Sugar Study

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Experimental Method: Does a large amount of sugar affect attention in small children?!
Independent Variable: Amount of sugar given to children!
Dependent Variable: Children’s attention!

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In a class of 20 kids (average age of 7), 5 kids get 25 grams of sugar, 5 kids get 35 grams of sugar, 5 kids get 45 grams of sugar, and 5 kids don’t get any (the control).!
20 minutes after consumption, all of the children take a long yet simple math test. Record who is still paying attention to the test after 5 minutes, 10 minutes, and 15 minutes.!

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Survey Method:!
Ask every other parent (in an alphabetical list) of all third-grade classes, !
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-“How much sugar does your child consume on a daily basis?”!
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-“Would you describe your child as calm and withdrawn, or hyperactive and outgoing?”!
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-“Does your child behave similarly before having sugar and after having sugar? I.E. doing chores?”!

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Research on how sugar affects kids could be used by either the experimental method, or by the survey method. Each method has their pro’s and con’s. The pro’s of the experimental method are that it’s unbiased, and you can directly observe the children, how much sugar they have and when they start to lose focus. The con’s are it’s not 100% perfect; external factors come into play (if the child is sick, if they already had sugar, if they already have trouble focusing, etc.) The survey method has pro’s like it’s easier to perform, more time efficient, and the like. The con’s are that the direct sugar amount vs. attention isn’t observed. In this case, the experimental method would be better for more accurate and unbiased results!