television. I noticed that almost every commercial was in bright colors rather than black. This made me wonder if there was a reason for that. I’ve also always wanted to have a chance to study human memory.
The information gained from this experiment could help people who make advertisements. It will also help people who want to improve their memory. Teachers may also want to know so they can have their students remember study terms better.
My hypothesis was that seventh graders would remember the words printed in colored ink better than black ink.
I based my hypothesis on the results reported by Mary LaBissoniere who did a similar project “The Effect of Color on Memory Retention of Items on a List” in the year 2000. She concluded, “Colored words were remembered better than those printed in black.” I also based it on the fact that almost all advertisements are in color.
The constants in this study were:
• The number of words in each list
• The amount of time to study the list
• The amount of time to fill out the response sheet
• Time passing between studying and taking the quiz
• The place to take the test
• The difficulty of the test
The manipulated variable was the print color of the list the subjects were to memorize.
The responding variable was the number of words the subjects remembered.
To measure the responding variable, I scored the subject’s responses using a list of the correct answers. Then I counted the number correct.
QUANTITY ITEM DESCRIPTION
1 Classroom for testing
2 Experimenter scripts
22 7th grade students
8 Pencils
8 Desks
44 Tests
1. Create word lists and tests
- Select words that are below the average seventh grade spelling level
- Create 2 equally difficult lists with 25 words in each. Do not alphabetize these words.
- Label one List A and the other List B
- Create a Test A by randomly adding an additional 25 words of similar difficulty to List. Do alphabetize these test items.
- Create Test B in the same manner, but be sure not to repeat any words previously used in Test A.
- Create an answer sheet for Test A, by marking the words in this test that were originally in List A.
- Create an answer sheet for Test B, by marking the words in that were originally in List .
- Create an instruction script to explain testing procedures to each group before they take the test
3. Randomly assign girls with permission slips equally to Test Group 1 and 2.
4. Arrange an empty classroom so that it has enough desks for one test group with the desks spaced far apart (about 1 meter.)
5. Have Testing Group 1 come into the classroom and sit
6. Read instructions to the group and answer questions.
7. Using the testing schedule, give them the appropriate List (A or B) in the correct color (black or colored).
8. Have them memorize the list for two minutes
9. After two minutes collect the lists
10. Wait five minutes before giving them the matching test sheet (have them play tic-tac-toe or another game on paper that has no words involved.)
11. Pass out the test sheets and pencils
12. Instruct them to circle exactly 25 words, those in the original List.
13. Give the group 3 minutes to circle all the words they can remember.
14. After three minutes collect all the tests and pencils
15. Dismiss students to class
16. Check their answers with answer key for this test
17. Record the number correct
18. Repeat steps 5-17 for groups two, three, and four
19. Average scores for each treatment.
20. Compare the results to see if the students remembered words in colored ink or in black ink better.
The original purpose of this experiment was to determine the effect of colored versus black text on the ability of seventh graders to memorize a word list.
The results of the experiment were that seventh graders could remember words printed in black better than in color. According to the data the average words that were correct with black text were 19. For color the average words correct was 17.
See the table and graph below.
My hypothesis was that seventh graders would remember the words printed in colored ink better than black ink.
The results indicate that this hypothesis should be rejected because according to the data the average words that were correct with black text was 19. For color the average words correct was 17.
After thinking about the results of this experiment, I wonder if girls would remember the words better than boys would.
If I were to conduct this project again I would make the words closer to the same reading grade level. I would also use many more subjects.
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Memory Introduction Many people don’t realize it but memory is one of the most important things in human life. Without it there would be no way to learn new things. People would forget everything the second it entered their brains. There are several different types of memory. There’s long-term memory, short-term memory, visual memory, and then of course…there’s forgetting. Types of Memory Short Term Memory:
The short-term memory (also known as the working memory) contains what
you are thinking about at the time. It can only hold facts as long as
you are thinking about it.Long Term Memory: With the long-term memory you can remember things from a few minutes to a lifetime. Not everything gets put into the long-term memory, only some of the memory gets moved up. All the information that is stored in the long-term memory has once been in the short-term memory. The reason why only some of the information gets stored in the long-term memory is because a person's brain decides what information is important. The important information gets moved to long-term memory, and the rest is forgotten, making room for new information to be stored in the short-term memory. Visual Memory: Five percent of all children have visual memory. It is more commonly known as photographic memory. It is when someone can take a mental picture of a scene in their head and then remember it for a very long time. Memory Process First the brain receives information from the senses. Then it combines the information with thoughts and feelings to form the new memory. Now the brain stores the memory. Later on the brain brings back the awareness of the memory when something similar occurs, or if someone is going through an experience from the past. Every ten seconds ten million new pieces of information enter a person’s brain. This information enters the brain from the senses (sounds, images, smells, tastes, and touch sensations.) Light Light is a form of energy that behaves like waves. These "waves" are what create wavelengths. A wavelength is the distance between any point on one wave and the corresponding point on the next wave. Lights with different wavelengths appear as different colors, while a light with all the wavelengths will appear as white. Color Introduction Color is light reflecting off the pigment in objects. There are several different groups of color, the main ones are; primary and secondary colors. The primary colors consist of blue, red, and yellow. The secondary colors consist of green, purple, and orange, which you get by mixing the primary colors. How We See Color For us to see color it depends on complicated parts of the eye. When we look at something, light from the object enters the eye. The eyes focus the light, which forms an image of the object on the retina. This can only happen because the retina has many light sensitive cells. The cells absorb most of the light and convert it to electrical signals. These travel through a person’s nerves to the brain. The light sensitive cells are made up of rods and cones. These cells are named after their true shapes. Rods are sensitive to dim light and cannot distinguish wavelengths. That’s why people see only shades of gray in dim lights, and black in no light at all. Cones respond to bright light. A person with normal color vision has three types of cones. One responds to short wave lengths, which corresponds with the color blue. Another type responds to medium wavelengths, these correspond with the color green. The last kind responds to long wavelengths, this corresponds to the color red. Color Blindness The retina is about the size of a postage stamp in the back of the eye. It contains cells called cones that perceive color. There are red, blue, and green cones. People need all three types to see colors properly. When the cones don't work right or don't have the right combination then the brain doesn't get the right message about what you're seeing. To a colorblind person a green leaf might look tan or gray. Color blindness is inherited. That means it is passed down from parents and grandparents. Inherited traits come from genes; which determine everything about someone’s body. Doctors and nurses test for color blindness by showing pictures made up of different colored dots. If patients can't see the picture or number within the dots, they may be colorblind. Studies show that boys are more likely to be colorblind than girls are. Types of Color Blindness Protanomaly: One of every 100 males has this, it is better known as red weakness. Any redness seen in colors by a normal observer is seen weaker by the protanomaly observer. Red, orange, yellow, yellow-green, and green appear shifted towards green in hue. Also everything seems paler than to a normal viewer. The red component that a normal observer sees in a violet or lavender color is weakened for the protanomaly observer, so they will see only blue. Deuteranomaly: Five of every 100 males have this kind of blindness, it is known as green-weak. People who have this have troubles seeing differences in the colors red, orange, yellow, and green. These seem more like a red to them. Deuteranomaly observers do not have any trouble detecting brightness in objects. Dichromasy: Two of every 100 males have this type of blindness. These people don’t see a difference in red, orange, yellow, and green. It has a big effect on their everyday lives. Stoplights are one example; a Dichromasy viewer will not know the difference in the stop light colors. Protanopia: One of every 100 males has this kind of color blindness. For these people the brightness of red, orange, and yellow is a lot less compared to normal. Dimming like this makes red look dark gray or even black. Summary To sum things up, memory is one of the most important things in human life. There are several different types of memory: long-term memory, short-term memory, visual memory, and forgetting. Color is light reflecting off the pigment in objects. There are several different groups of color, the main ones are; primary and secondary colors. Light is a form of energy that behaves like waves. These "waves" are what create wavelengths. A wavelength is the distance between any point on one wave and the corresponding point on the next wave. Lights with different wavelengths appear as different colors, while a light with all the wavelengths will appear as white. |
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Gergen, Kenneth J. “Brain”
World Book Encyclopedia, 1998
LaBissoniere, Mary. “The Effect of Color on Memory Retention of Items on a List.” 2000. <http://www.selah.k12.wa.us/SOAR/sciproj2000/maryL.html> Loftus, Elizabeth L. “Memory” World Book Encyclopedia, 1998. "What is Colorblindness And The Types." 2005<http://colorvisiontesting.com/color2.htm> Wyszecki, Gunter. “Color,” World Book Encyclopedia, 1998. Yount, Lisa. Memory San Diego: Lucent Books, 1996. 13-17, 24 |
I would like to thank the following people for helping make my project possible:
• My parents for supporting me in everything I've had to do to make my experiement happen.
• Ms. Cooley for allowing me to take students from her class to do my experiment.
• Mr. Arambul for allowing me to take students from his class to do my experiment.
• All the students who participated in my experiment.
• Mr. Newkirk for instructing me on things I needed help on.
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