Implement the appropriate steps to collect new information about a lifestyle change.

Learning Objectives:

Implement the appropriate steps to collect new information about a lifestyle change.

Demonstrate how to organize and record data during a scientific experiment.

Evaluate the data collection process.

Instructions:

For this section of your scientific project, you are expected to provide ALL of your data collection. At the top of your paper, please restate (in one single sentence) your hypothesis to clearly identify your independent and dependent variables. If your hypothesis is not restated, you will receive a ZERO.

Please use the following 3 subheadings to receive full credit:

Hypothesis

Restate your hypothesis at the beginning of the page.

Reflection

You will be expected to present 1-2 paragraphs of reflection on the process of collecting data. This section must be written in complete sentences in order to receive credit.

Possible questions to answer in this reflection include:

How has data collection been going?

Have you been sticking with your independent variable as consistently as you outlined in your methods?

Are you noticing any differences in your dependent variable? (It’s perfectly OK if nothing has changed — give a few guesses as to why this may be.) •

What have you found to be the most difficult part about data collection?

What has been easier than you expected? •

What have you learned so far? If you choose to discuss other scientific articles in your reflection, they MUST be cited appropriately in APA format.Discussing other scientific articles is not required until the “Discussion” portion of the project. Follow this link for information on APA format for in-text citations and reference lists: https://guides.libraries.psu.edu/apaquickguide/intext (Links to an external site.)

Data Collection General Information and Requirements:

You will be expected to turn in ALL of the raw data you have collected.

There is no expected format for this portion, as everyone will have different ways of collecting data depending on their chosen experiment. However, it is expected that your data be presented clearly. If you have been logging food intake in relation to weight loss, please submit your food log and weight measurements.

If you have been working out at the gym, you should be submitting your workout logs.

You must submit data demonstrating how you have been monitoring your independent variable, and AT LEAST a starting value for your dependent variable. If you stated in your methods that you were going to measure your dependent variable every week, then you must also include the follow up measurements.

All data is typed into a table unless you are using a scale that you can’t type in as shown below.

Hypothesis is restated at the top of the page.

Tracking of independent variable is clearly identified and labeled.

Pre-experiment dependent variable value clearly identified and labeled.

Post-experiment dependent variable value clearly identified and labeled.

If you collected your dependent variable at intervals between your starting value and your finishing value, you must present this data as well.

Mechanical review: In order for the paper to be graded, it must meet the following criteria:

1) The hypothesis is clearly stated at the top of the page.

2) All of the information is included in 1 single document.

3) The assignment was completed and submitted on time.

Data Collection Examples

This is an example, NOT a template. This is a guideline or idea of how to assemble a table with your data. Failure to restate the hypothesis will result in an AUTOMATIC ZERO on the assignment.

Example 1:

DATA COLLECTION

Hypothesis: Eating breakfast (Independent Variable) every morning at 7am for two weeks will increase my alertness throughout the day which will be measured every afternoon and evening by using a modified Stanford Alertness Test (Dependent variable).

Reflection:

The food I ate for breakfast are the same foods that I stated in my Methods. Some days I only ate toast and a fruit because those were days when I was running late for school or work so I had no time to eat a full breakfast. I tried to eat breakfast at 7am as I stated in my hypothesis, however, there were days I had to leave the house earlier than 7am because I had to go to work or school early. There were also days that I ate breakfast later than 7am because I slept in but I made sure to eat breakfast no later than 7:45am. I recorded my alertness based on a modified Stanford Alertness Test three times a day as I stated in my Methods.

Based on my data, I see that eating breakfast has an impact on my alertness by making me more alert than if I did not eat breakfast in the morning. The majority of the days that I ate breakfast, I see that my alertness increases from 8am to 12pm and 6pm. There are some days that I am feeling active, vital, alert and wide awake throughout the whole day. Some days my alertness decreases, however, overall I would still feel awake and not sleepy so the decreases are not major. I notice that on Tuesdays and Thursdays I am the most alert. I believe this is so because these are days I have school so that means I am driving to commute to school for an hour and then I am in class for the next 6 hours. These are activities that require my full alertness and eating breakfast helps maintain that for me. I believe that some of the days that I have high alertness is due to the fact that I ate Honey Nut Cheerios, which have 9 grams of sugar while the oatmeal I had on other days has 0 grams of sugar. This means that the amount of sugar I consumed in the morning is associated with my alertness throughout the day. In conclusion, my hypothesis prediction is supported by my data results which is that breakfast increases my alertness.

Data Collected:

1. Independent variable: Eating breakfast in the morning

	Breakfast Log
Date	Time	Food Consumed
Sunday (Week 1) Aug. 12, 2018	Pre-intervention	No breakfast
Monday Aug. 13, 2018	7:00am	Oatmeal, Toast, banana
Tuesday Aug. 14, 2018	7:00am	Cheerios and milk, Toast, orange
Wednesday Aug. 15, 2018	7:30am	Cheerios and milk Toast, orange
Thursday Aug. 16, 2018	7:00am	Oatmeal, Toast, banana
Friday Aug. 17, 2018	7:45am	Cheerios and milk, Toast banana
Saturday Aug. 18, 2018	6:30am	Oatmeal, Toast, orange
Sunday (Week 2) Aug. 19, 2018	7:30am	Oatmeal, Toast, banana
Monday Aug. 20, 2018	6:30am	Toast, banana
Tuesday Aug. 21, 2018	7:00am	Cheerios and milk, Toast, banana
Wednesday Aug. 22, 2018	7:35am	Oatmeal, Toast, orange
Thursday Aug. 23, 2018	7:00am	Toast, banana
Friday Aug. 24, 2018	7:00am	Cheerios and milk, Toast, banana
Saturday Aug. 25, 2018	7:00am	Cheerios and milk, Toast, banana

1. Dependent variable: Alertness throughout the day measure by using a modified Stanford Alertness Test.

	Alertness
Date	Recorded Alertness based on a 1-7 scale*
	8am	12pm	6pm
Sunday (Week 1) Aug. 12, 2018 (Starting value)	3	5	4
Monday Aug. 13, 2018	1	1	2
Tuesday Aug. 14, 2018	1	1	1
Wednesday Aug. 15, 2018	1	2	3
Thursday Aug. 16, 2018	1	1	1
Friday Aug. 17, 2018	2	1	3
Saturday Aug. 18, 2018	2	1	2
Sunday (Week 2) Aug. 19, 2018	2	1	2
Monday Aug. 20, 2018	3	1	2
Tuesday Aug. 21, 2018	1	1	1
Wednesday Aug. 22, 2018	2	1	2
Thursday Aug. 23, 2018	1	1	1
Friday Aug. 24, 2018	2	1	2
Saturday Aug. 25, 2018	1	1	2

*Degree of Sleepiness/Alertness Scale Rating:

1 Feeling active, vital, alert, or wide awake

2 Functioning at high levels, but not fully alert

3 Awake, but relaxed; responsive but not fully alert

4 Somewhat foggy, let down

5 Foggy; losing interest in remaining awake; slowed down

6 Sleepy, woozy, fighting sleep; prefer to lie down

7 No longer fighting sleep, sleep onset soon; having dream-like thoughts

X Asleep

 

Example 2:

 

DATA COLLECTION

Hypothesis: During two weeks of time, two miles of running every night will help me sleep better at night measured by the Apple application Snail Sleep.

Reflection:

I collected my data about sleep quality, sleep length, deep and light sleep duration, and other numbers through the Apple Application Sleep Snail. I run for 2 miles every day after dinner starting from 7pm until I finish. I keep the time within half an hour to ensure the approximately same outcome of each running. In these two, the independent variable is duration of running and the dependent variable is sleep quality. I did stick with my independent variable as consistently as I outlined in my methods, but it is really hard since I didn’t really work out during the vocation. Although I went to the gym everyday and ran for 2 miles everyday, I missed the time frame for one time. By this I mean that I was late because I went out in the weekend and hang out with friend. In order to not disturbing the experiment, I still ran for 2 miles, but it was started around 9 p.m. at night. There are differences in my dependent variables, I did sleep longer because I think the exercises push me to sleep earlier. And since I am no longer lack of sleep and I am early in bed, I feel less pressure and feeling of guilty. This may also help me sleep better. The most difficult part of the data collection is the running time and sleep duration. Because I began running at 7 p.m. and there are no restricted specific time that I have to finish running, The time was vary which I think may influence my result. I also found myself run fast or slow according to the time passed which didn’t really help me be less stressed out. However, I changed by not to pay attention to it after I realize I was. It is also difficult to measure sleep duration sometimes. I do have application to help me, but it is the kind that wakes you up during the light sleep. Mine didn’t wake me up too early but it will wake me up in the last minute if the time period is all not light sleep. So far, I find out that the time I fall asleep decreased if I exercise in the afternoon. My sleep also become more stable which means there will be less sleep talk and the cycle seems more one the same length. Except numbers, I did feel better waking up after I exercise, but I don’t know if there are any psychological influences like I think I will be more energetic and I feel like it even I am not.

Data Collected:

1. Independent Variable

The independent variable is duration of running.

Date	Time	Equipment	Level	Length
8/23	7:04 p.m.	IPhone	Inclination: 6 Resistance: 0	40 min
8/24	7:08 p.m.	IPhone	Inclination: 6 Resistance: 0	34 min
8/25	9:13 p.m.	IPhone	Inclination: 6 Resistance: 0	38 min
8/26	7:00 p.m.	IPhone	Inclination: 6 Resistance: 0	39 min
8/27	7:10 p.m.	IPhone	Inclination: 6 Resistance: 0	32 min
8/28	7:02 p.m.	IPhone	Inclination: 6 Resistance: 0	33 min

1. Dependent Variable

The dependent variable is numbers of sleep quality.

Date	Bedtime	Fall Asleep/min	Sleep Duration	Deep Sleep Duration	Turn Over/times	Sleep Quality (on App.)	Comments
8/16	00:21	16	6h19min	1h46min	16	78
8/17	11:46	7	7h14min	2h19min	15	82
8/18	00:09	13	7h06min	2h09min	20	72
8/19	01:34	3	6h03min	1h54min	19	66
8/20	02:13	16	5h13min	1h32min	25	67
8/21	11:33	12	7h45min	1h46min	16	76
8/22	00:18	6	7h20min	2h07min	18	80
8/23	00:02	7	7h32min	2h12min	16	82	Start exercising
8/24	01:14	10	6h12min	2h08min	22	77
8/25	02:08	6	7h09min	1h44min	20	75	Had activity, ran at 9 p.m.
8/26	11:29	8	7h18min	1h49min	15	87
8/27	11:56	13	7h05min	2h18min	16	85
8/28	00:18	9	6h56min	1h57min	19	82

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