Project Ideas

Possible topics, apps for running tests, and more ideas for the final project.

Use these as starting points. Whatever you choose, your research question needs to come down to two proportions, two independent means, or paired means, and it cannot be one that the class survey data could answer — see the final project page.

Possible Project Topics

  • Stroop test (use age group as a variable; do this one on family members, not a survey)
  • Old woman/young woman (use age group as a variable; do this one on family members, not a survey)
  • What color is the dress?
  • Are they saying Yanny or Laurel?
  • Duck or rabbit
  • Dove or fish
  • Spinning dancer
  • Hindsight bias: randomly give people one of two opposite “research findings” (for example, that opposites attract, or that birds of a feather flock together) and ask whether the finding surprises them. Does one version get called unsurprising more often?
  • The 2-4-6 task: participants try to discover a rule for sequences of three numbers by testing sequences of their own. Do people working in groups find the rule more often than people working alone?
  • Mondegreens (misheard lyrics): play a few lines that are often misheard. Do people mishear them less often when they are told what the song is about first?
  • Overconfidence: ask a factual question (for example, “Is Boston north or south of Paris?”) and how confident people are in their answer. Are some groups more confident, or more often right?
  • Better than average: do people rate themselves above average at things like driving, getting along with others, or keeping a room clean? Compare groups. (Don’t ask about statistical ability — the class survey already does.)
  • Lie detection: some participants tell a true story about a past experience and others make one up, and listeners judge which is which. Are some groups better at telling the difference?
  • What do you see first?: show an image with more than one thing to notice. Is what people notice first associated with another variable?
  • Nature versus nurture: do groups differ in how much they think genes, rather than environment, shape traits like shyness or musical ability?
  • Memory strategies: give a memory test, teach a memorization strategy, and test again (paired means). Better still, compare the improvement with a group that retakes the test without learning the strategy, since people may do better on a second try anyway.

Apps for Running Tests

More Project Ideas

  • Can people memorize better while moving than sitting still?
  • Does positive affirmation prior to taking a test for memory yield better scores when compared to just simply taking the test?
  • Are men or women more likely to overestimate their memorization skills?
  • Does the subliminal placement of a popular product in a TV show have a greater immediate effect on whether a person will pick that product when given a choice between that product and a similar product?
  • Can people memorize better while chewing gum (particularly mint gum) than when not?
  • Does product placement in TV shows influence people to want the product?
  • What is associated with brain lateralization? Gender, handedness, math ability, etc.
  • Can people memorize objects better if they are shown the objects in pictures or in words?
  • Do age, gender, major, distraction, etc. affect memory?
  • Does listening to different types of music affect a person’s reaction time?
  • Does what one considers a serving size differ with gender, age, or athlete/non-athlete?
  • Can people accurately estimate the length of a short event like a song snippet?
  • Size estimates. Do people estimate the amount of a food item differently if they are given a small spoon or a large spoon, a small bowl or a large bowl, etc.?
  • Do people like the taste of water better if they think it costs more?
  • Is age related to the time needed to complete and the number wrong in a test to investigate the Stroop effect (color and words)?
  • What factors are related to people being able to follow directions when given a short quiz?
  • Do reaction times differ depending on the time of day? With distraction? Amount of sleep?
  • Do reaction times differ depending on whether they use their dominant or non-dominant hand on the computer mouse?
  • Does exercising help one’s ability to memorize?
  • Is there a relationship between the time of day and whether or not someone yawns when yawned at?
  • Is there an association between gender, handedness, or major and whether someone sees the spinning dancer illusion spin clockwise or counterclockwise?
  • Can people memorize pictures of objects more easily when the pictures are in color versus black and white?
  • Do gamers have a faster reaction time than non-gamers?
  • Will offering an incentive increase the likelihood someone will complete a survey?
  • Does the room condition (light/dark, alone/with others) affect how scared someone is when watching a scary video?
  • Is yawning contagious?
  • Is recall affected by whether you take notes on a computer or by hand?
  • Is the most used emoji on one’s phone associated with one’s sex? Is it associated with whether or not they are in a relationship?

Working with People

Most projects collect data from people. When yours does:

  • Ask people before including them, and let them stop at any time.
  • Don’t collect names or any other information that could identify someone.
  • Don’t do anything that could harm participants or cause them real distress.
  • Your professor must approve your plan before you collect any data (see Collecting Your Data).
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