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How to Demonstrate the Effects of Alcohol on Reaction Time in a Science Project

Consuming alcohol weakens many cognitive abilities, including reaction time. Testing subjects' level of cognitive impairment due to alcohol consumption means analyzing the following variables: the amount of alcohol consumed, the subjects' height and weight, their reaction time to the same stimulus and their success rate when asked to discriminate. A study published in the January 2011 issue of "Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research" demonstrated that heavy intoxication actually increased reaction time, but many of the subjects' responses were incorrect. Your results may differ depending on the variables.

Instructions

- 1
  Recruit family members, neighbors and friends over the age of 21 to participate in the project.
- 2
  Draw two large, clear lines on several sheets of paper. Make one line shorter than the other.
- 3
  Place bells in front of the participants. Before they consume alcohol, ask each participant individually to identify the shortest line on the pieces of paper. Briefly flash the paper before their eyes. Explain that they must ring the bell when they have identified the shortest line. Time their reaction times with a stopwatch. Ask a partner to record these times. For experiments solely about the relationship between alcohol and reaction time, measure only the reaction times, not whether the answers are correct.
- 4
  Ask participants to consume their first alcoholic drink. Request that they all consume the same amount of alcohol. Wait 20 minutes. Meanwhile, shuffle the papers or draw different shapes, such as triangles or squares. Again, make one object smaller than the other.
- 5
  Test the participants again, this time when they are under the influence of alcohol. Record the reaction times.
- 6
  Repeat Step 5 and Step 6 as many times as necessary or agreed upon. Analyze the results.

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