Procedure 2: Baseline Grip Strength and Heart Rate

    Have the subject sit in a relaxed position and strap the pulse transducer on the index finger of the non-dominant hand. Be sure that the palm is facing upwards and the pulse transducer is not resting on any surfaces. Calibrate the hand dynamometer to show the maximum grip strength in units of percent. Place the hand dynamometer onto the table and zero. Have the subject pick up the dynamometer in their dominant hand and calibrate with a medium then maximum force grip, and relax. Record pulse for the first minute of the exercise and then instruct the subject to grip the dynamometer with maximum force for 20 seconds followed by a 5-second rest. Repeat this task with the hand dynamometer three times. Take the average pulse for the first minute of the recording. Analyze grip strength through the percent achieved during grip 1, 2, and 3. 

Procedure 3: Grip Strength and Heart Rate after cold water submersion

    Tell the subject they will submerge their dominant hand up to their elbow in ice water or room temperature water for one minute. Before the arm is submerged place the pulse transducer on the index finger of the non-dominant hand. Have the subject submerge their dominant arm. At 50 seconds of hand submersion begin recording the pulse. When the total one minute submersion is complete, have the subject remove their hand from the ice water, quickly dry off the arm, and place the hand dynamometer into the palm of the subject. Instruct the volunteer to keep their non-dominant hand still through the transition. Have the subject repeat the steps for gripping the dynamometer in Procedure 1. Remove pulse transducer from non-dominant hand and remove the hand dynamometer from the dominant hand. Use the same analysis procedure from Procedure 1. Have the subject relax for 7 minutes to allow for the arm to warm up.

Procedure 4: Blood Pressure and Reaction time after cold water submersion

    Place the sphygmomanometer on the subject's non-dominant arm before submersion into water. Have the subject submerge their dominant hand into the cold water or warm water for one minute. After one minute have the subject remove their hand from the ice water, quickly dry off the arm, and set up the push button transducer into the dominant hand of the subject. Take the subject's blood pressure immediately after drying off the arm when the subject is still. Have the subject repeat the steps for measuring reaction time in Procedure 2. Remove the sphygmomanometer and the push button from the subject and have them return to a relaxed position. Provide the same analysis as described in Procedure 2.

Results

    Submerging the volunteer's dominant arm into either room temperature water ice water was used to simulate the effects of cold water exposure on the bodies homeostasis and motor function. It was expected that there will be no significant changes before and after exposure to room temperature water while exposure to ice water for one minute will illicit a significant increase in blood pressure, decrease in heart rate, decrease in reaction time, and decrease in grip strength.

Effects on Blood Pressure

    It is hypothesized that the blood pressure will increase when the arm is exposed to the cold water due to vasoconstriction of the blood vessels, which causes an increase in resistance in the blood vessels, thus causing an increase in the blood pressure. During the experiment, the systolic blood pressure showed an increase (M= -2.67, SD= 12.60), while the diastolic blood pressure showed a slight decrease (M= 2.00, SD= 9.07) after exposure to the cold water. The systolic blood pressure showed a slight increase(M= -3.50, SD= 6.81) while the diastolic blood pressure showed a slight decrease(M=5.50, SD=5.26) after exposure to the room temperature water. The systolic blood pressure showed an increase (M= -2.67, SD= 12.60), while the diastolic blood pressure showed a slight decrease (M= 2.00, SD= 9.07) after exposure to the cold water. Figure 1 shows the change in systolic and diastolic blood pressure before and after the control and experimental stimulus was given. (hypothesis accepted or rejected?)