Effects of physical exercise on the performance of the mentally handicapped

EFTECTS OF PTIYSICAI ÐCERCISE ON ^T}IE

PERFORI\,IANCE OF THE MENTALLY HANDICAPPED

JOHN

A.

^FI{LBERT

B.A. A.U.A.

^(Phys.

Ed.) (Adelaide)

DIP

Thesis

subnitted to the University of

^Adelaide

in fulfilment of the conditions for

^the

Degree

of

^Master

of Arts

T

Departrnent

of

^Psychology

University of

^Adelaide

South

Australia

L976

TABLE OF CONTENTS

(iv)

(vii)

1

4 4

1L L7 2L 27 2L 26 z8

30 34 4L 44 44 45 51

51_

58

59

63 66

Abstract

Aclcrowledgements

GIAPTER

1

INTRODUSTION GTAPTER 2

GIAPTER 3

GI,APTER 4

PFrySICAL FITNESS AND TTIE PFrySICAI ^STATIJS OF T}IE FIANDICAPPED

Z.l

?hqdica.L d,ífne,sd and

i.t's

mea,sunement

2.,2

Thø pl+q'síeal

'staful o{

^{tl+e mønta.LLq te'tandød}

2.3

^Thø

phqrical

^¿fafu.¿

o{ thø

^{menfalLq d,Utunbød}

THE CONCEPT OF ^AROUSAL

3.1

^Hi'stonq

o{ thø

^{anou.ta.L concept}

3.2

Mode,I's

o(

^ø,tou,sa.L

5.3 Ind,Lcu o{ attou.ta.L

3.4

PLtqtLea.L

acfivifq

and anou,ta,L

3.5

Phq,sica.X.

acfivifq

and møntn.L ta,slz^

3.6

PhqtícnL

a"ciivi,ttl

and moton ¿l¿,íLI's

3.7

Anou.ta,[- and tl+ø handieaytytød

Tm

MA"IOR EPERINÍEI'¡T

4.L

In-tnoducLLon

4.2

^Me,thod

4.3

^Ruu.Us and d"í¿eu¿ion

4.3a.

Spøed d,L(denence's beltnøøn

the

^{g,Loufr^}

4.5b.

VanLabilLtq

4.3c.

Exettc,<'sø ø{deot's on d¿ci,tion

timø

^and

movemøn-t

tinø

4.3d. Cont¡n'tt o(

exartci'sø e(¡{ecf's ^on

puL.|orunane¿ befwøøn

thø

thnøø ^{gLoufr^}

4.3e.

^Etvtton ana.Lq,s,Lt

4.3f

.

^{LasLLng ø($øot's}

o(

^{øxenú'sø on}

puLóoMtancQ- 68

GIAPTER 5

GIAPIER 6

CFIAPIER 7

APPENDIGS

REFERENCES

TÏ{E TRATNING EFFESTS OR SECOND EXPERIMENT

5.1

Tyttzodue,tion

5.2

Me,thctdoLogttr

5.3

Re:su,Ltt and d,i'sau¿Lon PFIYSICAI FITNESS IN\ÆSTIGATION

6.1

^{mlc(170l' ,1eÁu,tLs}

6.2

^{PWC(I70l, pe-,1} U,Lognan bodq waLghf. ,LQ,su.tts

6.3

Matcínun oxAgen inf.a.l¿ø

(MvÌrl

_ne¿u,Urs

STII\MARY ANID CONCLUSIONS

7.L

^Sunmanq

7.2

Reeommønda.tioyu

ITOIX

7Z 7Z

74 74 78 78 79

83 9Z 92 97 L02 L25

ABSTRACI

The

effects of physical exercise

^on

a three

^choice

reaction

ti¡ne

task

were examined

for a

^group

of adults

^{diagnosed as}

either

nenïal1y retarded or psychiatrically disturbed

^{on admission}

to

^an

Adelaide

Vocational Rehabilitation Centre.

^{Results hrere compared}

with a gïotp of

non handicapped

subjects.

^The

reaction time

^task,

vihich enabled

the

separate examination

of decision time

^{and movement}

time,

Was performed on

five

occasions; once

prior to exercise

^and thèn

after

each

three

minute

period of

^graded

physical

^exercise

on a

bicycle ergometer.

^The

exercise

^loads were determined

for

each

individual

according

to his or her physical

work

capacity

^(PWC).

As

in previous

^research

findings, the

non handicapped population was

fourd to be significantly faster

^on

both

performance measures

than

the

reta::ded

group, md in this investigation also faster

^than

the psychiatric group. This result

^occurred

in both the

pre-exercise

trial

^and

all four post exercise trials. All groups'with

the exception

of the

non handicapped male saffple, ^showed

a significant trend to inprove in decision time

as

the

demands

of the

exercise became

heavier.

^Horvever,

exercise

^produced

no

change j-n ^movement tirne perfolrnaftce

in the

groups,

with the

exception

of

the

psychiatrically disturbed

female sample, which ^showed

a

small

initial

improvement. Thus these two parameters

of reaction

^time

were

affected quite differently by increasing

^amounts

of

^physical

exercise. It

was argued

that the effect of exercise

^{was seen on}

central decision

making processes,

rather than

on

the peripheral

areas concernecl

with

^such

things

^{as arin speed.}

The

results

were exarúned

in relation to the arousal

^{concept and,}

in particular,the

invertecl U

hypothesis.

^{The absence}

of the

^conrnonly

found

inverted

^U

relationship

^between

leve1 of exercise

and

performance was e>çlained

in

^terms

of the duration

^and

intensity

of exercise,

and

the fact that prior rather than

concomitant exercise was

used.

Examination

of the data indicated that

the

effects of exercise did not dissipate over the four or five

^minute

period of the task

even though

heart tate, the

^{asstrned index}

of

arousal,

^had

returned to

^normal

levels.

A

second experiment

verified that the

irnprovenent

in reaction

tirne performance was

not

due

to

^any

trainíng effect

^as

a result of

repeated exposure

to the

task.

Physical work

capacity

^(PWC)

for the

handicapped groups ^was compared

witll- that

obtained

frorn (a)

a

mentally retarded

group from

a Rehabilitation

Centre

in

Scandinavia;

(b) adult

^noÛìs

available

from

other countries

^and

a recent investigation in Adelaide;

^and

(c) the

non handicapped group used

in the study.

^PWC

for

the handicapped groups was

significantly lower than that reported for

their

Scandinavian

counterparts

and

for

non handicapped strbjects

overseas.

However, when maximr¡rn oxygen

intake

^(MvOz)

per

^kilogram

body weight was estirnated from Pl{C, these comparisons between the handicapped ^and non handicapped groups revealed

differences

lvhich rvere

far less marked. It

^{was noted}

that there

^was

a great

^amormt

of variability within the

handj-capped groups on

this

^neasure

of

cardio respiratory

fi,tness.

Recommendations were ^made on suggested

lines of future

^research,

and on

possible

schemes

of physical activity within Rehabilitation

Centres.

This thesis

contains no

rnaterial

which has been accepted

for the

award

of

^any

other

^{degree or}

diplorna

in

any

University,

and .to

the best of ny

lcrowledge and

belief, the thesis

contains no

naterial previously

pr.rblished

or written

^by

another

person,

except where due

reference is

nade

in the text.

John

A.

Halbert

Jrne,

t976.

ACKNO^TLEDGEMENTS

I

^would

like to

^{express my}

gratitude to the

management,

supervisors and

staff of

Bedford

Industries Vocational Rehabilitation Association Inc.,

South

Australia, for their

assistance and

co-operation

during this investigation.

^The

staff of the

^Personnel

section, in particular Mr. Ivor Snaith

and Ms. Gabby

Kullack,

advised and

assisted in the selection of the subjects. I

^was

grateful to

^have ready access

to the

personnel records

of clients

at the centre.

^As

all subjects

^had

to be tested for IQ, Dr.

^Ted Nettelbeck provided assistance and guidance

in

my

familiarisation with the test,

^and

nonitored several testing

^sessions

to

ensure

that correct

procedures were followed-

Several colleagues

at the

Adelaide College

of

^{Advanced Education}

assisted in the physical

^work

capacity testing,

^and

offered useful

advice and conrnents about

this

aspect

of the project. In particular, I wish to

^thank

Mr.

Richard Roberts

for his useful

^{connnents on the}

earlier drafts of the physical fitness sections of this thesis' I

also

aclanowledge my

debt to the

Adelaide College

of

^Advanced

Education

for the

use

of the bicycle

ergometers and

other pieces of

apparatus

required in the

experiments.

I

^am

grateful to Mr.

^Robert

willson fron the

^Psychology

Department

of the llníversity of Adelaide,

^and

Mr.

^{Roger Williams}

fron the

Mathematics Department

of the

Adelaide College

of

^Advanced

Education,

for their

assistance

with

computer progranrning ^and

statistical analysis of the data.

^{To Helena Lomax who} prepared the

figures, I

am

very grateful.

Furthermore,

I wish to

thank ^Cynthia Alexander

for her excellent typing of this thesis'

Particular

thanks

ÍIust

^go

to

^my sr-rpervisor,

Dr.

^Ted

Nettelbeck,

^whose encouragement, enthusiasn and

constructive criticism

^were

of

tremendous

value

throughout

the

lúrole

project.

I

^have thoroughly enjoyed tJle experience

of

working

with

him.

Fina1ly, I

have appreciated

the patience

and r.rrderstanding

of

my

wife,

^Chris.