Cups+and+Water

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Title
Cups And Water

Broad Question
Will the size of a cup affect a person's decisions?

Specific Question
Are people more attracted to larger drinking cups?

Hypothesis
It is hypothesized that the larger of the three cups will be chosen the most.

I hypothesize that the largest of the three will be chosen the most because in previous research I have found that people prefer bigger text, bigger pictures and bigger packaging. I also think that people will choose the larger cup because it will take up more space therefore making it eye catching.

Independent Variable:
Size Of Cup

Dependent Variable:
The number of times the cup is selected.

Variables That Need To Be Controlled:
The type and colors of the cups. The material the cups are made of. The amount of liquid H2O in the cups. The test subjects that were used in trials. The camera used. The arrangement of the cups. The orientation of cups. The units of measurement used. The liquid the cups contain. The amount of people testing at one period of time. The time of day the experiments were conducted, before 12:00pm. The script recited to the test subjects.

Potential Problems And Solutions
Potential problems are unsanitary containers and water and an allergy to polystyrene. A slip can be sent home for a parents signature to make sure of no allergy exists and basic sanitary measures may be taken to prevent any unsanitary water.

Safety Or Environmental Concerns
The safety concerns can be related to allergy, people may be allergic to polystyrene, a slip was handed out and signed by a parent or guardian sign. Other concerns are sanitary, such as clean water and handling, basic precautions may be taken such as washing hands and running the water through a filter. Environmental concerns are minimal, the largest concern is that all cups make it to the trash and that none are left on the ground.

Resources and Budget Table

 * Item || Number needed || Where I will get this || Cost ||
 * Cups || 60 || Walmart || 15.00 ||
 * Pitcher || 1 || Home || - ||
 * Table || 1 || School || - ||
 * Water || 56oz || School || - ||

Detailed Procedure
1. Design and print twenty permission slips

2. Gather ten test subjects and give them the permission slips

3. Gather the signed permission slips as soon as possible.

4. Gather the materials which shall be used for the experiment. 1. Polystyrene cups (12, 16 and 20 oz) 2. Plastic liquid Pitcher. 3.Liquid H2O. 5. Setup cups and fill with liquid H2O, gather subjects.

6. Conduct first trial in the stairwell of JBES

7a. Bring subjects to door of the Office.

7b. Recite script.

7c. Let the subjects choose their preferred cup one at a time while taking pictures and video.

8. Repeat step six two more times on separate dates with same subjects. 3-6-13 and 3-8-13.

Results
Out of 21 opportunities the 20 oz cup was chosen seven times throughout the experiment. The 16 oz cup was chosen eight times throughout the experiment. The 12 oz cup was chosen six times throughout the experiment. The average amount of times the 20 oz cup was chosen each trial was 2.33 times. The average amount of times the 16 oz cup was chosen each trial was 2.67. The average amount of times the 12 oz cup was chosen each trial was 2.

Conclusion
The experiment was designed to test whether or not larger cups are more appealing to people than smaller cups. The data shows that the 16 oz cup was chosen the most. The average amount of times that the 16 oz cup was chosen was 2.67. The 20 oz cup was chosen seven times out of the 27 opportunities. The 12 oz cup was chosen six times out of the 21 opportunities.

Discussion
The data shows that the 16 oz cup was chosen the most out of the three sizes. It was predicted that the 20 oz cup was chosen the most out of the three. The smallest of the cups, the 12 oz cup was chosen the least. The median of the 16 oz cup was 2.67 times chosen, the median for the 20 oz cup was 2.33 times chosen and the median of the 12 oz cup was 2 times chosen. The largest cup was not chosen the most, nor was the smallest. The medium sized cup was chosen the most out of all three of the cups. It was not hypothesized that the medium cup was going to be chosen the most. I was hypothesized that the largest of the three cups was going to be chosen the most. The dependent and independent variable have a strong correlation, it seems like the mid sized cup was chosen the most out of all of them. The hypothesis predicted that the largest cup would be chosen the most due to its extraordinary size, making it eye catching. The smaller cup would have made sense as well because there would appear to be more water in the smaller cup. The medium sized cup had a mixture of both these factors, being larger but not so large as to create the illusion of less water being contained in the cup. Errors that may have occurred would be minimal, the most prominent being the fact the not everybody had been monitored the days preceding the tests. Some may have been drinking much more water and eating much more salt, affecting their decision. Another factor is outside audio disruptions, talking outside, footsteps,etc Future research may include a new set of cup sizes to determine whether it is the 16 oz cup that is chosen or if it is the mid-sized cup. It would be reasonable to make the largest or smallest cup 16 oz. Perhaps even use a brand new set of sizes. Future tests would reveal much more about why the data we gathered was so unexpected. The data found can be directly used in marketing. It can be used by companies so that they may learn how to package their product so that it might sell the most. This is an incredibly important part of the marketing process.

Background Research
The colors of packaging are very important, companies make the colors eye catching and to fit the product. Brighter colors have been more effective.

Packaging is much more important for the initial choice then one the product has been used.

The immediate quality of a package is also a deciding factor.

Textures in packaging can have a major contribution in the final decision. Multi Textural packaging is good.

Consumers prefer packaging with realistic images.

Less text is preferred when a consumer is shopping.

Functionality is a key in decision, if someone sees the packaging as useful in the future then there is a better chance for them to choose.

Larger packaging encourages people to consume more.

Abstract
The experiment question was “are people more attracted to larger drinking cups?”. It was hypothesized that the larger cup would be prominently chosen. The experiment was performed by people choosing the most appealing of three cups from which to drink. The mid-sized cup was chosen the most with 3.67 times opposed to the large cup which was chosen 3.33 times. The data did not support the hypothesis.