Harrison+T

__**THE EFFECT OF MEDIA ON HUMAN HEART RATE **__ Harrison T. 2011- 2012

__**ABSTRACT **__ The purpose of this experiment was to see if a person’s heart rate increases or decreases after watching a scary video compared to a happy video. The original hypothesis was that the heart rate would increase when watching a scary video because there would be one or two seconds where there would be a massive spike. A test subject was asked to watch a video. The video was a snake jumping at the camera. While the videos were being watched, their heart rate was being measured. After that was watched, the testers were asked to watch a music video for the Hamster Dance Song. While this was happening, their heart rate was measured again. After both of these experiments were done, the results were compared. The original hypothesis was proven incorrect because the average heart rate (bpm) was higher on the Hamster Video compared to the Snake Video. The second experiment was to see if the average heart rate increases or decreases after drinking a soda. A control was taken, and then the experiment began. Each test subject drank about 3 oz of soda. Their heart rate was then measured and compared to the control. The original hypothesis that the heart rate would increase was found to be incorrect.

=__**EXPERIMENTAL IMPROVEMENTS AND FUTURE EXPERIMENTS **__= = = One improvement would be to have done these experiments in a room separate from any distractions that might alter the heart rate. Another is to make sure that there is enough soda to finish the experiment with all of the initial subjects. A future experiment is to see how the heart rate changes when something gross or nasty is done to or by a subject.

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