Module: Cardiovascular

Smart and Snappy

Grades: 3-5

By: Margaret Young and Kelly Greene

Principal Investigator: Dr. Pat Cowings

Overview

Smart and Snappy is one of three related STELLAR activities in which students imagine they are astronaut trainees and do "astronaut" performance tests that would help them function even if they became dizzy or got motion sickness during space flight:

Smart and Snappy-dexterity; test of dexterity with non dominant hand. Students pluck a rubber band as fast as they can.

Shazam!-reaction time; test of how quickly they can react to a given stimulus.

Mannequin Madness-spatial recognition; test of their ability to distinguish left from right.

Students first conduct the test under optimal conditions: healthy and rested. They conduct the test again after simulating stressful conditions of an astronaut during a "space mission." This is similar to how astronauts train themselves to be aware of their body's natural response to stress and to stay calm, alert, and focused under extreme conditions that exist on a real space mission.

Key Questions

• How does NASA train astronauts to make dexterous movements using their non dominant hand?
• What basic skills do astronauts need?
• How is the finger speed and dexterity of your non dominant hand affected when you are in a stressful situation?
• Can you train yourself and the fingers of your non dominant hand to perform as well under stress as under optimal conditions?

Time frame

Preparation: 15 minutes

Conducting the experiments: 2 class periods preferably on consecutive days.

Discussing the results of the experiment: 15 minutes

Materials

For the whole class:

• large clock with a second hand

For each group of four students:

• 1 thick rubber band (plus extras for backup)
• 1 Smart and Snappy Data Sheet
• pencil
• mug

Getting Ready

Review the section "Background for Teachers" at the end of this document.

Gather the materials before beginning the activity.

Photocopy a Recording Sheet for each student.

Classroom Activity

DAY ONE

1. The non dominant hand. Explain that NASA trains astronauts to develop skill using their non dominant hand-the hand they would not naturally choose to use for most tasks (such as writing or throwing a ball). Ask students to raise their dominant hand. Then ask them to raise their non-dominant hand. Help anyone who is not sure which hand is dominant. Have the students pretend that they are astronaut trainees. To develop skill with their non dominant hand, they will pluck a rubber band as fast as they can using the fingers of their non dominant hand. Ask, "Why would astronauts need to be quick and accurate using both their dominant and non dominant hands?"

2. Rubber band on a mug. Demonstrate how to place the rubber band around the mug so it crosses the top of the mug. Use your dominant hand to hold the mug firmly on the table top.

Use the fingers of the hand holding the mug to hold the rubber band in place around the mug (or tape the rubber band in place). Pluck the rubber band using the index and middle fingers of your non dominant hand. Alternate your fingers as if they were walking. Challenge, "How many times could you pluck the rubber band in 10 seconds? Let's do an experiment to find out."

3. Demonstrate how to conduct the test. The teacher may be the first test subject for a class demonstration, or choose a student as test subject to demonstrate for the class. Select a timekeeper, counter, and recorder for the demonstration. Explain, "Watching the second hand on the clock, the timer will say, "Start," and "Stop," at the beginning and end of each 10 second test period. The counter will count how many times the rubber band is plucked during the test. After hearing a report from the counter, the recorder will record the number of times the rubber band is plucked during the test." Conduct the test as a class demonstration

4. Divide the class into teams of four. Each team must decide who will be the test subject, timer, recorder and counter. Remind students that everyone will get a chance to do each job, so no one need argue about who will do each task. Distribute data sheets, pencils, rubber bands and mugs to each group and ask them to begin the test.

5. The tests. Tell the students that their goal is to train themselves to stay focused and in control, so they can maintain a high performance level even under the most stressful conditions. Discourage any competition between students as the purpose of the testing is to improve your own performance not to compare your performance with others. Allow time for teams to complete the experiments at their own pace. Each subject should conduct at least two 10 second trials.

Suggestions for younger groups: Have the teacher keep time for all the groups instead of having a timekeeper in each group. Do the tests one group at a time with teacher supervision to reduce confusion. Reduce the number of trials from five to three. Allow time for extra practice plucking to reduce frustration during the tests.

6. Trade roles. Have the students trade roles so that each student has a chance to perform the test for two or more 10 second periods.

DAY TWO

7. Review. Review the process of conducting the experiment. Discuss strategies used by the fastest students to maximize their plucking rate. Emphasize the need to stay calm and relaxed, to keep breathing regularly and to stay aware of your physical response as you perform the plucking test.

8. More tests. Allow time for each person in each group to conduct the test two or more times, trying to stay calm as they try to reach their maximum plucking rate. As in the first day's tests, record the number of plucks in each test period for each test subject.

9. Effects of stress. Ask the students to imagine that they are astronaut trainees and scientists. Explain that astronauts train to stay calm and to be aware of their body's natural response to stress. This allows them to remain calm, aware, and in control under extreme conditions that exist on a real space mission. Tell the students that they will conduct the tests again, but under some stressful circumstances to be like the stress of space flight.

First, conduct a brainstorm session in which students make up ideas to create more stressful situations for test subjects in the classroom. Some possibilities are to conduct the test: while very hungry or full, at the beginning or end of the day, after spinning around in circles, after strenuous physical exercise, after waking up, while someone is calling your name repeatedly, after taking a difficult test, while lying down, etc. Then divide the class into groups and have them pick one of the ideas for stress (such as spinning around in circles) and do the tests as described as described in step 3, after the test subjects have acted out the chosen form of stress. Have them record the results.

Wrap-up Session

1. Ask each person to report their best test result. Did conducting the test two or three times help improve the result? Did your test score improve on the second day? Were you able to stay relaxed and focused during the test period? Do you think this helped to improve your test score? Did stress affect the test results?

2. As a class, discuss the results. What factors do you feel were most influential in maximizing the test scores? Remind the students to imagine that they are astronaut trainees. Challenge students again to speculate why astronaut trainees would be expected to improve the dexterity of their non dominant hand and to think of what conditions they might face that would create stress and decrease their dexterity with their non dominant hand?

3 Explain that many astronauts get motion sickness during the first few days of space flight. People at NASA create tests similar to the ones they just did to help astronauts overcome the decreased mental and physical performance that accompanies motion sickness. In one such dexterity test, subjects were asked to press the letters 'S' and 'D' alternately on a computer keyboard as quickly as possible for ten seconds. Astronauts train themselves to stay calm and to be aware of their body's natural response to stress. This allows them to remain calm, alert, and focused under extreme conditions that exist on a real space mission.

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More Activity Ideas:

Writing:

1. Compare the results of this experiment using your non-dominant hand with tests conducted using your dominant hand. Design an experiment to determine whether your performance with your dominant hand decreases under stress.

2. Design an experiment using your non-dominant foot. How do the results compare with those from the experiment using your non-dominant hand?

3. In the dexterity experiments conducted a NASA, test subjects were asked to press the letters 'S' and 'D' alternately on a computer keyboard as quickly as possible for ten seconds. The computer program used automatically records the test results. Try using a computer keyboard, or design your own experiment to test your finger dexterity.

4. Create a fictional description of an astronaut who needs to use the fingers of her non-dominant hand both quickly and accurately.

Math:

5. Graph progress over several days of tests. How good can you get with your non-dominant hand?

6. Compare results with data recorded at home using adults as test subjects.

Background for Teachers:

Prerequisites

Student test subjects must be able to pluck a rubber band with their fingers.

Timekeepers must be able to read a clock or stopwatch accurately.

Scorekeepers must be able to count and tally the results accurately.

Vocabulary

• stress-a physically or mentally disruptive influence.
• stressor-anything that causes stress.
• dominant hand-the dominant hand is the one that has the greatest control
• non-dominant hand-the non dominant hand is the one that has less control.
• dexterity-skill in the use of the hands or mind

Skills

• collecting, recording and analyzing data
• timing and score keeping.
• understanding and using the scientific method.

Concepts

Many variables affect an individual's performance. Astronauts are expected to perform their tasks correctly and efficiently under extremely stressful conditions. In order to assess an individual's ability to perform under stress, the researcher must first determine how well the test subject can perform under optimal circumstances. The researcher may then create a less than optimal condition in which to conduct the test again. An individual may learn to control their performance levels by practicing tasks under stressful conditions. Also, by staying calm and being aware of the body's response to the stressful situation, an individual can develop skills that reduce the negative impact of extreme stress on their performance.

Additional Background information:

A variety of tests are used by NASA researchers to assess performance capabilities of astronauts. There are many stressors can potentially decrease an astronaut's performance during a space mission. Because so many astronauts experience motion sickness during space flight, researchers at NASA focus on reducing the negative impacts being dizzy and nauseous has on an individual's performance. The subject might be asked to perform a test after being shaken up or spun around in a special chair, or after taking medicine to counteract the motion sickness but with side effects such as drowsiness.

One of the most important aspects of astronaut training uses biofeedback. Researchers find that being aware of physical responses to a stress, such as increased breath or heart rate, sweating, or unnecessary muscle tension, can greatly reduce the negative impacts of stress on the individual's performance.

Edited by: Gregory Steerman, Alan Gould, Lawrence Hall of Science, U. of Calif.