(P2.2) Reaction time

One of the most important attributes for open sports (sports that require you to react to other things e.g. someone passing you the ball). This is due to the constantly changing environment. The definition of reaction time is, 'the time between the first perception of the stimuli to the movement time'. Reaction time is not a skill, its a inherent ability however it is believed that it can be improved from 10 to 20 percent through practice and training.

There are numerous factors that could effect reaction time, they are:

• Hicks law 
• Age 
• Gender 
• Experience 
• Health 
• Personality 
• Motivation 
• Intensity of the Stimulus 
• Ergogenic aids 

Hicks law

Hicks law is based on the principle that the more stimuli you are presented with your reaction time will increase proportionality because of all the other possible responses. However Hick does believe that once your response time increases to a certain point it will level off and stop decreasing despite the increasing possible responses. A sporting example of this is in American football if a quarterback has one possible receiver to throw to how reaction time will be quite quick due to the limited possible responses. However where Hicks law comes in is if the Quarterback has five possible receivers his reaction time will significantly increase due to the significantly increased possible responses. Below is a graph of Hicks law, as you can see the reaction time increasing then levelling off after is has increased.

Age

Age affects your reaction time because you will be able to increase your reaction time up to thirty however after thirty you will not be able to improve it and it will gradually star to decrease. However after thirty you won't be able to increase it as it decreases as you get older. So in a sporting context sprinters will have a faster reaction time the younger they are. It is very rare that a sprinter will be able to compete post thirty, this is partly down to the fact that their reaction time naturally decreases due to them getting older.


Gender

Your gender has an affect on your reaction time because in general men have a quicker reaction time then women. A sporting example of this is the simple fact that male sprinters generally have faster times than women. Now obviously there are other more important factors that goes into this but males faster reaction times will add to this.

Experience

Experience is an important factor that could effect your reaction time. The more you have been in a certain situation the more comfortable you will be in that situation and therefore your reaction time will be at its best. However if you have never been in a certain situation you might feel nervous, this anxiety will reduce your reaction time. A sporting example of this is a young sprinter at his first Olympics might feel anxious as a result of the cameras and the crowd. This anxiety reduces your reaction time.

Health

Your health might affect your reaction time just because your body will be trying to deal with your health. So instead of your body focusing on trying to react to the stimuli it is trying to make you healthier. Health could also mean an injury. For example research has found that people who have either pronated or supoinated feet will have slower reaction times that people who don't.

Personality

Personality refers to whether or not you are an introvert or an extrovert. An introvert is someone who is more quiet, they don't want to be in the spotlight. An extrovert is someone who is louder and does not mind being the centre of attention. You must keep in mind that people can have both introverted and extroverted qualities. Personality can effect your reaction time because extroverted people tend to have a faster reaction time. So an introverted individuals reaction time might suffer compared to a extroverts. A sporting example of this is that a sprinter who is an introvert might have a slower reaction time compared to an extrovert such as Usain Bolt.

Motivation

Motivation is an important factor that can effect reaction time because it dictates how much effort you give. For example if you are forced to sprint 100m in a P.E lesson you won't be that motivated therefor your reaction time will suffer because of your lack of motivation. However if your a professional sprinter and you get paid relative to where you finish your motivation will be much higher therefore your reaction time will be close to its potential.

The intensity of the stimulus

The intensity of the stimulus is a very important factor that can affect reaction time. This is because the higher level of intensity you are presented by the faster you will react and the less intense the stimulus is the slower you will react. For example when you try to make someone jump you shout, this is a high intensity stimulus. You don't try to scare someone by whispering at them because this is a low intensity stimulus. A sporting example of this is the start of a sprinting race, a gun is a high intensity stimulus which promotes a high intensity reaction, the sprinters jumping off the blocks.

Ergogenic aids

Research has found that ergogenic aids can also affect your reaction time. An ergogenic aid is something that helps to improve athletic performance. So your diet could be an ergogenic aid. Research has found that consuming caffeine in the morning will increase your reaction time thought the day.

In conclusion Hicks law, age, gender, experience, health, personality, experience, the intensity of the stimulus and ergogenic aids are all factors that affect your reaction time. For a sport like springing the effectiveness of your reaction time could be the difference between last place and a new world record. Research was done on the reaction times from the 2000, 2004, 2008 Olympics. This leads us to the assumption that the start reaction time seems to improve equally with the superior performance of the modern sprinters. This shows how critical reaction time is in sport.