Best examples of environmental factors and study habits: examples that really affect learning

Before getting theoretical, it helps to anchor everything in real situations. Here are some examples of environmental factors and study habits that show up in everyday student life and can be turned into science fair experiments:

• A high school student reviewing biology in a quiet bedroom versus in a living room with a TV on.
• A college student doing practice problems under warm, dim lighting at night versus bright, cool lighting in the afternoon.
• A middle schooler reading in a cluttered, messy desk area versus a cleared, organized workspace.
• A teen trying to memorize vocabulary with their phone on the desk (notifications on) versus phone in another room.
• A group of students studying in a hot, stuffy room versus a well-ventilated, cooler classroom.
• An online learner working in a noisy café with background chatter versus in a quiet library.

Each scenario combines an environmental factor (noise, light, clutter, temperature, digital distraction) with a study habit (reading, note-taking, problem solving, testing yourself). These are the best examples to build experiments around because they’re common, easy to control, and have clear outcomes you can measure: test scores, number of problems solved, or time on task.

Noise and focus: examples of how sound shapes study habits

Noise is one of the most obvious environmental factors, and it’s surprisingly easy to study. If you’re collecting examples of environmental factors and study habits: examples for a project, noise conditions give you a clean, testable variable.

Everyday noise examples include

• TV or streaming shows in the background while doing homework.
• Music with lyrics versus instrumental music versus silence when reading a textbook.
• Café-style background chatter played from a speaker while solving math problems.

Psychology and education research consistently shows that speech-like background noise can hurt reading comprehension and memory, especially for younger students. The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association notes that classrooms with high background noise can reduce speech understanding and learning for children, particularly those with hearing or attention difficulties (ASHA.org).

For a science fair project, you might:

• Have participants read a short passage in silence, then with TV dialogue in the background.
• Test their recall with multiple-choice questions.
• Compare average scores across the two conditions.

This gives you a clear example of how an environmental factor (noise level and type) interacts with a study habit (reading and comprehension).

Lighting, screens, and time of day: examples of environmental factors and study habits in modern study spaces

Lighting used to mean “lamp or overhead light.” In 2024–2025, it also means screens: laptops, tablets, and phones that emit bright blue light. These are some of the best examples of modern environmental factors you can investigate.

Strong real examples

• A student reading printed notes under a warm desk lamp versus reading on a bright tablet in a dark room.
• Late-night cram sessions under harsh overhead fluorescent lights compared with afternoon study near a window with natural light.
• Students who keep their screen brightness high at night versus those who use night mode or blue-light filters.

Research from Harvard and other institutions has found that blue light exposure in the evening can delay melatonin production and disrupt sleep, which in turn affects memory and attention the next day (Harvard Health). That means your lighting and screen habits today can influence how well you remember material tomorrow.

For a science fair project, you might:

• Compare quiz scores for material studied in the afternoon with natural light versus late at night under artificial light.
• Track self-reported sleep quality using a short survey.
• Look for patterns between time of day, type of light, and performance.

These are concrete examples of environmental factors and study habits: examples that connect what students already do (late-night scrolling and studying) with measurable learning outcomes.

Temperature, air quality, and comfort: subtle examples that still matter

Temperature and air quality are quieter environmental factors, but they can make or break concentration. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency notes that poor indoor air quality and uncomfortable temperatures can negatively affect student performance and attendance (EPA.gov).

Common examples include

• A classroom that feels too hot and stuffy during afternoon classes.
• A home study space near a drafty window in winter, where students feel cold and distracted.
• A poorly ventilated room where CO₂ levels build up when the door and windows are closed.

In your project, you could:

• Have participants complete a short attention task in a warmer room (around 78–80°F) and a cooler, more comfortable room (around 70–72°F).
• Ask them to rate their comfort and focus.
• Compare the number of correct answers or time on task.

This gives you a clear example of how small changes in the physical environment can show up in study habits like staying focused, re-reading material, or giving up early.

Clutter, organization, and mental load: examples of environmental factors and study habits in the same room

Not all environmental factors are about the building; some are about how students organize their own space. Visual clutter is a great variable for psychology projects because you can control it easily.

Real examples include

• A desk covered with papers, snack wrappers, random books, and open tabs versus a cleared, organized workspace.
• A backpack full of unsorted worksheets versus a binder with labeled sections.
• A digital desktop with dozens of open windows versus one focused app.

Cognitive psychology suggests that visual clutter can compete for attention and increase mental load, making it harder to focus on the main task. While the effect size can vary from person to person, these are still some of the best examples for a school-level experiment because they’re simple to manipulate.

Possible project design:

• Create two study spaces in the same room: one tidy, one deliberately cluttered.
• Have participants study the same list of terms or a short passage in each space (on different days or in counterbalanced order).
• Compare recall scores and self-reported distraction levels.

This gives you two strong examples of environmental factors and study habits: examples in the exact same physical location, differing only in organization.

Digital distractions and multitasking: modern examples of environmental factors and study habits

If you want your project to feel very 2024–2025, look at how phones and laptops shape study habits. Here, the environment isn’t just physical; it’s digital.

Everyday examples include

• Studying with your phone on the desk, notifications on, versus phone in another room.
• Switching between a homework tab, social media, and streaming video while trying to write an essay.
• Using a “focus mode” app that blocks social media during study sessions.

The American Psychological Association has highlighted how task switching and digital multitasking can reduce efficiency and make tasks take longer than they should (APA.org). For students, that means a study session that feels long and tiring may actually be packed with micro-distractions.

For a science fair project, you could:

• Have one group of participants study with phones visible and notifications allowed.
• Have another group place phones in another room or use airplane mode.
• Give both groups the same quiz and compare scores and time to finish.

This setup provides clear, modern examples of environmental factors and study habits that judges will instantly recognize from their own lives.

Social environment: examples of studying alone vs. with others

The people around you are part of the environment too. Group work, study buddies, and background conversations all interact with study habits.

Strong social examples include

• A student solving practice problems alone versus with a chatty friend nearby.
• A structured study group where members quiz each other versus an unstructured “group study” that turns into socializing.
• Quiet library zones versus open common areas where friends walk by and stop to talk.

Research on cooperative learning suggests that well-structured group work can improve understanding, but unstructured socializing can reduce time on task. This makes the social environment a rich source of examples of environmental factors and study habits: examples you can observe and test.

Possible project:

• Have participants learn a short set of facts alone, in a quiet setting.
• On another day, have them learn a similar set of facts in pairs, with instructions to discuss the material.
• Compare recall scores and ask which method felt more engaging and which felt more distracting.

This gives you both quantitative data (scores) and qualitative data (opinions), which judges often appreciate.

Turning these examples into a strong psychology science fair project

Once you’ve gathered your favorite examples of environmental factors and study habits, the next step is to turn them into a clear research question. Some sample questions based on the examples above:

• Noise: Does background TV dialogue reduce reading comprehension scores in middle school students compared with silence?
• Lighting and time of day: Are vocabulary words studied in the afternoon with natural light remembered better than words studied late at night under artificial light?
• Temperature: Do students solve fewer math problems correctly in a warm room than in a comfortably cool room?
• Clutter: Does studying at a cluttered desk lead to lower recall of a word list than studying at an organized desk?
• Digital distraction: Do students who keep their phones in another room during study get higher quiz scores than students with phones on the desk?
• Social environment: Do students remember more facts after studying alone or after a structured partner quiz session?

As you design your project, keep these tips in mind:

• Change one main environmental factor at a time. That way, when you see a difference in performance, you have a stronger argument that the environment mattered.
• Keep the study task simple and short. Word lists, short passages, or basic math problems are easier to score and explain.
• Use clear, repeatable instructions. Write them down so every participant gets the same directions.
• Collect both performance data and self-reports. Ask participants how focused, stressed, or distracted they felt.

These strategies help you move from a list of examples of environmental factors and study habits: examples to a well-structured psychology experiment.

FAQ: common questions about examples of environmental factors and study habits

Q: What are some easy examples of environmental factors and study habits I can test at home?
Simple examples of testable factors include noise (quiet vs. TV on), phone presence (phone on desk vs. in another room), desk organization (messy vs. tidy), and lighting (bright vs. dim). Pair each with a short study task like memorizing a list of words, reading a paragraph, or doing basic math.

Q: Which environmental factor usually has the biggest impact on students’ study habits?
It varies by person, but digital distractions and noise are often the best examples of strong effects you can measure quickly. Many students underestimate how much notifications, background conversations, and switching between apps slow them down and hurt recall.

Q: Can I combine multiple environmental factors in one project, like noise and phone use?
You can, but it’s usually better to start with one main factor. If you want to explore combinations, you can design a follow-up experiment with more conditions (for example, quiet with phone away, quiet with phone out, noise with phone away, noise with phone out) and compare patterns.

Q: Are there positive examples of environmental factors that improve study habits?
Yes. Examples include moderate, non-lyrical background music that some students find calming, natural daylight, comfortable temperatures, organized workspaces, and structured study groups where students quiz each other. These can support habits like regular review, active recall, and longer focus periods.

Q: Where can I find research to support my project on environmental factors and study habits?
Good starting points include the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for indoor air and school environments (EPA.gov), Harvard Health Publishing for lighting and sleep (Harvard Health), and the American Psychological Association for multitasking and attention (APA.org). These sources can help you connect your real examples to established psychology research.

By grounding your project in clear, realistic examples of environmental factors and study habits: examples, you not only design a stronger experiment—you also create a story that judges, teachers, and other students instantly recognize from their own study lives.