Skin Sensitivity Lab
C-4: Materials & Methods with diagram = 15 pts.
Due: Tues/Weds 5/26-27/15
Materials & Methods:
How to write:
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3rd person: Avoid referring to yourself throughout the whole narrative. Do not use any of the following
words: I, my, you, your, we, us, our.
Past tense: Use “was” and “were” instead of “is” and “are”
Passive voice: Include the phrase "(by zombies)" after the verb in every sentence if it helps you (or if it
entertains you).Remember, if the sentence doesn’t make sense when adding “by zombies” to the end,
you need to change the way the sentence is structured so that it does.
Example sentence starters in passive voice:
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"Birds were counted (by zombies)…”
"The bacteria were collected (by zombies) from..."
"A 2-point descriminator was used (by zombies) to measure..."
"Section X was swabbed (by zombies) with a clean cotton swab because..."
What to include:
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Describe what the 2-point discriminator was used to measure (with units)
o Where (which body locations)?
 Draw (with title and labels) a diagram of the body parts that were tested
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What order did you take measurements in?
o All locations for all 3 trials on one person then switch, alternate after every 3 trials, etc.
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Describe how the 2-point discriminator was used (be extremely specific!)
o Gently touched, poked, stabbed, tapped repeatedly, pressed and held, etc.
o How was the distance between the 2 points adjusted between trials?
o What was the subject supposed to do during the tests?
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Describe what was done with the data
o What was actually recorded into the data table?
 The number of pokes, how many pokes the subject felt, distance between the 2 points, etc.
o How many trials for each location?
o What averages did you get?
 The subject, pair, group, class, etc.?
If you need help, see Mr. Warren…
- Wednesday 5/13/15 and 5/27/15
After school in the library (until 4:30pm)
- By appointment
- Via message/e-mail
- Thursday 5/14/15 (Detention!)
After school in B216 (until 4:30pm)
(You don’t need to have a detention in order to come in
for help, but you can serve one while you’re at it).
Skin Sensitivity Lab
C-5: Results with graph and data table / Discussion = 15 pts.
Due: Tues/Weds 5/26-27/15
Data:
What to include (data)
 Data table(s)
o Your measurements for 3 trials for each location (with units)
o Your averages, class averages, etc. (with units)
o Title explains what’s in the boxes (what is the data you’re trying to show?)
 Bar Graph(s)
o X and Y axes are labeled (with units)
o Your averages, class averages, etc.
o Title explains what the graph is intended to show
Average receptive field sizes across all five periods (mm)
period
index finger
palm
inner forearm
back of hand
1
2
4
5
6
avg
3.6 4.1 4.2 6.0 8.6 5.7
7.3 8.0 9.6 10.0 9.8 9.4
12.3 12.5 13.7 18.0 13.8 14.5
8.8 11.2 9.5 14.0 13.8 12.1
Results:
What to include (in paragraph form):
 Describe how sensitive your skin is for each of the locations tested (compare your individual averages)
o Provide the data that supports your description (with units)
 Describe how your averages compare to class averages
o Were your averages always higher, always lower, etc.
 Provide the data that supports your description (with units)
 Compare how consistent your measurements were across the 3 trials
o Were there any locations where your measurements were very similar or very different across the 3
trials?
 What was the range of measurements? (provide data with units)
 Not very consistent: inner forearm measurements ranged from 10mm to 34mm
 Consistent: index finger measurements ranged from 1mm to 2mm
o Were there any really high or really low measurements that stand out?
Discussion
What to include (in paragraph form):
 Explain why you think the data shows that some body locations are more sensitive than others
 Explain why you think your averages were higher/lower/similar/etc. compared to class averages
 Explain why you think your measurements were very consistent/inconsistent across the 3 trials
 Describe any sources of error—possible reasons why data might be inaccurate
 Explain what could be changed in the experiment to reduce those sources of error (and how it would help)
 Explain what variable(s) you would test next (and why)