Document Type

Thesis - Open Access

Award Date

1960

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department / School

Physical Education

Abstract

Considerable research has been conducted on reaction time, blood pressure, and pulse rate in an attempt to determine their relationship to athletic performance. Slightly above average blood pressure and low pulse rate within normal limits are considered by present-day coaches to be desirable characteristics of an athlete. In sports and games in which movements of a participant are conditioned by signals, by movements of opponents, or by motion of the ball, reaction time is also of great importance. Studies which closely represent the findings of many other investigators concerning pulse rate are those by Cotton and White. Each observed unusually low pulse rates among the athletes studied. Two of these athletes, Glen Cunningham and Paavo Nurmi, both record-holding distance runners, had pulse rates of 38 and 42, respectively. The third factor involved in the present study was blood pressure. Cureton stated that young athletic subjects, those in training, average somewhat higher sitting systolic blood pressure than those not in training. Savage found relatively high diastolic pressures among 55 marathon runners measured just before their Pittsburgh marathon race of 1909. This study was designed to compare and to relate the reaction times, blood pressures, and pulse rates of freshman and varsity track teams and freshmen male students. Since pulse rate, blood pressure, and reaction time measures are considered valuable aids in predicting athletic performance, a desire to determine the relationship between each of these variables was created. This research is essentially basic in nature. It is hoped that the information obtained may eventually be added to present knowledge and may be applied to coaching and training problems. It is hoped that the results of this study may help determine the relationship of reaction time resulting from visual, auditory, and tactile stimuli to systolic pressure, diastolic pressure, and pulse rate before and after exercise. Results may help indicate some of the effects of exercise upon reaction time and pulse rate. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship of reaction time resulting from visual, auditory and tactile stimuli, systolic pressure, diastolic pressure, and pulse rate of freshmen male students and members of the college track team before and after prescribed exercise. The purpose also was to compare freshman and varsity track teams and freshmen male students before and after exercise on the following test items: reaction times resulting from visual, auditory, and tactile stimuli; systolic pressure, diastolic pressure, and pulse rate.

Library of Congress Subject Headings

Athletic ability
Pulse -- Measurement
Exercise tests
Reaction time

Description

Includes bibliographical references

Format

application/pdf

Number of Pages

50

Publisher

South Dakota State University

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