Honors Theses

Date of Award

2005

Document Type

Undergraduate Thesis

Department

Health, Exercise Science, and Recreation Management

First Advisor

Christopher Kovacs

Relational Format

Dissertation/Thesis

Abstract

The purpose of this investigation was to examine the effects of physiological arousal on the ability to perceive upper extremity position in healthy young adults. Heart rate measurements and blood pressure measurements were taken at pre-established intervals during data collection. Pre-stressor and post-stressor upper extremity trials were also recorded. Twenty participants, 12 females and 8 males, with a mean age of 22.3 (20 33) years comprised the experimental sample. Participants in the experimental sample underwent a combination of the Stroop color-word task and simple math problems to produce a state of arousal and were pre and post tested for upper extremity position sense. The absolute error score averages were calculated for each subject. The pre-test absolute error scores and post-test absolute error scores were compared. A paired t»test revealed a significant difference (p< .05) between the pre-test trials and the post-test trials. The purpose of this investigation was to examine how arousal effects position sense in healthy young adults. The results suggest under a state of arousal proprioceptive measures decrease. The decrease in perception ability is attributed to changes within the central nervous system, specifically the sympathetic nervous system.

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