Victoria Winter Jensen Pd.

The title of this project is The Effect of Background Noise on Short-Term Memory Loss. The question/problem being answered is: how much background noise is needed for one to forget a sequence in a short amount of time? The independent variable being tested is the amount of background noise.This was the variable chosen because noise can have a big effect on concentration so it could contribute to short-term memory loss. The dependent variable is how much of a sequence is remembered in a certain amount of time. This will be measured by giving a test subject 30 seconds to study a card with a number sequence on it. They will then be asked to recite the sequence. The test subject will be tested through each noise with a different number sequence each time.

This project is interesting because some people cannot focus in high noise leveled rooms. They can't concentrate which therefore will cause them to not remember. In regular classrooms there can be the heaters, other kids talking, pencils tapping, keyboard keys being pressed and so on. Elsewhere there could be music, peoples voices, the doorbell ringing, dog/cat, other siblings, etc. Many of these daily noises can affect short term memory loss so the main focus of this experiment is to figure out which noises causes the most distraction.

The human brain is made of 100 billion neurons that are wired up as we grow and develop. As they are wired up, they communicate through thousands of synapses. As these connections are strengthened, memories are formed.

Synapses can respond to high or low frequency patterns, and produce different changes in synaptic strength. They are capable of responding to many different types of patterns. If an electrical impulse is given to a pair of neurons, they will communicate easily in the future. This is called LTP (Long Term Potentiating). It lasts weeks even months to create memories. Memories are stored in parts of the brain that control temperature, sensations, taste, face recognition, and language. Other parts of the brain control laying down, storing, and retrieving memories. Stress, distractions, and normal aging can cause short term memory loss. Studies show that each task you do tends to make you less effective at the next task, and this is especially true for high-energy tasks like self control or decision making, from the book Your Brain at Work by David Rock. To improve your memory, making visualizations can help. For example, if a car is parked in slot E-5, you can associate the E with elephant. One can also apply the senses to make the image more vivid. The elephant is grey (sight), elephants usually smell gross (smell), their skin has a rough texture (touch) and its heavy stomps can be heard crushing the car (hearing). Now that the car is damaged a dream car can be bought like a Mercedes E500 (E-5).Using this method can improve remembering a list of items or a certain date or time.

HYPOTHESIS If there is more background noise in a room, then the test subject will have a harder time remembering something because they wont be able to focus. In the research conducted, other experiments like this were found. There was one experiment that tested the volume of music on short term memory loss. Another experiment was testing different types of music on short term memory loss.

Works Cited "Background Noise Can Effect Students Test Scores." Earth Times. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 May 2013. <http://www.earthtimes.com>. This webpage answered the questions: What can trigger short term memory loss in children? How does background noise affect test results? What is white noise? Education.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 May 2013. <http://www.education.com/sciencefair/article/volume-background-music-affect-short/>. This article gave me informtaion on another experiment that used the volume of background noise as the independent variable. Psychology Today. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 May 2013. <http://www.psychologytoday.com>. This article provided the answer to the question: How easy is to remember something when there are distractions? "Top 10 Ways to Improve Your Memory." Discovery. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 May 2013. <http://dsc.discovery.com/>. Provided information on how to improve memory by applying the senses "Who Am I?" Science Museum. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 May 2013. <http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/>. This page helped answer the questions: How does memory work? Where are your memories stored? How do neurons create memories?