Results (needs graphs)
Heart rate was measured at four different points, Blood pressure was measured at two different points and math performance was measured at two different times. The average resting heart rate (M = 81.9261, SD = 8.21168), was significantly lower than the average heart rate during exercise (M = 127.8, SD = 19.29721). Additionally, the average heart rate immediately following the exercise (M = 112.1, SD = 16.3) was higher than the average recovery heart rate (M = 87.8889, SD = 10.38045). The average pre-exercise systolic blood pressure was (M =123.1, SD = 15.2) lower than the average post-exercise systolic blood pressure (M = 146.2, SD = 17.4). Lastly, performance on a math test was measured before and after exercise. The average pre exercise math score (M = 90.17, SD = 8.704), was statistically similar to the average post exercise math score (M = 91.97, SD = 10.485).
A significant correlation was found between the average post exercise heart rate and the recovery heart rate (p=.009, r = .599). Additionally, a significant correlation was found between being an athlete and the average post exercise heart rate (r = .763, p<.001). Furthermore, a significant correlation was found between being an athlete and the recovery heart rate (r = .699, p = .001). There were no other significant correlations found. (r and p show they're correlated)
Main Analysis
A set of ANOVA's was run to test whether heart rate measured at 4 different periods of time was affected by being an athlete. Contrary to our expectations there was no significant difference in the resting heart rate or the average heart rate during exercise when athlete status was considered. As expected to be an athlete affected the average heart rate immediately following exercise Athletes (M = 98.6, SD = 10.1), Non-Athletes ( M = 122.9, SD = 11.4), p<.0001. Additionally, as expected to be an athlete affected the recovery heart rate taken 5 minutes after exercise Athletes( M = 80.0, SD = 6.9), Non-athletes ( M = 94.2, SD = 8.2), p = .001. Additionally, we ran another set of ANOVAs to test whether the systolic value before and after exercise was affected by being an athlete. Contrary to expectations there was no significant difference in the pre or post systolic values when athlete status was considered. Lastly, we ran a set of ANOVAs to determine if the pre and post math scores were affected by being an athlete. Contrary to expectations there was no significant difference in the pre and post math scores when athlete status was considered. See table __
Discussion
Important Findings
Athletes are used to having to make quicker decisions in games so it was expected that they would be able to answer math questions more accurately than non-athletes. However, this study showed that there was no significance between athletes and non-athletes in cognitive tests. The study did show a large significance between being an athlete and the recovery heart rate. These results are not what we expected and could be due to a small sample size.
Strengths and Limitations
Strengths of the study included a movable setup. The Apple Watch, electronic blood pressure monitor, laptop and step-up block allowed the study to be performed anywhere at anytime. This allowed us to accommodate schedules. A standard and randomized math test was used allowing the individual participants score to be analyzed before and after performing step-ups.
The study had to be performed in three weeks, putting a time constraint on the number of participants that could be used in the study. As a result, 18 participants were used. In the future, a larger sample size would be needed to obtain more accurate data and significance. The testing conditions were not ideal as the study was performed in the lab and in the gym where there were numerous people, allowing for the participants to be easily distracted. Ideally, the study would take place in a quiet room with just the participants and the researchers. Furthermore, the study consisted of only females, which could introduce variability. Some athletes were in season while others were out of season, which could affect the math score of each participant as they may be tired from games and busy schedules. The exercise was only performed for two minutes and should be performed longer to get more accurate results. In the future, a memory test should be used for a cognitive task and not math facts.
Conclusion
Ultimately, the data as a whole showed that exercise does affect heart rate and blood pressure. Additionally our data indicated that there is a difference in the recovery heart rate of athletes and non-athletes. More specifically the recovery heart rate of athletes was be lower than the recovery heart rate of non-athletes. There is currently little literature on the effects of cognitive tasks between athletes, therefore this study is a significant contribution to the literature. (our data)