Investigating the effect of alcohol on reaction

times
Setting the scene
Have you heard the slogan ‘don’t drink and drive’ before? In the UK, there are
laws against people drinking alcohol and driving. If someone has been drinking
alcohol they are more likely to have a road traffic accident.
In this investigation, you are going to compare the reaction times of people who
haven’t been drinking alcohol (your class) with people who have been drinking
alcohol, using secondary data.

Aims
In this practical you will:

 investigate the cause of a drink-driving accident

 compare reaction times of people who have drunk varying amounts of alcohol.

You will be working scientifically to:

 make and record observations and evaluate the reliability of the method

 present data using appropriate tables and graphs

 interpret observations to identify patterns and draw conclusions.

Equipment and materials

 metre ruler

 graph paper

Prediction
Predict how the consumption of alcohol affects reaction times.

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This resource sheet may have been changed from the original.
 Method
1 Work in pairs for this experiment.
2 Use your right hand for this experiment if you are right-handed, and left hand if you
are left-handed.
3 Position yourselves as in the image. The
person standing up is the experimenter, and
the one sitting down is the subject.
4 The subject sits sideways at the bench with
their arm over the edge.
5 The experimenter should hold the metre ruler
vertically between the subject’s first finger
and thumb, with the zero opposite the
thumb.
6 The experimenter should drop the ruler
without warning.
7 The subject should catch the ruler between
their thumb and finger as quickly as possible.
8 Record the catch distance to the nearest
centimetre.
9 Record results in a suitable table.
10 Swap over so the subject now becomes the experimenter, and vice versa. Repeat the
experiment.
11 Repeat twice per person.

Results
 Design a suitable results table to record your results.

 Include a final column for the average catch distance (cm).

 Add rows to your table so that you can record results for you and five others
in your class.

 Don’t forget to include the units in your column headers.

Questions
1 Describe the link between catching distance and reaction time.

The shorter distance from the ruler the quicker

reaction time
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This resource sheet may have been changed from the original.
 The police conducted an experiment to obtain similar data on catch distance for subjects
who had drunk different amounts of alcohol in the hour before the test.
A large group of subjects was used for the sample group and the average catch distance
was calculated. The data is shown below.
Calculate the average catch distance (cm) for the six results you have collected and
complete the table below.

Alcohol consumed
0 1 2 3
(units)
Average catch
distance (cm)
6.6 42 68 79

2 Plot a suitable graph to present the data above.

3 Describe the relationship between the units of alcohol consumed and catch distance.

More units of alcohol consumed the bigger the catch distance

4 Explain, using scientific knowledge, why alcohol has this effect on reaction times.

Alchohol has a harmful chemical called ethanol when we

drink alcohol the ethanol absorbs into our blood stream
and that blood goes to our brain which then effects the
nervous system slowing its efficiency
5 Use your answer to Question 4 to suggest a reason why people who have drunk alcohol
are more likely to have a road traffic accident.

People who drink lots of alcohol get affected with ethanol a lot so their
nervous system slows down more so when driving their reaction to their
surroundings will slow down and it is dangerous for other people and
themselves

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This resource sheet may have been changed from the original.
Extension
1 Suggest a reason why the police sample group contained a large number of people (100
in each category).

To achieve more accurate results

2 Currently, in the UK it is legal to drink one unit of alcohol and still drive. Using the
information here, suggest a reason why one unit of alcohol is classed as legal.

1 unit is the equivalent to 10 ml so not much ethanol affects

your nervous system and it won’t be dangerous for you to
drive

© Oxford University Press 2014 www.oxfordsecondary.co.uk/acknowledgements

This resource sheet may have been changed from the original.