Laboratory Activity #6 - Investigation of Learning Using Mazes

Title of Lab: Investigation of Learning Using Mazes

Name_______________________

Purpose of the Lab:

A maze is a series of passageways, some of which are dead ends. A maze can be used to compare the learning rate of individuals. You will be investigating learning rate and how environmental factors can influence this rate.

As a result of completing this lab you will:

Realize that repetition aids learning.

Recognize that environmental factors may have an effect on learning.

Have practiced the following skills:

Develop an hypothesis to be tested in an investigation

Select suitable lab materials, safety equipment, and appropriate observation methods

Distinguish between controls and variables

Collect, organize and graph data

Make inferences and predictions based upon data collected and observed

Formulate generalizations and conclusions based upon data collected and observed

Assess the limitations and assumptions of the experiment, and determine the accuracy and repeatability of the experimental data and observations

Background information:

Studies of learning and memory continue to occupy the attention of many investigators, including psychologists and educators. There are numerous questions to be answered. What are the optimal conditions of learning? How is information stored and retrieved? Mazes have been used to study animal learning for more than a century. Finding the way through a maze is one form of “trial and error” learning. Such behavior plays an important role in learning by all animals, including humans. Both humans and animal subjects initially make wrong turns in a maze and enter blind alleys, but with experience, errors decrease and eventually the required sequence is completed without mistakes. An easy way to understand the techniques involved in maze experiments is to observe human subjects as they learn the correct sequence of left and right turns in a finger maze. In addition to documenting learning behavior, mazes can also be used to investigate the retention of learning, that is, memory. After a subject has correctly learned the maze, we can wait a time interval, such as a month, and then re-test the subject.

Safety Notes

Be certain all materials not needed for the activity are removed from the work area before the first person is blindfolded. If any of the participants wear glasses, be certain that the glasses are placed in a safe area. Each maze runner has a clean blindfold or new piece of paper towel.

— Part A: Introductory Problem—

Hypothesis or prediction

How do you think the average times of the person in the class will compare as they complete the mazes?

Materials:

For Class:

-set of Littlefield Finger Mazes

For each team of 3 or 4 students:

-timing device that times in seconds

-blindfold

Procedure

The data sheet will be reviewed before beginning the exercise. The observer is to watch and record information about the maze – doer (such as quiet, excited, nervous, talkative) and also about the area of the maze where the maze doer is experiencing difficulties-(lower right quadrant, etc.). An observer will be timing and recording the time per trial. Time is to be recorded in seconds elapsed per trial. The maze doer completes 5 trials before removing the blindfold.

There are several jobs to be done: the group needs a recorder, timer, coordinator /opinion seeker.

-Remember that these jobs will have to rotate so that each person has an opportunity to complete the maze.

-The jobs of these people are:

Maze runner – is blindfolded and completes the maze 5 times before removing blindfold.
Timer – uses a clock or watch to time each trial in seconds.

Recorder – writes down on the data chart – how the maze runner is behaving, areas of the maze where the maze runner is having difficulty, time it takes the maze runner to complete each of the 5 trials

Data Analysis and Interpretation

Figure 1: GRID A

coordinator/opinion seeker – makes certain that all the jobs are being done and signals the teacher to obtain the new maze when the maze runners are switched.

One member of the team puts the blindfold on and the team clears the desk area in front of the maze doer. When the team is prepared, they signal the teacher and a maze is placed on the desk in front of blindfolded person. The maze number is recorded.

When the timer and recorder are ready, the maze-runner’s hand is placed at the start point of the maze. As the blindfolded participant moves his/her hand through the maze, the following information is recorded:

Any mistake areas (right, left, middle, top, bottom, beginning, end, all over, none)

How the participant is acting (calm, nervous, talking, swearing, crying, laughing, etc.) These terms refer to the participant.

Total time it takes for each of the five trials. Record this data in seconds. The blindfold remains in place until all five trials have been completed.

When the first person’s five trials have been completed, the second person will place the blindfold on and the former maze runner will become the recorder. When your team is ready, signal the teacher and a DIFFERENT MAZE will be placed on the desk.

When all members of the team have completed the trials, compute the average time for each person. Place this information on the class data sheet which will be located in the front of the room. While the rest of the groups are completing their trials, the first people done can work on their personal graphs using Grid A. These graphs will show the time for the persons own five trials. The class data is shared before the end of the period. Remember to use all the proper procedures when graphing: label axes, equal mathematical divisions along the axes, title, key, plot data.

Homework – Each person will complete a graph of the class data using Grid B. The graph will include the maze done by each participant and the average time per participant. (A line or bar graph can be used – different colors for each maze are very enlightening). There are several post-lab questions to be done.

MAZE#_____________ AVERAGE TIME__________________

Table 1: Individual Data

Trial #	Time (sec)	Problems In Maze	Behavior of Subject

Table 2: CLASS DATA CHART

Student #	Maze #	Average Time (seconds)
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35

Figure 2: Grid B

Questions/Analysis

POST Lab. To be completed after the experiment.

1. Graph your times/trial on the smatter graph provided (Grid A).

2. Graph the average time per student and indicate the maze done by that student on the larger of the graphs provided (Grid B).

3. Who did better, the first, middle or last person in your group

________________________________________________________________________

Why?

________________________________________________________________________

4. Compare your average time with the other students who used the same maze. Explain the variation in times.

5. Was one particular maze harder or easier than the other? ___________________________

Explain why you came to this conclusion

________________________________________________________________________

6. Why did some students do better than others in this activity?

________________________________________________________________________

— Part B: Student Designed Experiment —

Now that you have completed the preliminary part of this lab, design an experiment that can be carried out in the classroom for testing one factor that would affect the rate of maze completion.

The following is a guide:

• Using materials present in the lab or materials that you can easily bring in from home, design a lab that will demonstrate the effect of a variable of your choice upon the maze completion rate.

• Design a controlled experiment based on your hypothesis.

• Make a numbered list of steps, similar to a recipe that anyone could follow to perform the experiment.

• Design tables for convenient recording of data.

Hypothesis or Prediction

From the information you now have about this topic, develop a hypothesis that could be tested in a controlled experiment that will gather quantitative data.

________________________________________________________________________

Explain the reasoning behind your hypothesis.

________________________________________________________________________

Plan of Investigation

Here are some of the factors that should be considered in planning your investigation: First you will need to devise a controlled experiment based on your hypothesis. You will need to make a numbered list of steps, similar to a recipe, that anyone could follow. You also need to consider the design for the table(s) and graph(s) that will be appropriate for recording your data.

• Consider the following questions in designing your data tables and graphs: (You do not need to write out specific answers to these four questions)

1) What will you measure?

2) What materials will you need?

3) How will you proceed with the investigation?

4) How will you show your results in data tables and graphs?

Answer the following pre-lab questions and submit the answers to your teacher:

1) What is the question you are investigating?

2) What variables are important?

3) What procedures would you use to test this?

4) What special materials will you need for this investigation? (Where will you get them?)

5) Have you included controls of trials? (explain)

6) What will you measure?

7) How will you graphically organize this data?

Data Analyses and Interpretation:

• Design charts and tables for your data.

• Answer the following questions as part of your lab write up.

1) How do your data relate to your hypothesis?

2) What caused errors in your experiment?

3) What other questions came from your results?

4) To what other biology topics is this Lab related? (explain)

5) What did you learn from this activity?

Formal lab write-up

Each student should use the following format to write up this lab. You can work as a team to discuss the and analyze your results, but the written product should be done individually. This report should be typed, using the headings given below.

Title

• Give the name of the lab, your name, date

Background

Give a thorough background on the topic of the tab.

• Use the Internet, reference books, etc.

• Include footnotes where appropriate.

Hypothesis

• What is the hypothesis you tested for the lab?

Materials

• Put the materials used in a bulleted list.

Procedure / Observations

• Put the procedure for the lab in the past tense and in a numbered list. You should list out your observations next to the procedures in a numbered list format also.

Data / Results

• Include charts and graphs with brief descriptions.

Discussion

Thoroughly discuss your results in light of your hypothesis. Did you support or reject your hypothesis?

Conclusion

• Give a brief conclusion for the experiment.

References

• Include correct citations for internet, textbooks, and other reference books.

— Part C: Group Report: —

Your group will prepare a report based upon further study of mazes and learning. You have the following options:

4. Use planaria “Train-a-Tray” to train planaria. You will need to culture the planaria and determine to what stimuli the planaria will respond.

5. Use the “Train-a-Tray” with mealworms. You will need to maintain the mealworms and determine to what stimuli the mealworms will respond.

6. Use the rodent maze (or build a new one of your own design) to train mice (hamsters, gerbils, rats). You will need to care for the animals and determine what stimuli the rodents will respond to the best (food, noise, odors, etc.).

7. Use the class data from Part A obtained the first day of maze testing but look at it from another angle - male vs. female, right handed vs. left handed, morning people vs. evening people, nicotine users vs. smoke free, etc. You may need to expand the pool of maze runners and re-do the Part A experiment.