Search for Science Fair Projects

1000 Science Fair Projects with Complete Instructions

General Psychology Science Fair Project

Competition and Persistence

Medium
Competition and Persistence | Science Fair Projects | STEM Projects
Do competitive people try harder at difficult tasks? You might assume they do. This experiment puts that assumption to the test. You divide 15 participants into three groups. One group identifies as competitive. Another identifies as noncompetitive. A third group serves as the control. Each person tries to make a basketball shot while blindfolded and gets as many attempts as they want. Compare the average number of attempts across the three groups. The results show whether persistence tracks with a competitive personality.

Hypothesis

The hypothesis is that persistence and competition are not mutually inclusive.

Method & Materials

You will divide participants into three groups and have them attempt to make a basket blindfolded. You will provide feedback during their attempts and record the number of attempts for each participant.
You will need a basketball hoop, a basketball, a blindfold, and a data sheet.

Results

The results of the experiment showed that persistence and competition are not mutually inclusive. The control group had the highest average number of attempts, indicating that persistence is not necessarily linked to competitiveness.

Why do this project?

This science project is interesting because it challenges the assumption that only competitive people are persistent.

Also Consider

Variations of this experiment could include having participants attempt to make a basket from different distances or having them attempt to make a basket with their non-dominant hand.

Full project details

Additional information and source material for this project are available below.

Related videos

These videos explain the science behind this project and demonstrate key concepts used in the experiment.
Share this Science Project:

Related Science Fair Project Ideas

Sensory Conditions and Time Perception
Place participants in a room under five different conditions and discover which one makes five minutes feel the longest.
Medium
Parking Behavior and Driver Psychology
Survey a hundred cars in a parking lot and interview drivers to uncover the psychology behind common parking habits.
Medium
Facial Expressions and Emotion Recognition
Photograph 12 emotions on different faces and discover which ones people guess correctly and which ones stump almost everyone.
Medium
Share this Science Project: