Commack Schools



EXPLORATIONBackground Information: The heart is a large muscle that acts as a circulatory pump within the human body. The heart and blood vessels, such as arteries, veins, and capillaries make up the circulatory system. The network of blood vessels are responsible for transporting blood. The heart is a myogenic organ and acts independently from the nervous system (Allott, 2014). Therefore, the pacemaker, or sinoatrial node located in the wall of the right atrium sends electrical impulses to the heart to initiate contraction of the upper atria. The responsibility of the atria is to collect blood from the veins. The blood will then travel through the atrioventricular valves into the ventricles. The ventricles are responsible for pumping the blood out the semilunar valves to the major arteries. The two major arteries are the pulmonary artery, which transports blood to the lungs to be oxygenated; and the aorta, which transports blood to the rest of the body. The right side of the heart pumps deoxygenated blood to the pulmonary artery, and the left side of the heart pumps oxygenated blood to the aorta (Lewis, 2016). Each time the sinoatrial node sends the electrical impulse the heart carries out a contraction (Lewis, 2016). Heart rate is the measure of how many times the heart carries out this contraction. There are many factors that can affect heart rate. Coloring books are known stress relievers and are capable of decreasing one’s heart rate. Coloring is able to slow down respiration and loosen muscles which decreases heart rate. The rhythmic motion and texture of coloring in a coloring book creates a meditative feeling for the person which is relaxing as well as a stress reliever (Krug, 2016). As an IB diploma candidate I experience a lot of stress due to the large work load. I have heard that coloring is supposed to relieve stress and thought it would be interesting to discover if coloring is a stress reliever or if it was just a myth.Research Question: To what extent does coloring decrease heart rate in 16-20 year old females?Hypothesis: If the subject is coloring for a longer period of time, then her heart rate will gradually decrease.Hypothesis Explanation: Coloring is considered to have a similar effect on heart rate as meditation, it allows the brain to focus on something else rather than the source of stress in life. Coloring in a rhythmic movement also allows muscles to relax and respiration to decreases (Krug, 2016). This in turn, decreases heart rate because the relaxed muscles no longer need as much oxygen to function so the heart does not have to work as hard. The repetition and attention to pattern while coloring is soothing and decreases anxiety. Concentrating on coloring and staying in the lines also has the ability to replacement negative thoughts with a feeling of control and enjoyment (Dovey, 2015).Variables Dependent Variable: The subject’s heart rate in beats per minute (± 1bpm). The heart rate will be measured every 180 seconds (± 1 second). The subject will take their pulse by facing their palm upwards and placing two fingers on the radial artery. The subject will also rate themselves on a scale of 1-10 on how relaxed they feel before and after coloring (1 = stressed and 10 = relaxed).Figure 1: How to measure heart rate at the radial artery.Independent Variables: The amount of time the subject spends coloring. 6 subjects will be tested by coloring for a total of 720 seconds and taking their pulse every 180 seconds(s±1s). Controlling Variables: CONTROLLED VARIABLESWHY in must be controlledHOW it was controlled Color of colored pencils.Color influences heart rate, therefore, it must be constant. Certain colors are supposed to be relaxing and decrease heart rate, such as blues and greens. Yellow is supposed to increase heart rate and improve concentration (Dixie, 2010).This variable is controlled by giving the subjects only the primary colors to color with.GenderThe gender of the subjects must be kept constant because gender influences heart rate. Women are generally smaller than men and require a faster heartbeat in order to keep up with their metabolism (Collora, 2017).This variable is controlled by only using females.AgeThe age of the subjects must be kept constant because age can affect heart rate. As people age their maximum heart rate decreases (Collora, 2017).This variable is controlled by all subjects being age 16-20.Environmental ConditionsTemperature and time of day affects heart, therefore, it must be kept constant. Warmer temperatures cause heart rate to increase because blood flow must be faster in order to help cool the body. The time of day affects heart rate because certain times of the day could be more stressful (Benson/Connolly, 2011)This variable is controlled by carrying out my experiment in the same location at the same time of day. Experimental Control: The experimental control is the heart rate of the subject while she is at rest before coloring. Therefore, the subject must measure her heart rate in beats per minute by taking her pulse at the radial artery before coloring. This measurement will be used as a comparison to the heart rates the subject will take every 180 seconds (s±1s) while coloring.335026089281000Apparatus and Materials: The materials needed to conduct this experiment are red, yellow, and blue colored pencils, coloring pages, a stopwatch measuring in seconds (± 1 second), 6 participants, and a table to color on.476251691005Figure 2: Participant measuring heart rate at the radial artery.00Figure 2: Participant measuring heart rate at the radial artery.3238500134620Figure 3: Participant coloring00Figure 3: Participant coloring Procedure: All six subjects will sit at the same table in the same room and color in the same design to control the environment the experiment will be controlled in. The first participant will sit at the table without moving for 60 seconds before her resting heart rate is measured.Have subject measure pulse immediately after the resting minute to determine resting heart rate to use as a control in the experiment. The subject will measure her heart rate by placing her index and middle finger on the radial artery (reference figure 2) and counting her heart beats for 60 seconds (bpm±1.0 seconds). Record data.Provide the subject with the coloring page and the red, yellow, and blue colored pencils.Tell the subject to begin coloring (reference figure 3). Use the stopwatch to measure 180 seconds (±1.0 seconds)and have the subject pause coloring to measure heart rate at the radial artery using her index and middle fingers for 60 seconds (bpm ±1.0 seconds). Record heart rate.Ask subject on a scale of 1-10 how relaxed they feel (1=stressed 10=relaxed). Record the subject’s feeling.Repeat Steps 4 and 5 every 180 seconds (±1.0 second) until you reach 720 seconds (±1.0 second) for subject 1.Repeat steps 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 for the remaining 5 subjects.Safety precautions: Use caution while coloring. Do not ingest any coloring utensils. Keep coloring utensils away from eyes. Stop if necessary.Citations Benson/Connolly. (n.d.). Heart Rate Training - Factors affecting heart rate: fitness, state of recovery, temperature, age, gender. Retrieved January 04, 2018, from , C. (2017, September 11). What Factors Can Influence Heart Rate? Retrieved January 04, 2018, from , D. (2016, September 06). The Therapeutic Science Of Adult Coloring Books: How This Childhood Pastime Helps Adults Relieve Stress. Retrieved January 04, 2018, from , N. (2016, May 02). Why adults coloring books are the latest trend. Retrieved January 04, 2018, from , T. (2016, March 22). Human Heart: Anatomy, Function & Facts. Retrieved January 02, 2018, from , B. A. (2015, November 16). 3 Reasons Adult Coloring Can Actually Relax Your Brain. Retrieved January 04, 2018, from Adult Coloring Books Can Help Pain Patients. (2017, October 09). Retrieved January 04, 2018, from ................
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