Students will conduct experiments and analyze real scientific data as they learn about themselves. They'll learn how our eyes and brains interact to determine what we like and dislike, and apply this knowledge to fish research and the art of character design.
How can science help deepen our understanding of the Arts, Humanities, and ourselves?
Warm-up puzzles, fun student-driven experiments, and original artwork are woven into this data-centered lesson.
Part 1 will likely take ~80 min with a typical group of middle schoolers, while we expect Parts 2-3 could be done in an hour. With older or more advanced students, each part may go more quickly.
Presentation (Part 1)
Need: WiFi, Computer, Projector, Sound
Image Handout for Student Experiment (Part 1)
Print Class Set for Each Group (Pair of Students)
Student Worksheet (Part 1)
Print 1 Per Student
Teacher Worksheet (Part 1)
Print 1
5 min: Getting Started
Puzzle Warm-Up
Puzzle Warm-Up
What question are we investigating?
Students interpret a series of images (rebus puzzle) to determine the focus of this lesson. Their answers are recorded on the "I Like That" Part 1 worksheet.
Scientific Method
Scientific Method
Quick refresher of the scientific method
This lesson is a real experiment and the results are specific to each class that completes it. This is exactly what scientists face in their own labs when they ask questions that don't have answers yet. Because this requires students to have a solid understanding of the Scientific Method, the first part of the lesson is a recap of each step in that process.
10 min: Observation
Ranking Images
Ranking Images
The Image Cards present a set of ten images to the students which they must rank from favorite (#1) to least favorite (#10) on their worksheet (Qs 1-10).
Students have five minutes to complete this activity. Their observations form the basis for the next part of the scientific method. Students need either digital or printed copies of Images A - J (Image Cards) as well as the "I Like That" Part 1 Worksheet.
Try to save the Image Cards and laminate them or put them in protective sleeves if you plan to teach the lesson multiple times.
10 min: Question
Watch Video 1
Watch Video 1
The next step after collecting observations is questioning why they are the way they are.
By talking about visual stimuli, students understand why they ranked the 10 images the way they did. ▶ I Like That! How our eyes and brains interact to determine what we like and dislike explores how the eyes and brain interact to result in our visual preferences.
Check In
Check In
Students next consider how Cognition, Perception, and Emotion of visual stimuli influenced their observations.
After watching the video and learning more about the Cognition, Perception, and Emotion triad, students answer Questions 11-15 on their worksheets.
10 min: Hypothesis
Developing Hypotheses
Developing Hypotheses
The next step in the scientific method is to develop a hypothesis that can be tested which gets at the "Why."
The class tests the hypothesis that cognition and emotion determine how the images were ranked.
Setting Up Experiments
Setting Up Experiments
To determine whether the hypothesis can be rejected or accepted with confidence, the group sets up an experiment.
The experiment must try to isolate two of the three effects (Cognition and Emotion) and measure how much each contributes to preference.
Think - Pair
Think - Pair
Using descriptive numerical scales, students discuss in pairs (or small groups) how they would rate their top-ranked images based on Emotion and Cognition.
Throughout the lesson, you will occasionally see Think - Ink - Pair - Share, or some combination thereof, on the presentation slides. The words not grayed out are the goals for that activity. Think means a student considers a question or challenge on their own, Ink indicates they should be writing their thoughts or answers down, Pair asks that once they have completed Think and/or Ink, students pair up (or get in small groups) and talk about the question or activity. Lastly, Share is when the class comes together and talks about the question or activity as a group.
10 min: Prediction
Creating Predictions
Creating Predictions
Think - Ink - Pair
Students learn how to develop predictions related to their hypothesis and experimental design by looking at example data. They have two minutes to think about the example presented to them and decide which responses they would predict. Students then discuss their answers in pairs or small groups.
Adopting a prediction.
Adopting a prediction.
Once the class understands how to formulate a prediction, for the purposes of this study they adopt the following Prediction (P1): Top ranked images will have high cognitive and emotional scores.
20 min: Experiment
Collecting Data
Collecting Data
Working in pairs, students trade off being the "scientist" and "test-subject."
The student acting as the "scientist" shows the "test subject" one image at a time and asks questions using the Cognitive and Emotion Score scales to collect data. Each pair has 10 minutes to complete the experiment, then they switch roles and repeat the process. The scientist should record the test subject's data on the test subject's worksheet (page 4).
10 min: Results
Plotting Data
Plotting Data
Using the data from the experiment, students plot their results on graphs.
Students plot their data to make similar graphs as the ones used in the example data to practice making predictions. These graphs plot Emotion vs. Cognitive scores for the top and bottom five scores.
5 min: Conclusions
Discussing the Results
Discussing the Results
Based on the class's data, what can be concluded about how cognition and emotion affect how images are ranked?
Students answer questions 9 - 15 on their worksheets. The class can also discuss as a group the results, why they may have ended up with the results that were observed, and how the experimental design may have affected any outcomes.
Presentation (Part 2)
Need: WiFi, Computer, Projector, Sound
Teacher Worksheet (Part 2)
Print 1
Student Worksheet (Part 2)
Print 1 Per Student
5 min: Warm-Up
Polymath Puzzle #2
Polymath Puzzle #2
How many ladybugs are there?
Students see a set of squares and are tasked with counting how many ladybugs they see. This activity was developed by experimental psychologist, Akiyoshi Kitaoka, who studies visual illusions.
Part 1 Review
Part 1 Review
What patterns could be observed?
Students recall their data from Part 1 from the image ranking experiment and whether about whether they noticed any patterns.
15 min: The Science of Perception
How does the human eye work?
How does the human eye work?
The perception of beauty is often influenced by colors which is perceived using our eyes. Students learn more about how this process works in the interface between the eyes and brain.
20 min: Preferences in the Animal Kingdom
Studying visual signals in fish
Studying visual signals in fish
An introduction to Dr. Mendelson's work with Darters.
Darters are great model organisms to study evolutionary changes in animal communication over time.
What a fish likes
What a fish likes
Students watch ▶ How do we know what a fish likes? (And can we predict it?) which explains more about Dr. Mendelson's work on how fish preference is studied scientifically.
5 min: Analysis
Box Plots
Box Plots
Think - Ink - Pair - Share
Using actual data from Dr. Mendelson's studies, students consider how visual stimuli and fish perception interact to influence fish preferences (Q3 in the worksheet). They then learn about box plots and how they are used in data analysis.
15 min: Conclusions
Independent Work
Independent Work
Students reflect on their findings. This work can be done in class or for homework.
The beginning of Part 3 will include time to discuss take-homes from the analysis. Specifically, which is more important--cognition or emotion--for explaining students' ranked preferences for images?
Presentation (Part 3)
Need: WiFi, Computer, Projector, Sound
Student Worksheet (Part 3)
Print 1 Per Student
Teacher Worksheet (Part 3)
Print 1
Creature Stats Character Sheets Handout (Part 3)
Print Class Set for Stations or 1 per Student
5 min: Warm-Up
Cute vs. Creepy
Cute vs. Creepy
Quick write-up about how to define cute vs. creepy.
Students write briefly about how they might define something as being cute and creepy. They then look at a line-up of characters and write about which one they find the cutest vs. creepiest and why.
10 min: Typicality
Perception and preference affecting familiarity
Perception and preference affecting familiarity
What do we mean when something is called "typical"?
After learning about what typicality means, students apply it to how it can influence preference through our different sensory systems.
How does "atypicality" influence our preferences?
How does "atypicality" influence our preferences?
While "typical" things often reflect what we prefer, on the other hand atypical things can cause us to feel repulsed or uneasy. Students use animated characters to dig deeper into this.
Form a prediction
Form a prediction
Students answer Q1-3 on their worksheet to form a prediction about how we percieve what is cute vs. creepy.
15 min: Creature Stats
Typical and Exaggerated Human Proportions
Typical and Exaggerated Human Proportions
Evaluate the characters
There are seven illustrated characters which have several different measurements for different parts of their bodies. Students use these to calculate different proportions, or ratios, between different body parts, such as eye height to eye width, by finishing Table 1 in the worksheet (Qs4-15). Lastly students mark the ratios on a pre-made histogram (Q16).
Try to save the Creature Stats Character Sheets and laminate them or put them in protective sleeves if you plan to teach the lesson multiple times to save on printed paper.
15 min: How to read this graph?
Histograms
Histograms
What is a histogram?
Students go through an example of what a histogram is and how to interpret the data to draw conclusions.
Dot Plots
Dot Plots
Understanding the data
Dot plots use similar data to histograms, but make display the data in a way that's a little easier to understand. Students practice looking at example dot plots and analyzing them for information.
15 min: Results & Conclusions
Data Analysis
Data Analysis
Drawing conclusions about cute vs. creepy.
Using the histogram data from Creature Stats, students draw final conclusions about how something could be labeled as cute or creepy based on ratios.
Discussion
Discussion
Do the data support the predictions?
Students refer back to their predictions and discuss whether the data they collected and analyzed support them.
In this three-part lesson, students will follow in the footsteps of scientists (analyzing real, published data), but also conduct their own novel experiments. Overall, our hope is that students will recognize that science and data are everywhere and give us insight into ourselves.
Parts 1 and 3, students will run their own experiments, testing novel hypotheses related to their own preferences. For these activities, we developed a conceptual framework that is woven into all lesson parts. This framework is explained in our video ▶ I Like That! How our eyes and brains interact to determine what we like and dislike. We want students to understand in general terms how our brains perceive things detected by our senses, and then incorporate prior experience and emotional responses to form preferences that affect their behavior. This is based on research in humans and other animals. Though human "emotions" can be very complex, many animals from primates to bees show a range of positive <-> negative responses to stimuli that can be interpreted as emotions. If students are interested in learning more about emotions in animals, here are some excellent scientific articles targeted at young readers:
In Part 2, students will learn about how our eyes detect and process different colors (i.e. different wavelengths of light). They learn key background from ▶ How we see color - Colm Kelleher and ▶ The Science of Color Perception.
In our original video: ▶ How do we know what a fish likes? (And can we predict it?), Drs. Tamra Mendelson and Tory Williams talk about their work on darters, a fascinating and beautiful group of fish native to North America (see supplementary vid: ▶ Darter facts: the colorful little fish | Animal Fact Files).
In the scientific study students will learn about, the researchers tested whether female darters were most attracted to colors that were most stimulating to the sensory cells in their eyes (i.e. cones found in the retina). Students will follow in the scientist's footsteps, first making predictions and then analyzing their authentic data. The video and presentation will guide students through interpreting graphs of sensitivity curves to make their predictions.
Basically, there were two models of male fish used to test female preferences. They were colored "red" and "orange" to mimic extremes of natural variation. Looking at the graph below, the place where the 2 sensitivity curves overlap is the light wavelength that should be most stimulating to females' eyes. That is, light that has a wavelength of about 550nm should maximize activation of both the medium and long wavelength cone cells in the retina. The question is: do females prefer a model with an average reflectance closest to this wavelength?
The video and presentation guide students through interpreting this graph—to predict that females should prefer the orange model. Our video explains the experimental setup, but here it is briefly: Individual wild-caught females were put in the middle of a tank which had two tanks on either side of it. Model fish simulating extremes of natural variation in male colors were placed on either side of the female tank. An observer recorded what proportion of time females spent associating with the "red" versus the "orange" male model. Students will observe the patterns in the data and determine that females had a strong preference for the orange model. They will then draw conclusions about why this research matters more broadly and hopefully begin to wonder--how are our daily decisions affected by our sensitivity to different stimuli? This could be a great jumping-off point for independent research/PBLs. See Extensions
This Galactic Polymath Learning Chart illustrates the areas of knowledge covered. This lesson targets Science, but it helps teach national learning standards in 4 subjects:
Dimension: Number Systems, Operations & Abstract Representation
Dimension: Measurement, Data, Probability & Statistics
Dimension: Reading
Dimension: Science & Engineering Practices
Dimension: Disciplinary Core ideas
Dimension: Cross-Cutting Concepts
Dimension: Number Systems, Operations & Abstract Representation
Dimension: Language, Speaking & Listening
Dimension: Reading
Dimension: Writing
Dimension: Science & Engineering Practices
Dimension: Disciplinary Core ideas
Dimension: Cross-Cutting Concepts
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Helped devise conceptual framework & lesson structure
For Part 2: The Perception of Beauty
Ran the lesson in class and recommended changes
9/29/2022
11/7/2022
Streamlined presentations and worksheets based on classroom feedback
Thanks to Dr. Wesby for beta testing the lesson!
11/17/2022
4/27/2023
Improved teaching-materials structure and naming conventions