Does chewing gum

distract, or help ones

focus and memory?
Lena Ellil

Journal Poster/Display

Self assessed grade Teacher assessed grade Self assessed grade Teacher assessed grade

B B
Journal criteria sheet – self assessed
A B
Scientific I’ve used books, websites and.
Processes Resources are listed in videos in
my researchmy bibliography.
I have identified 5 causes and 5
effects. I have highlighted my IV
and DV.
In my hypothesis, the IF segment
states the direction of the effect,
the THEN segment makes a clear
prediction and the BECAUSE
segment gives a scientific reason.
I have listed ALL materials and
equipment (brand, amount, and
concentration) AND I have
completed 3 rows of the safety
audit.
My method is written in the
passive voice, past tense. I have
included pictures and video of the
method. I have conducted a
minimum of 5 trials.
I presented my data as tables
and/or graphs. I have followed
ALL tabulating and graphing
conventions.
My poster has ALL key elements
of a science poster. There is a mix
of words, images and graphs.
Knowledge and In my conclusion, I clearly state
Conceptual whether my hypothesis was
Understanding supported or rejected. I justify my
conclusion in 2 paragraphs.
Evaluating and In my discussion, I have
Concluding described (in paragraph form) 3
ways to improve my experiment
OR suggested future experiments,
and justified.
I’ve used 2 out of the three (books,
websites and videos) sources for my
research. Resources are listed in my
bibliography.
I have identified 4 causes and 4
effects. I have highlighted my IV
and DV.
In my hypothesis, the IF segment
states the effect, the THEN segment
makes a clear prediction and the
BECAUSE segment gives a
scientific reason.
I have listed ALL materials and
equipment (brand, amount, OR
concentration) AND I have
completed 2 rows of the safety
audit.
My method is written in the passive
voice, past tense. I have included
pictures OR video of the method. I
have conducted a minimum of 4
trials.
I presented my data as tables and/or
graphs. I have followed MOST
tabulating and graphing
conventions.
My poster has ALL key elements of
a science poster. There is a
predominance of words, images or
graphs.
In my conclusion, I clearly state
whether my hypothesis was
supported or rejected. I justify my
conclusion in 1 paragraph.
In my discussion, I have described
(in paragraph form) 2 ways to
improve my experiment OR
suggested future experiments, and
justified.
C D
I’ve used 1 out of the three (books,
websites and videos) sources for my
research. Resources are listed in my
bibliography.
I have identified 3 causes and 3
effects. I have highlighted my IV and
DV.
In my hypothesis, the IF segment
states the effect, the THEN segment
makes a prediction and the
BECAUSE segment gives a reason.
I have listed MOST materials and
equipment (brand, amount, OR
concentration) AND I have completed
1 row of the safety audit.
My method is written in the passive
voice, past tense. I have conducted a
minimum of 3 trials.
I presented my data as tables and/or
graphs. I have followed SOME
tabulating and graphing conventions.
My poster has SOME key elements of
a science poster. There is a
predominance of words, images or
graphs.
In my conclusion, I clearly state
whether my hypothesis was supported
or rejected. I justify my conclusion.
In my discussion, I have described (in
paragraph form) 2 ways to improve
my experiment OR suggested future
experiments.
I have used resources but I
don’t have a bibliography.
I have identified 2 causes and
2 effects. I have highlighted
my IV and DV.
My hypothesis is missing the
BECAUSE segment.
I have listed SOME materials
and equipment. I have not
completed the safety audit.
The method is written in the
active voice, future tense. I
have conducted a minimum
of 2 trials.
I have presented raw data in
the results section. I have
followed SOME tabulating
and graphing conventions.
My poster has SOME key
elements of a science poster.
My poster only has words.
In my conclusion, I clearly
state whether my hypothesis
was supported or rejected
In my discussion, I have
described (in paragraph form)
1 way to improve my
experiment OR suggested
future experiments.
E
I didn’t used any resources and I don’t
have a bibliography.
I have identified 1 cause and 1 effect. I
didn’t highlight my IV and DV.
My hypothesis is an aim OR my
hypothesis is missing.
I have not listed any materials or
equipment. I have not completed the
safety audit.
My method is missing .I have
conducted a minimum of 1 trial.
I have presented raw data in the results
section. I have followed NO tabulating
and graphing conventions.
My poster is the pages of journal
printed out and stuck on cardboard.
In my conclusion, I state my hypothesis
was proved or disproved.
In my discussion, I have described (in
paragraph form) 1 way to improve my
experiment.
Journal criteria sheet – teacher assessed
A B
Scientific I’ve used books, websites and
Processes videos in my research. Resources
are listed in my bibliography.
I have identified 5 causes and 5
effects. I have highlighted my IV
and DV.
In my hypothesis, the IF segment
states the direction of the effect,
the THEN segment makes a clear
prediction and the BECAUSE
segment gives a scientific reason.
I have listed ALL materials and
equipment (brand, amount, and
concentration) AND I have
completed 3 rows of the safety
audit.
My method is written in the
passive voice, past tense. I have
included pictures and video of the
method. I have conducted a
minimum of 5 trials.
I presented my data as tables
and/or graphs. I have followed
ALL tabulating and graphing
conventions.
My poster has ALL key elements
of a science poster. There is a mix
of words, images and graphs.
Knowledge and In my conclusion, I clearly state
Conceptual whether my hypothesis was
Understanding supported or rejected. I justify my
conclusion in 2 paragraphs.
Evaluating and In my discussion, I have
Concluding described (in paragraph form) 3
ways to improve my experiment
OR suggested future experiments,
and justified.
I’ve used 2 out of the three (books,
websites and videos) sources for my
research. Resources are listed in my
bibliography.
I have identified 4 causes and 4
effects. I have highlighted my IV
and DV.
In my hypothesis, the IF segment
states the effect, the THEN segment
makes a clear prediction and the
BECAUSE segment gives a
scientific reason.
I have listed ALL materials and
equipment (brand, amount, OR
concentration) AND I have
completed 2 rows of the safety
audit.
My method is written in the passive
voice, past tense. I have included
pictures OR video of the method. I
have conducted a minimum of 4
trials.
I presented my data as tables and/or
graphs. I have followed MOST
tabulating and graphing
conventions.
My poster has ALL key elements of
a science poster. There is a
predominance of words, images or
graphs.
In my conclusion, I clearly state
whether my hypothesis was
supported or rejected. I justify my
conclusion in 1 paragraph.
In my discussion, I have described
(in paragraph form) 2 ways to
improve my experiment OR
suggested future experiments, and
justified.
C D
I’ve used 1 out of the three (books,
websites and videos) sources for my
research. Resources are listed in my
bibliography.
I have identified 3 causes and 3
effects. I have highlighted my IV and
DV.
In my hypothesis, the IF segment
states the effect, the THEN segment
makes a prediction and the
BECAUSE segment gives a reason.
I have listed MOST materials and
equipment (brand, amount, OR
concentration) AND I have completed
1 row of the safety audit.
My method is written in the passive
voice, past tense. I have conducted a
minimum of 3 trials.
I presented my data as tables and/or
graphs. I have followed SOME
tabulating and graphing conventions.
My poster has SOME key elements of
a science poster. There is a
predominance of words, images or
graphs.
In my conclusion, I clearly state
whether my hypothesis was supported
or rejected. I justify my conclusion.
In my discussion, I have described (in
paragraph form) 2 ways to improve
my experiment OR suggested future
experiments.
I have used resources but I
don’t have a bibliography.
I have identified 2 causes and
2 effects. I have highlighted
my IV and DV.
My hypothesis is missing the
BECAUSE segment.
I have listed SOME materials
and equipment. I have not
completed the safety audit.
The method is written in the
active voice, future tense. I
have conducted a minimum
of 2 trials.
I have presented raw data in
the results section. I have
followed SOME tabulating
and graphing conventions.
My poster has SOME key
elements of a science poster.
My poster only has words.
In my conclusion, I clearly
state whether my hypothesis
was supported or rejected
In my discussion, I have
described (in paragraph form)
1 way to improve my
experiment OR suggested
future experiments.
E
I didn’t used any resources and I don’t
have a bibliography.
I have identified 1 cause and 1 effect. I
didn’t highlight my IV and DV.
My hypothesis is an aim OR my
hypothesis is missing.
I have not listed any materials or
equipment. I have not completed the
safety audit.
My method is missing .I have
conducted a minimum of 1 trial.
I have presented raw data in the results
section. I have followed NO tabulating
and graphing conventions.
My poster is the pages of journal
printed out and stuck on cardboard.
In my conclusion, I state my hypothesis
was proved or disproved.
In my discussion, I have described (in
paragraph form) 1 way to improve my
experiment.
The STEAM fields work synergistically

Processes
from that field

Knowledge
from that field

Tools
from that field

Science Technology Engineering the Arts Mathematics

Video Clips
Research Pages 2
▪ Chewing Gum improves memory
In March 2000, Japanese researchers showed that brain activity in the
hippocampus, an area important for memory, increases while people
chew, however they did not know why. (NewScientist.com, 2016)
▪ Memory and chewing Gum
Chewing gum raises the heart beat by around 3 BPM, increasing
blood flow in the cerebral area, which could explain the improvement
in such brain activity. Aside from these studies, chewing gum while
taking in information, and chewing again at the time it needs to be
recalled, may aid in a memory association between the action or taste
of chewing gum. (Phycologistworld, 2018)
 Introduction
According to research, students tend to do at least 1 – 2 questions
better on tests when chewing gum beforehand. The results of this
experiment can apparently be reproduced when you mock the
chewing motion. Having being able to raise your heart beat to about
3 BPM, it increases blood flow in the cerebral area which can result
in accuracy and faster reaction times.
 Abstract
My main aim was to find out whether chewing gum distracts or helps ones focus and memory. At
the beginning of this experiment, I hypothesised that participants who chewed gum during the
tests would do better than those who didn’t because research states that students do at least 1 or
2 questions better when having chewed gum before a test. By inviting two willing participants to
take part in my experiment, I created 10 tests, 5 visual and 5 audio only tests. One out of the two
participants was asked to chew gum for at least 5 minutes before spitting it out and going forward
with 2 tests 1 visual and 1 audio. This process was repeated once everyday and the student who
chewed gum alternated between days. In the end, my hypothesis was indeed proven as in 4 out
of 5 visual tests and 5 out of 5 audio tests the student chewing gum received a higher score that
the one who didn’t. Overall, out of 15 questions in a visual test, the participants who chewed gum
did 1 – 2 questions better than the ones who didn’t. In the audio test, out of 10 questions, the
participant who chewed gum in each test also did 1 – 2 questions better than the one who didn’t.
Ways I could have used to improve my experiment could include, timing the test subjects to see if
chewing gum also increases their speed, accurately timing the time the students got to chew the
gum and how long it took for the effects of the gum to wear off.
Materials and equipment

Materials: Equipment:
- 10 x Lined paper - 1x 10 pack- Wrigley’s Extra –
- 10 x A4 paper spearmint gum
- 5 x visual tests
- 2 x laptops
- 2 x headsets
- 2 x pencils
- 2 x erasers
- Printer
 Method (final)
Step 1: Separated the two test subjects
Step 2: Allowed Test subject A to chew gum for at least 5 minutes before the
test
Step 3: Allowed Test subject A to spit the gum out.
Step 4: handed out the test papers.
Step 5: Set timer for 13 minutes and test to commenced.
Step 6: Once time had been completed, I collected the tests.
Step 7: Had a one minute cool down break
Step 8: Handed out papers for the visual test
Step 9: Commenced 10 minute audio tests
Step 10: Collected answer sheets.
Step 11: Repeated on day 2, except switched person who chewed gum
switched from Test subject A to test subject B
Step 12: Repeated day 3, except switched person who chewed gum on day 2
 Graphs
Visual Test Results – Percentage out of 15 questions
100%
100%
93% 93% 93%
90% 86% 86% 86% 86%
80% 80%
80%

70%
Percentage (DV)

60%

50%

40%

30%

20%

10%

0%
Test 1 Test 2 Test 3 Test 4 Test 5
Tests (IV)

Chewing gum Not chewing Gum

 Graph 2
Audio Test Results – Percentage out of 10 questions
100% 100% 100%
100%
90% 90% 90% 90%
90%
80% 80% 80%
80%

70%
Percentages (DV)

60%

50%

40%

30%

20%

10%

0%
Test 1 Test 2 Test 3 Test 4 Test 5
Tests (IV)

Chewing Gum Not chewing Gum

Results: summarised data

Visual Test – Average scores Audio Test – Average scores

Average score (DV) Average Score (DV)

Chewing Gum 93% Chewing Gum 100%

(IV) (IV)
Not chewing 90%
Not chewing 86%
gum (CV)
gum (CV)
 Restate your aim and hypothesis. Remember: hypotheses are

Conclusion only ever supported or rejected by the data. I.e., “The

hypothesis was supported/rejected by the data”

Use data (i.e., bring in the numbers or descriptions) to support

your conclusions.

The aim of this experiment was to find out whether chewing gum
distracts or helps ones focus and memory. I predicted in my
hypothesis that one of two participants that took part in my
experiment would do at least 1 – 2 questions better if that one
participant chewed gum. My hypothesis was proven correct when 4
out of 5 visual tests and 5 out of 5 audio tests came out with out with
a higher result because one student was chewing gum.
Overall, out of 15 questions in a visual test, the participants who
chewed gum did 1 – 2 questions better than the ones who didn’t. In
the audio test, out of 10 questions, the participant who chewed gum
in each test also did 1 – 2 questions better than the one who didn’t.
Therefore, my hypothesis was indeed proven and students do
achieve higher when chewing gum before tests.
 Discussion
1. Discuss whether your findings support or reject previous findings in this area.
2. Ways to improve your experiment. What other methods could you have used?
What other DVs could you have measured? How could you measure your DV
more accurately?

What other experiments should be conducted to build upon your findings? Briefly
describe those new experiments.

Overall, my findings did in fact support my hypothesis as the results did indeed
come out as I predicted. When given one student gum before giving out a test
the student achieved a higher score. Ways I could have used to improve my
experiment could include, timing the test subjects to see if chewing gum also
increases their speed, accurately timing the time the students got to chew the
gum and how long it took for the effects of the gum to wear off.
Other experiments I could conduct to build upon my findings could include
observing whether different flavours of gum can lead to different results or if
chewing gum can increase speed and accuracy at the same time. These new
experiments can further testify whether chewing gum before tests is a good
thing to do because they cover new areas of this experiment that can make
this case more believable.
 Bibliography
Websites
▪ Chewing gum helps you concentrate longer, study suggests
(ScienceDaily, 2018). Chewing gum helps you concentrate longer,
study longer. Retrieved from
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/03/130308093933.htm
▪ Does chewing gum improve our mind and our productivity?
Abrahams, M. (2018). Does chewing gum improve our mind and our
productivity?. Retrieved from
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2014/aug/19/chewing-gum-
effects-mind-productivity
▪ Chewing Gum improves memory
Chewing gum improves memory. (Newscientist.com, 2018). Retrieved
from https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn2039-chewing-gum-
improves-memory/
 Bibliography
▪ Gum Chewing may improve concentration
Gum chewing may improve concentration. (ScientificAmerican, 2018).
Gum Chewing May Improve Concentration. Retrieved from
https://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode/gum-chewing-
may-improve-concentrati-13-03-26/
▪ Memory and chewing Gum
Can Chewing Gum Whilst Studying Help Improve Your Memory?.
(PhycologistWorld, 2018). Retrieved from
https://www.psychologistworld.com/memory/chewing-gum
Videos
▪ Your Key To Success: How Chewing Gums Helps
(Psych2go, 2018). Your Key To Success: How Chewing Gums Helps.
[video] Available at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pM51mf0LmNg
 Bibliography
▪ Chewing Gum helps you focus better
(Geobeats News, 2018). Chewing Gum Helps You Focus Better:
Study. [video] Available at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QC5JnGC-pQ
▪ What Makes Some Brains More Focused Than Others?
(Tedx Talks, 2018). What Makes Some Brains More Focused Than
Others? | Marvin Chun | TEDxKFAS. [video] Available at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoRHq0TQnZM
Books
(Channon, M. 2016). Improve your memory. London: Teach Yourself.