Paper Example - Influence of Physical Activity on the Reaction Time

The speed of movement in humans is a debatable factor with, however, research conducted by some scholars pointing towards gender-based differentiation in this aspect. The muscle formation of males and females vary with a contribution to the effect. Hodgkins (1963) emphasizes that males are faster compared to females. The speed at which movement occurs in both genders increases in early adulthood then starts decreasing with males maintaining the peak speeds longer compared to females in terms of reaction. The muscle movements define engagement in physical activities, which also determines the reaction of humans to such activities. The cognitive functions of the brain are also associated with engagement in physical activities among individuals. Bherer et al. (2013) indicate that physical activities are relied upon as non-pharmaceutical interventions for dealing with age declines and associated neurodegenerative diseases. Engagement in physical activities has also been identified as an approach to improving auditory and visual elements of humans. The level of physical activities and the gender of an individual are, however, considered an important ingredient of this improvement (Jain et al. 2015). Therefore, engagement in physical activities is essential for human maintenance of psychical, neurological, visual, and auditory functions.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Order now

Reaction time is another element of importance in understanding the human association with physical activity. However, it does not only occur in physical activities but also includes a measure of the same in the fields of psychology and neuroscience (Wong et al., 2017). The reaction time may be defined as the time necessary for the completion of motor-planning and perceptual computations to react to a stimulus (Wong et al., 2017). The complexity of the stimulus is what determines the reaction time. Therefore, associating reaction time with physical activity, the reaction of individuals to the stimulus of this nature varies with gender and age, playing a determinant factor within an individual. However, the choice of physical activity is also a determining factor. The physical activity involved energy expenditure that Brisswalter et al. (1997) associate with simple reaction time. Physical fitness in children is seen to have a varied reaction time with other factors included influencing the simplicity or complexity of the reaction time. Further studying adolescents, Aouadi et al. (2015) also reveal the influence of age on physical activity and reaction time, highlighting these in younger adults. Emphasis is on indicating that age is a factor in influencing reaction time, as indicated earlier. The reaction time is, therefore, a significant factor to measure in physical activity.

However, measuring reaction time in physical activities is a challenge. Studies have embarked on finding ideal means through which the measure of reaction time is possible. The method selected for measuring reaction time is known to influence judged reaction time obtained and the resulting conclusions on how this is attained or affected by activities of physical nature (Brenner &Smeets, 2019). Thus, measuring reaction time is important since it is used to determine the speed of individuals, such as athletes and other personalities involved in physical activities such as batting are evaluated (Burpee & Stroll, 1936). Reaction time determines the speed of an athlete or a baseball player as it does to any other person engaged in physical activities of their choice. For this reason, choice, simplicity, and GNG of the physical activities feature as important determinants of reaction time.

Additionally, providing a definition reaction time, Jain et al. (2015) looked at it as that time it takes for one to respond to a stimulus. In his study, Jain et al. (2015) further highlighted factors such as the age of an individual, their gender, central versus their peripheral vision, breathing cycle, and the use of the left or right hand as those that may affect their reaction time. This is a revelation that reaction time is affected by some factors. In this study, an assessment of the Simple Reaction Time (SRT), the general alertness, and motor speed of males and females engaged in physical activities are conducted to enhance understanding of the reaction time. Therefore, based on the above statement, the research objective is to determine the influence of gender on reaction time determined through the assessment of the reaction time of males and females. Also, the age of the participants is studied on the influence it has on reaction time.
The research hypothesis for research is:

• H0: There is no statistically significant relationship between physical activity and reaction time based on age and gender.
• H1: There is a statistically significant relationship between physical activity and the reaction time measured based on age and gender as influencing factors.

References

Aouadi, R. A., Alanazi, H. M., & Tim, G. (2015). Impact of Physical Exercise on Reactive Time and Cognitive Function in Mentally Deficient Adolescents. Journal of Clinical Trials, 5(206). Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/293768191_Impact_of_Physical_Exercise_on_Reactive_Time_and_Cognitive_Function_in_Mentally_Deficient_Adolescents

Bherer, L., Erickson, K. I., & Liu-Ambrose, T. (2013). A Review of the Effects of Physical Activity and Exercise on Cognitive and Brain Functions in Older Adults. Journal of Aging Research, 2013, 1-8. doi:10.1155/2013/657508

Brenner, E., & Smeets, J. B. (2018). How Can You Best Measure Reaction Times? Journal of Motor Behavior, 51(5), 486-495. doi:10.1080/00222895.2018.1518311

Brisswalter, J., Arcelin, R., Audiffren, M., & Delignieres, D. (1997). Influence of Physical Exercise on Simple Reaction Time: Effect of Physical Fitness. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 85(3), 1019-1027. doi:10.2466/pms.1997.85.3.1019

Burpee, R. H., & Stroll, W. (1936). Measuring Reaction Time of Athletes. Research Quarterly. American Physical Education Association, 7(1), 110-118. doi:10.1080/23267402.1936.10761762

Hodgkins, J. (1963). Reaction Time and Speed of Movement in Males and Females of Various Ages. Research Quarterly. American Association for Health, Physical Education and Recreation, 34(3), 335-343. doi:10.1080/10671188.1963.10613242

Jain, A., Bansal, R., Kumar, A., & Singh, K. (2015). A comparative study of visual and auditory reaction times on the basis of gender and physical activity levels of medical first-year students. International Journal of Applied and Basic Medical Research, 5(2), 124. doi:10.4103/2229-516x.157168

Leon, J., Espa, A. U., Ona, A., & Bilbao, A. (2011). Effects of physical activity on reaction time in elderly women. Revista Internacional de Medicina y Ciencias de la Actividad Fisica y del Deporte, 11(44), 791-802. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/267567280_Measurement_of_reaction_time_in_older_adults_Need_of_a_terminological_agreement_La_medicion_del_tiempo_de_reaccion_en_los_estudios_con_personas_mayores_Necesidad_de_un_acuerdo_terminologico

Malhotra, V., Ushadhar, U., Goel, N., & Tripathi, Y. (2015). Exercise and reaction times. Journal of Evolution of Medical and Dental Sciences, 4(25), 4277-4281. Retrieved from https://jemds.com/latest-articles.php?at_id=7260

Reigal, R. E., Barrero, S., Martin, I., Morales-Sanchez, V., Juarez-Ruiz de Mier, R., & Hernandez-Mendo, A. (2019). Relationships Between Reaction Time, Selective Attention, Physical Activity, and Physical Fitness in Children. Frontiers in Psychology, 10. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02278

Wong, A. L., Goldsmith, J., Forrence, A. D., Haith, A. M., & Krakauer, J. W. (2017). Author response: Reaction times can reflect habits rather than computations. doi:10.7554/elife.28075.015