696335W-2STU20-AT1-SIS2
Possible Independent Variables:
Independent Variable and Experiment Idea
Sound effects:
Aim: To determine how different sound effects
affect heart rate.
Independent Variable: The sound effect (bird
chirping, ocean waves, busy café, creaking door,
screams).
Dependent Variable: Pulse oximeter (bpm).
Controlled Variable: Decibel volume of sound
effect, time participant listens to sound effect, time
taken to measure heart rate,
Basic Method: The resting heart rate is measured.
The participant uses headphones to listen to a
variety of sound effects. After 1 minute of listening
to sound effects, the heart rate is immediately
measured.
Title: Multiplications
Aim: To determine whether the volume of music
impacts concentration whilst doing a complex task
Independent Variable: Volume of music (0, 20, 40,
60, 80 decibels)
Dependent Variable: Time (s)
Controlled Variable: Amount of multiplication
problems per trial, Song, headphones, music
source.
Basic Method: The participant completes a set of
multiplication problems whilst listening to different
increments of music.
Title: Shining light on eyes
Aim: To determine the effect of shining different
levels of light on the pupil.
Independent Variable: Levels of light (0, 10, 20,
30, 40 lux)
Dependent Variable: 5 cm ruler
Controlled Variable: ruler, participant, type of light.
Basic Method: Different levels of light are shone
into the eye for 10 seconds. The length at which the
pupil constricts or dilates is measured with a 5 cm
ruler.
Title: Reaction time
Aim: To determine the reaction time of a person as the
participant becomes more tired.
Independent Variable: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 hours of sleep.
Dependent Variable: Time (s)
Controlled Variable: The reaction time game,
participant doing the game, device, time at which
game is played.
Basic Method: The participant sleeps for 10 hours.
Then, using the human benchmark application, the
reaction time game is played at 12 pm. The next day,
the participant will sleep for 8 hours, then the reaction
time is recorded. The participant will sleep for 2, 4 and
6 hours, with three trials for each increment.
Chosen IV: The IV that was chosen was to increase the volume of music. This IV was chosen because it was relatively easy to control. The volume
could be increased or decreased with the laptop’s volume button. It is an easy experiment to conduct and complete during class time. The
materials are affordable, accessible, and can be provided by the school. Other possible experiments were unethical, time consuming, or hard to
conduct.
Research Pros and Cons
The cerebellum processes sound through the auditory Pros:
nerve sending signals to the brain stem (NIH, 2009). When - Easy to access sound affects
listening to calming sound effects, the parasympathetic - Equipment is readily available
nervous system is stimulated which decreases the heart in a lab setting
rate (Music Health, 2023). The heart rate is decreased by - Quick to conduct experiment in
releasing the hormone acetylcholine. However, high- class time
volume sounds activate the sympathetic nervous system - affordable equipment
which accelerates the heart rate by releasing hormones Cons:
- uncertainty in the data since
known as catecholamines (UC Davis Health, 2024).
other factors may affect heart
Furthermore, loud effects can cause a rush of adrenaline
rate.
due to the body’s response to stimuli. The adrenal glands
- May be overwhelming to listen
release adrenaline which prepares the body to fight of flee, to different sound effects in a
and consequently increasing the heart rate (LinkedIn,
short period of time.
2024). - difficult to control decibel
volume of online videos.
Working memory is an executive cognitive function of the Pros:
brain that has a limited capacity to hold information - Easy to conduct
temporarily. It is responsible for logical reasoning, problem- - Easy to set up
solving, learning, and decision making (Smile Tutor, 2022). - Sufficient time available to
High concentration tasks are more demanding on the brain. conduct activity
Therefore, when listening to music it introduces an Cons:
additional auditory stimulus that competes with the - High volumes will be reached
problem solving of the multiplication problems (Research - Participant develops
Gate, 2020). The brain is required to process the auditory multiplication skills through the
information and calculate the multiplication problems experiment.
simultaneously which can overstimulate the brain's
cognitive load and therefore hinder information retention
(Healthline, 2023).
The pupil change size by either dilating or constricting Pros:
depending on the amount of light that enters the eye. The -Can be visually seen
iris controls the size of the pupil with tiny circular muscles. - Pupillary reflex is immediate
When high levels of light are shined to the pupil, it therefore can be conducted
constricts to minimise the amount of light that enters the quickly.
eye. Conversely, the pupil dilates when low levels of light is
shined to the eye, so that the eye can allow more light and
therefore see better (Cleveland Clinic, 2024). Cons:
-Hard to measure the pupil
since it is small.
Inadequate rest can notably affect mental ability, Pros:
prompting reduced intellectual execution and slower - can be numerically measured
reaction times. Thus, the cognitive function is also - The application can accurately
worsened (Brieflands, 2023). Prolonged wakefulness causes measure reaction time.
notable changes in brain activity patterns. Through Cons:
electroencephalography (EEG) increased theta-band power - unethical to sleep deprive
levels have been measured with sleep deprived people. someone
Theta-band power levels are associated with decreased - will take long to conduct
alertness and impaired attention capacities. These - Other factors impact
altercations can result in reduced accuracy rates when tiredness such as coffee and
reacting to stimuli (Cibdol, 2023). health conditions.
 696335W-2STU20-AT1-SIS2
The Effect of Increasing Volume on the Time Taken to Complete Multiplication Problems:
The nervous system is a network of neurons which are responsible for generating, modulating, and transmitting information between parts of the
human body (Ken Hub, 2023). The nervous system acquires information from the sensory organs and processes it to determine and initiate
appropriate output to the body (NIH, 2021). There are five basic human senses that consist of touch, hearing, taste, smell, and sight. The sensing
organs associated with each sense sends information to the brain, to assist humans to perceive the world (Live Science, 2023).
A previous experiment conducted by Yiting Cheah, a phycology teacher revealed that there was a detrimental effect of background music on
problem-solving tasks. Furthermore, it was also found that background music with lyrics were more detrimental than instrumental music (Sage
Journals, 2022). When listening to music with lyrics whilst studying, the auditory pathways process the verbal information and the instrumental
music simultaneously. This process causes a higher cognitive load, requiring resources from the working memory to complete the multiplication
problems. However, music without lyrics still causes distractions but is minimal due to the auditory receptors needing to only process music
(SiOWfa15, 2015).
Hearing is the sense of detecting sound. Hearing is performed primarily by the auditory system. Sound is detected by the ear and transduced into
nerve impulses perceived by the brain (New World Encyclopedia, 2023). Processing sound occurs in the brain. Sensory neurons transmit sound
information to various areas of the brain, known as auditory pathways. The auditory pathways process and decode sound based on its frequency,
complexity, and intensity (Healthy Hearing, 2021). High volumes of sound can disrupt the brain’s processing of information and increase cognitive
load, making it harder to focus and hindering the ability to retain and recall information (Utilities One, 2023). Cognitive load is the amount of
information that the working memory can process at any given time. Since the cognitive load is limited, it can be difficult to multitask and thus a
limited capacity for simultaneous thought. Hence, when listening to music with lyrics the brain is responsible for processing sound, the lyrics of the
song and also problem solving. Since music is mentally stimulating, it can cause distractions from a demanding task.

Dependent Variables (DV):

Possible DV Pros and Cons
Timer A timer provides a sufficient resolution to measure smaller units of time. This can provide reliable data. However, due to the
human reaction random error, there may be a slight delay when pressing stop.
Clock Low resolution therefore cannot measure smaller units of time. Does not display the digital time, therefore can be hard to
interpret the correct time taken. The human tendency to either round up or round down on the time taken.
Phone timer The phone has a touchscreen interface therefore the touch sensitivity of the phone is high. Hence, it takes a shorter time to press
stop than using handheld timers. Provides a sufficient resolution to measure smaller units of time.
Chosen DV: The DV that was chosen for this experiment is the phone timer application. This was chosen because the phone timer
has a better touch sensitivity then a standard timer due to its touchscreen interface. This means that the recorded time will be closer
to the true time taken then using a timer. Furthermore, the stopwatch application is built in every phone, thus being applicable to
everyone.
Aim: To determine the effect of the volume of music on the time taken to complete a set of multiplication problems.
Variables:
Independent Variable: The volume of music (0, 15, 30, 45, 60 dB)
Dependent Variable: Time (seconds)
Controlled Variables (CV):
CV How the factor is controlled Why the factor is controlled
Complexity of The multiplications problems will be the Multiplication of numbers that are large takes longer to calculate manually.
multiplication multiplication of two double-digit numbers. Therefore, when the volume of the music competes with the ability to complete the
problems Working out should be shown on a piece of set of questions, an increased time will be recorded. This will affect the trend
paper. between the volume of music and time taken to complete multiplication problems.
Amount of For each trial the participant is required to do 5 The participant undergoes the same cognitive load per trial. If more multiplication
multiplication sets of multiplication questions. problems are done, the time taken to complete the sets will be increased, and if less
problems problems are done, it will decrease. This will cause a weak relationship between the
IV and DV.
Lyrics of song The same song will be utilised for all trials. Songs that contain very little lyrics and are more instrumental will be less distracting
than music that contains a lot of lyrics. Songs containing lyrics are distracting
because verbal information expressed through lyrics interferes with verbal
information being typed (Macquarie University, 2022).
Uncontrolled Variables (UV):
UV Why the factor was unable to be controlled
Continual As the experiment continues, the participant will become more familiar with multiplication problems. Therefore, this decreases the
practice time taken to complete problems.
Hearing The participant may have slight hearing problems. Therefore, a sound that is high may sound lower than the actual. This will provide unreliable
sensitivity data and the correlation between the volume of music and completing multiplication problems will not be strong.
Hypothesis: As the volume of the music increases the time taken to complete a set of multiplication problems increases.
 696335W-2STU20-AT1-SIS2
Equipment: stopwatch, laptop, headphones, 5 multiplication problems × 15, pencil.
Method Deconstruction: Equipment is justified in the method justification as said in task sheet.
Method Justification
1-Conduct the experiment in a noise-free
classroom with a table and chair. Instruct the
participant to sit down.
2-Print out 75 multiplication problems that are a
multiplication between two double-digit
numbers.
3-Cut the sheets of multiplication such that
there are 5 sets of multiplication problems per
sheet.
4-Place the first set of multiplication problems
facing down Infront of the participant.
5-Access YouTube on a laptop and search the
pop song “Shake It Off” by Taylor Swift:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=nfWlot6h_JM
6-Plug in a pair of headphones to the laptop and
instruct the participant to wear it.
7-Set the volume of the laptop to 0 db. As soon
as the participant starts the multiplication sheet
simultaneously press start on the phone timer.
8-After the participant has completed the set of
multiplication problems, the participant will yell
“done” the timer is then stopped.
9-Reset the timer to 0.00 seconds for the
other trials.
10-Instruct the participant to take a rest for
30 seconds and shake fingers.
11-Repeat steps 4-10 such that there are
three trials for the increment 0 db.
12-Repeat steps 4-1 for increments 15, 30,
45, and 60 dB such that there are three trials
for each increment.
Risk Assessment:
The experiment is conducted in a noise-free room to minimise external distractions which can affect
the cognitive load and thus the ability to calculate the multiplication problems. A chair and table is
given so that the participant can lean the paper on a hard surface.
75 multiplication problems are printed out because each trial requires 5 multiplication problems. Trials
reduce the effect of random error and therefore make the data more precise and reliable. The
multiplication is between two double-digit numbers so that all problems have similar levels of
complexity when calculating.
Each trial requires 5 sets of multiplication problems. 5 multiplication problems is a sufficient number of
problems to calculate because it will show a clear trend between the effect of volume on problem
solving.
The set of multiplication problems is placed such that it is faced down so that it prevents the
participant from previewing the questions before the trial starts. This ensures that each trial begins
with the same conditions and minimises any potential biases that could affect the reliability of the
data.
A pop song with lyrics is used to interfere with the participant's concentration level by overfilling the
participant’s cognitive load. It provides a standardised source of background noise. Thus, a clear trend
can be found between the volume of music and time taken to complete the typing activity.
Older headphones may be damaged, and therefore may not deliver the correct volume of music.
Newer headphones will provide the correct volume of music. Therefore, if the headphones are
switched between trials, it may introduce random errors and produce unreliable data.
The volume is initially turned to 0 dB as this is the first increment that will be tested. This increment
will provide information on the participants' normal calculation of multiplication problems rate. The
timer is started as soon as the participant starts so that the accurate time for the time taken to
complete the problems is measured.
The participant yells “stop” so that the instructor knows when to pause the timer. This time will
equate to the time taken for the participant to complete multiplication problems.
The timer is then reset so that the time taken to complete other trials is measured. Furthermore,
if the timer is not stopped and it continuously measures time it can be tedious to calculate the
time taken.
After conducting the experiment, the participant is allowed a 30 second break which is sufficient
to relax the fingers. During this break the participant will do finger exercises to release any pain
from the fingers which may cause a slower typing speed for later trials.
Conducting trials reduces the impact of random error on the data collected and increases the
precision.
The increment range is sufficient to determine a trend between the volume of music and the time
taken to complete the multiplication problems. Trials are conducted to reduce the effect of
random errors. The results are recorded in table X so that graphs can be drawn and interpreted
for a trend.

Hazard Description of potential risk How will the risk be minimised

Volume of The volume of music reached volumes up to 60 dB. This sound is
music safe to hear, but if music is heard for a prolonged amount of
time, it may be uncomfortable for the participant.
Sore fingers The participant is required to write for a long time. Therefore,
the participant will begin developing sore fingers.
The participant will be allowed a short break to relax the
participant’s ears.
To minimise this risk the participant is allowed breaks in between
trials. Furthermore, the participant will flex fingers so that the pain
can be released.
Table x: Blank Results Table “The Effect of Volume
on the Time Taken to Calculate Multiplication
Problems.”

Resolution of timer: 0.01 seconds

696335W-2STU20-AT1-SIS2
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