Senseless Kaci Wilson

Problem Does one of your senses improve more than the others when you take sight away?

Introduction Have you ever heard that blind people’s other senses are really sensitive? I went through an exhibit called Dialogue in the Dark. It was pitch black, and it showed you what it was like to be blind. When I came out everything seemed so loud. The main factor is that they don’t have better hearing than they would if they could see, but they just use them more effectively. I want to know which sense is used more effectively without being able to see.

Hypothesis I think that the main difference will be in hearing. I’ve read some articles and they say they say that hearing is the biggest difference, but that age plays a role too.

Materials Tennis ball Gum Crayons Lego Dime Ring Hearing Test http://www.noiseaddic ts.com/2009/03/can-you-hear-this-hearing-test/ 5 8th grade girls Blindfold

Procedure Take the first six items and put them each in a paper bag Take the tennis ball, the cheese, and the crayons, still in the paper bag so you can’t see them, and have each of the people try to identify them by smell Take items 4-6, still in the paper bags, and have each of the people identify them by feeling them Give the test subjects the hearing test Then have the subjects wear a blindfold for 10 minutes before retaking the test with the blindfolds on

Variables I-Blindfolding people D- Results C- Things they smell, touch, or hear

Results With Sight Feeling Lego Dime Ring Jessica Pass Fail Sydney Dezzy Jessica T. Shelbi Smell Tennis Ball Crayons Gum Jessica Fail Pass Sydney Dezzy Jessica T. Shelbi No Sight Feeling Lego Dime Ring Jessica Pass Fail Sydney Dezzy Jessica T. Shelbi Smell Tennis Ball Crayons Gum Jessica Pass Fail Sydney Dezzy Jessica T. Shelbi Hearing Test Sight No Sight Dezzy 19 kHz Jessica 18 kHz Sydney Jessica T. Shelbi 17 kHz

Conclusion The human body can only do so much, some people are just better at using their senses.

Possible Causes of Error They weren’t given time to adjust to not being able to see. Some people knew what the objects were.

Acknoledgments Thank you to my mom and all my test subjects, and thank you Mrs.Riffel!