Does multitasking slow down boys and girls by the same amount? You give 10 boys and 10 girls a math test on two separate days.
On day one, they complete the test with no distractions. On day two, they take a similar test while listening to music, drinking milk, and eating cookies at the same time.
Both groups took longer while multitasking. The boys averaged 16.7 minutes compared to 8.7 without distractions. The girls averaged 14.3 minutes compared to 8.5. Girls lost less time to the added tasks.
Hypothesis
The hypothesis is that boys will be able to complete the math test more quickly than the girls while multitasking.
Multitasking performance is another area where males and females may think differently. On day one, 10 boys and 10 girls each complete a math test with no distractions. On day two, they take a similar test while listening to music, drinking milk, and eating cookies at the same time. Both groups slow down. The boys averaged 16.7 minutes compared to 8.7 without distractions. The girls averaged 14.3 minutes compared to 8.5. Girls lost less time to the added tasks.
Doing two or more things at once usually makes each one harder — but not always by the same amount. To test this, you give 10 boys and 10 girls a math test on two separate days. On day one, they complete the test with no distractions. On day two, they take a similar test while listening to music, drinking milk, and eating cookies at the same time. Both groups took longer while multitasking. The boys averaged 16.7 minutes compared to 8.7 without distractions, while the girls averaged 14.3 minutes compared to 8.5. That means girls lost less time to the added tasks than boys did.
Method & Materials
You will select 10 boys and 10 girls age 13, to take part in this science fair project. You will have them take the math test and record the time taken for each student to complete the test.
You will need 10 boys and 10 girls age 13, 20 glasses of milk, 40 cookies, 20 MP3 players, 2 sets of Mathematics test papers of equal difficulty, an examination hall with tables and chairs, and a stopwatch.
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The results showed that the average time taken by the girls to complete the test while multitasking was shorter than the average time taken by the boys. This observation stands out and shows that the hypothesis was false.
Why do this project?
This science project is interesting because it explores the differences between boys and girls in terms of multitasking abilities.
Also Consider
Variations of this science project could include repeating the experiment on students from different age groups, or giving the students other tests, such as writing an essay.
Full project details
Additional information and source material for this project are available below.