Applied Learning Product

By: Sarah Ngugi

Course: Advanced Scientific Internship
Project
● My applied learning project was a teddy bear catered towards the symptoms of
patient anxiety.
● The bear is personable and cohesive in appearance and identity.
● The audio message contains diction and practices based in scientific research of
methods to reduce anxiety.
● The bear is weighted to reduce cortisol levels in patients.
● The bear is blue to promote feelings of calmness.
Trials
● In my trials, I used pulse to measure anxiety while six subjects of ranging pediatric
ages completed two puzzles with limited time.
● First, I allowed the subjects to sit calmly for approximately two minutes before
measuring their resting heart rate using a pulse oximeter.
● Next, they worked on their first puzzle with the pulse oximeter attached to a finger on
their non-dominant hand. As they worked, I noted observations of their pulse,
including any patterns and fluctuations.
Trials
●When they finished, I allowed them time to relax and return to resting
heart rate.
●After, I gave them the teddy bear and allowed them to engage with the
animal shortly before giving them a new, equally-challenging puzzle.
● Subjects were encouraged to utilize the bear when completing the
second puzzle by placing it on their lap or playing the audio message.
● I noted observations of the pulse during this second trial.
Data
4-year-old girl
● Resting heart rate: 48
● Trial One Without Bear:
○ Final heart rate: 82
● Trial Two With Bear:
○ Final heart rate: 51
7-year-old boy
● Resting heart rate: 63
● Trial One Without Bear:
○ Final heart rate: 81
● Trial Two With Bear:
○ Final heart rate: 77
Data
11-year-old boy
● Resting heart rate: 46
● Trial One Without Bear:
○ Final heart rate: 90
● Trial Two With Bear:
○ Final heart rate: 47
15-year-old boy
● Resting heart rate: 74
● Trial One Without Bear:
○ Final heart rate: 84
● Trial Two With Bear:
○ Final heart rate: 84
Data
15-year-old girl
● Resting heart rate: 77
● Trial One Without Bear:
○ Final heart rate: 93
● Trial Two With Bear:
○ Final heart rate: 91
18-year-old girl
● Resting heart rate: 102
● Trial One Without Bear:
○ Final heart rate: 107
● Trial Two With Bear:
○ Final heart rate: 104
Conclusion
● During the completion of the first trial without the bear, the heart rate of every
subject significantly increased.
● When subjects obtained the bear, my greatest observation was a more fixed heart rate
that proved more stable than during the first trial.
● Each subject, except the 15-year-old boy, had a lower final heart rate following the
second trial than the first.
● For the previously mentioned boy, his final heart rate after the second trial matched
that of the first.
Conclusion
● Following the trials with the sixth subject, it was evident that the audio messages
positively influenced each subject and made them more comfortable.
● While the results I obtained contain promising data, analyzing it while considering
other factors is essential.
○ For example, younger subjects had a shorter attention span when completing the puzzle and easily got
distracted by any external activities or desires. It is possible that these factors affected heart rate as
well.