The Influence Of Nicotine On The Level Of Simple And Choice Reaction Time Of Physical Education Students
Abstract
The presented study is aimed at monitoring the effects of nicotine on the level of choice and simple reaction time. Measurement was attended by 15 people (9 men, 6 women) who are students of physical education at the Pedagogical University of Jan Evangelista Purkyne in Usti nad Labem.
The test subjects were to perform different motion tasks based on the illumination of correspondingly colored LEDs, which increased demands for coordination of movement. The study results clearly favored Hick's law (Hick, 1952), when with increase in the number of stimuli the value of the choice reaction time increased as well.
A prerequisite of this study was that the reaction time to a visual stimulus will be affected by the use of nicotine capsule. The findings suggest that nicotine has an effect on the choice reaction time (p = 0,041, d = 0,528).
But the influence of nicotine on the values of simple reasponse time was not proven (p = 0,233, d = 0,308). In a number of sports disciplines (eg.
Athletics, ball games) may be students' performance in meeting the credit requirements affected by the alleged lifestyle. The results of presented study suggest that nicotine may negatively affect the processing of information from the environment and thus may affect an athletic performance.